Power Saw Recommendations Needed

I have now completed two N-Scale layouts and am soon to embark on a 3rd. I need help selecting the appropriate tools for bench work on the next project as it will likely be an NTRAK module. I also will likely in parallel start work on an more ambitious permanent basement layout for which the tools will also be used.

I was able to cheat on the bench work for the first two layouts because the first was done on a piece of plywood that needed to slide under a bed so therefore, I simple glued supporting blocks of wood about 2" high underneath the board to create clearance for wiring. I attached felt pads to these feet so it would slide under the bed easily.

The second layout was built on a very nice piece of bench work left behind by the previous owner of our house. It was 28" by 8' and perfect for the layout I built on it.

I do have space for a table saw and that seems to be a good fit for creating nice, square saw cuts on the frame and legs of the NTRAK module. However, it also seems that a Mitre-Saw might do the trick and have the added advantage of being able to cut at perfect angles. A more portable option seems to be a circular saw with a guide to keep the blade perpendicular to the edge of the piece of wood being cut.

Quality and safety are also concerns. I don't have money to burn, but I would rather pay more to make sure I am safe and that the tool can take a beating.

As general background, I had three years of high school shop training and have worked extensively with table saws, jig saws and band saws before. We focused on safety first (as is normal in a school setting) so I am not a complete neophyte with respect to power tools.

Any advice would be welcome.

Thanks!

George

 

George,
If I was limited to just one power saw it would be a quality table/bench saw. You can create jigs for repetitive cuts and it can cut at angles.
It is awkward for cutting long pieces but still manageable.

I have my fathers bench saw and it is over 50 years old and still does a fantastic job. My only problem is that I do not have space for it so i keep in my brother-in-laws garage.

 

I would go with a good quality TABLE SAW. I grew up up Dad's table saw, was taught "Screw up----Loose a finger!" since I really like all my fingers, I an VERY careful around the saw. I have an old Craftsman table saw that I constantly use to cut just about any thing. The Craftsman saw isn't the most fancy saw around, I've hooked up a Shop Vac to draw off sawdust, but it does the job day in day out. It also depends on what you are going to do with the saw, I'm NO Carpenter/wookworker , but I am a Homeowner and need a good saw for building the Indiana Railway and Home maintenance/repairs. There are many good tables saw available, Delta, Craftsman etc etc just to name a couple. Just make sure what ever saw you buy that you can get PARTS for it. Sears has parts available and there are other places with parts also. Watch some of your cheaper brands of saw out there, you can't get parts for them. The saw breaks, you're DONE.

I also have a Delta Miter Saw for cutting wood trim and small pieces of lumber, but I wouldn't have it if I wasn't doing trim work. Some people like Miter Saws over Tables Saws, but to each his own.

Check out CRAIGSLIST for prices on Table & Miter Saws. You might somebody who is getting out of the woodworking/carpenter business and selling equipment CHEAP. This is how I came up with the miter saw.

 

I would recommend the table saw. Simply for its versatility. I also have several other saws, the ever present sabre saw, circular saw and a few others. I find the table is the most useful for layout construction, as I use mine to cut not only the bench work members but the spline I use for subroadbed, the roadbed and the ties for the layout, I handlay my track and the ability to produce my own roadbed and ties is a great cost saver.

While a Miter Saw is a nice saw to have, its really hard to cut items on it that need to be thin and long.

 

Sounds like the table saw is the way to go. I imagine I will be doing both sticks and sheets. Sticks for benchwork framing, and sheets for surfaces. I will check out craigslist and try to find a craftsman. I really like the idea of getting spare parts easily. I don't have an infinite amount of room, so size will be an issue, but I assume Sears has all shapes and sizes of table saws.

 

I've got a Craftsman 10" "portable/contractor's" table saw, and a Dewalt 10" compound mitre/chop saw. Depending on where you are, Craiglist will yield both for a very reasonable price.

You can indeed build jigs for angle cuts in sticks, but honestly, the longer I have both, the less I'm inclined to do it.

 

Hi George,

I have both types of saw, they are both made by Rigid Tools and were purchased at Home Depot. My table saw is a 10" Contractors model with folding cart & wheels, which is really great for moving it around, because it's pretty heavy! The compound mitre saw is also a 10" model, although there are some times when I wish I had bought the next biggest model. Most of the time however, I'm glad I didn't, because the miter saw seems to take up more than it's share of space in my garage when I'm not using it (it's kind of like my bicycle in that respect). I really like both of the saws, and I'm glad I bought them both.

Bill in FtL

 

I have a Mikita Miter Saw and a Craftsman Circular Saw. I would buy DeWalt if I could afford them, but they are among the best saws money can buy.

I have not needed a Table Saw, but fortunately my Dad's workshop is just 15 minutes away, so I can use his big Enlon table saw anytime. I enjoy wood working but I don't have the $$$ or space or time for all of the right equipment (Table Saw, Radial Arm Saw, Drum/Belt sander, Planer, Router, Lathe, joiner, dovetail brackets, etc..). I keep promising my wife I'll build her a new dining room table, just need the time to use the family workshop and buy some pretty and wormy oak.

 

I have both a Mikita and Craftmans Mitre Saws, stay away from the Craftmans as they are hard to adjust compared to other saws if they become misaligned. If you want a smaller table saw, go with the Dewalt, if you think you may do 4 x 8 sheets both the Rigid portables are nice and the table expands for wider sheets. my 2 cents.

 

I have a small table saw that works pretty good but trying to cut a sheet of plywood would be difficult and dangerous. What I do if I need plywood cut, is have the lumber yard do it for me on their panel saw. They may charge a small fee but its worth it to me to keep all my fingers. And it's easier to transport in my small truck.

Eric

 

If you're going to use your tools for a lot more than just railroad bench work (and I mean like an additional hobby of woodworking) I'd strongly recommend a Delta unisaw for the table saw, a Dewalt 10" compound sliding miter saw, and for a powered circilar saw, something like a good old Sears or Porter Cable 7 1/4". I've bought cheap tools over the years and yes they do work but take a lot more time and technique to make the cuts you would be proud of.

Brian

 

A hand held circular saw with a rip guide will work just as well as a table saw for a lot less money....Mike

 

There is no "ONE" saw fits everything. I have a really nice Uni saw, radial arm saw, (2) compound miter saws and a small table saw, several styles and sizes of hand held circular saws. Flipping around 4x8 sheets is always a pain and some time dangerous on a table saw. Using a Skill saw and a rip gauge on the bench is easier and safer. Using a table to cut miters is all right but a nice miter saw makes it easier.

Now, don't laugh, I know it sounds crazy, but I bought this table saw just to do a large bamboo floor. Well 3 years later and a ton of cutting, it is still going strong.

http://www.lowes.com/pd_167737-4692...rentURL=?Ns=p_product_avg_rating|1&facetInfo=

Hand held circular saw.

http://www.lowes.com/pd_296495-353-...rentURL=?Ns=p_product_avg_rating|1&facetInfo=

Chop saw.

http://www.lowes.com/pd_132853-353-3316-03_4294702884__?productId=3701590&Ns=p_product_avg_rating|1

http://www.harborfreight.com/10-inch-sliding-compound-miter-saw-98199.html Nephew picked this up just to see how well it works. He has had it for about 5 months and it works pretty well.

I see the need for 3 saw. Each has a roll. Sure you can work with just one. I did a lot with jigs with just a Skill saw. But a table saw made things easier, then I add the chop saw. Life was grand. Being as you are not a contractor building houses, decks and such, the lighter duty saw will do the job you need them to do. I used to have all of the Dewalt super duty tolls when I was a door and stair guy. Yet, now, the Fire Storm kit works well enough for what I use it on. The 18.8v tools in this kit work just fine. I use the heck out of the cordless circular saw and a straight edge to cut 4x8 sheets.

To get the most out of any saw, you need good blades. If you get the cheap blades you will get bad cuts. Put a nice 60 tooth carbide tipped blade on and have fun.


Buzz.

 

After more thought, it seems like the thing I will be doing the most is cutting (chopping?) strips of lumber for frames. For surfaces, I plan to either use foam, or have the lumber yard cut the plywood sheets for me. For this reason, I think a good compound mitre saw may work best. It seems you can buy specialized tables for these or mount them on a workbench. What is recommended?

 

I just built a ton of benchwork using a Ryobi compound miter saw I've had for years and years. If you are cutting 1x4's that's all you need. I have a table saw, and used it to do some ripping but other than that, I don't use it as much. As far as mounting the saw, you can use it on the floor, like most contractors do, or you can put it on pretty much any kind of sturdy table. I use a Stanley plastic workmate kind of thing I picked up years ago that has some work stops that I use to lock the saw in with. I would pick up a cheap roller stand to make it easier to cut longer pieces of wood. You can get them at Harbor Freight or Northern tool for less than $20. Like someone else said, there is no one saw that does everything, but with three saws I think you can do pretty much anything needed in model railroading.

1. 10 inch Miter Saw, radial arm if plan to cut anyting above 6 inches wide
2. Jig Saw - for any kind of curved cut, use with a fine tooth blade for plywood.
3. A circular saw - for cutting plywood, masonite or other flat products. I just use an 18 volt cordless 5-1/2" Ryobi, with a fine tooth blade for plywood.

You are probably talking about $200 or less in tools, but with these three saws and a good cordless drill, there's not much you can't do.

Good Luck and Have Fun,

Todd

 

I'll chime in, I guess..... If I could only have one power saw it would be a good quality circular saw as it can cut framing material as well as sheets. A straight piece of 1x2 clamped to plywood can give you a straight smooth cut. Mine is a Craftsman that belonged to my father-in-law thats probably 55+0 years old. It's still my go-to saw for straight cutting on sheet material even though I also have a bench saw.

For me, number two is a jig saw for "cookie cutter" work on plywood. But if you are working with foam sheets for subroadbed and terrain obviously this isn't important.

Next would be the miter or chop saw for cutting framing material to length because it's quick and easy. I bought mine for doing home remodeling but, hey! it's great for benchwork. What a surprise! I mounted it to a sheet of 3/4" plywood. It either sits on top of a workbench in the shop or clamps on a Black and Decker workmate if I take it outside.

Third would be the bench saw. I use it primarily for ripping down 2x4s to make L-girders, joists, risers and legs. I can use it for small sheet cuts (like cutting a 2x4 foot sheet down to 1x4 feet) but not large sheets. I have what's really a lower end "bench top" saw and it usually goes outside because of the dust and the confines of the shop won't let me cut big pieces. I don't know how I'd wrestle a big sheet of plywood through it, nor would I want to cut framing wood to length with it. The top is only a couple of feet wide and maybe 18 inches deep. To me, a "Table Saw" is one of those monsters you see on "New Yankee Workshop" that has a heavy base, table extensions and a long fence to work with big pieces.

I'll show my age here..... about 1958 my father built my first train table (cutting plywood, 1x4s and 2x4s) using a 4 inch circular saw that fit into a 1/4" drill!

George V.

 

They make stands for chop saws. Here is a smaller one then I have.

http://www.lowes.com/ProductDisplay...gId=10051&cmRelshp=req&rel=nofollow&cId=PDIO1



http://www.harborfreight.com/10-inch-sliding-compound-miter-saw-98199.html

Stand

http://www.harborfreight.com/mobile-folding-power-tool-stand-40612.html

Buzz.

 

There is nothing that can not be done with a good quality circular saw. I have built benchwork for three layouts with three cutting tools. 1. Circular saw , I prefer the Hitachi, bed tilts to 55 degrees, not needed for benchwork,, but needed for house framing. 2. Quality sabre saw,, Again I used a Hitachi,, the model I have has 5 different setting as you can change the how much material the blade removes on a stroke. You can also change the speed using the varible speed adjustment. 3. Miter Saw/ Chop saw. I use mine for house trim inside and out and anything else I can think of. The Tim Allen in all of us says go with the 12 " compound slide miter. Naaaa. dont need it. A 10" will work just fine.

One thing that can not be stressed enough...QUALITY BLADES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You need quality blades to make quality cuts. This goes for all blades, 7 1/4" , sabre saw, 10" and 12".

One thing you can do to rip plywood,,, Johnson makes a straight edge,, it is two sections. When put together it is plenty long to rip a sheet of ply. I use Irwin quik clamps to secure my edge to the ply. Keep in mind,, you have to allow for the distance from the edge of the teeth on the blade to the edge of the saw bed. And then you can do the math to find out how to rip your piece of stock.

There are two guys on here that know the quality of the work I can do.. Rossford Yard and Denver Road Doug. The can atest to taking your time, and just taking it nice and easy you can produce cuts and assemblies that would make Norm Abrams proud.

Adios, Wyatt