Table Saw Recommendations?

[deek]

I'm a new homeowner who wants to learn how to woodwork and complete a couple projects. What specifics should I be looking for in a table saw? I want to know exactly what I should be looking for in a table saw. So you have some context, here are a couple things that I have in mind:

Golf clubs/equipment organizer

Entertainment center for man cave

Custom bar area

Coffee cart/table for wife

Random organization & shelving over the long term

Outside of the table saw, what are things I should also be getting to be prepared for these types of projects?
Would love some assistance from some mustachian woodworkers!

[DirtyBrad]

Woodworker here. For a table saw, my vote is a SawStop, full stop. They're on the high end, but the safety can't be beat. If you're not familiar, Google results will amaze you. I would also strongly recommend a cabinet saw as opposed to a contractor. For SawStop that means their "professional" series. The "industrial" is even nicer, but not at all necessary for even a serious home woodworker. I would also really strongly recommend a crosscut sled. SawStop sells a nice sliding table accessory, but you can also build one yourself easily and way cheaper. It will let you make crosscuts safely as well as repeated cuts to the same length.

To go another direction, though, there are a lot of folks who would argue a bandsaw is the better "one saw" option. In addition to being able to cut curves, it can also resaw, which is a real benefit and material/money saver. And they're cheaper, have a smaller footprint, and are generally safer.

You will likely also want a thickness planer and a jointer.  With either a table saw or bandsaw, plus those other two, you can dimension lumber precisely and repeatably.

And one thousand other things :)

[Sanitary Stache]

I loved the idea of a saw stop but then I was told that when it works, it breaks the saw and a new saw is needed. It made me start to wonder how much I would be willing to spend for saving a finger.

I think there is a good chance I’ll lose a finger someday.

[DirtyBrad]

It breaks a replaceable cartridge, which are currently going for around $100 for the standard blade. They also offer a different cartridge for using a dado stack.

I do like the cost/benefit examination of finger vs. dollars.

[Sandi_k]

DH seconds Saw Stop.

When the saw has to slam to a stop, it wrecks the cartridge, and can wreck the blade. But better than losing a finger.

[nereo]

SawStop is awesome, but that’s jumping right into a pretty high end tool for what sounds like a pretty early-stage hobby.

OP - you’ve got a lot of choices, starting with not actually needing a table saw at all ( especially at first). Everything on that list can be made common sized boards and smaller, cheaper tools. Many hardwood and plywood shops will rip sheets to size for you (even the big box stores do this). More and more I turn to using my track saw because it’s so damn convenient and accurate - before I had a track saw I used a simple cheap circular saw with a cheap guide jig that accomplished basically the same thing.

Some questions to consider:
Do you have a dedicated room for a shop where you might install dust collection?
Do you want tools that are mobile?
How much (in thousands $$) do you plan on spending on woodworking each year?
Are you extremely careful or accident prone (be honest with yourself)?
How confident are you that you will still be woodworking in 5, 10, or 20 years?
Any desire to do traditional hand tools (hint: this doesn’t mean less money, just different style)
What level of quality are you shooting for?
How many hours total would you be willing to spend on, say, the entertainment center (4, 40 or 400?)

[Sanitary Stache]

Well being able to replace the safety mechanism and blade is totally reasonable. I once again love the saw stop.

I think this track saw idea is awesome too.

[DirtyBrad]

I'm the one who said SawStop and I agree a track saw in a better first move. I just get so excited...

[nereo]

I'm the one who said SawStop and I agree a track saw in a better first move. I just get so excited...

Yeah, totally get it. I’m a woodworking enthusiast who is prone to “tool lust” myself.
With a five-figure annual budget I’d have a dedicated ~320 ft2 shop with a dust collection system, a 5hp SawStop,  8” jointer, 20” planer and a bunch of other expensive machines. I’d also have the $6k in hand tools I’ve dreamed about.

But I don’t have that space or budget, and while I can do dovetails and inlays with reasonable results I’m more likely to build bookshelves with dados and face frames joined with pocket holes. Prioritizing functionality & speed over beauty. My friend OTOH probably spent 200 hours building his daughter’s bed frame and it’s stunning.


Much different approaches based on individual factors.

[deek]

SawStop is awesome, but that’s jumping right into a pretty high end tool for what sounds like a pretty early-stage hobby.

OP - you’ve got a lot of choices, starting with not actually needing a table saw at all ( especially at first). Everything on that list can be made common sized boards and smaller, cheaper tools. Many hardwood and plywood shops will rip sheets to size for you (even the big box stores do this). More and more I turn to using my track saw because it’s so damn convenient and accurate - before I had a track saw I used a simple cheap circular saw with a cheap guide jig that accomplished basically the same thing.

Some questions to consider:
Do you have a dedicated room for a shop where you might install dust collection?
Do you want tools that are mobile?
How much (in thousands $$) do you plan on spending on woodworking each year?
Are you extremely careful or accident prone (be honest with yourself)?
How confident are you that you will still be woodworking in 5, 10, or 20 years?
Any desire to do traditional hand tools (hint: this doesn’t mean less money, just different style)
What level of quality are you shooting for?
How many hours total would you be willing to spend on, say, the entertainment center (4, 40 or 400?)

Do you have a dedicated room for a shop where you might install dust collection? It would be in my garage which also houses my gym, and not 100% sure how to do dust collection yet

Do you want tools that are mobile? Semi mobile maybe?

How much (in thousands $$) do you plan on spending on woodworking each year? I'm not even sure yet

Are you extremely careful or accident prone (be honest with yourself)? I'm fairly clumsy, but can focus well if I slow down

How confident are you that you will still be woodworking in 5, 10, or 20 years? Maybe 30-50% confidence

Any desire to do traditional hand tools (hint: this doesn’t mean less money, just different style) Yes, but I don't know what that looks like yet

What level of quality are you shooting for? Things that will last, but don't need to be ornate or stunning

How many hours total would you be willing to spend on, say, the entertainment center (4, 40 or 400?) More towards the 40 hr mark if possible

[Greystache]

I have limited space in my garage, so I went with a contractor size table saw. I have been able to make some very nice furniture with it. Where I really miss a full size table saw is cutting large panels and cutting dados. Whatever saw you decide to get, make sure the arbor is big enough to accept a dado stack.

[Beach_Bound]

Why do you want to learn woodworking? If it's to save money on these projects... you probably won't succeed, especially if you consider the cost of buying tools and the value of your time. You can pick up used wood furniture for cheap if you monitor craigslist/facebook marketplace for a while. Ikea solid wood furniture (not the particleboard stuff) meets your criteria of being solid without being ornate, and you would probably have difficulty making similar designs for cheaper. If you like the process of woodworking and/or want to create pieces that are customized to your space, then enjoy! I find it very rewarding, but I'm well aware that I could have bought a perfectly functional patio table, for example, for less than the cost of making it myself.

I'll second Nereo's recommendation to start with a track saw or circular saw with a straight edge as a guide. They're much cheaper than a Sawstop table saw (though I agree with everyone else that if you are going to buy a table saw, you should buy a Sawstop), and are easier to move around. If your workshop space is also your gym space, you may prefer to cut your wood outside to manage the sawdust.

Pick a simple project first, and grow from there. Don't buy a bunch of new tools until you tackle a project that requires them.

[nereo]

Why do you want to learn woodworking? If it's to save money on these projects... you probably won't succeed, especially if you consider the cost of buying tools and the value of your time. You can pick up used wood furniture for cheap if you monitor craigslist/facebook marketplace for a while. Ikea solid wood furniture (not the particleboard stuff) meets your criteria of being solid without being ornate, and you would probably have difficulty making similar designs for cheaper. If you like the process of woodworking and/or want to create pieces that are customized to your space, then enjoy! I find it very rewarding, but I'm well aware that I could have bought a perfectly functional patio table, for example, for less than the cost of making it myself.

Yup, my woodworking friends and I call it the “IKEA effect”. Simply stated, even a skilled woodworker with a small shop full of quality tools is unlikely to build basic furniture for less than what IKEA sells it for, because they are so damn efficient with every board-foot and have quantity of scale in their favor. The materials alone for building a coffee table cost me more than the $99 IKEA all-wood versions. And it will take me a full weekend of “labor” (which I typically enjoy)


So: I do it because I love it, and because I can build very specific pieces which fit precisely into they spaces I want them for (“bespoke”) and because as I progress I can higher-end hardwood furniture for less than the retail cost in materials if i conveniently ignore the 100+ hours I spend making it *almost* as good as what you see in a higher-end furniture shop.


I do not do it to save money, and certainly not time.

[Sanitary Stache]

I don’t make fine prices of furniture. I make modifications to the home and things that go outdoors.

The indoor stuff we do is typically to custom fit our space, but we also do it for less money even considering our time (we sacrifice aesthetic quality) and we reuse materials. We also buy locally harvested and milled wood, usually rough sawn, to do mostly outdoor projects. We definitely save money doing that for porches play structures and sheds.