I'm trying to decide between a jobsite saw and a contractor saw for my first table saw. My workspace is pretty tight—only about 8' x 10'. I'm leaning toward the jobsite saw, but I'm concerned that I might limit myself too much if the contractor saw is significantly better. The TS2424 is priced at $150 and comes with a miter gauge and wheel kit, but it doesn't include a saw guard. Any advice?
3 Answers
Honestly, if you have even a bit of space, a contractor saw could be worth it. If you start with a jobsite saw, you’ll likely end up needing a stand and infeed/outfeed support, which just makes it more like a contractor saw in the end. I have a Delta 36-725T2 and I really love it. In my garage, I keep everything on wheels against the wall, so I can roll out my table saw and workbench when I need them. This way I can adjust things based on the project, which has been really handy.
I’d definitely recommend going for the jobsite saw! They usually come with standard 3/4” x 1/2” miter slots, which makes it way easier to build jigs like a cross cut sled. Plus, you can use a circular saw with a guide or a track saw for cutting down sheet goods. You might want to check out a video by 3x3 Custom from a few years back; it goes over using jobsite saws for fine woodworking.
In my case, I couldn't fit a contractor saw into my small basement shop, so I opted for a Milwaukee jobsite saw. I’m really happy with it, but it needed a bench with side and outfeed support to be truly useful. I love having the extra space for my miter saw station and planer though. I even built a multi-function workbench around the jobsite saw. Here’s a pic of it!
Sweet bench! Any plans to share for it?