Everybody has to start somewhere. All woodworkers have that one project that they did first, when they became interested in the hobby.
For many people, they built their first project as a kid or in a shop class in high school. Others tackled the hobby on their own later in life.
My first woodworking project was technically a pinewood derby car when I was a kid. My first “serious” woodworking project was a large oak chest, built in wood shop class in high school. I still have it (13 years later) and it’s heavy and it’s gonna last a long time, probably longer than me.
What are some examples of other peoples first woodworking projects?
Lumberjocks has a forum thread going where people are posting some of their first projects. Projects include a cribbage board made out of oak, a bookcase, an entertainment center for an 8-track player (old-school!) and a gun rack.
Here’s a saber display case built as a first woodworking project by a cadet.
How about we raise the bar a bit? Check out this gaming table built by somebody as a first woodworking project. It’s quite a nice table for a beginner!
So, how about you? What was your first woodworking project? If you don’t have a first project yet, what would you like your first project to be?
That is one of the major rules that applies to any hobby that uses dangerous and powerful tools. Saws, drills and anything else you can think of has the potential to do some damage in some way or another.
Sometimes people get a little sloppy, and they learn the hard way – that it pays to pay attention and use safe practices when using tools. Especially saws.
These links will make you rethink safety in the shop. Warning, some of them might be a little intense. But nothing too overly gory.
Various woodworking hand injuries (kinda gross pictures in some cases), a reminder of what a saw can do to your hands if you are not careful.
The Ridgid R4510 portable table saw is a heavy duty addition to the lineup of portable table saw models that we have taken a look at. The overall ability level and quality of this saw is outstanding, and it includes a folding, rolling stand that makes it ultra portable.
This is one of the more expensive portable table saws that we have reviewed, but it is also arguably the highest quality saw of the bunch. This is very comparable in quality and price to the Bosch 4100-09 that we looked at, if you would like to see another similar comparison. Continue reading to learn more about the details of this saw and why it’s a top pick.
This video is pretty good for a few reason. It demonstrates how the gravity rise stand works, it shows how the digital rip fence is implemented and it also shows some other unique table and storage features that make this a pretty efficient portable table saw.
Check out our reviews of the Bosch 4100 and Bosch 4100-09 for more information on these saws. Also available in the 4100 series from Bosch is the 4100DG-09 that includes the digital rip fence. Got all that?
The Bosch 4100 Table Saw is a great choice for a reliable, durable portable table saw. This is a great choice for home or work site use. This saw is light and feels like a portable saw, but it has a lot of little quality touches that you’d have a hard time finding on other saws in the same price range. This is a great table saw choice for those that want contractor-quality performance and feel in a portable saw.
The Bosch 4100 is pretty much identical to one of it’s brothers, the Bosch 4100-09, except the 4100-09 comes with a gravity rise stand. If you need a stand too, take a look at the Bosch 4100-09 instead.
Now let’s get into the details. Read on to learn more.
The JET 708315LSB JBTS-10LS-2 table saw (by the way is that one heck of a product name/number combo or what?) is designed as a bench top table saw, meaning it’s meant to be portable. This is also priced as an entry level saw, and anybody buying this saw should be aware of this. It can stack up fairly well to the Bosch 4100 or the DeWalt DW744X we have looked at, for example, but this saw is cheaper than those two options.
Overall, this is a pretty good saw for the money. In fact if you start comparing this saw to other saws in it’s price range, it’s going to look pretty good. The common complaints with this saw are mostly related to the fence or the miter, but we’ll get to that in a bit. Those common complaints shouldn’t necessarily deter you from taking a serious look at this portable table saw.
The DeWalt DW744X table saw is another great table saw for home or job site use from DeWalt. This table saw contains all the typical quality that you would expect in a DeWalt saw, and has some slick features that make it easy to use.
What makes this different from the last saw we took a look at, the DeWalt DW745 table saw? The most obvious difference is the larger size of the unit in general and the larger size of the cutting table and rip fence. With this saw you can rip boards up to 24.5 inches. That’s a pretty nice size number for those that like to be able to cut large sheets of plywood, for example.
This is a larger saw though, even though it’s sometimes pitched as a portable saw, and you should consider that this is typically going to take two people to lift and port the saw due to the larger table size. However, one big strong dude can probably handle this alone.
It’s 57 pounds, so keep that in consideration if you need ultra-portability. You may be in a situation where you work alone (and have to port your tools yourself), and in that case you may want to opt for lighter saw. If you need something smaller and more portable than this saw we suggest looking at the DeWalt DW745 table saw.
Keep reading to learn more, we have a lot more details to share.
We have covered a couple table saws and one of the more common request for more information that we get is regarding the use of stack dado sets on these saws. One such example is the Bosch 4100-09 table saw that we covered that can fit a 3/4″ dado if the correct dado insert is used.
What do all the dado blade sets in this list have in common? They are all 8-inch sets, they all have 5/8 inch arbors, and they all have a history of happy owners.
Let’s take a look at the top 8-inch dado blade sets that are worth your time and money.
This is a 16 piece stack dado set that comes with two 42 tooth saw blades and six 6 tooth chippers. You also get a set of shims and a case. You can cut widths from 1/4″ to 29/32″ with this set. What makes these so sharp? The precision ground carbide tips. This is a really good set considering it’s somewhat entry level price tag.
This stack dado set is well known for it’s smooth performance and splinter-free cutting result. The width range is 1/4″ to 13/16″ and can be adjusted in 1/16″ increments. There are two outside blades, two 1/16″ spacers and three 1/8″ chippers. This set also also includes shims and a storage case. If you want smooth, flat and clean dadoes then you should take a look at this affordable set.
This is a great stack dado set for those requiring a super clean cut and a slightly larger width than some dado sets offer. This dado set width range is 1/4″ to 29/32″. What do you get? 2 outer blades, 6 chippers, shims, a case and also a dvd. The micrograin carbide tips will stay sharp and last for quite a long time, another nice advantage of a quality dado set.
This is arguably the highest quality stack dado set on this list, and it is definitely the most expensive. This set by Forrest is well regarded for it’s super smooth cuts and excellent accuracy. It can cut plywood with almost no tear out. Most buyers will tell you that there is pretty much no splintering on any of the cuts. It’s almost unbelievable if you are used to lower end dado sets.
This dado set provides quality throughout. The blades are extremely sharp and the cuts this set produce are smooth. One thing that makes this set stand out from some others on this list is the heavy duty case. It’s a solid case. What’s in this set? Two blades, six 4-tooth carbide tipped chippers, 12 steel shims, and the heavy-duty storage case. This may actually be the sleeper on this list and it is very highly rated at Amazon.
Overall, we figure you can’t go wrong with any of these sets. They are all top rated and known for their reputation as good stack dado sets.
The DeWalt DW745 Compact Table Saw is amazingly compact and packs a lot of punch out of the box. This saw only weighs 45 pounds and can be easily ported around the job site or at home. I don’t know about you, but I like to be able to move tools around without much effort. This is a very rock solid saw, it feels like one big solid part. That is a good thing.
How big of a cut can you make with this saw? The fence on this table saw allows for a 16 inch rip capacity, plenty of room to rip full sheets of wood or other materials. It’s easily adjustable as well, making it flexible when it needs to be.
Read on for more details about this fantastic portable saw.
