Space............. the final frontier.
I have a 30 year Craftsman tablesaw. Cast iron top, 1 1/4 HP belt drive. Heavy and takes up a lot of space in the garage, but works very well.
I go to HD with a cut list and get them to cut 4 x 8 panels down to size. Depends what I'm building. If rough stuff then cut to measure. If assembling something where precision is required I get them to cut + 1/4" and I then use my tablesaw or track saw to finish cut. In all cases getting HD to cut down 4 x 8 sheets make them easier to handle.
Track saws are coming down in price, storing them takes virtually no space and moving them from one location to another is a breeze. If you do not have a tablesaw think about what you plan to use it for and give serious consideration to a tracksaw. Another option is the relatively inexpense Kreg's ACCU Cut system.
I have a 30 year Craftsman tablesaw. Cast iron top, 1 1/4 HP belt drive. Heavy and takes up a lot of space in the garage, but works very well.
I go to HD with a cut list and get them to cut 4 x 8 panels down to size. Depends what I'm building. If rough stuff then cut to measure. If assembling something where precision is required I get them to cut + 1/4" and I then use my tablesaw or track saw to finish cut. In all cases getting HD to cut down 4 x 8 sheets make them easier to handle.
Track saws are coming down in price, storing them takes virtually no space and moving them from one location to another is a breeze. If you do not have a tablesaw think about what you plan to use it for and give serious consideration to a tracksaw. Another option is the relatively inexpense Kreg's ACCU Cut system.
