Woodtek Tablesaw “Best.” You agree?
Streamline
| Posted in Power Tools and Machinery on
The most recent tool shoot out by FWW concludes that Woodtek 148 table saw is the best performing hybrid saw. I find that these reviews tend to get technical but don’t have a time-tested experience on these tools. I can use some real world been-there-done-that experience from those of you owning a hybrid table saw before I make the purchase. Thx.
Replies
I can't speak for the Woodtek or the other saws in the review, because I don't have personal experience with them. However, the Craftsman "zipcode" saw is a very good hybrid saw that I own and have used for the past 3 years to build all of my childrens furniture and other projects. I converted it to 220 power and have been perfectly happy with the Leitz blade provided. I've never been disappointed by the power, having ripped and crosscut maple, walnut, ash and cherry up to and including 8/4 with no bog or burning whatsoever. I have found the inculded outfeed table to be easy to use (unlike some of the "reviews" I've read) and quite well designed. The Biesmeyer fence is fantastic. I do agree that the extra gadgets on the miter gauge are unnecessary and a bit difficult to use (without modifying to a star-knob or other jig accessory you need an allen wrench handy at all times to move the aluminum stop). Also, I find that the extruded aluminum fence, while handy with slots for jigs, is a bit tall for my hands.
The final ratings of any review are essentially the opinion of a reviewer or possibly a team of reviewer's, but it's human opinion regardless. Your opinion may differ from the reviewer's, so I tend to put very little faith in them. There's also strong possibilities of "outside influences" on the outcome of the review. Most of the tools in any comparison are typically quite close in performance....no exception in that review. As long as there aren't some glaring design flaws, any in that test might be the "best" for your situation. I would not buy a saw based on a review, especially a review of a more obscure brand. Buy it based on your own impressions if you know the brand and like the saw.
The Woodtek hybrid is the same basic machine as the GI 50-220, Sunhill Machinery, and the Canadian Craftex hybrid, which I believe all come from the Gee Tech plant in Taiwan. In the US, the GI has the best distribution and reputation of those machines, and will likely carry higher resale. The GI may also have a longer warranty (2 years IIRC). I've looked over the GI on several occasions and appears to be a good saw. My concerns for that design would be the thin throat plates, and the proprietary motor mount design, which in the event of a motor failure, would require either a rebuild or a purchase through the dealer....a more expensive option than a motor with a standard NEMA 56 frame. The trunnions also look hard to reach, but that's a once in a great while endeavor.
The Steel City and 22124 are both made by Orion who owns Steel City, and are very similar. The 22124 has been a great saw for me, and many other owners speak highly of it.
That Jet ProShop 708482k impresses me too.
Any of those saws can be well tuned and equipped with a good blade and ZCI for top notch performance IMO.
Edited 1/7/2008 2:52 pm ET by Knotscott
I disagree. All in one room at the same time is a terrific way to compare. Take a glance at the comparison chart, a large part of the FWW shootout were measurements and run outs. These are not subjective. Even the one possibly subjective gate, cutting power, seemed fairly well done. While there are apparent visual similarities between name plates there can be some differences such as fit and finish and customer support. A common manufacturer does not necessarily equate the same quality. JET and PowerMatic are essentially the same manufacture yet many of their common parts have different part numbers because of finishing or tolerance differences.I do agree that in the select world of hybrid table saws these difference are almost negligible, still, it can be comforting to a less experienced hobbyist that he or she can depend on a fairly done comparison by FWW.I find the Amazon "I bought it and it's great, five stars" type reviews are almost worthless. Although I find the negative Amazon reviews can be interesting especially when multiple reviews complain of the same issue.Vic
"Although I find the negative Amazon reviews can be interesting..."
Some of them can be downright hilarious in what they find to complain about....
The ones I don't get are the ones where the reviewer gives a product one or two stars, not because there was anything wrong with the product, but because there was some aspect of Amazon's service that they didn't like.
-Steve
Vic - Not sure which point you're disagreeing with specifically, but I didn't mean to imply that reviews are worthless...just that when they pick their "top tool" ranking, it's mainly subjective based on what's important to the reviewer(s), which may not be what's important to the reader. Far too many people treat those ratings as definitive "proof" that one's superior to another and make a buying decision based on those rankings. A different reviewer would likely choose a different "best", as evidenced by the shuffling of top rankings of other reviews. I "register" the reviewers opinions to memory, but would almost never base a buying decision of an important tool based on the rewiewer's opinion. IMO, You're on the mark with many of the emotionally based Amazon type reviews..."my saw is great! ...you won't regret it!". As you mentioned, some reviews have objective listings of features, warranties, materials of construction, electrical requirements, etc. that are very useful, and usually interesting. There are significant design differences between some of these models, but I believe that all are good enough to become a well tuned cutting tool, and sometimes the noted performance difference between two models is simply mechanical or setup variability that wouldn't be present in the next example of the same model.
"Vic - Not sure which point you're disagreeing with specifically, but I didn't mean to imply that reviews are worthless...just that when they pick their "top tool" ranking, it's mainly subjective based on what's important to the reviewer(s), which may not be what's important to the reader. "Scott, I have to disagree again. I'm looking at the comparison and it appears to me that FWW picked their "Bests" on a combination of fundamental measurable gates as well as features and price. I simply can't see any subjectivity to speak off in Tom Begnal's short article in which he spends the majority of his print on description. Example, "When the saws were pushed to a aggressive 7 1/2 fpm, the Woodtek was the only one that didn't bog down." The only subjectivity I'm seeing are the manufactures horsepower claims.I agree that everybody's requirements are somewhat different, but after reading that, it's a no brainer. I don't own a Woodtek product nor am I planning on purchasing one but lets face it, Woodtek stepped up to the plate and delivered. Vic
The final conclusions drawn from the facts are themselves subjective. The selection of "objective" categories and even the weighting given to them is somewhat subjective, and can influence final outcome. I'm in no way saying the Woodtek isn't a good choice or isn't what they say, but another review team would likely come to different conclusions. Having a saw that rips a bit faster than another is "fine" with me, but that wouldn't necessarily trump other factors that might be more important like mass, ease of alignment, throat insert, availability, serviceability, resale, warranty, etc. Plus, variability plays a role. There is variability in those motors and setups that might not hold up consistently from model to model....an sample size of one is understandable, but is not statistically significant and may not accurately represent the whole population of each of those saws. Also, the alignment is a huge factor in rip speed, and even surface friction plays a role....we have to assume FWW did their best to align them well, but it's a variable nonetheless. Doing a fair comparison of anything is difficult to assess and quantify, and many factors contribute to the final outcome. I think FWW did a fine job with this review, but I can't say that their conclusions are gospel, and I doubt they will, and that's really my main point of caution to buyers. We may just have to agree to disagree on some of these points.
Edited 1/8/2008 8:36 am ET by Knotscott
"The final conclusions drawn from the facts are themselves subjective." That's a very interesting statement and frankly you've breached my semantical limits with it. You are, indeed a better man than I.So you own the JET and If I were in the market I'd get the Woodteck. You might subjectively have the better saw and factually the cheapest.I like you.Vic
Cool discussions guys, but I still would like to hear more from your experience of your own table saws. I am leaning towards the Woodtek because of the collective value. Any owners of Woodtek care to provide some insights? Thx.
Dear Streamline, and everyone else on this thread:
It would be a shame to have the insights about specific tools limited to just this thread on Knots. You have an opportunity to share your experiences and opinions with a much larger community by posting user reviews for the tools you've used in the online Tool Guide. Its value depends on your reviews, not just those of the FineWoodworking editors.
David HeimManaging EditorFineWoodworking.Com
David, the online tool guide is a nice feedback forum. Only problem is that it seems to get tucked away without any "marketing" of what and where it's at - thus it is mostly blank. Perhaps you could "advertise" it as you do advertise manufacturer products in Knots forums. Two cents.
I own one of the Woodtek hybrids and it is a great saw. Coming from a Craftsman table saw to the Woodtek was a light years improvement. The setup was easy and the adjustments were minor. I use Forrest blades on my saw and it comes with a Biesemeyer type fence. I am enjoying this saw immensely.
When the FWW comparisons on hybrids came out it was nice to see that Woodtek was their 'best.'
The guys in NC are very helpful and will answer any questions that you have. Good luck with your saw purchase.
I got the impression there was all most nothing to make one better than another. I have the dewalt with sliding table and I am very happy with it.
Almost down to pick a color you like!
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