Mini Table Saw ???

[Nigel Heather]

Has anyone tried a mini table saw.

 

I’ve seen 12V ones on Amazon and eBay for around the £50-60 mark, lots of different makes but clearly all no-name Far-East stuff, and very similar, probably all the same but with different cosmetic styling.  Reviews are so mixed it is difficult to tell whether they are great or rubbish.

 

At that price it is very attractive but I wouldn’t mind paying a little more for a more reputable product.

 

But every time I search all I find is these same Far East products or for bigger ones for doing full size woodworking.

[Jason Channing]

I normally buy top end tools but went for the Chinese cheapy and it works very well, just need to be methodical when you use it as the protection for loosing fingers is none, That said if it broke I would order another straight away as its very handy and no circuit boards to go wrong, DC motor with the external power supply, mounting inside the unit is fairly sturdy and I have had mine for a few years.

[Christopher Long 1]

I have have used the Proxxon KS 230 Saw with the 28020 Fine Precision 50 mm Blade for many years and have used it to cut my balsa strip wood as well as lots of other cutting jobs, and it is very good and would recommend it. It also handles birch ply as well as light ply up to 8mm thick. I think Chronos Engineering are doing this for £132.00 inc. VAT & delivery supplied with the 58mm standard blade and the Fine Precision 50mm 28020 blade that I use.

 

I have no connection with Chronos apart from being a happy customer. You might find it cheaper elsewhere.

[Tom Gaskin 1]

Plus one for the Proxxon saw. I've had mine for 3 or 4 years now - always useful to have it in arm's reach.

 

Tom

[mightypeesh]

Theres a Proxxon one on fleabay at the moment for £100 ono (new in box) ebay

[Jason Channing]

slightly biased towards the Chinese version ( and having a few of the Proxon tools, one of which is the mini drill and milling machine which are superb) The Chinese one is a lot more sturdy than the Proxon one and much cheaper, Mine cuts 6mm Birch ply okay but wouldn't push it to 8mm.

[Christopher Long 1]

38 minutes ago, Jason Channing said:

The Chinese one is a lot more sturdy than the Proxon one

If you have not got one how do you know the Chinese versions are more sturdy? With care and the right blade in my experience the Proxon will cut 8mm birch ply. Looking at some of the reviews for the Chinese ones on Amazon they seem to be poor and do not cut accurately (and seem distinctly unsafe) and also not 240V powered - which the Proxon is - most are only 20V from a power pack. When it comes to power tools you tend (with a few exceptions) to get what you pay for!

[Nigel Heather]

From my research I’m not convinced the Proxxon is very different to the Chinese no-name.

 

Seen videos of several models showing the inner workings and they are all similar, a motor driving a belt to the saw.  This belt means that they can skip on the protection circuitry because when the torque required is too much the belt slips.

 

Amazon reviews have videos of the Proxxon and the Chinese no-names struggling with thicker materials - in the videos you can see the blade stop but hear the motor still spinning - so the belt must be slipping.

 

The Proxxon has a built in power supply so can be run direct from the mains - this makes the Proxxon wider, but the saw and bed look identical to the no-name models.

 

In fact, Amazon sell the Magicrose Electrical Mini Bench that looks identical to the Proxxon but selling for £60.

Edited April 24, 2024 by Nigel Heather

[Jason Channing]

40 minutes ago, Christopher Long 1 said:

If you have not got one how do you know the Chinese versions are more sturdy? With care and the right blade in my experience the Proxon will cut 8mm birch ply. Looking at some of the reviews for the Chinese ones on Amazon they seem to be poor and do not cut accurately (and seem distinctly unsafe) and also not 240V powered - which the Proxon is - most are only 20V from a power pack. When it comes to power tools you tend (with a few exceptions) to get what you pay for!

Because I had one in my hands two weeks ago.so can directly compare. when cutting wood for a laser cutter.

Edited April 24, 2024 by Jason Channing

[Jason Channing]

If your wondering why I'm cutting wood with a table saw for use with a laser cutter its because my bed is 1100mm and I purchase wood in 1200mm lengths.

 

[toto]

Another for Proxxon ..... Great tools.

 

Toto

[Nigel Heather]

I stand corrected about the Proxxon - still can't comment on how good it is but it does have a toothed belt, and the Magicrose maybe a clone.

[toto]

Hi Nigel,

 

It maybe depends on where you buy it. I dare say they will be getting cloned as well. I usually buy from Axminster tools who are a dealer for Proxxon from memory.

 

I have the table saw, pillar drill and foam cutter. As well as a blow torch and mini hand saw. All have been pretty good. Like most other brands you have to watch the " fences " as they are maybe not 100% stable but in my opinion ...... better than most.

 

Expensive but pretty good.

 

Toto

[chris collis]

Hi Nigel, I don’t know how much space you have but I have used a Clarke 16in scroll saw for many many years.Brilliant piece of kit and very versatile for 99% of most modelling jobs.Reasonable price too.

[Nigel Heather]

Just watched a YouTube video of the Proxxon KS 230, little underwhelmed to be honest.

[Ron Gray]

I’ve had my KS230 for a few years now and it is a really good machine however I wanted something a bit bigger do bought the FET about 2 years ago. That is the only one I use now!

[Nigel Heather]

54 minutes ago, Ron Gray said:

I’ve had my KS230 for a few years now and it is a really good machine however I wanted something a bit bigger do bought the FET about 2 years ago. That is the only one I use now!

 

Can imagine how a bigger saw handles thicker wood better, but how does it deal with smaller stuff and balsa?

Edited April 25, 2024 by Nigel Heather

[Ron Gray]

I use it regularly for balsa and ply, all thicknesses.

[RedBaron]

I have had a Proxxon for about 5 years, the most useful feature for me is the ability to tilt the cutting blade.

This makes cutting strip balsa with beveled edges for planking very easy and fast. Suddenly planking becomes a pleasure 🙂

[Basil]

23 hours ago, RedBaron said:

I have had a Proxxon for about 5 years, the most useful feature for me is the ability to tilt the cutting blade.

This makes cutting strip balsa with beveled edges for planking very easy and fast. Suddenly planking becomes a pleasure 🙂

Yes, a tilting table is valuable. Thats the problem with the cheaper models, lack of a tilt. I have a cheaper one how I know. I have had full size models in the past so have some experience in use.

Bas

[Nigel Heather]

The Proxxon FET looks interesting but the price makes it a no-go for me, I simply don't have the needs to justify that sort of expense.  Must admit I was quite shocked by the price, I was expecting to see something like £200 and even then I'd have to think about it, but £420, that's Bosch or DeWalt territory.  Interesting as it looks, I simply can't justify that sort of money for the limited use I would get out of it.

[FlyinFlynn]

No doubt the ability to make beveled cuts is a useful feature but I question whether the price premium is worth it. Would it not be possible to use a wedge stuck down against the fence  to angle the workpiece instead of  tilting the blade?

 

As for accuracy or rather the claimed lack of accuracy of the cheap   less expensive Chinese models how accurate do you need to to be? The only place I can see where cheaper materials between the two will make a difference will be in the bearings and the blade. The blade is replaceable and you would need to use it a lot for the bearings to become an issue.

 

£36 verses £400.  (Table Saw FET list price) . However, that is not a fair comparison because the Proxxon KS230 is a closer match to the Chinese offerings and that doesn't have blade tilting, so £36 (the cheapest I could find inc. delivery) verses £150 (KS230 plus shipping)

 

No doubt also the 240v motor in the Proxxon should outlive the 12VDC 550 motor in the Chinese one but again, a 550 is ubiquitous and easy to replace if it does eventually succumb to the dust.

[Engine Doctor]

I cut  any balsa strip I need from sheet  using a table top band saw. Far more versatile than the circular blade saws and IMO just as accurate if kept well fettled and decent blade/band. My current one came fro Axminster tools probably 10 years ago, time fly's,

I use it for all sorts of wood and it goes through birch ply up yo 10mm thick like a hot knife thtough butter. It also has a tilting table, very handy for cutting triangle strip. Blades easily available on ebay 

Might be worth a look . 

Axminster used to sell Proxxon tools , possible still do but are expensive and have a very limited capacity wheras the 

band saw will handle stuff up to 50mm +. Apart from being used constantly for modelling jobs it often gets used for home DIY. 

[Ace]

+1 for a bandsaw with a tilting table as ED.

Changed my blade for a 1/4 x 14/16 tpi  (std 6-8 tpi !) which I find leaves a clean cut without leaving a fuzz on balsa. Still cuts birch ply quickly. When cutting strip I attach a 1m length of straight planned wood to the fence so feed is absolutely straight as is the follow through. For triangle stock you need to start with an oblong which allows for the blade width which is near as dam it 1/16th. Even cuts trailing edge which I also use as wing rib packers when building which is great for building in washout when placed at an angle. As there is no gauge on the fence I have a selection of accurate Beech lengths that I use to space the blade/fence, this ensures consistency. A quick check in a piece of scrap - adjust as required and away you go. 

Chinese for £60 - can't compete. Entry Proxxon - bandsaw out performs for me. Fancy Proxxon at £400 ish (£300 form Germany + import now?) - definitely a bandsaw. Not mine but something like this. That all said if space is at a premium you can't really hump/store a bandsaw under the bench.

Edited April 27, 2024 by Ace

[Ron Gray]

On 26/04/2024 at 09:42, Nigel Heather said:

The Proxxon FET looks interesting but the price makes it a no-go for me, I simply don't have the needs to justify that sort of expense.  Must admit I was quite shocked by the price, I was expecting to see something like £200 and even then I'd have to think about it, but £420, that's Bosch or DeWalt territory.  Interesting as it looks, I simply can't justify that sort of money for the limited use I would get out of it.

I must admit that I paid closer to £300 for mine and from memory it came from Germany.