Popped into the local B&Q today and found them selling their Performance 
Pro 10" portable table saw for a tad under 50 (claimed 75 off).  On 
top of this it's a 10% discount weekend, so it seemed rather rude not to 
buy one at 45.

Now I'm not expecting miracles at this price - I've bought cheap power 
tools (e.g. Wickes (Silverline?) 1650 1/2" router - ha-ha!!) and wished 
I hadn't, but i've got a few little jobs to do where a table saw might 
be useful so here we go.

So, have I bought a donkey, or with a little careful setting up can it 
be useful?    Hints/ tips etc?   I can already see the guide is only 
clamped at one end so is not reliably exactly square, and a few test 
cuts show the blade bends off vertical quite easily so it don't look too 
good!!

Peter

Peter Hughes wrote:
|| Popped into the local B&Q today and found them selling their
|| Performance Pro 10" portable table saw for a tad under 50 (claimed
|| 75 off).  On top of this it's a 10% discount weekend, so it seemed
|| rather rude not to buy one at 45.

Hi Peter

If it's the one with wheels on one set of legs, 
http://www.diy.com/diy/jsp/bq/product/product.jsp?CATID=7920100&entryFlag=false&PRODID=7940061 
it's almost certainly made by Ryobi, so it shouldn't be too bad.

Add one of these 
http://www.axminster.co.uk/product.asp?pf_id=362802&name=upgrade&sfile=1&jump=0

Which bizarrely will cost as much as the saw and you are in business.  Can't 
recommend this fence upgrade too highly - completely transformed my 
Charnwood table saw.

Dave

On Fri, 16 Sep 2005 21:51:38 +0000 (UTC), Peter Hughes
 wrote:


>Popped into the local B&Q today and found them selling their Performance 
>Pro 10" portable table saw for a tad under 50 (claimed 75 off).  On 
>top of this it's a 10% discount weekend, so it seemed rather rude not to 
>buy one at 45.


You would have been better off being rude.




>
>So, have I bought a donkey, or with a little careful setting up can it 
>be useful?    Hints/ tips etc?   I can already see the guide is only 
>clamped at one end so is not reliably exactly square, and a few test 
>cuts show the blade bends off vertical quite easily so it don't look too 
>good!!
>
>Peter


If there is a way to fasten the fence at both ends or replace it with
a better one, then you might be able to address that issue.

A decent blade is almost always an improvement but could cost more
than the saw.



-- 

..andy

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