Customer Reviews

Proxxon 38070 FKS/E Table Saw

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

As an amateur luthier (building guitars), there are some tasks that I do not want to do by hand. I also don't like using large table saws and other large power tools to do small intricate work. This Proxxon table saw is perfect for making bridges, cross cutting or ripping small lumber used for making guitars. It is very precise and easy to adjust. It is powerful enough to cut through rosewood blanks cleanly and the kerf on the standard blade is very thin which again, helps with the precision you can get out of this useful tool. I bought a cheaper brand mini-table saw once before, but it didn't have any guts and the motor quickly burned out. Also, adjusting it was really a pain. This Proxxon FKS/E is great. Another feature I like is the speed control dial for the blade. There is also a little chart in the lower left corner to tell you the settings for the type of material you're cutting. To me you can tell that the designers of this machine had people like me in mind when they made it.

Although this tool is small, please remember that it is a "table saw". Please don't think that it is a toy. You can cut your hand just as easily on this table saw as you could with a big one. It would be very easy to get lulled into thinking you can get away with an unsafe practice because it looks harmless. Think your work through just as you would using a large table saw. Use push sticks, featherboards or whatever to keep safe and stay clear of the blade. If what I just wrote stops even one person from injuring themself, I feel what I just stated is worth it.

This is truly a great tool and helps me make precision parts for my guitars easily and safely.

As a profesional model builder, this is most likely the best tool in my stack...and I have just about every hand tool available. I also use the accurizer fence that is available for this saw. It is most likely the second best tool in my stock.

There is no such thing as a bad tool. Only one that is used for the wrong purpose. Here is another curious tool from Proxxon that seems to be made almost exclusively for modelers and toy makers. If you are going to make a dining table for a doll house, or a three-inch-tall dresser with functioning drawers, you simply cannot make it with a conventional table saw. I found that model railroad enthusiasts love Proxxon bench tools. But if you are into general woodworking and looking for a tablesaw to fit in a limited work space, this tool is not your solution. This saw can cut softwoods up to only 10 millimeters thick. If you want to make smaller-than-matchbox drawers, earring compartments for jewery boxes and window frames for model train stations, this will be the most useful tool in your workshop. This is a tablesaw exclusively specialized for micro-surgery.

I did a lot of reading about modeler's table saws before I ordered this one. I am so totally amazed at the precision of this saw! I ordered a dado washer set from another vendor, and while waiting for it to arrive, I had to cut out a slot of about 15 inches. I had to repeat cut a rip over and over until the 1 inch slot was cut. To do this task, I moved the fence the thickness of the blade kerf each time I made a rip pass. On one of the rips, I was off slightly and what I witnessed made me think how lucky I was to have this saw! The amount of wood left between two rips was so thin, you could see through it! The saw cut two consecutive rips with an onion skin partition between them!! This, is one fine saw. I love Proxxon, and I love Amazon.com.

The other reviews have been spot on. What was not clear was that this basic table saw kit comes with a Proxxon 28734 80mm Carbide Tipped Saw Blade (for FKS/E 24-Teeth) included. At least my table saw came with the blade. It's not clear if this is always the case. Based on other reviews, I bought a Proxxon 28731 Super-Cut 80 teeth blade to use with this table saw, not knowing that a blade was included.

The 24-teeth blade works well (see my review on it) but I haven't yet used the 80-teeth one so can't comment on comparisons yet.

When cutting plastics (vinyls, acrylics and polystyrenes), the vacuum attachment does not work too well. Plastic will go everywhere on the inside and static stick to the walls, ceiling and everything else. I resolved that issue by frequent cleaning the inside via vacuum cleaner with nose attachment to get well inside to suck up the plastic fragments hiding stuck to the back corners of the inside and out of the motor.

Yes. It is a small table saw, and often I wish the actual table were much bigger. The extension on the left side is pretty good, and I've made up for the limited size of the table by clamping guides to the extension at about 9-12 inches out. That made handling larger flats and other items easier but there is no resolution for pulling the protractor out towards the operator more than about 4-5" inches.

Well the reason I bought this saw was because of the reviews so I feel it is my responsibility to write one myself.

Yesterday I received my new saw and here are my first impressions. To start it was well packed with no damage and setup was simple, although some of the instructions get a little confusing in the translation, like it calls the adjusting knobs "buttons" and a few other small things like that.

The "stop rail" is rock solid when installed from the front, but I did find that it had some play in it when installed in the rear grove. What I found was the lip on the front of the table was wider than the one on the rear so that the stop rail can't tighten enough for it to be completely tight. But if I ever really need to use the rear one it is a simple fix. Just glue a spacer on it.

Next the blade protection hood is just loosen and retighten two screws and it's installed and the saw blade height adjusting is easy to get at and works well.

The angle adjusting knob is a little hard to get at (if you have arthritis) and the blade went past 90 degrees so it was a pain to get it just right. Every time I tighten the knob the damn thing moved. So I took the saw apart and where the "stop" hits the bottom of the saw table I glued a #6 flat washer for a spacer and now it stops on 90 degrees every time.

Now that I have pointed out all the bad things I could find let me say that for the money I LOVE this saw!!!

It works great and is the handiest thing since the shirt pocket!

This table saw cuts nicely as far as making end cuts. I find the fence to be dangerously short. It would make much more sense for the fence to run full length of the table surface. I don't know why the short fence was decided on in the design. Overall i'm happy with the saw but i might have to have a fence custom made to feel safer.