Hercules Compact Jobsite Table Saw Review
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 14 ส.ค. 2022
- In this video I review my Harbor Freight Hercules Compact Jobsite Table Saw after a few years of use, just prior to assembling and setting up my new Sawstop. If you're on the fence about buying one of these, I hope this video will help you make an informed decision. I should mention that my saw is the original, or first generation of this saw, and the new model is slightly different. I've never used the newer model but from what I can tell from pictures and videos, it has a slightly different roll cage type support, bigger feet, and an upgraded rack-and-pinion style fence. Everything else seems to look the same, but I just want to put it out there that this review is specifically for that first generation of the saw.
#tools #powertools #woodworking #woodworkingtools #tablesaw #harborfreighttools
Sounds to me like you're having more problems with your homemade table than with the saw. I happen to own one of these table saws, and I've had no problems with it at all. This is a poorly done review...get a haircut and eat another hamburger bud.
Well, first let me say that I'm genuinely happy that you have had no negative experiences with yours. I'm not sure if you watched the entire video, but my conclusion is that it is a very good saw for it's price range and I highly recommend it for what it is. That said, your personal attacks on someone you don't know and have never met, made over the internet, are both avant-garde and courageous, "bud." I knew it was only a matter of time before some keyboard warrior made this type of absurdly ignorant and malicious comment, so thank you for checking that block for me and demonstrating the breadth of your humanity and intelligence for all the internet to see. God bless you, and thanks for watching. (in fact, I'll go ahead and pin this comment at the top of the thread).
Good job! I liked the review. Eff this guy^^ he hates his life. Hamburgers are awesome. I'm going to have another one too!! 🍔
Lol. Thanks, Mark.
I disagree. I appreciated this review because I just bought this saw and was having some difficulty with the written instructions that came with the saw. He covered the area that I was having an issue with and that is why I am giving him a ten out of ten review.
@@backbayfred5409 Thanks Fred. I'm glad you got something valuable out of it.
Nice - Nice mod on the table !
Thanks, Duane. I was particularly proud of that one, especially considering I was still very new to woodworking when I made that!
i upgraded the miter fence from amazon . also put the saw on a powertec mt4009 folding table saw stand on wheels. love the saw.
It's definitely a great saw. The only real negative is the inability to take a dado stack.
Thanks for the video, I’m looking at buying one and this is the perfect video for what I was looking for
I'm glad it was helpful, Pablo. The new one you get will have the rack and pinion fence. I've never used it, but I've heard good things about it.
The fence lock is adjustable turn the saw on its back following the lock handle there is a rod that runs off the handle to the inside of the saw following it till it t’s into a set of rods that run into the front and back fence slides there is a turn buckle with jam nuts loosening the jam nuts …if I remember right they are 13 mm then you can turn the turn buckle one way or the other to adjust the fence lock all you have to do is work the lock lever back and forth to see if you are getting pressure on it to see if you are going the right way or not then tighten the jam nuts when you get enough pressure on the lock so that your fence doesn’t move…it’s that easy …I have a gen 2 and it happened to mine …thank you God Bless You
Thank you for that detailed description! I no longer have mine, but I hope anybody else watching who has that issue with theirs sees this comment, so I'll pin it at the top. God bless you too, my friend.
I like my saw and really the only complaints I have with mine is the fence doesn’t extend out far enough from the blade I wish it went out at least 30” 24 “ isn’t quite far enough the saw is just a little bit too small
@@arthurlewis605Yes, it's a very good saw, I just outgrew it.
That was good information about a dato set. I am using a Ryobi and want to upgrade, so I will check with the latest Hercules to see if I can use a dato set. My Ryobi has no dust port, and only is completely open on the bottom and dust and wood chips go everywhere. I like your modification to the workbench!
Thank you. I'm glad you got something useful out of it. Like I said, there are ways to dado without a dado set, just not as convenient. Of course you can always use a router as well. In fact, I just did some dados like this on my Sawstop for a project I'm currently filming, just to try it, and I can honestly say I'll probably not be doing that again. It worked just fine, but you either need a specific type of blade or some good chisels and decent skill in using them to do it this way (watch my upcoming video on my closet built-in if you want more detail on this).
My opinion is that this saw would be a significant upgrade from your Ryobi, especially with the new rack and pinion fence system it has. I've seen a lot of other reviews that say it's comparable to a dewalt. But, if the ability to take a dado set is critical, you might have to get something more expensive.
Yes, that modification worked well for my setup. Of course, you could situate the saw on the right corner of the table, as I have seen others do, but I wanted it in the center, which made that modification necessary. Thanks for watching, and thanks a lot for the sub. I'll be posting a shop tour/intro video, as well as a bunch of project videos in the coming weeks as I build up inventory and get ready for some shows I'm doing.
The Hercules job site saw is a very good choice. It is essentially a DeWalt without the price. It is a saw that a home owner can use for a ton of projects around the house. If you’re going to build fine woodworking, then drop the coin and by a Laguna or SawStop at $3-5K, otherwise quit complaining about precision cuts and options. I’ve had a Hurcules for a couple of years and have built shop fixtures/furniture, outdoor projects with absolutely no problems. Lastly, EVERY saw manufacturer sells their saws with a basic blade; even the high dollar ones. If you want a better long lasting cut, spend a few dollars on a different blade and the same goes for miter gauges. ALL of them come with a cheap miter gauge.
Reviewers always compare a contractor saw with expensive free standing saws. I watched a reviewer criticize a $8K shop grade saw saying it didn’t preform up to his expectations. ????
I basically said the same in this review. Not only is it a very good saw, but the blade that came with it was quite impressive. My only real negatives were the inability to take a dado stack and the extension lock that quit working.
Great in-depth review! You did a super job. I know you’ve parted ways with your Hurcules, but for those who have one and deal with the short in-feed distance of you could a 12” in-feed extension that slides on a couple metal dowels. You could mount a hinge to your R & L. Attach the your dowel or I think the pipe used in lighting tends to be nicer. You could tack weld the pipe to the outside leaf. When not in use, slide the extension off and fold the dowels in for storage. You would probably want to move the switch out so you can reach it easier. I don’t know if a foot actuated switch might work? It would need some sort of a wedge to make it safe or just unplug it when not in use. Just my 2¢ worth. By the way your hair ‘ heart are just fine. 😊
LOL thanks. Yeah, if I still had it, I would have almost certainly made some sort of small detachable infeed table for it. Good idea about the foot switch too. I'm pretty sure if I took the time to take it apart and inspect it, I probably would have been able to solve the fence lock issue as well. All in all, it's a really good saw for what it is, and with the new rack and pinion fence on it, I've heard a lot of people say it's comparable to the dewalt. I've been pretty impressed with Hercules overall. I know the miter saw is fantastic. Had I not gotten the Metabo I currently have on clearance for 160 bucks, I probably would have gotten the Hercules. If they re-engineer that miter saw to have the zero clearance slider like the Metabo, Delta, Makita, Festool, and others, that thing would be amazing.
I know you could have fixed the fence issue. I’m intrigued by the Saw Stop but not the cost. I saw one review by a gent that has one. He was not impressed with the miter gauge. It does seem to be a weak point with many saws. If you’re looking yourself for a different one check out Wood Whisperer. Marc reviewed a bunch of them. Getting back to the SS review, the gent felt for the price point that it should not have had so much plastic. Everyone’s trying to cut corners, j get it. I bought a Seiko watch in 10th grade from Penney’s, I had it in Kay away for weeks. 120.00 watch, but that was a lot of $ in 1972. I wore that watch for 30-35 years. So moral of the bunny trail is buy the best you can, make whatever hacks you find necessary. I’ll keep my peepers peeled for the Saw Stop setup & review, unless it’s already out. I subscribed early early this morning. See you in the next installment!
@@jimwiskus8862 I have 2 videos out on the Sawstop. In fact, they were posted before this one. One is unboxing and assembly, and the other is setup and initial thoughts. I had some challenges I had to overcome in both videos, and like you mentioned, the miter gauge isn't the best, but that's pretty much par for the course on any table saw. I have seen Marc's miter gauge review you mentioned already. Actually, I'm leaning toward getting one on Amazon that a few other channels have reviewed. If I get that one, I'll definitely do a review video of it. I also recently got a new sander from Amazon that has a lot of similarities to the 3M, Festool, and Mirka, but for a fraction of the price, and I'll be reviewing that soon as well. Thanks for watching and subscribing!
Good Job!
Thanks, Richard!
I built my current table saw. It works well enough. But it is...at the end of the day a homemade table saw so it has a few limitations. I was looking at this saw before I built mine and I keep coming back to it ever since I finished my DIY one. Great review. If I get to the point where I actually pull the trigger and replace the saw I have I think this is the saw for me. In regards to that guy from the pinned comment...I'd eat a hamburger with you any time and talk about why haircuts are overrated 😁
LOL! Ironically enough, if you look at some of my more recent videos, you'll notice I've lost about 80 pounds since then, but not because of that dude. At the price point, it's an excellent saw. Honestly, the whole Hercules line is really good, in my opinion. Mine was the old model. The current model has a rack and pinion fence and I hear it compared to the more expensive dewalt by a lot of people.
@@maverickdesignswoodworking I did notice that! Congrats on that weight loss success. I could stand to lose a bit myself 😉
I'm continually impressed with both the Bauer and Hercules lines at Harbor Freight. They've definitely upped their game. Now if they'd just release a track saw I'd be SET!
I recently got the Ryobi track saw and I'll be putting out the review on that soon. I've been getting a bunch of tools lately, so I have a few videos ready to go on those, but I don't want you his to think this is turning into another tool centric channel, because it's not. I'm putting out a new build video tonight or tomorrow, so I'll put that one out later in the week.
great Job very ingenious so congratulations, That a great SAW but I believe Harbor Freight put a too expensive price lately for that machine opening the door for others as good or better choices, Thanks for your video.
I'm glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for watching!
Gostei. Quero ter uma, mas antes tenho que vender a minha.
If you do get one, I'm sure you will like it. It's a pretty decent saw. Good luck.
Have you shared your table instructions? I’d like to make that for my table saw 👍🏼
Hi Matt. I actually have finished plans on how to build the 4x8 bench itself, but I'm still working on a website as a means to distribute them. I haven't put any plans together for modifying it to fit a table saw yet, like you see in this video. I'm trying to figure out the best way to do that, because unless you have the exact same saw, sizes and functionality may need to be different. I'm thinking I can just put out plans for exactly how I did it, with the disclaimer that sizes and functionality will likely be different and you'll need to adjust accordingly in response to your tool and it's needs. That said, I'm hoping to get that website up and running in the next 3 weeks, but I do have a lot of stuff going on. On top of a full time day job, I'm working on some custom projects for customers and filming and editing for this channel as well, but I think I can get it done by the end of the month. When I do, I will definitely put out a short video to launch the website, so if you're subscribed and getting notifications, you'll see that when it happens. If you need it more urgently than that, email me at maverickdesignswoodworking@gmail.com and we'll figure something out. Thanks for watching!
Sounds like the reason your old Alltrade exploded the wood was because it was feeding the wood crooked due to the bent fence. My Alltrade sits out in the rain also. And still working fine with a Diablo blade. I always make sure that the fence is sitting parallel with the blade before cutting to prevent the wood from jamming up and exploding. I'm looking to upgrade my old Alltrade as well. Thanks for mentioning that the Hercules will not accept a Dado blade. Could you share which portable saw that does accept a Dado set? I like your ingenuity on the removable table top side. Thanks for sharing.
I'm pretty sure you're right, Eric. That was also my first ever table saw, and that experience was literally like my second or third time using it, so I'm sure there was a healthy dose of user error involved as well. As far as other portable saws that take dados, I'm not sure. I think the Dewalt does, and I suspect the Delta does as well, but be sure to check on that before you buy one. I now have a Sawstop, but if I were buying another table on a budget now and it had to take a dado, I'd probably get that $700 Delta from Lowes, which goes on sale a couple times a year for like 400. I wouldn't be surprised to see it do that again between now and Christmas, if you're lucky.
@@maverickdesignswoodworking I see that SawStop Job site Pro accepts Dado blades.
does it take a dado head blade?
No, I mentioned that as it's main downfall. It can't take a dado stack.
Why did you shoot your saw?
Shoot? Not sure what you mean.
6m28s: Yes, #HarborFreight, what the frak? No dado blade and no matter how many people point out this is a dealbreaker, as of February 2024, you STILL haven't updated the saw to accept a dado set?
My guess is that they're trying to keep the price of the saw under that of comparable competitors like the dewalt, but I agree that they would open it up to a much bigger customer base if they added that capability.
@@maverickdesignswoodworking A longer arbor would cost them a fraction of a penny. That is not hyperbole; the price of the additional steel is under a penny.
My thoughts on this arbor extension is that it wasn't the cost, perhaps it was their intention to keep it short so users wont put double dadoes blades on this table saw for liability reasons. Other than that yeah it would have cost them little to nothing to make it longer.. @@kimvette1