250mm (10″) Ozito Table Saw – A Very Handy DIY Power Tool for your Workshop
UPDATED 30 JUNE 2016 – SEE THE END OF THE POST
Having a Table Saw in your DIY workshop, is normally not on top of the list when setting up your shop. You always start off with the smaller absolute must have tools like a cordless drill, hammer, clamps, handsaws etc.
A table saw is more of a “one day I’d love to have one” kind of power tool.
But having a table saw in your workshop set up and ready to go, is incredibly handy, and also a tool that you will use a lot more than you imagine. I have had this table saw set-up now for just over a week, and have used it almost every time I have been in the workshop.
Whether to cut a single strip or just to cut a clean edge on a length of timber. It gets used all the time.
As an example I used the table saw to cut down some pallet wood for the side strips and also the handle for this Pallet Wood Beer Caddy.
Without the table saw, I would have had to do these cuts with a hand saw, then use a plane to finish and smooth the cut edges.
Like I have already said, this thing is just handy to have around.
An affordable DIY Power Tool
Keep in mind that this is a DIY product that costs around $200, and you get what you pay for. If you use a table saw all the time then this product probably isn’t for you.
Ozito Table Saw TSF-1210 – Unboxing
I’m not going to write a list of what is included in the box, just show you an image of all the bits and pieces.
This image doesn’t show the nuts, bolts and washers. Also I forgot to include the Sliding Mitre Gauge.
Putting the Table Saw together
The first thing you need to do is turn the main unit upside down and put on the 4 legs and cross struts.
This is pretty straight forward. Bolts and washers for the legs, bolts, washers and nuts for the cross struts.
You can do this on the floor, but I found it much easier to assemble on a bench. (That’s my kids old work bench that they have now, sadly, grown out of)
Here it is after taking taking it off the bench.
But DON’T TAKE IT OFF THE BENCH YET like I did.
Leave it where it is as it’s much easier to start putting on the side and back table extensions while the saw is still upside down.
While the saw is still upside down on the bench, fit the extension tables to the side of the table saw with the nuts and bolts. Just hand tighten the nuts at this stage.
The support struts again are pretty straight forward, but you do need to remove the bolts holding the top of the legs to use to hold the extension table support struts.
After the legs, extension tables and support struts are all in place, lift the unit off the bench and stand it on the floor.
I’m using a spirit level, but you can get any straight edge you have lying around and place it on the top of the table across the extension tables.
Now you can adjust the extension tables to line up with the saw table and tighten all the nuts and bolts. It’s a lot easier if you get another spanner to help hold and tighten the nuts as you go along.
Make sure to do the same thing with the back extension table.
Now bolt the Blade Guard onto the Riving Knife with the bolt included.
The Rip Fence just sits in the Guide Rail.
You can also push the supplied Dust Extractor Hose onto the Blade Guard.
I don’t have a Dust Extractor yet, so won’t be using the hose. I need to get one soon and I recommend that you do too. There’s a lot of dust floating around in a woodwork workshop, that you don’t want in your lungs.
That’s it. You now have a very useful new power tool to play with.
Not only is this unit very affordable (at just over $200 at time of writing), another huge benefit is that it has a small footprint. If your workshop is small, like your car garage, this thing won’t take up too much of your valuable space. With the extension tables on, the unit is only 946mm wide x 966mm long.
If you’re into doing some DIY woodworking, I recommend getting one of these affordable Ozito Table Saws.
UPDATE – RIP FENCE MODIFICATION
There is a bit of movement when locking the rip fence so I made a simple modification to give me a precise setting when cutting multiple pieces that need to be the same size.
I extended the fence to reach the end of the table by using a piece of square aluminium tube. So now once I have the fence set I can clamp the other end in place to guarantee no movement!
Hello,
Re: table saw TSB-1208
It is a shocking purchase to say the least.
If that is DIY product then it means it should be useless?
1. Blade has axial movement during cut… no loose screws though!
2. Rip fence lock while being tightened – changes position of the fence considerably.
It requires quite a force and tricky approach to have it set it right.
2a It has lateral twist on its own so you need to pretension it before start locking it.
3. Blade guard is not translucent… one can not see what one does when accuracy
required. In fact it offers some danger. Almost safer to take it out all together
4. Vertical 90 deg of the blade at its max is still not 90 degrees.
5. Up/down knob works very well though.
6. Mitre assembly is a total nonsense: It has 1 mm loose at its position pin :-)))
7. The Mitre rail groove gives ample loose to guarantee to cut wrong angle every time.
8. Safety main switch painful to operate… Some Chinese 30 years back technology?
Summary:
The money is acceptable for what you get… There is an obvious need to change design of many points which can be done with no money spent.. Pity because the corrective measures as simple to make and in fact would save the costs of manufacturing it if implemented in the first place!
Would i buy another one? Positively no!
Would i recommend one? Positively no!
Thank you.
Hi Henry,
Thanks for checking out my site, and for taking the time to comment.
First just to clear up that my review is on a different model than the one your are commenting on. I have the freestanding 250mm 2000w version, and you are commenting on the smaller bench top 210mm 1200w version TSB-1208.
So it’s hard for me to discuss your issues precisely, but I’ll go through each of your points one by one and do my best.
1. The blade axial movement. If it’s like my saw then yes there seems to be movement when cutting, but in my case there’s no actual movement in the machine whatsoever. The blade that is supplied with the saw is quite thin and it bends when pushing the timber through. I solved the problem by simply replacing the blade with a more sturdier one I got from Bunnings.
2. The Rip Fence on your version is a different set-up than the one on the my larger version, but yes even on my version there is some movement when locking the fence in place.
I did my own modification that gives me a lot of precision once it’s set in place. I extended the fence so it reaches the other end of the table, using a piece of square aluminium tube so now I can clamp the fence in place when doing multiple cuts that need to be the same size.
I have updated the end of the post above, and added an image showing the modification I made.
3. Not all blade guards are translucent. You can even do a simple search and find the professional $2000+ saws without translucent guards (e.g. Jet 10” JET-JTS600M). I personally have never used a translucent guard.
4. No problem at all here with the 90 deg angle of blade.
5. Agreed
6 & 7. Agreed! Yes the mitre gauge is pretty useless. But that is a small point, and I don’t plan on cutting mitres with this saw. That’s what the Sliding Compound Saw is for.
8. From the picture I see on the Bunnings site the main switch looks a lot different than the one on my model. But the switch on my model is quite easy to use with no problems.
In your summary you are absolutely correct. You get what you pay for.
Would I have this saw if I was making kitchen cupboards or using it professionally every day, of course not. That’s when you need to spend a bit more and get yourself something that’s set up perfectly and ready to go.
For me, (and I’m sure a lot of other DIY’ers out there) I needed a small affordable table saw to make some longer cuts every now and again. I might turn it on maybe once a week or fortnight and it’s perfect for my workshop set up and the kind of work I do. And if it’s in the way I just pick it up and move it aside.
So in my workshop set-up, with my budget and the type of work I do…
Would I buy another one? Positively Yes!
Would I recommend one? Positively Yes!
Henry, and as you say, “the money is acceptable for what you get”
Cheers. Appreciate you visiting my site
Steve
I appreciate your review and like you am considering this saw. Low cost excellent diy option. My concern is the clear statement that it is 250mm saw, contacting Ozito for clarifcation had the parrot and useless response 250mm. My question is your replacement blade a true 10″ blade i.e. 254mm?
I can’t imagine that the clearance tolerance would not accept an extra 2 mm.
Hi Hugh,
Mate I’m not home today so can’t check, but pretty sure it was just a 254mm blade from Bunnings.
Hope that helps.
Steve
Hi Steve,
I know this is an old post so not sure if you’ll receive. I am also keen to knoe what replacement blade you bought? I have the same table saw and it does not fit a standard 254mm, the blade on it is a 250mm but all the replacments I can find are 254mm?
The 254mm is fine. That’s what I use.
Steve I have bought one with the smaller blade than the 10″ , I bought the model with 210 mm Blade but building it into a bench that gives it more table top and a second Fence , But for what I need an excellent buy at $99 (same saw from Aldi just different name . But will have sled and jigs due to it being built into the bench.
Ronald, sounds great. I’d love to see the finished set-up.
Hello! I cant really make out in your photo but did you have to slot the aluminium for the 2 bolts and wing nuts? Also what size tube did you use? I have thr 2000w model and it looks a bit different to yours.thanks
Hi, can you use a 254mm blade on this? It’s the only option from Bunnings but 4mm bigger than the blade that comes with the machine
Henry, I can’t get to grips with your comments. What did you expect when you chose the Ozito over Dewalt, Makita, AEG and the like. Ozito make it abundantly clear that their products are DIY only, hence HUNDREDS of dollars less than those of tradesman quality. You obviously had price as your main consideration without doing your research. Would you buy a basic Corolla and then complain it didn’t have all the trappings of a Merc? I think an apology to Ozito from you would be appropriate.
Wow am I glad I came across your site and the pros and cons argued up here.
I’m thinking of getting one too, the oz 2000w table saw. It’s just a whole lot easier to make rip cuts and even the smaller cuts with more precision. While I love the circular saw, it’s not easy to control for precision cutting and certainly no way to improve on dust collection. Especially when cutting mdf boards! Gosh.
After reading your review I’m closer to getting a table saw. I live in an apartment building and u have two generous sizes balconies at the front and back. I do most of my work during allowed working hours in my back balcony where I don’t mind getting the floor a little dusty.
But being a clean freak I still need something (a saw) where I can attach my vacuum to.
Would you recommend me getting one for use on my balcony? I recently made a mobile tool cabinet that is just too cute. But sadly the cuts were not precise enough as I would have liked it to be.
Sorry for rambling on.
And thank you in advance.
Hi Steve, looks ok. Have bought one.
I made fence secure at back end with a magnetic lock.
Only concerns are the inability to measure low height of blade with guard in place,it doesn’t lift up, and also lack of mitre slots in rear extension .
Regards
Les Buckley
Hi Les,
I’d love to see your magnetic lock set-up.
Also, I removed my guard, “which is not recommended!”, to do some rebate work, and just never put it back on. But when it does go back on I plan on doing some kind of modification so it can be tilted up to access the blade height easier.
Hi there would you please post a photo with the magnetic lock set up? thanks
Yes i too would like to see the magnetic fence set up!
Hi I used a Magswitch with a strip of wood screwed to the Magswitch and inserted into the rear end of the fence.
Easy to setup and reset for different widths.
PS how do I send pic?
Thanks for the reply!!Sounds good…i dont know how you post a photo on here but could you shoot one to my email please?
grind_core4life@hotmail.com
Hey steve,
i just wanted to know about the noise level of this saw. After seeing your review i got really keen on getting one myself for diy purposes and my neighbours are quite grumpy about loud noises.
Thanks in advance
I’d say it’s easily as loud as a circular saw, if not a bit louder.
The best bet is to let the neighbors know what you’re doing and then work something out when you need to use it.
Good luck.
Steve,
One thing that I can not find mention of that is ultra important, does this bench allow the depth of the saw cut to be adjusted up/down?
Hi Steve,
I started out looking at professional bench saws and in the process accidentally came across this one, subject to the answer to the question above I believe that I I can modify this one (Quite safely) to do most of the cuts that a saw costing me 1 to 2 Grand does.
Hey
I bought the 2000w 250 (254mm) used for about 3 months found fence was crap and locking mechanism for the tilt broke.
So i made a complete table only using the face plate and motor.. made a new fence using some old parts (was bored) hehe
I purchased the exact same model as demonstrated nearly 6 months ago, with the intention of ultimately building it into a work bench (one day). I have used it off and on for very small jobs, for about 30 mins use in total.
I put it to several hours use over the weekend when suddenly the blade moved sideways and downwards at an angle, and even though I had the knife installed it threw the work-piece at my face. (I currently have a swollen lip and am considering buying more than just one or two lottery tickets).
I stripped it down and found:
Multiple loose bolts, some of which had no lock washers on them.
Loose pulley bolt.
Broken brackets (from the factory as there was paint on the fractures.)
Badly fitting pivot bolts.
I have now re-welded it, aligned it and rebuilt it, properly.
This is not the first Ozito I have had to rebuild because of poor design, and/or manufacturing. The other was their drop saw.
My recommendation is to stay away from any Ozito product.
Hmmm I have the table top model, havent used it, and now dont think I will. I think Ill just return it.
I do have other ozito tools, and so far have not had an issue with them,
i was always under the impression using a cross cut sled meant many safety issues of a table saw disappeared, or am I wrong, the least of which no fence to move.
Hi Just wondering if anyone has a photo of the underside of the saw to show the setup? Is this saw direct drive? or is it a belt/pulley system? Looks like a great product for the money considering all it needs is a couple of improvement mods and fine tuning which is just about any saw under two grand anyway these days.
Hi Steve,
I don’t have a photo but this unit is direct drive. If I get time, I’ll turn it over and take a shot for you.
Cheers
Steve
Your review actually helped me decide to get my first table saw. Today, I bought an Ozito TSF 1211. I have no flying hours with a table saw yet, but I use my circular saws by hand. I hope to learn and acquire table saw skills soon as an avid DIYer.
I was debating between a sliding compound miter saw vs the table saw for so long. Maybe I will get that one too when I save enough money for that. I love power tools.
Thanks a lot for your review. Perhaps, I might need to ask a few questions as I get myself acquainted with my new OZITO TSF 1211.
Not a brand snob I have plenty of ozito stuff in my garage but this table saw is a fail. Needs a longer fence that locks at both ends. It’s $148 now and as above they’re also at Aldi from time to time. Bought a used dewalt for $200 on gumtree. With a lot of people going to cordless there’s some bargains around for the old corded ones
Hi all – I’m looking at buying one of the 250mm 2000w Ozito Table Saws. Reviews here for the Ozito line seem good, and I have a number of Ozito tools already which I like very much. One problem – I live in New Zealand, and they are not available here yet AFAIK.. Going to talk to Bunnings shortly – sent a message to the local query section on their NZ website – totally ignored.. So as it is not a very heavy unit, I’m looking a getting one airfreighted across to NZ. Does anyone know of a dealer or friendly store that might undertake to do this for me?? Payment by Paypal or Mastercard. Many Thanks. Doug Harris, Cambridge, New Zealand.
I had this saw. I sold it after 3 months of use. With this saw, you get exactly what you paid for. The top flexes under moderate force. The dust collection is inadequate to say the least, even if you use the dual ports for dust collection. The fence is an absolute failure, I was clamping down a straight edge after a month as that was quicker and easier to setup. It should also be noted that this saw is just re-branded by Ozito. The exact same saw is available as a Hoyoma brand, Scheppach brand, Aldi, Workzone, and Parkside. I used an Ozito TSB-1208 (the small one) for years and it was still better than this saw. I’m a cheap guy and my needs aren’t complex. So i’m picking up a Total TS5152542, a 1500w Table saw that has good reviews and better features, for $320.
Hi Steve, I have just purchased the Ozito table saw you reviewed. How did you attach the square aluminium tube to the fence at the front lock section?
Do you have a solution for the side and back tables to fold down and lock back in position rather than having permanently up. The machines foot print becomes very large for my small workshop?.
Hi Bernard, the way I fixed the longer aluminium tube is exactly how the smaller, original one, was fixed. Basically, just take off the old one and you will see a slot that the screw plate slides into. I just copied that.
Also, I’ve never needed to drop the side tables as I have the room. But I’m sure with some hinges and a brace system something could be worked out.
Hi Steve.
Hint: Assemble the saw (upside down, as described) *on a larger table*, then fit and tighten the saw’s table extensions resting on the flat table surface so that they are exactly in a plane with the main saw table when it is turned on the floor. Easily checked with a straightedge.
I had a problem with the leg bolts, which seem to be of inferior quality, and not up to Ozito’s usual standard, some simply breaking off when I tried to undo them to fit the extension supports. I’m old school, and had them nice and firm as you do on any vibrating machinery. It proved necessary to drill right through the plastic of the legs, and fit a longer (and normal strength) nut and bolt.
The apparent blade flexing is also concerning me, and I plan to seek a heaver gauge one.
Hi Steve,
I read your review (and all the subsequent comments) with interest, as some 3 years after your article, I am comparing it with Bunnings’ current equivalent offering (Oct 2018). The model number is now TBS-2000, and it is advertised as a 2000W 254mm table saw. Much of the design appears to be the same as your model, with the same short and flexible rip fence (though possibly a different locking mechanism – which may have resulted from the criticisms of accuracy when locking it down), table extensions, basic on and off buttons with no big ‘difficult to miss’ off button that can be hit in an emergency, and (apparently) still sloppy mitre guide. They do appear to have upgraded (or simply renamed) it to accept the ‘standard’ size 10″ (254mm) blades, though I didn’t see any 10″ 24T replacement blades available. The unit comes with 3 blades that are 2.8mm thick – are these the ‘flimsy’ ones you replaced with sturdier alternatives – if so, what do you use instead?
I wondered if you have drawn any comparisons between your 3 year old model and the current version? Do you think there are any significant improvements or differences – or do all the original flaws and criticisms still apply?
I must confess that while I thought your original article was very honest and useful, I was irked by the comments about the Ozito tool being ‘for DIY only’, and the implication that people ‘doing it themselves’ are deserving a lower standard of finish. IMHO – the difference between DIY tools and ‘Professional’ ones, is (or should be) the durability of the tool (i.e. the ability to keep doing the job day-in day-out and not break or wear out), not the precision or quality of the job it does. Even DIY tools should still be ‘fit for purpose’.
Anyway – climbing down off my soap-box – thanks again for the original article and your follow up commentary. Would be interested to hear your views on the current model.
Hi Graham,
Thanks for checking out my site. I haven’t had a look at the latest version, maybe one day? The blade I use now is a Makita BlueMAK. Also, I don’t hink it is just about the thickness of the blade. If the blade is a bit blunt, or struggling to cut, it will also flex. So make sure whatever blade you use is sharp.
Cheers
Steve
Hi Steve, excellent review. I too use the Makita BlueMAK blade which is superb. I agree with what you said about sharpness being much more important than blade thickness. The Makita blade which doesn’t flex at all is only 1.8mm thick and the TCT teeth are 2.3mm wide
Hi
I have used the current model for over a year now and have put pine and jarrah through it with out a problem I do find the mitre gauge toltally useless as it has too much play in the track . I have removed the original top (is very flimsy and bends easy) and replaced it with a 19mm mdf top and use a spirit level as a fence with two clamps . For the money I think you get a good machine but there are a lot of improvements that could be make
Thanks Kevin,
Agreed on the Mitre Gauge. I threw mine away, it is useless. For the low price tag you do get a good, usable machine.
Hi, I have a TBS 2000 and the saw is slightly out of alignment do you have some idea as to how to adjust it? The fence clamp that came with it is plastic and sits above the table, Already had aluminium square tube and may ty to get your models clamp.
My wife got it so she could make things with pallet wood so Ill be making a cross cut sled for her safety but the rails are t’s so the inserts will take some time to source.
Thank you for the tips.