Metabo TS254 Portable Table Saw Excellent for Workshop or Site
In the seventies and eighties the traditional site saw was a rugged, if inaccurate, companion to the site chippie. Often made of bent sheet steel, they had primitive fences and noisy motors, but were cheap enough to buy and effective enough for first fix work. But, apparently, this is no longer good enough. Modern requirements seem to entail a much more accurate machine, with a powerful motor, good dust collection and the ability to handle sheet materials. This in turn means that the newly- sophisticated, versatile machines are much more costly to buy, so in turn, they have to be portable, so that at the end of the day they can be safely stowed away. This sector of the market
is highly competitive at the moment, and most major manufacturers have a similar machine in their ranges. What sets the Metabo TS254 apart is that it is the lightest of the lot at a shade over 33 Kgs. I am no Popeye, but even I found that I was able to lift the saw into the back of my hatchback or carry it for short distances – to my workshop! With its two big rubber wheels and handles (doubling as legs) it is incredibly easy to wheel the saw around on reasonably flat surfaces. I guess with a bit of practice you could get a system going for wheeling it step-by-step up stairs too. The basis of the TS254
seems to be a strong tubular welded frame into which all the key parts are firmly mounted. This means that the saw feels really stable and robust in use, as good as a small non-portable saw in my view. The motor is a gem with
its 2.2kW rating. Since it is an induction motor it is very quiet in operation so you don’t get that high-pitched scream associated with brush motors and saw blades! With its soft start, electronic overload safety cutouts and the brilliant safety feature of the motor brake that brings the blade to a stop in three seconds, it is clear that the motor is as sophisticated as it could be. But it is not underpowered - I had no trouble cutting lumps of 50mm thick oak (depth of cut spec is 87mm at 90 degrees) and the high quality TCT blade leaves a smooth cut on even hard timbers. I could not help but admire the ingenuity of the leg
system of the TS254 and to my mind it is one of the key features for me. In my small workshop, I have to be able to tuck some tools away when they are not being used. With its legs down, I was able to store this
6 ToolBUSINESS+HIRE Independent Review by Peter Brett
saw under my workbench standing on its side with the carry bar quite visible for me to reach easily. It really does take only a few seconds to make the
saw ready for use on its stand. It is stood on its side (it is obvious which side since the carry bar has been
up above the surface of the cast alloy table and start to attach the accessories. All the accessories, from the fence to the push
stick, have a space on the frame to hold them while in transit. I checked the blade with an engineers’ square the
first time I wound it up and it was perfectly true at 90 degrees. Since this was a used demo machine that had come straight from a tool show, I was dead impressed. The plastic blade guard
attaches to the riving knife/ blade riser assembly via a Bristol-levered screw and the guard also includes an extraction spout on top. The fence is a solid alloy
extrusion that clamps on both ends of the table via a cam mechanism, and once tightened, tends to stay in place pretty well. The fence scale is remarkably accurate and easy to read too. The extraction tube is
kept over the ends of two of the legs in transit, a slightly odd but actually quite an efficient method, and is slid onto the spout on the top of the guard and into the plastic adaptor. This adaptor fits onto an extraction spout at the back of the machine into which the standard 35mm diameter nozzle of a workshop vac can be fitted. Even using only the extraction from the back of the machine there was almost no dust on the ground after I had used the saw. With the blade guard spout extraction too, I would guess that a high 90% of all dust was collected. I certainly didn’t have to sweep up after myself. The TS254 is able to
handle big sheet materials too with the extended fence option and the work support system that extends from the back of the table. Without putting the legs
up, there is the option for floorers, for example, to use the saw at a low level so that they do not have to stand up each time they want to trim a floor strip. It seems to me that the
Metabo TS 254 is a very sound
used to get the saw to where it is needed.) The carry handles clip locks are undone and the legs swing down at an angle. The bottom two legs are similarly unlocked and then locked into place and then the saw is gently pulled up onto its four splayed legs. This splaying makes for a very stable stand, and one of the legs is height adjustable so that the saw can be made to stand without rocking, even on an uneven surface. The next step is to wind the blade and riving knife
design that not only manages to build in very good capability for a portable saw, but is also genuinely accurate and easy to use. This saw would fit very nicely into my work needs and also fill the gap under my workbench very neatly when it is not being used. I would whole-heartedly recommend it for site chippies, shopfitters and even keen amateurs as a workshop saw because it does a good job quickly, accurately, easily and quietly. Brilliant!
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Reply No. 217
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