Best Table Saws

While growing up watching your Grandfather craft fine cabinetry in his woodworking shop you always dreamed that one day you would be able to afford to buy the best table saw that money could buy. Well, it took awhile, but now you have the money so how do you begin to search for that best table saw?

Table Saw Accessories

As we become more proficient we see new possibilities for our woodwork, but our beloved saws may not be up to the task. To expand the capabilities of our  table saws we turn to accessories. Let's look at some of the most commonly purchased aftermarket table saw accessories.

Table Saw Blades

Most table saws on the market today come with a 10” general purpose saw blade with 5/8 inch arbor. The better ones have carbide tipped teeth, are made of hardened steel, and have a protective coating designed to reduce friction and the residue remaining on the blade after cutting. So why do so many table saw reviews you come across suggest you throw out the blade that came with your saw and buy a better one? Obviously, not all table saw blades are created equal but what makes one better than another?

Table Saw Comparisons

Whether you are buying your first table saw or replacing that treasure that has lasted for twenty years but is nearing the end of the road, you’re going to be faced with a lot of different types of table saws and saw manufacturers to compare before making your selection. So where do you start looking for table saw comparisons?

Table Saw Fences

When it comes to table saw accessories, both professional woodworkers and home improvement enthusiasts agree that a table saw is only as good as its fence system.  If this is true, why do you find so many customer reviews that advocate junking the included fence and investing in an aftermarket fence system?  Why don’t all the manufacturers provide high quality fences in the first place?

Table Saw Reviews

Everyone who is in the market for a table saw is interested in finding reliable reviews to help them make their purchase decision.  While this is especially true for those interested in higher priced cabinet saws, hybrid saws, contractor saws, and portable table saws, even people  looking for a low end benchtop table saw want to get some guidance before they buy.

Table Saw Safety

The table saw is the undisputed king of home improvement tools.  It is also one of the most dangerous.  Despite the fact that there are table saw safety tutorials all over the Internet, many users just don’t seem to get it and there are far too many case studies of table saw accidents.  Many could have been prevented by following some table saw safety tips.

Bench Top Table Saws

Bench top saws are the smallest, lightest, and least expensive table saws on the market. Many come with inexpensive stands to which they can be attached and easily removed for transport to a job site. Their table surface is smaller in terms of both width and depth so larger pieces of wood will be more difficult to handle with these saws than with their larger cousins, the contractor saw and the cabinet saw.

Contractor Table Saws

Contractor saws are heavier and larger and come with attached bases, many of which have wheel mounts to make them portable. These saws come in both high end models with heftier construction and better motors as well as in mid priced models that will get the job done, but with more vibration and less stability.

Cabinet Table Saws

As their name implies, cabinet saws have completely enclosed bases which make them the most efficient style of table saw when it comes to dust collection. They are not portable at all as their construction involves the use of steel and cast iron, giving them the least vibration and the most stability of any type of table saw on the market today.

Hybrid Table Saws

Many serious woodworkers won’t even consider portable or bench top table saws due to their perceived performance and safety deficiencies. Time was when the only options available were the contractor table saw or the cabinet table saw. But times have changed and manufacturers now offer a new category of high performance table saws, the hybrid saw.

Portable Table Saws

The most popular category of table saws on the market today is the portable table saw.  Unfortunately, bench top table saws are usually included in this category and many of them could hardly be called portable.  Why the confusion?

Sliding Table Saws

In a standard table saw the wood is pushed through the blade either by the rip fence, the miter gauge, or a push stick. With a sliding table saw the wood is secured to a moving table set to the left of the blade and it is the table that moves the wood through the blade as it slides along a rail. Even some professionalwoodworking shops shy away from sliding table saws due to their cost. But if you believe time is money, the time saving advantages of a sliding table saw might actually pay for itself over a long period of time.

Bosch Table Saws

In terms of performance, you do get what you pay for. With Bosch table saws you’ll find better motors, more steel and cast iron, and better precision machined parts. As a general rule Bosch table saws will be more stable and safe to operate and produce better cuts than cheaper competitive models.

Craftsman Table Saws

Although many view Craftsman Table Saws as primarily geared towards the lower end amateur woodworker and do it yourself markets, they offer several models suitable for commercial users and professional contractors.

Delta Table Saws

DeWalt Table Saws

Founded in 1922, Dewalt is one of the few table saw manufacturers that actually started out in the woodworking market with their introduction of the first radial arm saw. Their early flagship product was the Dewalt Wonder Worker – a universal woodworking machine similar in concept to Delta’s early Handishop, although the Delta machine could perform more functions. Dewalt is one of the few early woodworking tool manufacturers that remained independently owned until they were finally bought by Black and Decker in 1992.

General Table Saws

Most consumers have never heard of General Table Saws but professional woodworkers and serious hobbyists are well aware of the high quality commercial table saws and contractor table saws they offer. General started out as General Manufacturing back in 1946 in Canada, where they are still headquartered. They offer a full line of every kind of professional grade woodworking machinery you can think of. You won’t find General Table saws at Home Depot or Lowe’s, only from specialty woodworking retailers who measure up to General’s high standards for service, both pre sale and post sale.

Grizzly Table Saws

Grizzly caters to the professional woodworker and the serious hobbyist. As an example, they don’t even make a portable table saw, the most popular type of table saw on the market today. But if you compare the Grizzly G0576 to the more popular Ridgid TS3660 or the Craftsman 22114 you’ll find the Grizzly gets much better reviews and is not that far off in price.

Hitachi Table Saws

Hitachi uses their world renowned expertise in both metallurgical sciences and plastic technologies to produce lightweight table saws. Obviously this enhances their portability and many reviews, mostly from light duty users, praise their table saws for this.

Jet Table Saws

Jet is part of the WMH Tool Group, an international conglomerate that includes another world-class manufacturer of woodworking equipment – Powermatic. The end result is buyers of Jet equipment benefit from Powermatic’s “gold standard” technological innovations Jet has table saw models within the price range of most hobbyists and homeowners as well as professional woodworkers.

Makita Table Saws

Makita caters to the portable saw crowd exclusively, with no true contractor or cabinet table saws in their product line.  What’s more, they only feature three different portable bench top models – the 2703, the 2704, and the 2705.  So how can they be so highly regarded with only three basic offerings?  Let’s look at these models to see what we can find out.

Powermatic Table Saws

“The Gold Standard Since 1921.”  That is the trademarked advertising tagline for the Powermatic Corporation, a maker of professional quality woodworking equipment.  While their claim might seem a bit boastful on the surface, if you search the Internet for ratings and reviews of high quality woodworking equipment, you’ll see a host of customer testimonials which back up that claim.  Today they are a part of the WMH Tool Group, which also includes the highly regarded Jet line of table saws.

Ridgid Table Saws

Ridgid table saws are a good choice for anyone interested in general home improvement. The quality of Ridgid professional tools is incorporated into their consumer lines as well, and with the backing of giant Home Depot, Ridgid table saws are good options for amateur woodworkers and “do it yourselfers”.

Rockwell Table Saws

The old Rockwell Manufacturing Company had a legendary history of acquisitions which included Delta Manufacturing Company back in 1945 and introduced the “Delta Rockwell” name into the market. Today old Rockwell table saws are sought after, almost as collector’s items. Delta introduced its first Unisaw A-100 in 1939 and today many woodworking experts are finding and rebuilding these vintage saws, as well as a variety of other Rockwell equipment.

Ryobi Table Saws

Ryobi table saws are generally recognized as the “best of breed” when it comes to consumer use. You’ll get features similar to those offered by their high end cousins, at half the price. Some say that’s a good trade-off for a little more noise and a little less durability.

Saw Stop Table Saws

You can see their revolutionary braking system in action on YouTube and other internet video sites. It is truly amazing. The now famous “hot dog” demonstration shows that the second the hot dog comes in contact with the blade, you hear a loud “pop” and the blade disappears beneath the table, as if by magic! Sawstop owner and founder Steve Glass can be seen using his own finger, instead of a hot dog, in a demonstration video. The end result? A small knick on his finger.

Shop Fox Table Saws

Shop Fox professional woodworking equipment is made by a company called Woodstock International, one of several offspring of Shiraz Balolia, the founder of Grizzly. After Grizzly’s success he expanded his attention to woodworking accessories which he designed and sold through a dealer distribution network. That company was Woodstock and later they added the Shop Fox line ofwoodworking tools.