Cabinet Table Saws

Do you remember the little boy who asked Santa for a Red Ryder BeeBee gun in the movie “The Christmas Story?” He’s all grown up now and rumor has it that this year he asked Santa for a Cabinet Table Saw!

Not really, but anyone who has ever cut a piece of wood dreams of one day owning a cabinet table saw. While designed to meet the exacting performance and durability needs of professional woodworkers, all serious woodworking hobbyists lust after these amazing models of fine craftsmanship.

If you’ve read through expert and user reviews of cabinet table saws on the Internet you’ll find little discussion of the “cons” of these beauties. Simply put, that’s because there aren’t many, even in the lower end cabinet table saws. This is not to say that all cabinet table saws are created equal. There are variations in motor power, ranging from 3 hp to 5 hp, but all cabinet saws are more powerful than their contractor cousins. Some come equipped with better rip fences and longer rails than others. Some have better safety features than others.

One of the most innovative safety features ever conceived was introduced by a newcomer to the industry: SawStop. Cabinet Table Saws are by far the safest saws on the market but SawStop set the industry on its ear with the introduction of its revolutionary flesh sensing technology. The biggest cause of table saw accidents is the blade and over 3,000 people a year lose a finger or hand. SawStop has integrated digital circuitry into their saws that sense when flesh nears the blade and brakes the saw into a complete stop, retracting the blade.

Cabinet table saws are much heavier and thus much more stable. With their belt drive systems and heavy duty trunion assemblies that attach directly to the cabinet, not to the table itself, they vibrate less and require little adjustment while operating. The motors are enclosed within the cabinet making dust collection simpler and more efficient.

With lower end saws users frequently have to add extension and out feed tables to handle wider and longer wood stock. Almost all cabinet table saws come with these extensions built in and most are made of cast iron. While they could hardly be considered portable, mobile bases are available for most models that allow users to move the saw into a corner of the workshop when not in use.

Their major drawback is cost. While a professional woodworking cabinet shop can afford a $2500 to $4500 price tag and use it as a tax write off, what of the rest of us? Believe it or not, you can get a well regarded Grizzly G1023SLWX cabinet table saw on Amazon for $895, or you can have it delivered right to your door for $919, direct from the Grizzly web site. And while it is not the “Rolls Royce” of the cabinet table saw world, it will outperform any portable table saw or contractor saw by a wide margin. It comes with a 3 hp motor and lacks a true riving knife but other important features, like the cast iron wings and trunion assembly and quality Shop-Fox rip fence, make it worth a look for those on a tighter budget.

There are a few other lower priced options you might want to look at. One is the Steel City 35905 which you can find at Woodcraft for $1349. For the same price you could look at the General Model 50-260 which is also available at Woodcraft. If you’re lucky enough to live close to one of their retail outlets, Woodcraft is a great place to go and “touch and feel” before you buy. If there’s not one near you, try another retailer of woodworking equipment. Don’t give up on that dream of owning a cabinet table saw just yet.