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Best Table Saws
( 2 Articles )
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?
If your Grandfather is still with us you could ask him. If not you could talk to another expert woodworker or perhaps begin a search of reviews on the Internet for the best table saw manufacturers. Sooner or later you’ll come across this answer: there is no single best table saw.
First, you already know there are different types of table saws. There are benchtop table saws and portable table saws and contractor table saws and cabinet table saws. Today there is a new class of table saw – the hybrid table saw – which is a cross between a contractor saw and a cabinet table saw. So once again, is there one best portable table saw? Is there one best cabinet or contractor saw? An accurate answer would again be “no, there isn’t.” It depends on how you intend to use the saw.
“Best” Portable Table Saw
Let’s use portable table saws to explain why the answer to the question of best in table saws really is: “It depends.” In this category most reviews cite the Bosch 4100 DG-09 as the “best” portable table saw on the market today. But there is another portable table saw on the market that should be one of the other major contenders in this class: the General International 50-090K M1. These two saws illustrate the inevitable trade-off that comes in the design and construction of all table saws: performance features versus convenience features.
Performance versus Convenience
It’s no secret that heavier table saws using more cast iron in their construction yield a better level of precision cutting due to increased stability. It’s also no secret that induction motors are more energy efficient, last longer, and are much quieter. The General is the only portable jobsite saw available with both a cast iron table and an induction motor. While the Bosch has neither it only weighs around 100 pounds while the General weighs about 275 pounds. So if performance is your most important consideration the General might be the right table saw for you. But if convenience is your primary concern, the top ranking Bosch would be the choice for you.
In both instances you have to decide whether the trade off in one feature is enough to eliminate the saw from consideration. A rough carpenter who can afford a little less precision cutting will usually opt for the Bosch due to its superior portability features like the gravity feed stand. But a finish carpenter building staircases or on site cabinetry may need enough increased precision to justify the inconvenience of the General’s poorer portability. Since there are far fewer applications requiring this kind of precision, the Bosch table saw will almost always fare better in overall comparison tests that take both convenience and performance into account
This kind of comparison between convenience features and performance features exists in all classes of table saws – even the highest end contractor saws. If your shop is in a basement that occasionally has flooding issues, are you really going to want a saw that is so heavy it has to be disassembled to be moved?
If you will only use your table saw on weekends to rip 2 x 4’s for framing, do you really need a high performance rip fence or a sliding miter table?
Many users, both expert and hobbyist, find more uses for their saws once they have them than they envisioned before making the purchase. Regardless of how you think you will use the table saw, it is better to go for the “best” in that class to safeguard against future disappointment. Check the Internet woodworking discussion forums and you’ll find many users expressing buyer’s remorse with statements like “I wish I had spent a little more for a more portable or higher performance saw.”
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Bench Top Table Saws
( 0 Articles )
Anyone who has ever undertaken a woodworking or home improvement project involving wood knows a table saw is an essential need. If you’ve ever tackled such projects with nothing more than a circular saw you know what we’re talking about.
About the Different Types of Table Saws…
There are bench top table saws and portable table saws and contractor table saws and hybrid table saws and cabinet table saws, all designed for different budgets and convenience and performance needs.
Bench top table saws are at the low end of the scale in terms of one of the variables: performance, but at the top in terms of price and convenience. As implied by its name, a bench top table saw is meant to be used mounted on a stand or bench top. Portable table saws, which are often treated as a separate and distinct category of table saws, are nothing more than bench top table saws mounted on stands that collapse and can be easily transported from jobsite to jobsite.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Bench Top Table Saws:
Bench top table saws and their portable cousins are light enough to be moved around and easily stored making them the most convenient table saw option. Their lightweight materials and construction also make them the lowest priced category of table saws on the market today. But their performance lacks enough that some expert reviewers you’ll find on the Internet feel that they are nothing more than a circular saw mounted upside down. And they are also much less safe to operate than their heftier contractor table saw, hybrid table saw, and cabinet table saw cousins. An informed table saw consumer looks not only at the price of the saw, but also at its convenience, performance, and safety features. So what kind of bench top table saws do you want to look at?
At the top of the scale is the Bosch 4100DG-09 which retails for around $800, although you can find it discounted on some sites. This is generally considered to be the best portable table saw out there and has some safety features not found in most of its competitors. It comes with a true riving knife. A riving knife is a safety innovation just coming to the American market which performs like a splitter but is mounted directly to the blade mechanism, not to the blade guard. So when you raise or lower the blade, the riving knife moves with it, greatly enhancing its ability to eliminate kickback. The Bosch also has a right/left side blade guard that can be easily removed and reattached without tools. Reviewers find its performance falls way short of contractor table saws, but it is better than most other portables.
At the low end you can get a Ryobi BTS12S at your local Home Depot for around $100. This saw gets surprisingly good reviews but if you read between the lines you’ll realize it is okay for the occasional user ripping soft woods like framing lumber. If you’re ripping treated lumber for a deck, the saw’s performance gets a bit touchy. There are other low end saws out there with a bit more heft to them but if you spend some time on the Internet forums you’ll run across a lot of table saw users who opted for the cheapest saw they could find and now find themselves using the saw for more tasks than they originally intended and are looking for advice on how to get better performance from their saws. The solutions they are offered frequently involving purchasing accessories like better rip fences and miter gauges than come standard with more expensive bench top table saws. Sometimes buying the cheapest option is not the best course.
One of the biggest disadvantages of these bench top saws is their universal motors which are noisier and less powerful than the induction motors used in higher end saws. They also have direct drive systems, where the saw blade is driven directly by the motor, leading to more resistance and vibration. The Jet 708325BTC, which retails on Amazon for around $300, is the only bench top table saw out there that uses a belt drive system, like the more expensive contractor and cabinet saws. It gets high marks for performance and with the decreased resistance and vibration is safer to operate.
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Portable Table Saws
( 0 Articles )
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?
Portable Table Saws vs. Bench Top Table Saws
To be truly portable, you have to be able to take the saw out of its operating position into a rolling position so you can transport the saw to your vehicle without lifting it. Once you arrive at the jobsite, you again have to be able to unload it –either manually or with a ramp—and roll it to the work area and convert it back to the operating position. To be able to do this, you have to have a saw with some kind of collapsing stand and wheels. What manufacturers do is take a bench top table saw – usually one of better quality – and attach it to such a stand. To avoid confusion, think of a bench top saw as one either without a stand or one with a stationary stand.
The Upside of Portable Table Saws…
If budget is not a constraining factor for you there is one reason and one reason only to buy a portable table saw: convenience. Check the Internet reviews and spend some time on the woodworking discussion forums and you’ll find when it comes to performance, portable table saws – not even the legendary Bosch 4100DG-09 or the Dewalt DW745X – can’t compare with a contractor saw, a hybrid saw, or a cabinet saw. What they can do for you is allow their use in multiple places easily. When shopping for a portable table saw you’re going to want to get the one that is easiest to collapse, move, and load, while maintaining some minimum performance standards.
Let’s suppose budget is a concern but you aren’t interested in a $99 Holiday special sale saw at your local home improvement center. As you begin your research on table saws you get more and more attracted to that top of the line Bosch 4100DG-09, which you can get at Amazon for $699. Did you know you could get a quality Delta Contractor saw for under $700? The Bosch 4100 DG-09 weighs 124 pounds and the Delta 36-977 Contractor saw weighs 234. Check the Internet woodworking discussion forums and you’ll find professionals out there you would rather customize a wheeled dolly and strap a contractor saw to it and move it around rather than settle for a portable table saw. Why is that?
The Downside of Portable Table Saws…
The first major downside is the motor and drive system. Portable table saws use universal motors with direct drive systems while Contractor Saws, Hybrid Saws, and Cabinet Saws all use induction motors with belt drive systems. Think about what you’re doing with a table saw – feeding a piece of wood through a 10’ spinning blade. That blade is going to resist the wood and you get much more resistance from a portable saw, where the blade is being driven directly by the motor right at the point of greatest
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Table Saw Comparisons
( 0 Articles )
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?
Considering the fact that when it comes to “woodworking tools of the trade” there is universal agreement that a quality table saw is an essential need, you would think you could find all the comparison help needed to find the right saw for you on the Internet. However, when you are looking for table saw comparison help you may find more than one table saw guide that is more confusing than enlightening. For one thing, they often compare saws from different manufacturers across so many different features that it is very difficult to get a picture of the overall quality of any model other than the one that gets the review’s top ranking. In this case, if the best portable saw is too pricey for you, how can you compare the remaining models?
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?
Considering the fact that when it comes to “woodworking tools of the trade” there is universal agreement that a quality table saw is an essential need, you would think you could find all the comparison help needed to find the right saw for you on the Internet. However, when you are looking for table saw comparison help you may find more than one table saw guide that is more confusing than enlightening. For one thing, they often compare saws from different manufacturers across so many different features that it is very difficult to get a picture of the overall quality of any model other than the one that gets the review’s top ranking. In this case, if the best portable saw is too pricey for you, how can you compare the remaining models?
When you are looking through Article Directories for comparisons you will be confronted with some reviews that sound like they were written by a manufacturer’s representative. To compare table saws some reviewers feel the best sources of information are woodworking magazines like Fine Woodworking, or Popular Mechanics, or Workbench. But the online versions of these publications require a subscription fee. If you want to make use of them you may want to consider doing things the old fashioned way: pay a visit to your local public library and search the indexes for each magazine.
Internet woodworking discussion forums are another potential source for table saw comparisons but here you will run into the kind of “Ford versus Chevy” mentality that was prevalent way back when American automobiles ruled the market. Back then if you were a Ford person you could see nothing good about any Chevy, and if you were a Chevy person, you could see no value in any Ford model. Spend some time on the forums and you’ll find “Bosch” people and “Delta” people and so on.
You are your own best resource when it comes to comparing table saws since you are the one who knows how you will use the saw. Spending time reading is a valuable investment since it will expose you to table saw features you might not have thought of previously and you may find you could use them. There are three key considerations against which you can compare any model or make of table saw you are considering: Power, Ease of Use, and Precision. Many of the reviews you will read will discuss many features without grouping them into these three categories. And the biggest flaw of many Internet reviews is the failure to highlight safety issues resulting from some of the features, or lack of features, in certain table saws.
Comparing Power
If you’re not going to be ripping hardwoods a simple 1 HP motor will do the job, but not as safely as a more powerful motor which will not vibrate as much. To rip hardwoods less than two inches thick, a 1.5 to 2 HP motor will do just fine. A saw with higher RPMs (Rotations per Minute) will rip faster and kickback less than a motor with lower RPMs.
Comparing Ease of Use
The most popular type of table saw on the market today is the portable table saw and most people rate the Bosch 4100DG-09 as the best portable table saw available. This saw gets this rating largely due to its ease of use features like the gravity feed stand and the “smart guard” system that includes a blade guard that can be attached and removed without tools. This is an extremely important safety feature as many novice users leave the guard off when they find it cumbersome to reattach.
Comparing Precision
If you need precision cuts you need to get a table saw with a good rip fence. Fences with single locking mechanisms frequently loosen during operation requiring constant readjustment. You’ll find many experts advise throwing away the included rip fence and replacing it with a better quality after market replacement. Saws with cast iron or the newer granite table tops produce more stability and less vibration.
Although the table saw is the most useful home improvement tool you can own, it is also one of the most dangerous. The “flesh-sensor technology” first introduced with the SawStop Cabinet Saw is now available with their more modestly priced SawStop Contractor Saw and other manufacturers are adding this safety feature as well. These saws have a flesh-sensing blade that triggers an automatic braking system when human flesh gets too close to the blade. Contrary to popular opinion, most table saw injuries are not the result of kickback but the result of blade accidents. This technology is worth more than a look.
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Sliding Table Saws
( 0 Articles )
Sliding Table Saws
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Cabinet Table Saws
( 0 Articles )
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.
The Consumer Guide To Table Sawz contains reviews and ratings submitted by the visitors of this site.