Guide to Buying a Woodworking Table Saw

Despite the number of different table saws on the market, all have the same parts – a blade attached to a shaft of a motor. The blade is raised and lowered as needed and protrudes through a slot in the table. The option for tilting the blade side to side is available for bevel cuts. The main differences in table saws are their size and quality. Make the right decision on a table saw, and it will be a valued piece in your workshop for many years.

Types of Table Saws

There are four main types of table saws available – bench-top, contractor’s, worksite, and cabinet saws.

Bench-Top Saws

If space is a premium in the workshop, woodworkers will often choose a bench-top saw. They usually have a smaller motor than the saws below but still manage to do the job for hobbyist woodworkers wanting to complete light to medium jobs rather than heavy jobs like ripping through thick stock. A collapsible stand on some bench-top saws mean they are lighter and able to be carried around to worksites.

Contractors Saws

The next step up from a bench-top saw is a contractor’s saw ideal for hobbyist or career carpenters. These saws are hardworking and easily portable so that they can be moved around the workshop or go from site to site. The contactors saw has its motor mounted at the rear so the carpenter can remove the legs and place the top on a pair of sawhorses.

Most saw cases on a contractor’s saw are made of sheet metal, not plastic and the table is heavy cast iron with extensions wings on the sides. The guide rails for accepting the rip fence are usually steel tubes.

A contractors saw with an accurate fence can have the same superior performance of a cabinet saw with a less expensive price tag.

Worksite Saws

The job or worksite saw is designed for practical day to day portability. Large wheels on a collapsible cart make the unit easy to move in and out. Storage in the unit allows for all accessories to be stored onboard so nothing is lost or forgotten. The unit is light enough that it can be lifted into a vehicle but robust enough to cope with professional sawing jobs.

Cabinet Saws

Also known as a stationary saw or a tilting-arbor saw, cabinet saws have a closed-in base, heavy duty casting and a large motor. If you do a lot of woodworking the extra expense of a cabinet saw can be justified because it can slice through the thickest wood stock with vibration-free cuts. These saws are often slightly more accurate than a contractors saw or bench-top saw and with proper maintenance, they will last a lifetime.

The main difference with a cabinet saw is the closed-in base which isn’t available with other saw types. This space makes dust collection a cinch. You can choose to hook up a vacuum, a portable dust collector or a whole-shop dust collector. Considering the harmful effect impact dust can have on a woodworker, this feature alone is vital to serious woodworkers.

Blade Size

In the past bench-top saws had an 8-inch blade while all other types of saws took a 10-inch blade but today most table saws use a 10-inch blade. While the blade size is more uniform now, the motor size is the differentiating factor between saw types. The bench-top saw has a much smaller motor than other saw types which limits the size of the wood stock it can handle.

Motor Size

Now that the blade size is fairly universal, the motor’s size impacts on the size of the cut a table saw can make. A small motor can struggle to cut through hardwoods, wet or thick wood stock by stalling or getting bogged down. A bench-top or contractor’s saw may have a 1.3 kW (1.75HP) motor while an industrial cabinet motor can be 3.7 kW (5.0HP) requiring three phase power.