A table saw is a great power tool to have at home for those who are into woodwork and serious DIY projects. This power tool has a blade that rotates very fast and can cut through various materials such as wood, aluminum sheeting, and plastic. The tool makes it quick and easy to make straighter and smoother cuts for large wooden panels and boards.
There are different types of table saws with various features: portability, power, size, and price. When choosing which table saw to purchase, it’s advisable to identify your needs to help you decide the best fit. (You can read more about the best table saw here)
Mini Table Saw
This more recent addition is the smallest table saw available. The mini table saw is an awesome offering to crafters who are into small decorative work. It can make quick and accurate cuts for smaller materials. It is highly portable and affordable and a perfect addition for small projects and minor home repairs.
Of course, the mini table saw has a limited capacity reducing the types of projects you can do with it.
Bench Top Table Saw (Portable Table Saw)
This lightweight table saw, weighing between 45 to 69 pounds, is easy to shift from one location to another. The bench top table saw has to be mounted on a table or other platform during cutting. The more versatile bench top table saws come with a built-in table extension to allow for the cutting of a full-sized wooden sheet or board.
Although the portable table is not as accurate as the larger units, it is great for smaller cutting jobs around the house, e.g., decorative projects, where portability is essential, and contractor operations where the available space is limited.
The portable saw is also limited in terms of the size of material it can cut because of its lower power. It can be used for building small furniture pieces, decorative work, and minor construction work.
Another feature that can enhance the portable table's functionality is a dust-collector connected to a vacuum for easy cleaning of wood shavings.
Contractor Table Saw (Jobsite Table Saw)
The contractor table saw is portable, so it can be used at different work stations. It is an ideal choice for professional contractors and carpenters. It comes with a larger motor so it can handle heavier cutting jobs. The contractor table saw normally comes with wheels for more convenient moving.
This table saw is best suited for professional work such as construction and carpentry. It can also be used for larger, more demanding home renovations and personal design projects.
Hybrid Table Saw
The hybrid table saw brings together the strengths of the cabinet and portable table saws at a reduced price in comparison to the cabinet table saw. It is a heavier table saw and can be moved around using a hand-truck from station to station.
Hybrid table saws have low vibration belt-drive motors delivering power that is comparable to the heavy-duty cabinet saws. A low vibration motor ensures a high level of accuracy when cutting. Overall this table saw is reliable and highly versatile in the range of work that it can do.
Although not as highly-priced as cabinet table saws, hybrid table saws still require a sizeable financial input. They can be used for larger jobs in construction, carpentry projects, and home makeovers.
Cabinet Table Saw
This is the largest type of table saw and comes built into a cabinet. The cabinet table saw is meant for a single station but offers a range of capabilities. It has a high powered motor and a high rip capacity. This heavy-duty table saw provides more accurate and cleaner cuts and can cut wood of greater thicknesses.
Cabinet table saws come at a higher price tag than the other table saws, require a lot of space, and are not portable. However, it is powerful, durable table saws, offers high precision cutting, and can cut through a lot of material without overheating. They are best suited for professional construction and woodwork jobs that require precision cutting of large boards.
Other additions that enhance the user experience are the addition of a dust collection port and fence options.
Once you have decided on the type of table saw that best suits the number and type of projects you do, there are additional factors that determine what a table saw best-buy is:
- Built-in Safety - Although expertly designed, the table saw is a power tool that moves at very high speeds. The best table saws are the safest ones. To know if a table saw has sufficient safety measures to prevent kickback, it must meet the necessary safety standards as per the Underwriters Laboratories Inc. guidelines.
- The Blades - The success of any cutting work depends not only on correctly matching a table saw with the correct wood size and thickness. A good cut also depends on the choice of blades. Generally, there are four types of blades that vary in terms of shape or grind of the teeth. With the right knowledge, table saws can make a range of cuts such a rip cuts, cross-cuts, angled cuts, and even more complex cuts. Researching on the type of blades that can achieve the kind of cuts needed for specific work can save you the headaches associated with salvaging burned cuts, or rough cuts. A basic rule of thumb is that the fewer the teeth a blade has, the quicker the cut meaning a blade with more teeth cuts more smoothly and slowly.
- The Table Saw Fence - A table saw fence secures the material you want to cut in place.
- There is a standard fence that comes with many table saws, but if you are looking for increased accuracy and ease during the cutting process, there are other fence options such as micro-adjust fences, extendable fences, and fences with embedded magnifiers (You can read more about the best Table Saw Fence In this article)
You can increase your table saw’s functionality by acquiring blades specially designed to cut metals and plastics.
There are so many options when it comes to selecting a table saw. The best table saw option meets an individual user's requirements in the best possible way. Major issues to consider when choosing a table saw are its size, portability, power, cutting precision, price, type of job to be performed, workload, and speed. The best table saw is one that ticks all the right boxes for a specific project or job.
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