Best Table Saw Reviews 2018 – Choose the right Table Saw for your Projects
Table Saws over the years have continued to impress me as new features (such as flesh detecting technology), functionalities and durability improvements continue to exceed all of the expectations that I would have for these newer models.
With many unique table saw models available, it can be difficult to make a purchase decision as choosing the best table saw is dependent on many factors which include not only your budget but the purpose and project plans for the table saw.
Before choosing a table saw for your shop or personal use in your home garage, it’s important to gain an understanding of the saws capabilities, power, mobility and features/functionalities as these are aspects that need to be taken in to account to ensure that you’re purchasing a table saw that will meet your requirements.
With our “Best Table Saws Reviews” guide, you’ll be able to learn everything you need to know about each of the table saw models we’ve reviewed so you can make a more educated purchase.
Table Saws are a very convenient solution to those seeking the mobility of being able to work in multiple locations and is great for those who tend to have multiple projects going simultaneously.
So, is it time to buy a Table Saw?
If you’re ready to take your woodworking shop to the next level then a table saw is an absolute essential tool to have at your disposal as it’ll allow you to miter-cut like with a miter saw, cross-cut, rip, square, and rabbet. With a table saw, you’ll even be able to make adjustments to the edges of the piece you’re working on.
In this section of our “Best Table Saws” review guide we’re going to be covering some helpful tips and suggestions that we suggest that you do when you finally receive one of the table saws that we’ve reviewed in this “buyers guide”.
Do I need a Table Saw?
Table saws are quite versatile and usually come bundled with a transport system in place (folding legs and wheels).
If you find yourself working on multiple job sites or usually perform cuts on multiple pieces that are the same dimensions then a table saw is perfect for your requirements!
Best Table Saw Reviews and Comparison of 2018
Now when you fully understand the suggestions and the benefits of purchasing, using and maintaining table saws, it’s the right time for our reviews and comparison of the best table saws for your home or workshop in 2018. There many great types of table saws like benchtop, cabinet, hybrid and jobsite and they all are different so the best benchtop table saw in this list for example may not be used for same purposes as the best jobsite saw. Here are some of the top table saws.
1. DEWALT DWE7491RS 10-Inch Jobsite Table Saw with 32-1/2-Inch Rip Capacity
There are no words to describe the sheer power and capabilities of the newly released DEWALT DWE7491RS. Of all the years that I’ve been working with table saws (15+ years), this model may perhaps be the best table saw that I’ve ever had the chance of reviewing and I may go as far to say that it’s probably the best table saw currently available for both “on site” jobs and mobile solutions.
This DEWALT table saw boasts a very powerful 15 amp electrically driven motor (with more speed compared to previous models) with 4,800 revolutions per minute! With that said, I noticed a tremendous improvement in the ripping quality which I attribute to the increase in RPM’s.
Another great component of this table saw is that the rack and pinion fence rails are very durable and easily adjustable making this machine one of the top performers on my list for precision cuts. The fencing stays parallel to the blade and the uniquely designed fence slides on the railing which on both the front and back side of the saw.
DEWALT DWE7491RS 10-Inch Manufacturer Specifications and Overview:
- Rack & Pinion Fence System Make fence adjustments fast, smooth and accurate
- 32-1/2″ Rip capacity easily cuts a variety of larger shelving and trim materials
- 15 Amp motor quickly rips through hardwoods with ease
- Rolling stand designed for easy set up and breakdown with excellent stability
- 2″ Dust Collection Port easily connects to a vacuum for efficient dust extraction; Weight: 90 lbs
Ripping Capabilities and Capacity:
There currently aren’t any other table sales on the market that come close to matching the cut capacity of the DEWALT DWE7491RS!
The DEWALT DWE7491RS provides users with a 32-1/2″ rip capacity to the right side of the blade! DEWALT also uniquely designed both the rack and pinion fence system which they designed to include a flip-over fencing mount/attachment that serves two purposes.
This flip-over fence attachment permits you to:
- Create support when your project requires you to cut/rip material that is larger than the table itself (great durability).
- Keep the saw compact when stored while still allowing you to cut material larger than the saw table without further setup requirements.
When you purchase the DEWALT DWE7491RS, you’ll receive:
- Jobsite Table Saw
- 10-inch 24-Tooth Carbide Blade
- Rolling stand
- Push Stick
- Miter Gauge
Overall, DEWALT did an incredible job developing this model and no details were left unnoticed. The craftsmanship of the design and build quality are incredibly high and in conjunction with such conveniently built-in tools to make the job easier; the DEWALT DWE7491RS table saw is one you definitely want to consider purchasing for any of your project needs!
2. Rockwell RK7241S Table Saw with Laser
While Rockwell isn’t a mainstream brand/name in the table saw community they’ve done a fantastic job at creating a practical and user-friendly saw that even newcomers will find quite simple to operate.
Built in to the Rockwell RK7241S table saw are folding legs and side wheels making it great for those who tend to need a table saw for multiple job sites as the mobility is quite effortless.
The Rockwell RK7241S boasts a 10-inch blade with an attached laser and surprisingly held up to its claim of providing four times the cutting capacity of other 10-inch table saw models. I was also quite impressed with the rip capacity which is due to the 30-inch foldout fence.
One nice features of this particular saw that isn’t commonly found is that the built-in laser automatically adjusts and realigns if the blade angle is for some reason beveled which helps to alleviate the risk of performing an inaccurate cut.
- Heavy duty, yet versatile and light weight for the jobsite, work shop, or cabinet shop
- Most cutting depth of any saw in its class
- Folding fence for extra wide cuts
- Exclusive laser indicator adjusts blade tilt
- Fully assembled trolley stand for portability
Unlike many of the other 10-inch blade table saw models that I’ve used in the past, the Rockwell RK7241S was able to cut right through a four by four piece of wood in one go with no hesitation. After extensive usage, I’ve concluded that the maximum cutting depth of this model is 3-9/16 inches at 90 degrees and 2-9/16 inches at 45 degrees.
The rip capacity is by far the best compared to any other 10-inch blade model on the market which I contribute to the 20-inch table to the right of the blade (and eleven inches to the left of the blade). These dimensions allow users to quite easily cut a four by eight sheet of wood right down the middle.
Whether your project requirements are large or small, the 15 amp motor combined with 4,800 revolutions per minute will handle any task that you throw at it!
3. Bosch GTS1041A-09 REAXX Flesh-Detecting Jobsite Table Saw with Gravity-Rise Wheeled Stand
We saved the best for last and this is by no means an understatement! The Bosch GTS1041A Table Saw is an incredibly engineered portable table saw that features a highly effecient safety mechanism that will retract the blade away from your hand if it senses contact with your finger(s)!
Yes, that’s right, if you’re cutting a peice of plywood and your finger accidentally touches the blade, the blade will instantaneously retract underneath the table before any injury can even occur.
This technology blew my mind and I was quite nervous (to say the least) to actually confirm the effectiveness of this feature (but I did and it worked incredibly well).
This feature is built-on the the air bag technology which is patented by Bosch and the saw takes advantage of air bag mechanisms to retract the blade in case of contact at quicker-than-lightning speed.
Included Parts and Accessories:
- Gravity-Rise Wheeled Stand
- Rear Out feed Support
- 10-Inch 40-Tooth Saw Blade
- Dual-Activation Cartridge
- Miter Gauge
- Rip Fence
- Barrier-Guard Device
- Anti-Kickback Pawls
- Push Stick
- Dual-Activation Cartridge Wrench
- Blade Wrench
- Hex Wrench
- Throat
While there are a select few table saw models available in the market that provide such a safety feature, what differenties this model from others is that when the blade retracts the blade does not break nor get damaged so breaking the blade or any other related part isn’t something you need to worry about.
The Bosch GTS1041A-09 REAXX 10-Inch model is an award-winning table saw and as we mentioned above includes “Active Response” technology which upon detection of flesh retracts the blade under the table to eliminate injuries.
The Bosch GTS1041A-09 REAXX boasts a 15-amp, four horsepower motor resulting in 3,650 revolutions per minute! Features, controls and settings are quite advanced with having a soft-start feature which manages the way in which you start the machine.
Bosch GTS1041A-09 REAXX Specification:
- Amperage: 15
- Arbor: 5/8″-11
- Bevel Angle Range: -2° to 47°
- Blade Diameter: 10
- Cord Length: 6
- Depth of Cut at 45 Deg.: 2-1/4″
- Depth of Cut at 90 Deg.: 3-1/8″
- No Load RPM: 3,650
- Spindle Lock: Yes
- Weight: 133 Lbs
Bosch has also implemented what they call “Constant Response” circuitry which maintains the speed of the blade and power of the saw even under strenuous use which is great for those times where you’re working on one type of material and then move to a different perhapse denser peice. Furthermore, I was pleased to see that this model is compatable with nearly any 10-inch contruction-grade blade and has a rip fence capacity of 25 inches.
If you’re like me and have a tendency to misplace parts you’ll be able to take advantage of the built-in storage compartment which houses the accessories, instructions and wrenches so you’ll be abe to keep everything in one place.
Using your Table Saw – Helpful Tips and Advice
le in the middle (some of these foundations can be purchased and arrive size-tailored to your specific table saw).
While this foundation is rather simple, it will allow you to attach the table saw to sawhorses which greatly increases the amount of stability while also making your work less strenuous since the base will elevate the saw to a comfortable height relieving you from the hassle of bending over to make cuts.
The reason we suggest cutting a hole in the middle of the plywood in which you’ll use as your table saw foundation is because it’ll allow the sawdust from your cuts to fall through to the floor which will make your cuts easier and more accurate (since sawdust won’t be in the way) while also helping to keep the saw at a cooler temperature.
Always use a Cut-off block
If you choose to use your table saw without a cut-off block then you take the risk of being inflicted with injury as if you’re not using a cut-off and are performing a crosscut going against a rip fence, kickback (when a piece of the wood between the blade and the fence get caught) will quickly occur and will throw the debris at you.
Many woodworkers have suffered injuries from this and it’s highly recommended that you measure, cut and attach a cut-off block on the side of the rip fence to avoid this hazard from occurring. Placement of this cut-off block is essential to ensuring safety and should be clamped the entire length of the cut in addition to the thickness of the safety block that you’re using.
Create a zero-clearance tabletop
at you need to do is set in place the fence the precise cut that you’re planning on making and then mount a one fourth of an inch board to your saw using either clamps or double-sided tape.
Then what you’ll need to do is hold the board down with another piece and proceed to raise the blade “through the board” to the desired height.
The final step is to attach the board you created to the top of the tabletop for the saw and then raise the elevation of the blade through the space and then separate the board (distance wise) from the rip fence.
Need an extra set of hands? Use a Featherboard!
The Featherboard has multiple “wooden fingers” which very firmly and tightly holds the wood against the fence providing sturdiness during the cut.
The fingers on the Featherboard are somewhat flexible and are sticking out an angle which allows users to move the wood through for the cut while maintaining the firmness of the piece.
Quickly set up an Out feed Support System
If your project requires you to cut a very long piece of plywood, performing the cut without an additional person is nearly an impossible task. While cutting long pieces of wood solo can be resolved by purchasing a “roller support” system (which is usually quite expensive), we suggest that you create a temporary out feed support system with the inclusion of clamps, plywood and two 2×4’s.
What you’ll need to do is use the 2x4s and clamp them to the saw table which will keep the plywood you need to cut in line perfectly with the surface of the table and the wood you’re cutting will transition to the support without getting stuck.
We hope that you’ve found our “Best Table Saw” review guide helpful and insightful. There are a variety of table saw models to choose from and understanding the features, functionalities and power capabilities are all important aspects of the saw to consider before purchasing.
Keep in mind the accessories that are included (so you’ll know if there’s anything else you’ll need to purchase) and the warranty (if any) that’s included as you may want to purchase a warrant on the saw if you plan on using it consistently.
Thanks for using our guide for choosing the Best Table Saw and we hope you find the right saw for your project!