Table Saws over the years have continued to impress me as new good features (such as flesh detecting technology and riving knife), functionalities and durability improvements continue to exceed all of the expectations that I feel I would have for these newer models.
With many unique models available, don’t think buying a table saw is easy-peasy. It can be extremely difficult to make a buying decision as selecting the best table saw products is dependent on many information factors which include not only your budget but the purpose of the work plans.
Before choosing a good table saw for your shop at the office or personal use, like DIY in your home garage, it’s important to gain an understanding of the saws power, switch, blade guard, ability to cut metal, riving knife, motors, and features/functionalities. These are aspects need to be taken into account to ensure that you’re buying a table saw that will meet your requirements because believe me, they matter.
With our buying guide, you’ll be able to learn everything you need to know about each of the models and products we’ve evaluated so you can make a more educated purchase.
Table Saws are a very convenient solution to those seeking the mobility of being able to do a lot of type of work in locations and is great for those who tend to have multiple projects (contractor and DIY) going simultaneously.
So, is it time to buy a Table Saw?
If you’re ready to take your professional woodworking shop to the next level then a table saw is an essential tool to have at your disposal as it’ll allow you to a do any type from a range of smooth and quick cuts: miter-cut, cross-cut, rip, square, cutting through metal, and rabbet (although not bevel cuts). With a table saw, you’ll enjoy great motors and even be able to adjust the edges of the piece you’re working on. But if you need a professional saw you will need more for outside, don’t purchase it right away and consider other types of saws. Who knows, you might see a great one and switch from your first option.
In this section of this buying guide, we’re going to be covering some tips and suggestions that we suggest that you don’t skip.
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 full job sites for a contractor or usually perform a range of cuts on pieces that are the same sizes and you don’t know what to get. We’re telling you–a table saw is perfect for your power tools requirements!
Our Top Picks for Table Saws in 2020
Now when you completely understand the suggestions and the benefits of purchasing, using and maintaining professional table saws, it’s the right time for our reviews and comparison of the best table saws for your home or workshop in 2020. There many great types like benchtop, cabinet, hybrid, and job site which can offer different features like blade guard and riving knife. They all are different, so the most advanced benchtop model in this list, for example, may not be used for the same purposes as the best work job site or contractor 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, much like another model from the brand, the DW745. Of all the years that I have been working with those tools (15+ years), this portable model may perhaps be the best table saw under $1000 that I’ve ever had the chance of reviewing and I may go as far to say that it’s probably the ideal portable model currently available for both onsite-jobs and mobile solutions because of its portability and tendency to last longer than others, no matter the weight of the full cutting jobs are.
This tool from DeWalt boasts a full and very powerful 15 ampere electrically driven motor (with more speed compared to previous models) with 4,800 revolutions per minute (rpm)! 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 model is that the rack and pinion fence rails are very durable and easily adjustable, a testament to this machine being one of the top performers on my list for precision cuts based on experience. The fencing stays parallel to the blade and the uniquely designed fence slides on the railing which on both the front and backside of the saw, making adjustments real quick. This allows effortless transport for the portable saw.
DEWALT DWE7491RS 10-Inch Manufacturer Full Specifications and Overview:
- Rack & Pinion Fence System adjust fences fast, smooth and accurate, advantageous for the small portable package
- 32-1/2″ Rip capacity easily cuts a variety of larger shelving and trim materials
- Powerful 15 Amp motor quickly rips through hardwoods with ease
- Rolling stand with a build designed for hassle-free & easy setup and breakdown with excellent stability
- 2″ Dust Collection Port connects to a vacuum port for efficient dust extraction; Weight: 90 lbs, an average size (This characteristic can also be seen on DW745 which can cut rip full sheets)
Ripping Capacity:
There currently aren’t any other good table saws that come close to matching the quick cut capacity of the DEWALT DWE7491RS!
This DEWALT saw provides buyers 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:
- Have a supporting accessory when your work requires you to cut/rip material that is larger than the table itself (great durability, especially for contractor job(s)).
- Keep the saw compact when stored while still enabling you to cut material larger than the table without further setup specifics and adjustments.
When you purchase the DWE7491RS, you’ll receive:
- Jobsite model with a dependable motor
- 10″ 24-Tooth Carbide Blade (same with DW745)
- Portable 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, construction and build quality are incredibly high and in conjunction with such conveniently built-in tools to make any type of job easier; the DWE7491RS is one you want to consider purchasing for any of your work needs, whether it’s advanced or simpler projects.
2. Rockwell RK7241S Table Saw
While Rockwell is not a mainstream brand/name in the table saw community they’ve done a fantastic job at creating a practical, portable and user-friendly saw that even newcomers will find quite simple to operate.
Built into the Rockwell RK7241S are folding legs and side wheels, great for those who tend to need it for job sites as it is quite mobile.
The Rockwell RK7241S boasts a 10-inch blade and surprisingly held up to its claim of offering four times the cutting capacity of other 10″ models with ease. I was also quite impressed with the rip capacity which is due to the 30-inch foldout fences.
One nice feature of this particular saw that isn’t commonly found is that the built-in laser automatically realigns if the blade angle is for some reason beveled which helps to alleviate the risks of performing an inaccurate cut.
- Heavy-duty, yet versatile, lightweight, small size and portable for the job site, workshop, or cabinet shop
- Most cutting depth of any saw in its class with a solid motor
- Fence for extra wide cuts of different range
- Exclusive laser-indicator adjusts blade tilt
- Fully assembled trolley stand for portability
Unlike many of the other 10″ blade 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, thanks to its motor. After extensive usage, I have 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 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 needs are large or small (e.g. DIY), the 15 amp motor combined with 4,800 revolutions per minute (rpm) will handle any task that you throw at it, and will last longer than your normal power tool!
3. Bosch GTS1041A-09 REAXX Flesh-Detecting Jobsite Table Saw with Gravity-Rise Wheeled / Roll Stand
We saved the best for last and this is by no means an understatement! The Bosch GTS1041A is an incredibly engineered, heavy-duty construction that features a highly-efficient safety system that will retract the blade away from your hand if it senses contact with your finger(s)! Such a feature doesn’t require human adjustments for safety and doesn’t harm your fingers at all.
Yes, that’s right, if you’re cutting and your hand accidentally touches the blade, the blade will instantaneously retract underneath the table before any accident can even occur.
This good mechanism blew my mind and I was quite nervous (to say the least) to confirm the effectiveness of it (but I did and it worked incredibly well from my own experience).
This feature is built-on the airbag tech which is patented by Bosch and the saw takes huge advantage of airbag mechanisms to retract the blade in case of contact at quicker-than-lightning speed.
Included Parts and Accessories:
- Gravity-Rise Wheeled (Roll) Stand For Portability
- Rear Out Feed-Support
- 10″ 40-Tooth Saw Blade
- Dual-Activation Cartridge
- Miter Gauge
- Rip Fences
- Barrier Guard Device
- Anti-Kickback Pawls and Riving Knife
- Push Stick
- Dual-Activation Cartridge Wrench
- Blade Wrench
- Hex Wrench
- Throat
While there are a select few good table saw models available in the market that provide such a safety feature, what differentiates 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. It also has an anti-kickback mechanism plus a riving knife for safety that doesn’t put you in harm’s way.
The Bosch GTS1041A-09 REAXX boasts a powerful 15-amp, four horsepower motor resulting in 3,650 revolutions per minute (rpm)! Features, controls, and settings are quite advanced with having a soft-start feature that manages how you start the machine.
Bosch GTS1041A-09 REAXX Specification:
- Motor Amperage: 15
- Arbor: 5/8″-11
- Bevel Angle Range: -2° to 47°
- Blade Diameter: 10
- Cord: 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 (huge size)
- Smartguard (anti-kickback & riving knife)
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 perhaps denser piece. Furthermore, I was pleased to see that this model is compatible with nearly any 10-inch construction grade blade and has a rip fence capacity of 25 inches.
If you’re like me and tend to misplace parts you’ll be able to take advantage of the built-in storage compartment which houses the accessories, instructions quite huge wrenches so you’ll be able to keep everything in one place.
A Quick Review of Other Favorite & Remarkable Table Saws (Runners-up)
Now that you have read the review on the most popular table saws that many love, we thought we could do a quick review on other models from other brands like Makita, Ryobi, Sawstop and Skilsaw. The following power tools would simply provide an extension of your choices so you get what a high performance saw offers, including cutting accuracy and special table saw features (e.g. stands) for a practical cost worth your money.
SawStop PCS31230-TGP236
One of the greatest cabinet table saws with impressive performance, the SawStop PCS31230-TGP236 is a product you’d be willing to pay good money for its price. It’s added with a revolutionary safety system, a big element that drives this SawStop model upwards as one of the best among all saws from SawStop. Other models from SawStop work amazing too, including PCS175-TGP236, CNS175-TGP36, and PCS31230-TGP252.
Skilsaw SPT70WT-01
It’s a no-brainer for this particular Skilsaw product to be incorporated to this list, it’s because the Skilsaw SPT70WT-01 is the first worm drive table saw especially made for ripping. It’s made of steel cage, but this particular Skilsaw is lightweight, pint-size, at only about 49 lbs. Other products from Skilsaw you might love for a reasonable price are Skilsaw SPT70WT-22 and Skilsaw’s SPT99-12 (an improved version of Skilsaw SPT70WT-22 mounted in rolling stands for fine transport).
Makita 2705
In terms of price, control, and dependability, Makita is a brand that you can trust. A single example among many power tools from Makita is the Makita 2705. The Makita 2705 has a right extension that allows ripping of 4×8 size materials. The size of this Makita saw’s cutting capacity is large, allowing woodworkers to work of huge built items.
Using your Table Saw – Helpful Tips and Advice
Use a Stable Base
For table saws without a leg set, it is a must to have a strong and steady plywood foundation with a hole in the middle (some of these foundations can be purchased and arrive size-tailored to your specific model).
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 wood buttress will elevate the saw to a comfortable height relieving you from the hassle of bending over to make any type of 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 smooth, quick & accurate (since sawdust won’t be in the way) while also helping to keep the saw at a cooler temperature. Of course, this is more beneficial for saws without a dust port.
Always use a Cut-off block
Aside from a blade guard that will guard your hand when changing blades, you need to have a cut-off. If you decide to use your table saw without a cut-off then you take the risk of being inflicted with injury as if you’re not using a cut-off and doing a smooth 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, especially with table saws containing really solid motors, and it’s highly recommended that you measure, cut and attach a cut-off piece on the side of the rip fence to avoid this hazard from occurring. Placement of this cut-off hindrance is essential to ensuring safety and should be clamped the entire length of the type of cut in addition to the thickness of the safety item that you’re using. (This tip should be added with buying saws with a bevels edge for safe use.)
Create a zero-clearance tabletop
What 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 it 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 space and then separate it (distance-wise) from the rip fence.
Need an extra set of hands? Use a Featherboard!
The Featherboard has many “wooden fingers” which very firmly and tightly hold the wood against the fences providing sturdiness during the cut.
The fingers on the Featherboard are somewhat flexible and are sticking out an angle that allows lawyers to move the wood through for any type of cut while maintaining the firmness of the piece.
Quickly set up an Outfeed Support System
If your DIY project requires you to cut a very long piece of wood, performing the cut without an additional person is nearly an impossible feat, no matter how many adjustments you do. While cutting long pieces of the wood solo can be resolved by buying a “roller support” system (which is usually quite expensive), we suggest that you make a temporary but good outfeed system with the inclusion of clamps, wood and two 2×4’s. Having built your base system will cut the cost and price of adding a single attachment to your table saw.
What you’ll need to do is use the 2x4s and clamp them to the 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 without getting stuck.
We hope that you’ve found the information in our best table saws reviews valuable and insightful. There are a variety of models to pick from and understanding the features, functionalities, metal cutting abilities, and power capabilities are all important aspects of the saw to consider before purchasing. Don’t just buy the first saw you see, especially when you feel that its cost seems too steep!
Keep in mind which accessories are included (so you don’t have to buy twice or if there’s anything else you’ll need to start buying). Warranty (if any) is sometimes included, so you might need to purchase another warrant on the saw if you plan on using it consistently. Check online resources for this bit and switch to better options, if available.
Robert
