Table Saws

Table saws are probably the most basic shop tool. Any woodworking shop, in my opinion, should start with a table saw. For basic cutting tasks the table saw cannot be overlooked.

A table saw is a table with a circular blade protruding through the table top. The blade is powered by a motor either directly, by belts or gears. The depth of cut in the wood can normally be controlled by raising or lowering the blade. The wood is cut by sliding the wood on the table through the rotating blade. The angle of cut in the wood can be adjusted by changing the angle that wood is pushed through the blade. The angles of the cuts and evenness of the cuts are aided through the use of table fences which provide guides to cut a straight line or various angles.

The table is especially adept at cutting large panels such as plywood. Because the wood is held against a fence and slid through the blade, a very straight line can be achieved that is not possible with just a regular hand held circular saw.

Types of Table Saws

Essentially there are 4 types of table saws that provide different service.

1. Table Top Table Saw - This type of table saw is the least expensive of all four types, but it is also the smallest.  It’s called a table top because its usually just set on top of  a table.  Normally these saws are fairly light weight and can be lifted and carried by one person.  These saws are also known as bench top saws.

 

 

2.  Contractor Table Saw This type of saw is very similar to the tabletop table saw.  It is comparable in size and weight and usually mounted on a cart with wheels for moving around a construction site.

 

 

 

3.  Cabinet Table Saw A cabinet table saw is named as such, because they are built on top of cabinet.  These table saws are usually built out of steel and cast iron, which makes them very heavy but very resistant to vibrations which helps assure the accuracy of cuts.   They also offer dust collection systems.

 

 

4.  Hybrid Table Saw The Hybrid Table Saw is relatively new on the market.  They will usually have at least a partial cabinet, but are lighter in weight and tend to compete price wise with high end contractor saws.

 

We strongly recommend that if you are not familiar with table saws that you watch a brief 19 minute video provided by the Power Tool Institute on the proper operation and safety measures for a table saw.

The video can be seen right here:  Table Saw Video