Table saws are at the top of the wish list for any DIY enthusiast or seasoned woodworker. At some point in your life, you may find the need for a table saw for your next project.
Table saws are essentially used to perform cuts or rips along the length of the board. These tools are mostly used to cut wood, plastic, tiles, and a variety of other materials. They cut with more accuracy compared to circular and miter saws.
If you’re looking to buy yourself a table saw, here are a few things to consider when choosing the right one.
Model Type
Table saws can either be portable or stationary. A portable table saw can either be a benchtop, compact, or jobsite.
A stationary table saw, on the other hand, can be a cabinet, contractor, or hybrid. Be sure to pick the type that will meet all your needs after reading the specs of each one carefully.
For professional use, it’s best to get a high-quality cabinet saw that is heavier and more expensive. For casual DIY projects, saws with lower power will do just fine.
Rip Capacity
Rip capacity is the distance between the edge of the blade and the fence of the saw. This determines the amount of width you can cut using the saw.
Choosing a saw based on its rip capacity is highly determined by the nature of the projects you intend to work on. Keep in mind that the higher the rip capacity, the higher the price tag.
Blade Size
Most table saw blades are 10 inches in size, with a handful having 12-inch blades. Larger blade size is much better for cutting through thicker materials. With 10-inches, you can make a cut of up to 3 ½ inches deep.
Blade Angle
The angle you should ideally be working with is 90 to 45 degrees. It is better to find a blade that can tilt both ways to make your cutting much easier.
Safety
Table saws are highly dangerous tools and should be used with extreme caution. Safety features that encourage a safe operation or offer more protection, such as blade barriers, are an added advantage. Other features include auto stop and anti-restart functions.
Power
The more the horsepower (hp) in a table saw motor, the more the cutting power. Larger table saws with higher horsepower leave cuts smoother compared to small benchtops.
Small benchtops feature horsepower of ¾ hp to 1 ½ hp, while large bench saws feature 2 hp to 4 hp. Cabinet table saws can go up to 5 hp. Saws with more power can run for longer hours under heavy use without overheating.
Fence
The fence is the adjustable part of a table saw that holds the material in place during cutting. There are two styles of fences that come with table saws: a rack and pinion style fence and a T-square fence.
Other table saws come with extendable fences that can fold or slide out to fit larger sections of wood.
Dust Collection
Dust collection ports are important, especially if you’re working indoors. The ports collect the dust that would have otherwise been swept up from the floor.
Other table saws have collection ports that can be connected to a shop vacuum. Users only need to turn on the vacuum while operating the saw in order to catch the sawdust.