An Introduction to Table Saws

Unfortunately, history does not record the originator of this technological innovation with 100% accuracy. There are a variety of opinions, ranging from an English sail maker to an English ship builder to a New England spinster. The spinster story, one of the best, refers not to an “old maid” but to a Shaker woman who was an expert in the use of the spinning wheel.

Electricity came along and in the 1920’s companies like Skil and Porter Cable put portable circular saws out into the market. From there it was a simple matter of attaching one of these motor driven circular saws to a table. In an interesting historical twist, in some early table saws, the table itself was moved up or down to increase or decrease depth of cut while the blade itself remained stationery. The addition of blade assemblies that could be raised and lowered and tilted independently of the table was seen as great breakthroughs. But today you are seeing more and more major table saw manufactures designing sliding table extensions into their saws. Let’s look at the different types of table saws available today and things you should know when choosing and using one.

Types of Table Saws

While some might argue that there are five distinct types of table saws, in reality there are only four:

• Bench top Table Saws

• Contractor Table Saws

• Cabinet Table Saws, and

• Hybrid Table Saws.

Portable table saws are more a subset of bench top and contractor saws than they are a unique class of table saw. Bench top saws are the smallest, lightest, and least expensive table saws on the market. Many come with inexpensive stands to which they can be attached and easily removed for transport to a job site. Their table surface is smaller in terms of both width and depth so larger pieces of wood will be more difficult to handle with these saws than with their larger cousins, the contractor saw and the cabinet saw.

Contractor saws are heavier and larger and come with attached bases, many of which have wheel mounts to make them portable. These saws come in both high end models with heftier construction and better motors as well as in mid priced models that will get the job done, but with more vibration and less stability.

As their name implies, cabinet saws have completely enclosed bases which make them the most efficient style of table saw when it comes to dust collection. They are not portable at all as their construction involves the use of steel and cast iron, giving them the least vibration and the most stability of any type of table saw on the market today.

Hybrid table saws are relatively new to the market and basically add a cabinet to a lower end contractor style saw. Typically, they are heavier than standard contractor table saws but lighter than cabinet saws.

Choosing and Using Table Saws

A picture is worth a thousand words and when choosing a table saw you need to be able to see what you’re buying before you buy. Many who can’t pay a visit to a home improvement retailer will rely on manufacturer’s websites on the Internet. For example on the SawStop site you can see pictures of SawStop contractor saws and SawStop cabinet saws for there are better places to go to see more photos. Most expert and user reviews sites provide more photos in more detail and from more manufacturers. In addition, YouTube is a great source to see more photos, as well as demonstration videos. If you are concerned about kickback, you can view a video with an actual table saw kickback demonstration. You’ll also find videos covering assembling and using all four types of table saws. Good luck with your table saw!

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