General Table Saws: An overview of the best table saws made by General

Most consumers have never heard of General Table Saws but professional woodworkers and serious hobbyists are well aware of the high quality commercial table saws and contractor table saws they offer. General started out as General Manufacturing back in 1946 in Canada, where they are still headquartered. They offer a full line of every kind of professional grade woodworking machinery you can think of. You won’t find General Table saws at Home Depot or Lowe’s, only from specialty woodworking retailers who measure up to General’s high standards for service, both pre sale and post sale.

If you’ve been looking into buying a General you may be a bit confused over the differences amongst the terms General, General International, and General Woodworking Machinery. In 1996 General launched the General International Line to differentiate products made overseas from those made at their manufacturing plants in Canada.

General claims they carefully monitor these internationally manufactured models – most come from Taiwan – and if you check out the stellar reviews they get and the high praise they receive in the woodworking discussion forums, it appears that they do. Since they offer a full line of sophisticated woodworking machinery some retailers choose to add the label “General Woodworking Machinery” to all General products. As and example, the first model we’ll take a look at is the 50-185LM1, which is a General International product.

Some retailers will list it as General Woodworking Machinery Model 50-185LM1 while others simply refer to it as a General. If you’ve thought about General but assumed the price would be out of you league, consider that the 50-185 retails for around $1,000, which makes it competitive with competitive models from Ridgid, Craftsman, and Dewalt. Let’s take a look at some Generals.

The General 50-185M1 Deluxe Builder’s Table Saw

Fine Woodworking magazine once awarded this General all three of its major awards –Best Value, Editor’s Choice, and Reader’s Choice. No other stationary contractor saw has ever done that. This General features provides a full 2 horsepower at all times, not just at peak, while drawing only 15 Amps. It weighs a whopping 320 pounds, making it one of the most stable contractor saws on the market today. The saw features two extension wings, both made of cast iron, which are milled square at the outer edge making it easier to attach a tableboard for even further extension. Many pros replace the rip fences included with a lot or contractor saws with a Biesemeyer fence, but not here. The rip fence included is actually made by Biesemeyer, under commission from General. Is available in both a 30 inch and a 52 inch length and is it made of heavy steel, not lightweight aluminum. Even the miter gauge here is made of cast iron, and ground smooth on the bottom for easy sliding. You won’t find much plastic here –even the wheels for adjusting height and tilt of blade are made of metal.

The General 50-090K M1 Jobsite Table Saw

If portability without sacrificing performance and durability are your concerns, this saw is worth a look, and at around $800 it is only $80 more than the comparable and highly rated Bosch. It has the features you’d expect in a jobsite saw – it collapses and can be wheeled around on its own dolly, but it is the only saw on the market with a cast iron table. While it adds weight and may make it a little harder to move around, it adds stability and reduces vibration. This model is the only one in this category with an induction motor, which means it will run quieter, cut through hardwoods more easily, and last longer. Even the vaunted Bosch just can’t compare to the performance capabilities of this General, but at 247 pounds it is the heaviest in its class.