If you want to remodel your home, or you just love to build, it’s very handy to have your own power saw. Just one table saw can do big rips as well as small precision cuts. You’ll cut down on the number of tools you need, and you’ll improve your ability to do repairs yourself.
A table saw gives you much more power and control than a hand-held tool like a circular saw. You can rip and crosscut, miter and bevel. From preparing dimensional lumber for a new deck to trimming baseboards to finish a room, a table saw can do it all.
Benefits of a table saw
Why would you want a table saw at home? There are many reasons. For one, it’s convenient to have your own tools instead of depending on courtesy cuts at the hardware store. For another, a table saw makes big jobs so much easier.
If you’ve used a circular saw, you know how difficult it is to control. With a table saw you don’t have to hold anything steady to get a great cut. You won’t get tired from lugging around a 6-pound saw all day.
Finally, a table saw is a flexible tool. You can use it to rip a sheet of wood, then miter cut a baseboard or molding.
Essential features of a table saw for use at home
Unless you have extensive experience with table saws already, you may be wondering what features are important to look for in this type of tool. Let’s cover some of the basics.
Safety first
Most modern saws come equipped with a blade guard, anti-kickback pawls, and a riving knife, also known as a splitter. The blade guard protects you from coming in contact with the spinning blade. The pawls keep the piece of wood you’re cutting from moving backward. The riving knife keeps the cut open so the wood doesn’t bind up the blade.It’s also good to have a switch that trips if the power goes off unexpectedly. This keeps the saw powered down until you hit the switch again yourself.
When shopping for your first table saw, seek out these safety features on the model you intend to buy and make sure you understand how they work. Don’t settle for a saw that uses poorly-designed guards that you’ll end up removing. Choose a saw that puts your safety first.
Power and precision
A good table saw can cut through a 2×4 just as easily as maple shelving for a bookcase. Consider what you’ll be cutting the most in order to choose the best saw for your needs. Keep in mind that while some saws do really well at ripping lumber, they aren’t set up to do dado cuts at all.
If precision is important to you, take a close look at the rip fence that supports the wood. Is it sturdy, and does it lock parallel to the blade? Rack-and-pinion assemblies are usually found on the best rip fences. Inspect the miter gauge and the blade tilt handle to see if they can be calibrated if needed.
Capacity
Will you need to cut 4x boards or sheets of plywood? Table saws have different sizes of tabletops. Some of them extend out to accommodate large pieces of wood, like the SKIL 3410-02 described below. You may still want to provide additional support near the saw.
Also remember that you can do bevel cuts with a table saw, but the steeper the angle, the lower the capacity. While one saw may be able to cut 3 inches deep at 90 degrees, it can only cut 2.5 inches at 45 degrees.
Ease of use
Finally, many table saws come with stands that raise them to a height of 36 inches. This makes them safe and easy for most people to use unless they are very tall. If you choose a saw without a stand, plan to secure it to a workbench that will raise its surface to three feet high.
Portable table saws weigh as little as 50 pounds and take up less space than two 5-gallon buckets. This makes them relatively easy to store. Some have stands that double as a dolly to transport the saw. To see that feature, check out the DeWalt DWE7491RS described below.
Many table saws also have a dust collection port where you can attach a shopvac hose. This is important if you plan to work indoors.
The Top 5 Table Saws for Home Use
Now that you’ve gotten a feel for what features come in a good table saw, let’s look at the top five saws that will give you the best value for your money.
Best Overall Table Saw with Monster Ripping Capacity: DEWALT DWE7491RS 10-Inch Jobsite Table Saw
The DeWalt DWE7491RS is a do-it-yourselfer’s dream tool. Professionals use this on jobsites all across America. It’s currently the number one best-seller with hundreds of 5-star reviews. It’s ideal if you plan to do a lot of woodworking of all sorts.
It has a very large cutting capacity. The table surface measures 22 by 26-1/4 inches, but the telescoping rails allow for cutting materials up to 32-1/2-inches wide, like 4×8 sheets. The blade raises up to accommodate materials 3-1/8 inches thick at 90 degrees, or 2-1/4 inches at 45 degrees. The rack and pinion fence system is very strong even when extended all the way, and it’s easy to adjust accurately. You can even flip the fence over for narrow rips.
The saw includes a push stick so you don’t need to put your hands near the blade at all when you’re cutting a narrow piece of wood. Should you lose power unexpectedly, the DWE7491RS stays powered down until you flip the switch yourself.
DeWalt designed for convenience as well as power. All the accessories and the cord store neatly onboard the saw itself. There is a 2-1/2-inch dust collection port on the back that allows you to attach a shopvac hose. When you’re done working, the stand folds down so you can roll the saw like a dolly.
One last note: DeWalt offers a dado throatplate, sold separately, that makes it possible to use stacked dado blades with this saw.
More features of the DeWalt DWE7491RS table saw:
- Comes with 10-inch 24-tooth carbide-tipped blade, rolling stand, push stick, and miter gauge
- DeWalt offers a 90-day money-back guarantee, a 1-year free service contract, and a 3-year limited warranty
Bosch GTS1031 10-Inch Table Saw
Bosch emphasizes the portability of their GTS1031 saw. While it weighs 52 pounds, it has a soft grip handle, two side handles, and an all-steel base with rubber feet. If you plan to move the saw a lot, it’s easy to carry.
The GTS1031 can handle single dados or stacked dado blades up to ½-inch, which is handy for cabinet makers. Unfortunately, its maximum width for cuts is only 18 inches on the right side and 7-3/4 inches on the left, less than either of DeWalt’s saws in this review or the SKIL saw.
The sliding fence rails are not rack and pinion, but they have a self-aligning square-lock feature. Select the width you want and the fence clicks into place to firmly hold the same position all along its length, and that makes for truer cuts.
The blade bevels from -2 to 47 degrees, a wide range perfect for serious woodworkers. It can cut up to 2-1/4-inches at 45 degrees and 3-1/8-inches at 90 degrees, which makes most miter jobs a snap.The 15Amp motor puts out 4Hp at up to 5000rpm, so it’s fast when slicing through hardwoods.
The Bosch GTS1031 includes anti-kickback pawls, a blade guard, and a riving knife for safety. The blade guard is not tool-less, but Bosch includes a blade guard wrench in the box. All included components store underneath the saw. The dust collection port on the rear accepts most shopvac hoses.
More features of the Bosch GTS1031
- Blade arbor is 5/8-inch
- Comes with a 24-tooth 10-inch carbide blade, blade and blade guard wrenches, a push stick, and a miter gauge
- Bosch offers a 1-year limited warranty and 30-day money-back guarantee
DEWALT DW745 10-Inch Compact Job-Site Table Saw with 20-Inch Max Rip Capacity
The DeWalt DW745 earned a five-star rating from Popular Mechanics. It has a 15Amp motor with high torque and low rpmfor straight and smooth cuts in tough wood. The rack and pinion fence is strong and locks into place for accurate measurements. It telescopes out to allow you to rip up to 20-inch wide materials on the right side of the blade.
The blade has a maximum depth of cut of 3-1/8-inches at 90 degrees and 2-1/4-inches at 45 degrees. The easy to read gauge on the side and large wheel make it simple to select the right amount of bevel for your job. The only downside is that this saw can’t do dado cuts.
Although the DW745 doesn’t come with a stand, it’s housed in a sturdy roll cage. The rear feet have adjustable levelers so you can use the saw even when your work bench isn’t level. Like the other two saws described above, this one also includes a dust collection port so you can keep your work area neat.
More features of the DeWalt DW745 table saw:
- Comes with 10-inch 24-tooth carbide-tipped blade, rolling stand, push stick, and miter gauge
- DeWalt offers a 90-day money-back guarantee, a 1-year free service contract, and a 3-year limited warranty
SKIL 3410-02 10-Inch Table Saw with Folding Stand
SKIL markets their 3410-02 specifically to do-it-yourself woodworkers. If you’re on a budget, or looking to invest in a saw for occasional projects, this is a good start. It lacks some of the features found in a pro level saw, but has other advantages over the Craftsman Evolv described below.
For example, the die-cast aluminum tabletop gives you 20 by 26 inches of workspace. It also expands out to 32 inches so you can slice through longer pieces. The maximum cutting height at 90 degrees is 3.5 inches, so you can cut 4x lumber safely.
Some users have complained the the miter gauge seems flimsy, but it does appear to be accurate. It’s also possible to use dado blades, something the pro-level DeWalt DW745 doesn’t offer.
There is no dust collection port onboard. The steel folding stand is convenient for when you don’t have a workbench handy, but you may notice some vibration when using the saw.
More features of the SKIL 3410-02 table saw:
- SKIL (part of BoschTool Corporation) offers a 3-year warranty
- Comes with a blade, blade wrenches, steel folding stand, rip fence, and miter gauge
Craftsman Evolv 15 Amp 10-Inch Table Saw 28461
The Craftsman Evolv 28461 is the best table saw for do-it-yourselfers on a tight budget. Yes, it vibrates a lot. But it’s also pretty quiet for an inexpensive table saw with a 15Amp motor. The power it puts out is enough to cut most types of lumber easily enough, especially if you upgrade the stock blade.
The non-standard miter slots do make it hard to find accessories outside of what Craftsman offers, and the saw doesn’t work with stacked dado blades. But if you make multiple passes, you can make your own dado grooves.
The Evolv can handle up to 3-inches depth at 90 degrees and 2.5 inches at 45 degrees. A rack and pinion assembly controls the blade height, so it moves smoothly up and down. Beveling the saw to the exact angle you want is a little difficult because the gauge is hard to read.
The steel tabletop stands 36 inches from the floor to make it comfortable for most people to use. The surface working area is the smallest out of the five saws in this review. It measures 25 by 17 inches, but the rip fence will adjust to allow you to rip a full sheet of plywood.
The saw comes with a 24-tooth carbide-tipped 10-inch blade for basic ripping, as well as a steel stand, hex keys and blade wrenches for assembly. It also includes multiple safety features like push-button anti-kickback pawls, riving knife, blade guard, and a push stick.
More features of the Craftsman 28461 table saw:
- Blade arbor size is 5/8-inch
- Saw weighs 50 pounds
- Craftsman offers a 1-year warranty
Recommendation
If you’re on a tight budget, or want a table saw for occasional use, consider the Craftsman Evolv 28461 or the SKIL 3410-02. You can upgrade their abilities by purchasing blades with more teeth and mounting them onto a sturdy workbench. Keep in mind that the SKIL saw has a wide 32-inch capacity.
If you plan to rip large sheets of wood over 20-inches in width, get the SKIL 3410-02 or the DeWalt DWE7491RS.
If you want to do dado cuts, consider the Bosch GTS1031, the SKIL 3410-02, or the DWE7491RS (which needs an additional dado throat).
If you want the best all-around saw for everything from framing, decking, and flooring to cabinet-building and furniture-making, get the DeWalt DWE7491RS.
Click here to purchase DEWALT DWE7491RS on Amazon.com
Click here to purchase Bosch GTS1031 on Amazon.com
Click here to purchase DEWALT DW745 on Amazon.com
Click here to purchase SKIL 3410-02 on Amazon.com
Click here to purchase Craftsman Evolv 15 Amp 10 In. Table Saw 28461 on Amazon.com