What You Should Cnosider When Buying a Table Saw Buying a table saw is very similar to buying a car. The saw must do what you’d like it to, be reliable and cost-effective, last long, and come with all the important safety features. Below are some things to consider when purchasing a table saw: Types of Table Saws
The Key Elements of Great Equipment
Cabinet Saws
Finding Parallels Between Saws and Life
Cabinet saws are very powerful and durable, as well as heavy and large in size. In most cases, they have a minimum of 3-horsepower motors. They have hard-wearing cast iron parts, a huge table, a tough fence and a full cabinet where the motor is housed. Commonly weighing 400 – 600 pounds, they aren’t meant to be portable. Contractor Saws Portability is the main advantage of contractor saws. They generally have a 1 3 – 4 horsepower motor, are smaller and lighter, and have a lighter duty fence and no cabinet. Contractor saws may be hard to keep tuned if they are being moved around or dragged into a job site. Hybrid Saws As the name indicates, hybrid saws have the fused features of both cabinet and contractor saws. Their motor is usually as powerful as that of contractor saws, and they have a partial cabinet in which the motor is housed. Desires Next, determine what you have to do with the saw. 75 horsepower motor contractor or hybrid saw is probably enough. But if you will be ripping thick maple regularly, then at least a 3-horsepower motor industrial strength saw will be needed. Available Space If space is a problem in your shop, then you can immediately eliminate some saws from the list. A saw that is meant to break down plywood will have a wide rip capacity, meaning you should have a table and fence rail, as well as ample space on the front and back. Safety Although table saws nowadays are much safer than ever before, they still have inherent dangers. Newer saws are built with a riving knife to help control kickback, which is considered by many as even more dangerous than the blade itself. If you’re thinking of buying a used and older model, it may not be built with a riving knife. Pricing The adage, “you get what you pay for,” definitely works on table saws. Top-end machines have completely flat tables, will cut forever and with superb accuracy, and you have to pay for that level of quality. On the other hand, contractor saws have less cast iron and generally lower quality parts, but can be serviceable if tuned properly and used with a good saw blade. A used saw will be cheaper but with no warranty. And as saws are also heavy – about 300 to 600 pounds – shipping will not be cheap either.