Choosing a Table Saw

By Steve Maxwell
Published on August 1, 2003
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Bosch's 4000-07, with a 21-by-29-inch tabletop, weighs 64 pounds without the stand and sells for about $500.
Bosch's 4000-07, with a 21-by-29-inch tabletop, weighs 64 pounds without the stand and sells for about $500.
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Diagram of a standard table saw.
Diagram of a standard table saw.
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The author gives advice on choosing a table saw. Here the author is using a DeWalt DW 744S. It has a 19-by-26-inch tabletop, and sells for about $500. This 64-pound table saw can be easily removed from its folding stand.
The author gives advice on choosing a table saw. Here the author is using a DeWalt DW 744S. It has a 19-by-26-inch tabletop, and sells for about $500. This 64-pound table saw can be easily removed from its folding stand.
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Black and Decker's BT 2500 has a spacious 24-by-40-inch tabletop, weighs 150 pounds and sells for about $360.
Black and Decker's BT 2500 has a spacious 24-by-40-inch tabletop, weighs 150 pounds and sells for about $360.
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The Ryobi BT 3100's two extra wheels make moving it easier. The saw has a 25- by-41-inch tabletop, weighs 107 pounds and sells for less than $300.
The Ryobi BT 3100's two extra wheels make moving it easier. The saw has a 25- by-41-inch tabletop, weighs 107 pounds and sells for less than $300.

Learn what you should know when choosing a table saw, and how to evaluate the options when you are choosing one of these indispensable power tools

Elation is what you feel when you first discover a good tool, and table saws certainly are good tools. In March 1982, I switched off my first table saw and, as the blade spun to a halt, I couldn’t have been happier.

Table saws allow you to cut all kinds of lumber and plywood with great accuracy, safety and ease. I’ve owned three over the last 20 years, and used a half-dozen other machines while working professionally as a cabinetmaker and carpenter.

Table Saw Basics: Straight, True and Square

If you’re planning to build or remodel your home, make furniture or cabinets, or maybe begin a small-scale woodworking venture, you should consider making a table saw your first major tool purchase. Table saws are extremely useful because they create straight, smooth and accurate cuts in lumber, wood-based sheet materials and even some types of plastic. Radial arm table saws, which have the saw mounted above instead of underneath the table, make straight cuts, too, but not in as many different ways as a regular table saw.

Table saws (sometimes called bench saws) have three main parts: a horizontal table that supports wood during use; a circular saw blade that extends up through a slot in the table; and a rip fence that guides the wood over the spinning blade.

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