There are many tools that are useful, but not essential to wood working, depending on what you are building. A dedicated mortising machine makes quick work of cutting mortises, but if you don’t build a lot of furniture that employs the mortis and tenon joinery do you really need it? However, there are some tools that are must haves if you want to build any significant projects.
A table saw is one of these tools. Try ripping a four by eight sheet of plywood down and get a nice straight line using a hand held circular saw. Not that easy. Table saws are great at cutting straight lines in to things.
With so many different types and styles of table saws available at the local home improvement store, which is the right one for your home shop? Good question. In this article we will review the portable and contractor table saws.
Portable Table Saw
They are also known as a bench top table saw. A portable table saw has a compact table and body design. They are light weight with the table top and body constructed out of aluminum. The maximum blade size is 10 inches.
Because of their small size they use what is referred to as a universal motor, which is the same motor that is in your circular saw. A universal motor is limited to 110V and at most 15 amps. This makes a bench top table saw feel like it is under powered especially when attempting to ripe a thick piece of lumber or very hard wood.
With the lighter weight they suffer more from vibration when ripping. The vibration will cause more marks on the sides of the cut.
Because of the compact design, most bench top models have a short arbor. The arbor will not be long enough to hold a stacked dado head cutter, especially when it is set to cut a 3/4 inch wide dado.
They are good for someone who is just starting out. They are the least expensively priced table saw category. They are great in the garage when your garage work shop also has to hold the family car.
Contractor Table Saw
A contractor table saw is a larger and heavier table saw compared to the bench top table saw. Sometimes it is referred to as an open table saw. This is because the base is open to the bottom and the saw dust filters down beneath the saw’s base.
The fence is more beefier than the bench top table saw. You are able to set and get a more accurate cut with it. There are several after market fences that can be installed on most contractor table saws. The stock fence and rail system will allow you to cut a width up to 24 inches. The wing extensions are made from stamped steel. Not bad but can be more easily warped and bent.
It is constructed with a heavy table top usually made from cast iron. The contractor saw comes with a sturdy set of legs. The motor is mounted on outside of the table saw and is belt driven. The minimum horse power to consider in a contractor saw is 1 1/2 hp. The motor is wired for 110V electricity.
Some models come with a jack up stand that makes it easier to move the table saw around in the wood shop. When the table saw is in position, a press of a leaver will retract the wheels so that the table saw is sitting firmly on the floor.
The contractor saw is a good table saw for a home wood worker, especially if he has a dedicated wood working shop. It will work in the garage / wood shop set up; however, it takes up more room and does not collapse or fold down for storage.
That is it for the bench top and contractor table saws. In the next article we will review the cabinet and hybrid table saws.
