Continuing on from the part one of this article this article will review the cabinet and hybrid table saws. Why are cabinet table saws so heavily used in commercial wood working shops? What is a hybrid table saw and would it better suit my table saw needs in the wood shop?
Cabinet Table Saw
A cabinet table saw is for the serious home wood worker. They are used heavily in commercial wood working shops. In the New Yankee Workshop, Norm Abrams has had a cabinet table saw for over a decade and is very pleased with it.
A cabinet table saw gets its name from the fact that the table saw legs are inside of an enclosed cabinet. There is a dedicated dust collection port that when connected to a dust collector will suck out all of the saw dust created by the table saw.
The motor is mounted inside the cabinet enclosure. It is wired to run on 220V two phase electricity. Not as common of a voltage in the home wood shop.
The table top is machined from a heavy cast iron. This allows the manufacture to grind the table top to a smooth and very accurately. The wing extensions are made from cast iron. Because of its heaviness cabinet table saws are very stable and provide very little vibration while cutting which results in a smoother cut.
The fence system is much better, with a wide fence and well mounted rail system. This increases the accuracy of the fence substantially. Again there are many after market fence systems that will bolt onto a cabinet table saw. The most well known are the fences from Biesemeyer.
The arbor is full length. It will accept any stacked dado head cutter without a problem. Typical maximum table saw blade diameter is ten inches.
The mechanisms controlling the blade height and pitch angle are designed to stay in alignment for a long time.
Cabinet table saws are significantly more expensive than their contractor or bench top cousins.
If you have the space in your wood shop and the budget to afford one, you will enjoy it. Because of the cabinet table saw design, it is not designed to move. Once it is set up, it stays put, so you need wood shop that has enough room to allow you to set it up and work around this stationary tool.
Hybrid Table Saw
Hybrid table saws are a fairly recent development in table saw designs. They are a blend of cabinet and contractor table saw features. The table top is made from cast iron, but is smaller than the cabinet table saws. The extension wings are either made from stamped steel.
The motor is mounted inside the cabinet, but is a contractor table saw motor. It is wired to run on 110V electricity and max’s out at 1 3/4 hp.
The mechanisms controlling the blade height and pitch angle are from contractor table saws. They are good, just not as durable or accurate as a cabinet table saw.
For the money a hybrid table saw is a good compromise.
Which table saw is the right one for my wood working shop?
As you have seen each table saw offers unique features and capabilities. Each table saw is different enough to accommodate various needs of the home woodworker. It really comes down to space and budget. For the home woodworker you cannot go wrong with a good quality contractor’s table saw.
