rotary table saw brands

Table saws top the wish lists of both DIYers and seasoned woodworkers. These powerful saws cut more accurately than circular saws, and they can cut larger pieces of material, including wood, plastic, and aluminum sheeting better than miter saws. Since some cut certain types of material better than others, we put some of the best table saws through side-by-side, hands-on tests to see which ones get the job done.

Essentially, a table saw’s main function is to perform rips, or cuts, along the length of a board. While you can make rip cuts (lengthwise cuts), crosscuts, angled cuts, and even bevel cuts along with dadoes, ripping remains this power tool’s primary purpose.

Whether you’re building bookcases, framing a garage, or even making your own trim for a feature wall, having a table saw in your workshop can speed the project along. Read on to learn more about this useful saw and to find out the results of our hands-on tests. One of the following models may be just right for your workshop, whether you’re a pro or a hobbyist.

While all table saws function in a similar manner—a flat tabletop surface supports the material being cut as you manually feed it into the saw blade—they differ in design, power, best use, mobility, and storage.

Designed to be bolted to a workbench or attached to a stand, a benchtop table saw is compact and relatively lightweight, averaging 45 to 60 pounds (not including some stands). While some benchtop table saws have the cut capacity for cutting sheet goods, they are not really designed for this without modifications like infeed/outfeed support tables, usually shop built.

It’s possible to cut sheet material from time to time alone (better if there is a helper), but these saws are generally considered too compact and not quite stable enough for ripping something like ¾-inch medium-density fiberboard (MDF); sheet materials, such as plywood and oriented strand board (OSB); or plastic and aluminum paneling. For planks, deck boards, 2-by material, and the like, these tools are often indispensable.

Benchtop saws, which can cost $600 or more, are more affordable than larger contractor or cabinet table saws. But since they’re the smallest type of table saw, these tools are limited by the width of the material they can cut—usually about 18 to 20 inches (see “Rip Capacity” below).

A contractor table saw is designed to be somewhat mobile in a shop setting by utilizing a wheel kit. While some contractors use these types of saws on jobsites, the tools are often set up in a workshop for months on end. These jobsite table saws are also good for serious DIYers who have a semipermanent place for them and are doing a variety of tasks that require cast-iron stability and more horsepower than a benchtop saw.

They’re heavier than bench saws (90 to 150 pounds) and are generally capable of cutting sheet material up to 24 inches wide or wider. These tools can run as much as $1,500 or more, depending on quality and power.

Packing more power than other table saws and sometimes requiring a 220-volt (V) circuit, cabinet saws are large stationary table saws. These are the priciest option, ranging from $1,200 to $5,000 or more, depending on power and quality. The motor is fully enclosed in a cabinet below the table.

Cabinet saw users also often build support tables for these tools—called infeed and outfeed support—to make it easier to manage sheet goods like MDF, plywood, and heavier material. Often found in professional or industrial workshops and in trade schools, these heavy saws can weigh more than 600 pounds.

The hybrid table saw is a combination of the cabinet and contractor types. It offers at least as much power as a contractor saw, but without requiring a dedicated 220V circuit. Expect to pay from $750 to $1,500 for hybrid table saws, which are sometimes described as souped-up contractor saws.

Hybrid saws come with enclosed cabinets, mimicking the look of cabinet saws, but they weigh less, averaging 275 to 325 pounds. They’re usually moved with a hand truck, but wheel kits are often available for them as well.

In short, the more horsepower (hp) in a table saw motor, the more cutting power the saw has. Smaller benchtop saws that typically feature horsepower in the range of ¾ hp to 1½ hp are sufficient for most things a larger table saw can cut; however, they may not leave quite as smooth a cut as a contractor or cabinet saw. Be aware that these ratings are typically shown in “amps” (e.g., 15 amps) and refer to how many amperes the tool draws. Benchtop tools are regular jobsite and workshop occupants, sizing everything from shelving to hardwoods for a woodworking project and to pressure-treated lumber for backyard projects.

Larger bench saws and contractor saws come with 2-hp to 4-hp motors, and cabinet table saws often feature 5-hp or larger motors. The more powerful motors run longer under heavy use without overheating (think cabinet shop where they’re used every day, all day, for years on end) and easily cut through denser materials, such as ironwood or Brazilian walnut.

Table saws are labeled by the size of the circular blade they accommodate; the vast majority take 10-inch blades, while a handful take 12-inch blades. The blade height and angles are adjustable, so it can make a shallow cut just a fraction of an inch deep as well as deeper cuts. The newest generation of table saws—many cordless or corded/cordless—spin a 7½-inch blade, similar to that on a circular saw.

The most common blade sizes for these saws are 10 inches and 12 inches. With a 10-inch table saw, users can often make a maximum cut up to 3½ inches deep (that enables the user to rip a 4×4 in half).

The fence on a table saw is the adjustable guide that holds the material in place while cutting. There are two fence styles that come with most table saws: one is a T-square fence, which is in all categories of table saw and built with varying degrees of quality based on the saw’s intended use. The other type of fence is a rack-and-pinion-style fence, which is found primarily in the benchtop category.

Some saws also come with extendable fences that either fold or slide out to accommodate larger sections of wood. Other table saws feature fences with embedded magnifiers that allow the user to better see the measurements on the saw when adjusting the fence. However, many users simply rely on a tape measure. By measuring from the fence to the tip of a blade tooth, the accuracy (or not) of the fence’s pointer doesn’t need to be depended upon or interpreted.

Table saws are key to ripping wide sheets of material, but the maximum width of material that will fit between the saw blade and the fence—the rip capacity—varies. Rip capacity starts at around 18 inches for entry-level benchtop saws and runs up to 60 inches or more for professional cabinet saws.

Depending on the planned projects, choose a table saw with a rip capacity large enough to accommodate the dimension of material. For example, if the goal is to build 2-foot-high toy boxes, a saw with a rip capacity of at least 24 inches can cut sections of plywood wide enough for the sides and back.

On the other hand, many pros use track saws for this purpose. Whether it’s cutting down a door to accommodate new flooring or sizing sheet stock for building a bench, track saws are light and accurate.

If you’re working in a closed workshop, dust collection ports will help keep the air dust-free and collect sawdust chips that would otherwise have to be swept up later. Table saws have dust collection ports designed to connect to a standardshop vacuum. Users need to run the workshop vacuum while operating the saw to catch dust and sawdust.

For cutting synthetic material outdoors, such as composite decking or PVC trim, it’s a good idea to put a box or bucket under the saw to catch the shavings if the saw is set up on the grass. Standing on a large sheet of cardboard or a drop cloth also helps. Once those shavings get in the grass, they’re nearly impossible to get out.

Photo: amazon.comThe built-in foldout legs of the stand are light, stable, and easy to deploy. The saw is light yet powerful enough to blow through framing lumber like a boss. Its included blade leaves a lot to be desired, but that’s an easy swap. The fence was parallel to the blade out of the box, and carrying it to jobsites or moving it around the shop is a cinch. We loved that it stores in a cube when not in use.

The push-button switch takes some getting used to, and we wish the throat plate was steel, not plastic, but for making a few rips at home to plowing through treated lumber building a deck, the saw is on point with everything from power to mobility to accuracy.

This model’s dust port elbow should be on every table saw: With a 22.5-degree bend, it enables the user to chute dust into a box or bucket. It’s a simple, smart, and an eminently useful feature.

Photo: homedepot.comThe battery on this affordable table saw is fine for light work. The fence was square and parallel out of the box. It’s hardly plush, but it works. The saw is light and portable and has a decent amount of power. It’s not a beast, and that’s an attribute.

Some pros might even find its bare-bones setup and low cost just what they need. It handled 1x8s and composite decking just fine in terms of power. But it did have trouble ejecting the shavings. Having a blower on hand would be an added help. There’s no huge stand, but it does need to be set up at table height for best and safest use.

Photo: homedepot.comA little-known fact is that the Bosch 10-inch worksite table saw is a pioneering table saw. Bosch has been making a version of this saw with very few visible changes (it’s that good) for 20 years. It was this saw that took table saws from being small, mainly featureless tools to being a solid, stable, on-site tool with wheels.

The fence is outstanding with the smoothest glide along the rails, which we found to be a real pleasure to use. The paddle switch is excellent and the included blade is nice. It has a soft—but not too soft—start that makes the saw comfortable for close-quarters use in a garage or jobsite shop where a million cuts per day need to be made.

Photo: grizzly.comDesigned by woodworkers and based on the cabinet saw that brought flesh-sensing technology to the market, this tool is for dedicated users who want premium finishes and work primarily with dry lumber. The fence is best in class. Its deployable “thin material” fence is a genius feature that serious woodworkers will love.

Its folding cart works nicely, and the in-table storage is terrific. The blade depth adjustment moves the blade from zero to full height in one turn, which is another best-in-class feature. And the flesh-sensing tech is both comforting and causes one to be rife with anxiety; it picks up on electrical impulses and will save your finger if it’s ever near enough to the blade to be cut.

While there is a bypass mode to check if the sensors will react to wet lumber, it’s tricky to press the right series of buttons. Still, it’s a great saw to have on a trim site or for a garage woodworker. It does what stationary table saws do, but it is mobile-ish and safe.

Photo: amazon.comWith front legs splayed when open toward the front of the saw, this tool is ideal for making long rips in heavy material. It is by far the most stable tool in the bunch.

The legs lock and unlock smoothly, though they are not identical to each other, which takes some getting used to. The table was flat out of the box and the blade was parallel to the fence from the start. The DeWalt-pioneered rack-and-pinion fence works really well.

It has an excellent included “rough carpentry” 24-tooth saw blade. The unit has a nice switch and a little bit of a slower blade height crank than other tools, and it was tight to the bevel release. Overall, it’s a high-quality saw at a very good price.

Photo: homedepot.comThis table saw does all the basics well. It’s got a large cut capacity, collapsible wheel kit, and good power and dust ejection. A 3½-inch cut capacity means a 4×4 can be cut in half. It’s a lot of saw for a great price.

However, the fit and finish were not top of the class. The fence is gummy and the table needed to be adjusted out of the box (it was easy to adjust and worked fine). It didn’t glide smoothly along the rails, and a fence that’s hard to move or needs adjustment is difficult for professional users.

It also has a soft start, which new table saw users may appreciate. The problem for us was—and this may well be subjective—it was too soft. It felt like we had to wait a couple of seconds for the blade to come up to speed. It’s certainly comfortable, but for experienced users putting a lot of lumber through a table saw, those extra seconds add up fast.

Photo: amazon.comSkilsaw’s 8¼-inch table saw, scaled down from its 10-inch cousin, is a pleasure to use. The 8¼-inch platform cuts the vast majority of things table saws cut. The worm drive motor, which is plush to be sure but also a bit heavy, isn’t bad in this smaller platform tool. The saw is compact, easy to move, and is so pleasantly quiet at start-up that it’s a joy to use.

Combined with an outstanding fence and fantastic up-front locking mechanism, this saw can move from site to site, around the garage, or to a stationary place for long projects and deliver dependable performance.

While the saw did not ship with a stand, the roll cage is bored for a stand (which will make it heavier) and is available. The compact design is also great for storing the saw on a work truck.

Given all the things that table saws need to do, from ripping lumber to being mobile to being out of the way when not in use, the Skil table saw rocked it. Top-notch fold-out legs and a great dust chute means it performs the best quickly. For light-duty and home use, the Ryobi table saw is a nice entry-level saw at an affordable price.

First, we tried to think about as many table saw users as we could and which tools might best meet their needs, considering everything from safety to production to mobility (around the shop or jobsite, in and out of the truck, etc.).

Within our team of writers, one of us is a former woodshop owner and one is a general contractor; therefore, we have extensive experience using table saws of different sizes. We understand the requirements of users and how various models provide for them. In addition, our team researched all the current tools available, so we were aware of the latest developments.

For the updates to this test, we ran 2-by pressure-treated lumber; 1×8 finger-jointed primed pine; plywood; and composite decking through each saw looking for everything from power and vibration to dust ejection and vibration. We evaluated adjustments, switches, and fence smoothness along the rails. We also considered mobility and storage.

While depth of cut is important, most table saws are 10-inch models and specifications are very similar. While their primary function in home workshops and on jobsites is ripping dimensional lumber—which doesn’t require a huge rip capacity—ripping capacity varies tremendously and is a key feature for those who cut large sheet material. We were careful to source solutions for all types of users.

For many users, a compact, portable table saw is the ideal solution. For others, physical size is less important than capacity and stability. We made sure to include a comprehensive selection to cover those who work with these saws on-site or in small spaces at home as well as those who have a large workshop available.

We avoid cheap table saws, which are often poor in terms of durability and reliability. While buying from the leading table saw brands can mean you pay a little more, this almost always results in better long-term value.

Owners will doubtless spend many hours learning how to get the best from their table saw. The following quick tips provide a useful place to start:Read the manual carefully even if you have owned a table saw before; there will often be differences. It’s important to understand the safety features and know how to maximize performance.

By law, all table saws must have a blade guard. Never operate the saw without it in place. The riving knife should only be removed if using a dado blade.

There’s an old woodworking adage that you should measure twice and cut once. This can also apply to setting up a table saw. Adjust and then check before making each cut.

Learning how to make featherboards, push sticks, and table saw jigs can improve safety, speed, and accuracy, particularly with repetitive tasks. It’s also very rewarding to make things yourself rather than buying them.

Blade choice can have a dramatic impact on performance, even if the diameter remains the same. You can read more about the best table saw blades in a separate article.

The information above covers many of the key aspects of the best table saws as well as details on a range of high-quality options that will suit a variety of users. Although it will have answered the majority of questions that occur to potential buyers, some users might have more general-use questions. Some of the most popular questions have been answered below.

Apart from protective goggles or safety glasses and a stand of some sort, everything you need should come with the saw. In addition to providing some basic tips for using the table saw above, there is a more in-depth beginner’s guide here.

A few 10-inch table saws will cut a 4×4 in a single pass, but not many. Bear in mind that 4×4 refers to dimensioned lumber that is actually closer to 3½ inches square. A common maximum for 10-inch table saws is 3⅛ inches, though the cut can usually be completed by turning the material over and running it through the saw again.

You should usually stand behind the saw table and to the left of the blade. Make sure you are comfortable and not stretching. If working with large sheet material, it’s a good idea to have someone support it on the out-feed side.

A life-changing table saw accident happens once every 9 minutes in the United States.  That’s why SawStop has been focused on keeping woodworkers safe for more than 20 years.

SawStop’s patented safety system stops a spinning saw blade on contact with skin. The blade stops in less than 5 milliseconds, and drops below the table, minimizing a potentially life-altering injury to a mere scratch.

And because every SawStop is designed and engineered by woodworkers, for woodworkers, you won’t have to compromise on the quality and features you want in a saw to get the safety technology you need.

Table saws are very different from hand saws and miter saws, because rather than being hand-held, they have circular saw blades mounted on arbors that are powered by electric motors. The blades are designed to handle serious woodworking projects, but they can easily tackle more minor cuts. Additionally, table saws are designed for making longer cuts than you might be able to handle precisely with a hand saw.

If you never took wood shop in school, a table saw consists of the circular saw blade, a blade cover, a table and mount to hold the saw in place, a rip fence, anti-kickback claws and gauges for height adjustment. Professionals use cabinet saws and contractor table saws in their shops, but you can opt for something more portable like a job-site table saw, a hybrid table saw or a mini saw.

As one of the most trusted brands in power tools, DeWalt has a wide range of professional-grade saws, including miter saws, reciprocating saws, circular saws and table saws. The brand has been in business since 1924, and its products go through extensive worksite research and testing. They are backed by a 90-day, money-back guarantee, as well as a three-year limited warranty and a one-year free service contract.

Our sister site Don’t Waste Your Money has a team of experts that spends hundreds of hours analyzing, testing and researching products to help consumers make informed purchasing decisions. Here are their top picks for DeWalt table saws.

This impressive DeWalt table saw has a 15-amp motor capable of spinning the blade at 4,800 revolutions per minute and is on wheels, making it easy to roll it to where the work is. Its sturdy rack-and-pinion telescoping fence system is strong enough to saw through large sheets of lumber, and it has a built-in power-loss reset. You’ll also like its compact size and ease of use. Note that its enhanced features mean this saw is priced higher than others that DeWalt makes. Still, it got the top marks from Don’t Waste Your Money’s researchers.

This heavy-duty DeWalt table saw also includes a durable table, rolling stand and extra storage space. Its rack-and-pinion fence rails support even the most difficult jobs. This saw also has a power-loss reset to guard against accidental restarts. Note that there is the risk of deviations unless you use an improvised feed table with this saw.

If you’re looking for a more lightweight table saw that’s still plenty durable, check out this job-site model. It’s perfectly sized to be packed up and transported but still boasts a 15-amp, 5,800-RPM motor for power and efficiency. The sturdy metal cage also keeps it stable while you are sawing. Be aware that this table saw does not come with a wheeled base, making it a little less portable out of the box. In addition, the 8.5-inch size limits the thickness you can safely cut, so this one is likely best for smaller job.

If you’re looking for a great kit that will let you tackle a list of jobs right out of the box, this one packs a 10-inch table saw with a rolling stand and a powerful drill, all from DeWalt. The saw has a 15-amp, 4,800-RPM motor with a 32 1/2-inch rip capacity. It comes with a 20-volt, compact 1/2-inch drill, two 20-volt lithium-ion battery packs, a 20-volt charger and a carrying bag. This table saw even has onboard storage for your other tools.

Safety is critical when using any saw or other power tools, so be sure to look over the instructions and before you get started and handle with care. Wear protective goggles, a respirator, work gloves and hearing protection while working with any table saw. And do not turn your table saw on while any wood is touching the blade.

When making crosscuts, always use your miter gauge, not the rip fence. You should use the rip fence when making rip cuts. Keep the wood completely flat against your table when cutting, and remember to turn the saw off and unplug it when it’s not in use, especially if anyone else uses your woodworking space for any reason.