Contractor Saws

Contractor saws are a good blend of size and capacity

Contactor saws come with open, fixed legs. Since the motor hangs off the back, the whole unit is bulkier than a portable saw, but in most cases the table is larger, making it easier to cut plywood and sheet stock. Contractor saws are heavy, and not very portable.

It's very expensive, but the 1.75-hp SawStop CNS175-SFA30 Contractor Saw (*est. $1,600) not only provides a true riving knife (that rises and falls with the blade), but also incorporates the SawStop flesh-sensing blade brake that stops the blade before it touches your finger. Each time the saw is turned on, it checks all its safety features to be sure they're working. An in-depth review at Fine Woodworking gives the saw top marks for fit and finish, smooth running and tool-free blade-guard switches - noting that "all saws should have such well-designed guards." Woodworker's Journal also gives top ranking to the SawStop contractor saw, and Time Magazine named the SawStop technology one of the best inventions of 2006. Fine Homebuilding also praises it.

Price is the only drawback - not only the initial price but potential operating costs. To use a dado blade requires inserting a different blade-brake module, and if you do trigger the blade brake, you have to replace both the module and the blade. If this happens because you saved your fingers or hand, the extra cost will surely seem worth it, but if you trigger the blade brake by making a mistake in setting up the saw, it will seem expensive. Extra options include cast iron table wings (*est. $190) to replace the standard stamped steel wings, a mobile base (*est. $160) or a jobsite cart (*est. $200). Fine Woodworking says the standard aluminum fence is fine, but you can also get the saw with 36-inch Biesemeyer-style fence and rails as the SawStop CNS175-TGP36 (*est. $1,780) or in a 52-inch size as the SawStop CNS175-TGP52 (*est. $1,840).

For a third of the price, earlier reviews like the 1.5-hp Ridgid TS3650 - now the TS3660 (*est. $550). The Ridgid blade guard is easy to remove and replace without tools, but the saw lacks a riving knife and, of course, the SawStop flesh-sensing blade brake. The Ridgid contractor saw comes with cast iron table wings, carries a lifetime warranty and is the top budget contractor saw in the 2006 Tool Guide by Taunton Press, publisher of Fine Woodworking and Fine Homebuilding magazines. Editors there praise its cast iron trunnions and poly-V belt, both of which minimize vibration - one of the main factors in cutting accuracy. Cast iron extensions give it a big 36-inch rip capacity, especially useful for making kitchen cabinets or furniture.

Earlier Grizzly contractor saws also get good reviews as budget picks, and the new 2-hp Grizzly G0661 (*est. $725) is equipped with a riving knife for improved safety. Despite the powerful motor, it can be run on ordinary household power as well as on a 220 circuit. (At Woodworker's Journal, a review of an earlier 2-hp Grizzly doubts that it really can produce 2 hp on a regular 110 circuit.) It has a cast iron table and wings, plus cast iron trunnions with a standard 4-inch dust port. Rip capacity is 36 inches. The riving knife adds significant safety compared with the Ridgid TS3660, but the Ridgid blade guard gets so much better reviews that the Grizzly contractor saw probably isn't worth the extra cost. This Grizzly saw is so new that we found no reviews of it.

The less powerful 1.5-hp Grizzly G0444 (*est. $535) lacks a riving knife, but is made in Taiwan at an ISO 9001 factory that meets high quality-control standards. This contractor saw has a cast iron table and sheet metal wings, but gets excellent ratings from the dozen or so owners reviewing it at Amazon.com for smooth power and good fit and finish.

The 15-amp, 1.5-hp Craftsman OR35505 (*est. $800) is the top-rated contractor saw in owner-written reviews at Sears.com, and also gets a favorable mention in Taunton's 2006 Tool Guide. It has heavy-duty cast iron trunnions and table, but only a 24-inch rip capacity. This is a limitation that Workbench magazine criticizes in an earlier version of this Craftsman contractor saw.

The 1.5-hp Delta 36-979 (*est. $450) earns above-average ratings from owners at Lowes.com. The Delta contractor saw has a cast iron table and wings, plus a standard 4-inch dust port. Owners reviewing it at Amazon.com say it's solid, but not easy to assemble. You have to supply the fence (*est. $150 and up), which makes the price less attractive. Overall, if you don't want to pay enough to get the riving knife on the Grizzly G0661 (*est. $725) or the extra features such as a riving knife, better blade guard and brake on the SawStop (*est. $1,600), then the Ridgid TS3660 (*est. $550) is still the most-recommended contractor saw.