Hybrid Saws

Hybrid saws have better dust control, less vibration

Moving up to a hybrid saw brings you a fully enclosed base for better dust collection and lower vibration. Cast-iron trunnions (the assembly that links the saw arbor to the base) add stability and minimize vibration. They're mounted to the cabinet, making adjustments for accuracy easier than they are on contractor or portable table saws. Hybrid saws don't require a 220 circuit, cost less than cabinet saws, and usually can be moved out of the center of the workshop as needed.

Tests of hybrid saws at Popular Woodworking give top ranking to the 1.75-horsepower Steel City 35900G (*Est. $1,200), which adds two true riving knives to a blade guard that reviews judge very easy to use. This ease of use is a crucial safety factor, because a blade guard that's inconvenient is apt to get tossed aside. The Steel City's granite top is rustproof and stays flatter than cast iron; its base is mobile.  

Popular Woodworking finds the Steel City hybrid saw the easiest to use for panel and miter-gauge cutting, due partly to a 22-inch surface left of the blade. (Rip-cut capacity is 30 inches.) The only drawback is that when cutting 1.75-inch red oak, the Steel City saw slowed more than the other five tested. However, an earlier Fine Woodworking review (based on tests cutting 2.75-inch maple) doesn't find any power problem.

The 2-horsepower Woodtek 148-271 (*Est. $930) costs a bit less and earns top ranking in the 2010 Taunton Tool Guide. However, the Steel City saw isn't tested there, and the Woodtek saw, like the well-reviewed Jet JPS-10TS (*Est. $800) lacks a riving knife. Reviews also criticize Jet's blade guard system as less convenient than most. The Grizzly G0478, popular as a budget hybrid saw, has been discontinued while Grizzly begins adding riving knives to its table saws.

As a budget pick, reviews like the 1.5-horsepower (13-amp) Ridgid R4511 (*Est. $600), a quasi-hybrid saw with a mobile base that isn't completely enclosed. Its granite table top won't warp or rust, and the trunnions are mounted to the cabinet. Wood Magazine praises the Ridgid saw for smooth cuts, but notes that adjusting the spreader/blade guard assembly requires loosening screws in the throat insert. Fine Woodworking calls the spreader a riving knife but also criticizes its design, since there's no option for low-profile cuts. Fine Woodworking also criticizes build quality, finding that shims are needed to make the blade and miter slot parallel for angled cuts. At Popular Woodworking, reviewer Glen Huey also finds adjustments needed, and notes that assembly and setup can be frustrating. However, his tests show that the 1.5-horsepower (13-amp) motor has plenty of power.

Popular Woodworking's Glen Huey notes that the SawStop Contractor Saw (*Est. $1,600) competes well with hybrid table saws for performance, with the added safety of its flesh-detecting blade brake as a bonus. If you can install a 220 circuit, however, and don't need mobility, experts recommend stepping up to a cabinet saw. The budget-priced Grizzly G1023RL (*Est. $1,125) cabinet saw, discussed in the next section of our report, doesn't cost much more than the best-reviewed hybrid saw, the Steel City 35900G (*Est. $1,200). Both table saws come with riving knives.