Table Saw Information

The main alternative to a table saw is a circular saw -- especially when equipped with a good edge guide. Taunton's 2008 Tool Guide reviews edge guides, recommending the Festool guide rail system (*est. $560). Surveyed readers of Fine Homebuilding and Fine Woodworking also rank the Festool guide rails at the top. If that price is daunting, however, Hartville Tool's Red-Line Cutting Guide (*est. $85) is recommended as a budget choice. Two other guides also get good recommendations in the 2008 Taunton Tool Guide. See our separate report on circular saws for more information.

Though the most affordable table saws use 10-inch blades, it's easier to afford a 12-inch miter saw. This can speed up cross-cuts. We have a separate report on miter saws.

Although a table saw with a riving knife is best -- and will eventually be a requirement for UL certification -- another option is to equip a table saw with a third-party splitter designed to be safer and easier to use. One example is the Shark Guard (*est. $150), which fits several table saws of nearly every brand. We found a review at DuckWorksMagazine.com.

A magnetic featherboard (*est. $32) can also greatly improve table saw safety.

Many flaws and handicaps of a saw type or model can be overcome by upgrading to a better blade, replacing inferior parts with aftermarket accessories or by building extra stands and extensions. Typical upgrades include replacing the fence and/or miter gauge, as well as replacing a 30-inch rail with one designed for longer ripping. Other upgrades include filing rough edges, shimming fences, building crosscut sleds and dust control covers or even making new surfaces for tables.

Many table saw accessories are available to facilitate specific tasks. These include the tenoning jig, spline-mitering jig, various tapering jigs, the cross-cut sled, the dado blade (actually comprised of six blades), custom molding heads and many others. Some table saws include a router table as one of the wings. Many experts recommend buying a zero-clearance throat plate. Popular Woodworking editors recommend upgrading the V-belt on a contractor saw by replacing it with a Powertwist (or link) belt, to reduce vibration.

The Buzz

Because table saws are considered the most dangerous power tool, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) staff is participating in voluntary standard activities for Stationary and Fixed Electric Tools (ANSI/UL 987), which require manufacturers to equip new table saw models with riving knives (as of Jan. 2008) and equip all table saws with riving knives by 2010. The CPSC also encourages manufacturers to incorporate flesh-sensing blade brakes.

The May/June 2007 issue of Fine Woodworking includes a review of table saw blades designed to minimize noise and vibration. Tests show that the varied spacing and pitch of the teeth not only helps to reduce the noise level somewhat, but also prevents the high-pitched whining tone that can make table saw noise especially annoying. The 50- and 60-tooth blades are made in Germany by H.O. Schumacher and Sohn.

Popular Woodworking's Jan. 2007 "Essential Guide to Table Saws" (*est. $8) is still available and covers all aspects of tuning and using a table saw.

Wood Magazine publishes online videos on selecting and using a table saw.

The May 2007 issue of Wood Magazine reviews aftermarket table saw accessories in an article that can be downloaded (*est. $3.25) at Woodstore.com.

"Tablesaw Tune-up" by the editors of American Furniture Design tells how to tune your table saw for both safety and optimum performance. Additional articles on how to improve a table saw are also available on this site.

Cleaning table saw blades is covered at Just4Fun.org.

Table saw safety:

Fine Homebuilding contributing editor Gary Katz covers "Avoiding Accidents on the Tablesaw" in this article available to online subscribers.

Table saw safety information is available from OSHA.

The Power Tools Institute has a long, detailed list of safety precautions for using a table saw.

Wikipedia has a good article explaining riving knives.

Ray Girling explains table saw kickback.

Manufacturer websites:

Black & Decker

Bosch

Craftsman (sold at Sears)

Delta (owned by Black & Decker)

DeWalt (owned by Black & Decker)

Firestorm (Black & Decker)

Grizzly

Jet (owned by WMH Tool Group)

Laguna

Makita

Powermatic (owned by WMH Tool Group)

Ridgid (owned by Emerson, made by TTI)

Ryobi (owned by TTI)

SawStop

Steel City

Woodtek (made by Geetech)