Table Saw Reviews – Compare The Best Table Saws for 2022!

Welcome to TableSawGeeks.com, We provide in-depth table saw reviews and prices to help you discover the best possible product for the best possible price. In the table below we have listed our current best table saws. We take many factors into consideration, build quality, pricing, safety features.

We’ve also looked into the different types of table saws and created separate pages for each type to help you decide. The main types are, portable, hybrid, cabinet and contractor, they all have their pros and cons and we hope our website can help you decide!

Our Best Table Saws!

Our Top 5 for 2022!

Below we have provided further information about our top 5 picks, click on the ‘read more’ buttons for further more in depth reviews of each product. At the bottom we have created a ultimate buying guide for 2021, we hope this helps you get the necessary information you require to make an informed decision on your next table saw purchase.

How to Pick the Best Table Saw – Ultimate Buyers Guide 2018

It’s often overwhelming when looking for new power tools and products online. So many features, specs and brands etc to research and review. So, what should you look for when buying a new table saw? One thing we always mention is to make sure you read as many table saw reviews as you can before purchasing one, this will insure you have the best table saw for your requirements.

Different Table Saw Types

One of the first and most important things to consider is what type of table saw you require. When considering the type make sure you consider things like, where will be using the saw, will it need to be portable and move from job to job or can it be stationary like in a work shop. Also, what will be the largest size bits of timber I will be cutting, what sort of power will I require and budget, below we’ve listed the main types so we hope it helps you find the right type for you.

Portable Table Saws

Portable table saws are brilliant if you’re on the move constantly between job sites. Often, they suit carpenters that do small home build projects and home extensions. But one thing you must consider with a portable type table saw is the fact that they will most of the time have a lot less power than say a cabinet or even a hybrid saw.

If you’re working on bit thick pieces of timber or frame work you might want to consider a step up in power and size going for a contractor or hybrid saw which will give you a more stable platform and deeper cutting capabilities. Portable saws are often sub categorised into the follow;

• Benchtop Table Saws: Benchtop saws are designed to be as light as possible and are brilliantly portable, but will lack the ripping capacity of the larger types.
• Compact Table Saws: Normally slightly larger than benchtops and are often like full size saws and will generally have a better rip capacity.
• Jobsite Table saws: Jobsite saws are extremely popular these days because of the portability aspect and the fact that they are often more robust and have a heavier duty construction.

Contractor Table Saws

Contractor saws are a perfect balance between functionality, manoeuvrability and price. These sorts of saws are perfect if you have bigger projects that you’re working on and will stay on site for a few months. This is due to the fact that they are a lot less portable, but that being said they are a great in-between saw as they still have great rip capacity and overall cutting power.

One thing you must be aware of with a contractor saw is the fact that they can be a lot more difficult to move from job to job, this is something that must be considered before purchasing. For thicker and harder type woods a cabinet table saw maybe the best way to go, especially for the long-term benefits, but for the average mid-sized contractor it’s still a great option.

Cabinet Table Saws

The cabinet table saw is by far the most powerful and heavy duty of the bunch. It out preforms every other saw in terms of performance and durability, but you must factor in its lack of portability.

Lack of mobility is the cabinet saws major drawback. Some cabinet saws need proper electrical wiring set up and often weigh a huge amount because of cast iron table tops and full cabinet like stands. But if your setting up a new wood shop or have a work space or wood shop of your own then there is no better investment you can make other than purchasing a cabinet table saw.

Designed to be stationary and very rarely moved, cabinets saws are best suited to professional carpenters and woodworks. If your more in the DIY and hobbyist bracket, then we would advise you to look at a smaller saw. (unless your deadly serious about your hobby that is!)

Designed to cut through just about any type of wood the cabinet table saw is about as good as it gets in terms of power, functionality and rip capacity and cut depth. With the correct type of blade, you’ll even be able to cut through various metals and alloys, but always do you research before doing so!

Hybrid Table Saw

Hybrid table saws were produced by many manufacturers as they found there was a gap in the market for a table saw between the contractor saw and the cabinet saw. Contractors wanted something with the power and functionality of a cabinet saw but not necessarily the heavy weight of a cabinet saw. One good other point for the hybrid saws is price, cabinet saws are often very expensive because of the cast iron table tops etc. so a hybrid is a great saw if you’re looking for something slightly cheaper.

Hybrid table saws will often match in terms of power but very rarely have the stability and durability of a cabinet saw, so often they work well in a home work shop where you can add extra stands etc to help. One thing to think about though is that because they won’t be as stable this can often compromise on the quality of the cuts, this is something you must think about when deciding.

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Table Saw Safety Features

Blade Guards

You often find that many contractors have a love hate relationship with blade guards. Many contractors and woodworkers simply find they often get in the way and can often get wood stuck in them. But many manufacturers are improving these guard’s year on year and now many of them are very advanced and will help keep your fingers from getting hurt, we always advise you to consider the table saw blade feature on any table saw in detail as it could one day help saw you.

Table Saw Splitters

One of the biggest issues and potential hazards when working with table saws is kickback. Table saw kickback occurs when wood is ejected from the saw at extremely high speed. You can imagine the sort of injuries this can cause. Table splitters are effectively small vertical bits of metal or sometimes plastic that are designed to stop the wood flying back if there is a kickback.  Attached to the splitter are anti kickback pawls either side, they look like table saw blades themselves but they are in fact there to grip the wood at stick into it in case of kickback.

Riving Knife

One thing manufactures noticed over the years was that when people used the splitters in normal straight cuts it worked well but it’s biggest downfall came when contractors wanted to do cross cuts. What would happen is that people would remove the splitters to make the cross cuts but then forget to fixed them back in place. One brilliant table saw safety feature is the riving knife. The Riving knife is attached directly to the blade mechanism, this allows it to always be attached not matter where or what angle the blade is.

Flesh Sensors

Table saw flesh sensors are a brilliant and clever piece of engineering. Sawstop revolutionised the industry when they came up with this technology. Human skin is a good conductor of electricity where is wood isn’t. So, the system works by passing an electric current through the table saw blade its self and when it’s cutting wood it’s fine as there is no conductivity between the wood and the blade but as soon as it hits human skin and becomes conductive it triggers an electric brake that stops in the blade in only 0.02 seconds. You may end up with a small cut but at least you won’t lose your finger or worse. There are quite a few different versions now on the market so we would advise you to read plenty of table saw reviews and do you research into the different systems to find the best one for you.

Magnetic Table Saw Switch

Another important safety feature to consider is a magnetic switch. Magnetic switches are there in case of power cuts or outages and will also protect the table saw motor from over load. Effectively it will switch off the power supply the instant the power goes off ensuring you don’t have a saw blade spinning away in the dark! As you can imagine this is a very useful and must have safety feature when looking to purchase a new table saw.

Table Saw Blades

If you are into woodworking even for a couple of weeks, you know the importance of choosing the right saw blade for your table saw. In fact, the table saw is only as good as its blade – even if you have invested in the most powerful table saw. Investing in a low-quality blade is a waste of your time and money because it may ruin your woodworking project by making imprecise cuts. Shopping for the best table saw blade isn’t easy. You should be spot on with your homework when buying a quality saw blade for your table saw. We’ve assembled a comprehensive guide that lets you learn everything you need to know when shopping for the best table saw blade.

Blade Sizing

Most table saw blades come in 8, 10 or 12inchs in diameter, but you can also get a lot smaller and larger sizes if you require special cut sizes and cut depth sizes. When looking for a new blade when it comes to sizes, blades are measured in two sizes mainly, the mounting hole and the total blade diameter, make sure you take the mounting hole size in to consideration when buying a new blade as this could be something very easily over looked but could cause an issue.

The simplest way to find out what size your table saw needs or indeed if you’re buying a special size is to consult the table saw user Manuel. I would make sure you do this as often there are many things in modern tables saws that could affect the blade size and type. This is because modern saws have many different amazing and varied features, things size blade guards, special safety mechanisms and arbor sizes etc. With the We recommend you spend some time reading your manual in detail to avoid possible issues

Blade Adjustments

One important aspect to consider when buying a new table saw or looking for a new blade is axis adjustment. Being able to adjust the vertical height of the blade allows you to control the depth of the cut, it’s also useful when you don’t need to cut all the way through the wood, especially useful with thick pieces of wood. To help making bevel cuts and joints you can adjust the blade to certain angles that you require.

Table saws nowadays can cut through an amazing amount of different materials, in the past they were only able to cut through wood. Most blades are still made from metal, but there are an ever-increasing number of blades being made from alloys and various carbon materials.

Blade material

The blade material is another important factor to consider when shopping for the best saw blade for your table saw. When it comes to choosing the right material, there are two aspects to consider. You should know about the material of the plate as well as the material used to make the teeth of the blade. All saw blades are not created equal. There are cheap saw blades that won’t deliver the results you expect from your woodworking projects. Don’t scrimp on the blade when you have invested a significant amount of money on a quality table saw. Some of the highest quality saw blades are made from laser-cut steel and the teeth are made of C4 grade carbide using microscopic grains.

Blade Tooth Count

The tooth count is another factor to consider when shopping for the best saw blade on the market. Tooth count refers to the amount of teeth on the blade. The fewer teeth the blade has, the quicker and more aggressive the cut is. But there is a trade-off for having fewer teeth on the blade. Such a blade will give a rough finish on every cut – which needs to be cleaned up later on. In fact, this type of blade is ideal if you are making only rip cuts. Making cross cuts mean you will get a lot of tear-out. Blades with a higher teeth count will give cleaner cuts. But the feed rate will be slower because the smaller gullets of the teeth will remove less material per cut. Make sure you opt for the right blade depending on the type of your woodworking project.

 

Table Saw Performance

Horsepower & Motor

How much power do you need when buying a new table saw? One thing to always consider is that a saw with a weak motor is going to make less accurate cuts in the wood, and often because of the greater speed of a more powerful motor the safety features are normally much better on the more powerful saw.

If you’re looking at cutting through wood no more than 2” then normally a 120 Volt motor producing 1 to 2HP is normally all you require power wise, but if your cutting any wood thicker than that you might want to consider getting a table saw with a motor power of 3 horse power and up.

Direct Drive Table Saw Motors

With motors, most saws fall into one of two main motor categories, direct drive or belt drive. Direct drive is often found in most lightweight and portable type table saws. They normally run on a 120 v circuit and are best suited to cutting thinner wood and sheet material.

Belt Drive Motors

Belt drive table saw motors run on a pulley system, most of the time some power is lost through this system, but belt drive blades can cut through thicker timber and hardwoods. They can produce power of around 3 to 5HP and thanks to the motor being mounted further away from the blade with belt drive, the motor will last longer as less dust will get into the motor. One thing to consider though is that belt drive will be in general more expensive and are normally found on heavy cabinet type saws, so this must be considered when working out your budget.

Fence and Miter Gauges

The fence

The fence is an extremely important part of any table saw and can often make the difference for most people when purchasing a new saw. Make sure you research each brand’s different fence types to make sure you have the best and most up to date fence type. Mainly the fences will allow you to make accurate rip cuts.

Gauge

A gauge will allow you to make very detailed cross and angled cuts. This is a bit of kit that you need to research in great depth as it can make or break the accuracy of your cuts and angles. With a good gauge, you can check blade height, blade angles, miter angles and much more. For further reading checkout Wikipedia’s table saw page and for in-depth air compressor reviews.

Table Saw Dust collection

Effective dust collection is essential when using a powerful table saw. Dust can get everywhere, and often ruin other power tools or equipment you may have in your workshop. Dust is all also not good at all for your health, so we would always recommend you consider this when purchasing a new table saw or setting up a new workshop.

A lot of the modern table saws nowadays will have a dust collection port where you can hook up a vacuum or extraction system to it. We would always recommend that you purchase a table saw with a dust port, always check the size of the port to make sure it fits with either your vacuum or your extraction system, or you can always modify something to make them fit.

Sometimes you can make a few modifications to your table saw to better help with the dust extraction. A lot of table saws have open backs or cracks where dust can get through. This is something you MUST check with a professional first, but you can block up a lot of these gaps etc to help the vacuum suck up the dust properly.

 

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