Benchtop Table Saw Reviews

When you’re looking at benchtop table saws there are a lot factors and features to consider before deciding which one is for you. Even though the benchtop table saw is only one of the four types of table saws it should be noted that in the benchtop table saw category there are clearly different grades of table saws designed for different jobs.

While no table saw review can definitively tell you which benchtop table saw is the absolute best for every purpose, there are some clear best selling benchtop table saws that need to be considered when you’re looking to buy a new saw.

Here are the top five benchtop table saws available today:

Bosch 4000-09 Worksite Benchtop Table Saw- Everyone knows Bosch makes quality equipment and the 4000-09 benchtop table saw is no exception. This little benchtop table saw has all the power and agility of a contractor table saw in a portable table saw skin. The gravity rise stand makes it an amazing saw right out of the box, but there are so many things to love about this benchtop table saw it is hard to list them all. It’s stable, reliable, works well and has a ton of clever features. Some people have complained about the saw needing various adjustments before using it but even then it’s a snap to set up and get cutting and ripping. If you’ve got the cash and you’re for an even improved version of the Bosch then consider the Bosch 4100-09 Worksite Benchtop Table Saw.

DEWALT DW745 Benchtop Table Saw-The DeWalt DW745 is a little powerhouse of a benchtop table saw with “little” being the keyword. At a mere 45 pounds and built for portability this benchtop saw is perfect for moving from one jobsite to the next or even from the shelf to the benchtop and back to the shelf. It’s one of the cheapest heavy duty benchtop table saws in our review and you do sacrifice a few features for that price cut. The ripping ability is not great and many people have complained that the miter gauge is subpar and there is a fair bit of plastic on this benchtop table saw.

JET 708315BTC Benchtop Table Saw - The most inexpensive benchtop table saw on our list, this unique little saw features a belt drive instead of the direct drive found on most other benchtop table saws, so you immediately have less vibration and noise right out of the box. Jet’s not quite as well known a name as DeWalt and Bosch but they are known for making decent tools and that shows with this little benchtop table saw. A number of table saw reviews have mentioned JET’s quality support, which some other benchtop table saw manufacturers are lacking.

Makita 2703 Benchtop Table Saw - Weighing in a just 40 pounds this powerful benchtop table saw is great for rough carpentry and jobsite needs, though some reviewers recommend looking elsewhere if you need perfection and pinpoint accuracy. This benchtop table saw features an electric brake so it’s safe and quick to make adjustments between cuts. Makita’s had a spotty track record with tools over the year. Some people love ‘em and some people hate ‘em but there’s a lot to love about this little benchtop table saw. Professional contractors and amateur woodworkers alike agree with Makita’s dependability and power and both are found in this benchtop table saw. Some table saw reviews complain that Makita doesn’t always use standard sizes for accessories.

Craftsman Benchtop Table Saws - A list of the best benchtop table saws couldn’t get away without listing a Craftman table saw. A lot of home woodworkers swear by the Craftsman name and that goes for buying benchtop table saws, too. There are lot of different models of Craftsman benchtop saws available and each one has it’s own advantages and disadvantages. Craftsman benchtop table saws are good for the beginner though many are underpowered for the professional. Portable and relatively easy to set up make Craftsman benchtop saws the perfect starter portable saw.

This list of the best benchtop table saws is by no means an exhaustive list. There are many other benchtop table saw manufacturers such as Grizzle, Ryobi, Rigid, Hitachi and more. Remember that the best benchtop table saw is the one that’s right for your needs, your skills and your wants. These are just some of many bestselling benchtop table saws available today.

We’re reviewing the Craftsman 10 inch table saw and we have a lot of good things to report though you do have some of the drawbacks usually associated with cheaper table saws. As almost all Craftsman table saws, from the portable table saws to the cabinet table saws, this model 21802 has an amazing number of nice features that you’d expect from a more expensive saw, though this benchtop table saw is aimed at the amateur handyman and not the contractor or woodworking professional.

The Craftsman 10 inch benchtop table saw features a powerful 13 amp ball bearing motor, an adjustable T-slotted miter gauge (we mention this because it was a major oversight that was mentioned in the DeWalt DW745 portable table saw review), a cast aluminum table, a quick cam lock self-aligning table saw rip fence and a carbide tipped blade. It can cut to a 3 inch depth at 90 degrees and about 2.5 inch depth at 45 degrees. With the stand the entire unit weighs just under 45 pounds and the table measures 26 7/64 inches x 17 1/8 inches.

Again, this is a great little benchtop saw for doing those home improvement projects around the house that a circular saw or miter saw may not be perfect for. This is a great table saw for installing trim, cutting baseboards or doing any sort of simple hardwood flooring installation. The Craftsman table saw is still one of the least expensive brand-named bench top table saws available, and you do get what you pay for.

Once assembled this saw is fairly accurate right out of the box, though some other reviews of this benchtop table saw have mentioned that it does need some adjustment before you can really rely on the most accurate of measurements. Assembly of the stand for this table saw is tedious but not that difficult. This Craftsman 10 inch table saw is lightweight and does tend to wobble and shake a bit if you’re not careful when you’re cutting. This is an aluminum table saw, not a cast iron table saw and you’ll have to be careful to make sure everything is even and level when cutting.

The rip capacity is rather limited even for a benchtop table saw. The left rip capacity is 11 inches while the right rip capacity is only 9.5 inches. You’re not going to be cutting plywood with this benchtop table saw, but you might be able to rip some nice trim for around a bookcase you’re building out of pine.

Some table saw reviews for this Craftman have mentioned reliability issues and more than one table saw reviewer brought up stories of the motor completely dying on it. We have never had that experience with this table saw and the vast majority of people buying it do seem to be using it for small home projects and not for week long cutting projects. Because it’s a Craftsman table saw it is sold at Sears and you can often get it for under $100, which is an excellent price for any benchtop table saw, especially a Craftsman power tool like this one. If you’ve been looking for a good beginner table saw then this might be one of the best table saws available for you.

When it comes down to buying a benchtop table saw for your own home projects you need to consider the table saw’s abilities and then balance that with the budget you’ve set aside for your table saw. The Craftsman 10 inch table saw is clearly one of the best tables benchtop saws for the money.

Technorati Tags: table saw, power tools, home improvement, home-improvement, home repair, renovation

In most portable table saw reviews the three words you almost never see together are Portable, Powerful and Professional. Yet those three words are exactly how we’d describe the DeWalt DW745 Heavy Duty 10-inch Compact Job Site Table Saw. This is not to say DeWalt DW745 is not without its flaws, but overall this is one of the bestselling and best reviewed table saws we’ve ever seen.

Let’s first run through some of the stats before we get to the real review of this bench top saw: It has a 15 Amp motor that rips through most hardwood like butter, it can handle a 10″ blade, its arbor size is 5/8″, it has a 3 1/8″ cut depth at 90 degrees with a 2 1/4″ cut at 45 degrees, it can rip up to 16″ (on the right of the blade) and it weighs in at just around 45 pounds. It has adjustable feet for those uneven surfaces, features a rack and pinion telescoping fence design for keeping the blade parallel and it even has a 2 1/2″ wide saw dust port that’s just begging to be plugged into a shop vac. For those of you who appreciate the finer luxuries on your table saw, it even features stems for wrapping up the cord and a built-in push stick.

First and foremost it’s important to remember that this is not some cabinet saw that you’re going to use to build that library in Wayne Manor. That being said, this benchtop table saw packs some power. Our table saw reviewers all said the DeWalt DW745 was great for ripping and cutting just about any sort of wood, even those hardwoods, as long as the job stays within reason. It’s a great saw for cutting trim, molding, wood flooring and other other small to medium carpentry work you may have on your plate. It’s one powerful little table saw.

In fact, the little size of this portable saw is deceiving at first. It’s only 45 pounds so it can easily be moved from the back of truck to a job site and back to the truck again, even for lunch breaks. The roller bars along the frame actually give you something to grab on to and the size makes it easy to shove away on a shelf or under a work bench when it isn’t in use. It’s quick and easy to set up which you may not think is very important until you’ve worked with the DeWalt DW745. Most reviewers say once they go with a table saw that is more portable and easier to set up they simply don’t want to go back.

And finally how professional is this table saw? Our reviewers almost universally praised the DeWalt DW745’s accuracy and ability to repeat cuts with precision. Many other table saw reviews of the DW745 mentioned that they had to make some fine adjustments to square the blade and settle up the fence meter but after that there weren’t many problems. In fact that rack and pinion fence gets high praise from most reviewers, noting that the DeWalt’s fence system doesn’t bind when moving, is one of the easiest to adjust saw fences around and stays nice and parallel and perfectly in place once adjusted. DeWalt made a definite decision to make sure the fence on this portable DW745 was one of professional grade.

So far this table saw review has been all praise, but the DeWalt DW745 is not completely perfect. With portability and a light load weight some things had to be sacrificed. There is a lot of plastic on this saw and some table saw reviews have mentioned that it “felt” as though the knobs and adjustment mechanisms were going to snap right off. With this light weight there seems to be some added noise, though I don’t know of any table saws I’d try to run while sitting in a movie theater or renting books at the library. There are a few bigger problems, though. The miter gauge that comes with the DeWalt DW745 is downright lousy. The miter slots are not T-slots, just regular slots that allow things to just fall out. There’s also no place to store things like the guard and miter gauge when it’s all put away, which is kind of odd because there is a place to store the push stick.

The DeWalt DW745 table saw can’t quite do it all. It can only rip to 16″ which isn’t awful, but 24″ would have been really nice. It’s a bench top saw so you can’t slap in a dado blade, but that’s probably a safety consideration anyway. The DW745 doesn’t come with a stand in the box but you can always purchase the DeWalt DW7450 table saw stand or screw it into some sturdy sawhorses if you really need one.

When it comes down to reviewing table saws for your own needs it really comes down to finding the saw that can do most of what you need while sacrificing as little as you can. The DeWalt’s bestselling status confirms that many other table saw users and reviewers agree: the DeWalt DW745 is one of the best portable table saws available today.

Technorati Tags: table saw, tools, home improvement, home-improvement, home repair, renovation