A table saw is undoubtedly an indispensable purchase a woodworker can actually make! Owing to the fact that almost every task in a woodworking shop is centered around this piece of equipment, and as such, making a hare-brained purchase will not only take a toll on your pocket, however will also curtail your productivity to a significant extent. With that in mind, here is a checklist of features, which you should seriously consider before purchasing a table saw.
The information below will give you a succinct idea of which feature is crucial, and which is just a gimmick. Here you go:
Dust Collection
Pertaining to their wood cutting mechanism, table saws generate humongous amounts of sawdust. Attaching a dust collection system with your table saw will help in keeping the saw’s motor running cooler and the gearing cleaner. Generally, table saws have a 4-inch dust collection port on the back side of the cabinet, and a capture system within the cabinet to funnel the sawdust towards the port.
Therefore, while out to buy a table saw, keep dust collection in consideration. If you intend to work mostly indoors, you’ll want to stick to a saw that enables you to connect to some form of dust collection, not only to keep the airborne dust to a minimum, but also to keep the saw and your shop floor, cleaner.
Tilt
Customarily, the 0-45 degree bevel adjustments on most table saws have tilted the blade to the right; however some cabinet saws use a left-tilt mechanism. This is one feature that is a matter of personal preference. Since most cutting operations have the fence positioned to the right of the blade, left-tilt saws are generally regarded as safer.
The left-tilt angles the top of the blade away from the fence, and keeps the blade from possibly pinching the stock between the beveled blade and the fence. However, some people are used to using right-tilt blades, and find switching to a left-tilt to be a difficult adjustment. Right-tilt models seem to be more widely available.
Fence
A table saw’s fence needs to be inflexible, and at the same time easily adjustable. A fence that flexes or slides when in use can cause the saw blade to bind with the wood, causing dangerous kickbacks. A fence that is sturdy but difficult to adjust evenly along both the front and back edges of the table can be equally dangerous, not to mention frustrating to use.
Being a leading online industrial equipment store, we have stocked a large assortment of indispensable requisites, from table saws to kitchen and pantry supplements; ergo, before heading to buy a table saw, do check our assortment out.
