On this site I give my advice on the features ad functions of various types of table saws, and offer advice on choosing a table saw for those who intend to buy one. Most of what you see here is my personal opinion based on my own experiance, and what I have learned from others. If you have some input, feedback, or something you'd like me to ad to the site, please leave me a comment in the comments section at the bottom of the page.

Since this is a new site, I am leaving the comments open to qustions or suggestions on what you would like to see added here.

I reserve the right to use any comment in another part of the site. If I use your comment on the site I will always give you credit for your idea, so be sure to leave your name, and whether it is alright to share your contact information. If I don't get your permission, I will only use your first name and state when giving you credit.

My first Table was a Black and Decker that sold for $99 at the local Lowes. It's kind of like your first car in that it's something to learn on, and you don't really care if you break it. It had a 15 amp motor, and clever on board storage the miter gauge, and wheels on the side that made it easy to move around a small shop. The blade wobbled slightly, the dust bag seemed to catch about 10% of what the machine produced, and part of the rip fence broke off one day when I dropped it on the concrete floor of my basement, while trying to handle a large workpiece; but  I learned the fundamentals of operating a table saw, and even experimented with simple tenoning jig I built from plans I'd seen online . I made a bookshelf and a cabinet with it (see my Budget Woodworking site), and that earned me about the $99 I paid for the saw. I would suggest a cheapo saw to anybody who is just starting out, and doesn't really know exactly what the're doing. it will make you appreciate the advantages of the next saw that you own, and give you the experience of figuring out how to compensate for limitations in your tools, which is something you will have to do for a while until you can afford some higher end equipment.

My next saw, and my current saw, is a Ryobi Model BTS21. pictured in my workshop here. It cost me about $250, but has a blade that doesn't wobble, a fence that seems to stay square every time, an extending table letting me rip cut up to 32 inch material, and a sliding miter sled built into the table. it has on board storage for the miter bar, rip fence and even the cord, it's stable, but folds up quick and moved easily on built on wheels. I also love that it has a dust port that hooks up to my shop vac, which allows it to suck up about 80% of the waste. It's not a professional grade model by any means, but it's perfect for my little workshop, and I would recommend it as any one's second, or if you can afford it, first saw.

 Whatever saw you end up choosing, be sure to consider some things before you buy.

1. Does it fit in, and is it compatible with my workspace? (Would I love to have a $3000 cabinet saw? sure, but I would need a team of people to set it up in my small basement, and then I would hardly have room to walk around it, never mind get anything done. If a Cadillacis too much car for your driveway, a SawStop, or Steel City, is probably too much saw for your new workshop.
2. Will it produce quality work that I will be satisfied with? (remember you don't need to produce museum quality pieces here. There's a lot more that goes into high end woodworking then a table saw, so unless you can afford other high end processing and finishing equipment, yo might not want to jump right int the top of the line saw either just to find all you can make is perfect square boxes).
3. Does it have features that are valuable to me? (some saws may come with bells and whistles that might be really neat, and valuable, but if you never use them it's not really worth the extra cost)

Budget Woodworking