The best table saws you can buy

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The best table saws you can buy

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  • For anyone who must cut 2-by-4s, make precise cuts on decorative wood, or anything in between, a table saw is a must-have tool.
  • With the highly portable DeWalt DWE7491RS, you can take your table saw to any job site and still have all the power you need to finish ahead of schedule.

If you like the satisfaction you receive from completing DIY projects, you probably already have learned the most important part of having success with your projects: Always have the right tool on hand. Nothing throws off your DIY results quicker than trying to use a tool that makes the task much harder than it needs to be.

If your DIY projects involve cutting wood, you could cut every piece by hand. Or you could invest in a table saw, which makes precise cuts quickly and efficiently. You're still going to want to measure twice so you only have to cut once, but that one cut will be incredibly fast with a table saw.

A table saw uses a fast spinning blade to cut wood quickly and accurately. Unlike other kinds of saws where the blade moves and the wood stays in place, with a table saw, the blade spins in place, and you'll move the piece of wood across the blade. When shopping for a table saw, it's important to find one that matches your needs.

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Bench top table saws, which are also called portable table saws, are small enough to carry from site to site, but you'll have to provide a stand or table yourself. It's good for use at home, but it's not a heavy-duty type of table saw.

In contrast, a contractor table saw is a larger unit with a more powerful motor. These saws often are attached to a frame with wheels, so you can roll the saw around the job site.

Lastly, cabinet table saws are large units that are designed to stay in your wood shop. They're built inside a sturdy cabinet, providing plenty of work space. Based on what kinds of jobs you're doing and how often you do them, you may need a basic bench top table saw or a more advanced contractor or cabinet table saw.

As you're comparing different table saws, it helps to understand each of the different parts of these power tools.

The blade is one of the most important parts of the table saw. Blades of 10 or 12 inches in diameter are most common for table saws. A larger number of small teeth in the blade creates a finer cut. Large teeth result in a rougher, but faster, cut. As Home Depot says, having as many as 80 teeth in the blade will result in very fine cuts.

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Other than the blade, the motor is the most important aspect of a table saw because it determines the speed at which the blade spins. A higher power motor works fast and cuts through hard wood easily. Motors for table saws typically range between 1 and 3 horsepower. Another measure of the motor occurs in amps, where 10 to 20 amps is common.

Some high-end table saws have a dust collection system, which automatically pulls the sawdust into a collection bag as you cut the wood. The fence on the table saw helps you guide the wood and make a straight cut, while the miter gauge helps you make cross cuts or angled cuts.

Most table saws use some sort of guard over the blade as a safety mechanism. It also keeps dust and wood particles from flying back at the operator. Other safety mechanisms protect against kickbacks, using an anti-kickback pawl that stops a piece of wood when it attempts to kick back toward the operator, according to Lowes.

With all that in mind, we've rounded up the best table saws you can buy no matter your budget or needs.

Here are the best table saws you can buy:

Read on in the slides below to check out our top picks.

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Disclosure: This post is brought to you by the Insider Picks team. We highlight products and services you might find interesting. If you buy them, we get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our commerce partners. We frequently receive products free of charge from manufacturers to test. This does not drive our decision as to whether or not a product is featured or recommended. We operate independently from our advertising sales team. We welcome your feedback. Email us at insiderpicks@businessinsider.com.

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The best table saw overall

The best table saw overall
Why you'll love it: The DeWalt DWE7491RS table saw has the perfect mix of portability and power, allowing it to fulfill almost any woodworking job.

For contractors, the ability to move a table saw and perform cuts wherever needed is a key feature, but you don’t want to sacrifice power for portability. That makes the DeWalt DWE7491RS table saw a smart choice for any kind of work.

Boris the Woodworker calls the DeWalt DWE7491RS the ideal table saw for any kind of woodworking project, especially when you're working with hardwoods.

With a table size of 26 by 22 inches and a 32.5-inch rip capacity, the DeWalt saw is large enough to handle most jobs contractors or woodworkers will want to perform. The 10-inch carbide blade cuts through wood quickly and accurately with its 24 teeth.

It has a 15-amp motor, which is more than enough power. The saw can get a 3-1/8-inch depth-of-cut at an angle of 90 degrees and 2-1/4 inches deep at an angle of 45 degrees.

You can also connect the saw's 2-1/2-inch Dust Collection Port to a vacuum to get rid of all the dust and debris, making for an easy cleanup.

Moving this DeWalt table saw from site to site is a relatively easy process, thanks to the wheels on the stand. It does weigh 90 pounds, though, so it's not a light tool. Tool Box Buzz calls it one of the best mobile stands available on a table saw, making it perfect for contractors.

The Sharp Cut also likes this saw's versatility and ability to handle most woodworking tasks with ease. Most shoppers on Amazon give the table saw great reviews. The DeWalt saw has a 4.5-star average rating and an Amazon's Choice badge.

Pros: Plenty of power with a 15-amp motor, has the ability to handle large jobs versus other portable table saws, sturdy wheels on frame to roll it anywhere

Cons: Aluminum fence may not hold a perfect shape over time, pricey

Buy the DeWalt DWE7491RS 10-inch Table Saw on Amazon for $579.99

The best cabinet table saw

The best cabinet table saw
Why you'll love it: Not everyone can fit the SawStop PCS31230-TGP236 table saw into his or her budget or space, but for those who can, its performance level is top-notch.

We'll start with the bad news up front: The SawStop PCS31230-TGP236 has a huge price tag, as in more than $3,000. If you're still reading, the good news is this high-powered table saw earns its price tag with amazing features and durability.

The SawStop has a 3-horsepower motor, a heavy-duty cast iron cabinet, and a huge working area that's perfect for professional contractors, busy hobbyists, and professional woodworkers.

The 10-inch combination blade has 40 teeth to make cuts quickly and accurately. SawStop's table saw is also compatible with standard 10-inch blades and 8-inch dado sets.

The saw's 36-inch T-Glide fence system adds strength and precision to your cuts, plus, you get rails and an extension table. It also has an extensive dust gathering system to keep the working area clean.

Best of all, this unit features the SawStop safety system This system is able to distinguish between wood and human skin, stopping the blade automatically when your hand is too close to the blade.

When you have huge jobs, this SawStop model can handle them, according to The Sharp Cut. About Garden Tool and Best Cabinet Table Saw both give this saw great reviews for its power, accurate cuts, and clever design.

Reviewers on Amazon are also pleased with the saw's design and give it an average rating of 4.1 stars. The saw does weigh 500 pounds, though, so don't expect to move it often — if ever.

Pros: Incredible safety system, extremely durable construction provides long-lasting results, 3-horsepower motor can handle any job required

Cons: Heavy unit at almost 500 pounds, very high price tag

Buy the SawStop PCS31230-TGP236 Cabinet Saw on Amazon for $3,049 + $250 shipping (originally $3,299.99)
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The best gravity-rise table saw

The best gravity-rise table saw
Why you'll love it: The Bosch 4100-10 table saw has an impressive gravity-rise frame, allowing you to adjust the height of the saw to fit any job.

With a portable table saw, having a frame that's lightweight with a simple design is extremely important. The Bosch 4100-10 table saw has one of the best lightweight gravity-rise frames around, because you can adjust the height of the table saw to whatever is needed for a particular job. When not in use, the stand folds down to a dolly-like configuration so you can roll it easily.

The 15-amp saw delivers 4 horsepower and spins at 3,650 RPM (rotations per minute). The 10-inch Carbide-tipped blade cuts quickly and accurately through all kinds of wood. You get a decent-sized workspace, too, measuring 29 x 32 x 13.2 inches in size.

For safety, the saw has a Smart Guard System with a barrier guard and anti-kickback pawls to ensure that no wood comes flying at your face. Bosch also includes a SquareLock Rip Fence, a miter gauge, a push stick, a throat plate insert, a blade wrench, and an adjustment wrench.

One Amazon reviewer who goes by Amazon Bill says the gravity-rise stand is easy to use, as you can move the saw anywhere around the house or at the job site.

Tool Guyd says the primary improvement in this saw versus the older version it replaced is a reduction in the weight of the gravity-rise rolling stand, which is helpful in increasing the portability of this contractor saw.

Bosch reviewer Jamnmark says this table saw can make every kind of cut required for a variety of jobs, all on a sturdy and portable stand, and other shoppers on Amazon also review the saw favorably.

Pros: Easy to move stand that folds down flat when the job is finished, adjustable height frame, table saw is able to handle a variety of cuts successfully

Cons: Not the sturdiest materials in frame, not the most powerful saw, pricey

Buy the Bosch 4100-10 10-inch Worksite Table Saw on Amazon for $569.82 (originally $599)

The best compact table saw

The best compact table saw
Why you'll love it: A high level of portability and a reasonable price point make the DeWalt DW745 a great choice among smaller table saws.

Table saws are such handy pieces of equipment for all kinds of work around the house that you'll want to have one available wherever the job takes you. The DeWalt DW745 weighs less than 50 pounds, yet it has a 20-inch maximum rip capacity to handle both small and mid-sized jobs successfully.

It has a 15-amp motor, a no-load speed of 3,850 RPM, and a 10-inch, 24-tooth carbide blade to help you cut any wood quickly and accurately. DeWalt's table saw has a 2-1/2-inch dust collection port so you can connect your Shop-Vac to it and extract all the dust you've produced.

DeWalt includes a 24-tooth Series 30 saw blade, a mitre fence, two blade spanners, a parallel fence, a dust port reducer, and a push stick in the box.

The DeWalt DW745 is affordable, yet it delivers quite a bit more power and durability than you'd expect to find in this price point, according to Chainsaw Journal. DeWalt is a trustworthy brand name, and this table saw model is a perfect example of why.

Tool Nerds says the safety features in the DW745 are better than you'd expect to find with such a small table saw. It has a nice blade guard that will stand up to regular use, and it ships with a push stick.

With its small size, the DeWalt DW745 isn't made for large cutting jobs or particularly hardwood, Cut the Wood says. But its portability is among the best for table saws, as most people can carry it from site to site relatively easily. Buyers on Amazon give it an average star rating of 4.6 out of 5.

Pros: Small table saw that you can take anywhere, reasonably good safety features, inexpensive, more power than you'd expect to find at this price

Cons: May not give you long-lasting performance, not made for especially hardwood

Buy the DeWalt DW745 10-inch Compact Table Saw on Amazon for $279 (originally $329)
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The best budget table saw

The best budget table saw
Why you'll love it: The Craftsman Evolv is not designed for heavy usage, but it gives light-duty users looking for a first table saw a great price.

Everyone likes a bargain. And the Craftsman Evolv 10-inch Table Saw definitely qualifies, offering a sub-$200 price tag. It's not going to give you a high level of performance, but it works nicely for the occasional DIY project around the home.

The 10-inch carbide-tipped blade has 24 teeth, and it's powered by a 15-amp motor to ensure your cuts are made quickly and well. You get a 25 x 17-inch surface to work on and the kit comes with the saw blade, stand, push stick, miter gauge, and rip fence.

Craftsman included an anti-kickback pawl and blade guard, for added protection from flying pieces of wood. The Evolv table saw is easy to use, making it a nice choice for those on a budget who are buying their first table saw.

Best Saw Shop and Power Tool Buzz both give the saw good reviews, though Power Toll Buzz notes that the blade occasionally has alignment issues out of the box.

Power Tools Ninja says the Evolv definitely is not a heavy-duty table saw, and it may wobble under heavy loads, but for those who have the occasional woodworking project, this table saw will do the job.

Amazon reviewer Mee50 says the Evolv certainly isn't made for contractors or commercial jobs, but for home use, it does decent work at a great price.

Pros: Extremely low price point, easy to set up and use, has a powerful motor to make all of the basic cuts you'll need

Cons: Stand isn't as sturdy as it could be, not made for contractors or commercial use

Buy the Craftsman Evolv 10-inch Table Saw on Amazon for $154.18
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