Synopsis: What makes a cabinet saw stand out from the crowd? Roland Johnson reviewed 13 popular 10-in. cabinet saws and found notable differences in safety features such as riving knives, blade guards and easy-access switches; price, which ranges from just under $1,000 to more than $3,000; and convenience. Of course, he tested performance too. But safety was the most significant area of difference, and three models took the lead in that category.

Generally speaking, 10-in. cabinet saws have much in common. But, given a closer look, notable differences begin to show. A few saws offer improved safety features; for example, three now have riving knives, a big improvement over traditional splitters. Some manufacturers are improving convenience, with features such as easy-access switches and one built-in mobile base. In addition, there are big price differences, from a low of about $975 to a high of almost $3,300.

To find out if any of the saws stand out from the bunch, I looked at 13 popular models side by side in the Fine Woodworking shop. For testing consistency, I reviewed left-tilt models. The Laguna was an exception, because it is available only as a right-tilt model. All of the saws are 3-hp, 220v models.

Safety is getting its due

A 10-in. tablesaw spins sharp, hard teeth at around 120 miles per hour. Used properly, it can make all sorts of useful cuts safely. Used improperly, it can cut through skin and bone in an instant or shoot a cutoff at you like it was fired from a cannon. So it was encouraging to see safety getting its due on some machines.

SawStop senses skin, stops blade instantly—The SawStop saw features a remarkable safety device, a brake that stops a spinning blade within 3 to 5 milliseconds when the blade touches skin. At the same time, the entire arbor and blade drop below the tabletop to further reduce the risk of injury. The brake works so quickly that an errant finger pushed into the blade would end up with only a shallow nick rather than a deep cut or an amputation.

When the safety device fires, it ruins the brake and the blade. A replacement brake cartridge costs about $80. But the cost of a cartridge and blade is a whole lot less than that of a hand surgeon and hospital stay. or, even worse, the loss of a finger.

A riving knife is important—Talking to people who have had tablesaw injuries, I’ve learned that most of them were hurt by kickback, not body contact with a spinning blade. kickback generally occurs when the workpiece makes contact with the teeth at the back of the blade—the ones just coming up from under the table. Under certain conditions, those back teeth can grab the workpiece and fire it back at the operator’s body at high velocity.

Click on the links below to read summary reviews in The Tool Guide:

Bridgewood BW10LTS; Delta 36-L31X; General 650-T50 M2; General International 50-260 M1; Grizzly G1023SL; Jet JTAS-10XL; Laguna TS-10; Powermatic 66; Powermatic PM2000; Oliver 4015; Sawstop Cabinet Saw; Shop Fox W1677; Woodtek 130-364

From Fine Woodworking #184

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