The new hybrid tablesaw from Shop Fox is an impressive saw for the money, with features rivaling those on some high-end cabinet saws.

The fence, for instance, is well designed. It has slick nylon faces, slides very easily, and locks down securely. The cast-iron top and wings are nicely ground and very flat. The extension table is a flat laminate-covered board that could easily support an undermounted router. Both blade height and angle adjustments are very smooth and easy. The riving knife and blade guard are both easy to remove and adjust. The dust collection works well.

Though the 2-hp motor won’t keep pace with a 3-hp cabinet saw, it has plenty of power for most home shops. I was able to rip 5/4 hickory and cut 3⁄4-in.-wide by 3⁄4-in.-deep dadoes in spruce, though at a slow pace. The saw isn’t without flaws. It had a bit more arbor runout than I’d like; fortunately, performance wasn’t compromised. The included miter gauge is flimsy (just buy a better one), and it has a short power cord (6 ft.). The insert plate, though stiff, is thin, making it difficult to make your own zero-clearance plates. However, you can buy blanks to fit this saw (grizzly.com, model No. T23279, $25). But these shortcomings are small potatoes. If you’re a hobbyist in the market for a serious tablesaw, this one packs in the value.

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Makita LS1219L Miter Saw

This is the saw I want in my shop. For one, it’s easy to use. All of the controls are easy to reach and manipulate, and the glide mechanism is both robust and smooth. The handle works well for righties and lefties. Then there are added bonuses that no other saw has. For instance, its hold-down is superb, as it can move to different locations, hinges for a greater range of coverage, and actually holds down the work. In addition, the saw has two points of dust collection, letting it firmly beat the rest of the field. The one downside was the saw’s laser, which was so faint we had to turn off the shop lights to see it. Still, all these pluses in a package that fits tight to the wall? That’s a winner for me.

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Shop Fox W1826

The thick, felted bag on this Shop Fox is a plus and a minus. On one hand, it makes the unit much less expensive than collectors with canister filters, and also lighter and easier to hang on the wall. Without a separate plastic bag to catch chips, however, they stay in the felt bag, and the shortish zipper on the bottom makes it tough to shake them out. Otherwise, the W1826 is an excellent value.

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Grizzly G0495X Industrial Helical Cutterhead 8-in. Jointer

Regardless of the board’s grain, this jointer produced excellent results. Its fence was totally flat, worked smoothly, and locked well, staying in place even after jointing multiple edges. Getting the fence to 90° was very easy, but the 90° stop was a little tricky to set and the fence did not go back to square when using it. For those who would use it, there is also a digital depth-of-cut scale.

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