Having the right tools for the job is important whether you are a professional tradesman or you are just doing some DIY projects at home.
It is even more important when you are working with wood as the right tools will help you ensure that your work is the best quality that it can be.
People that see the work you produce may not understand the techniques that have been used to create it, but they will still be able to appreciate the craftsmanship that you have.
If you work with wood on a regular basis, then you will find that a table saw is one of the most valuable tools that you can have.
Table Saw Types
There are many different shapes and sizes of table saw, depending on what you need them for. Cutting wood becomes a lot easier and you will also find that your cuts are more accurate.
Common Types include:
- Benchtop table saw
- Contractor table saw (aka portable table saw)
- Cabinet table saw
- Hybrid table saw (cross between cabinet table saw and contractor table saw)
Compared with using a hand saw, a table saw is also a much quicker option. As the cuts are more accurate, if there are any pieces that need to fit together, then this is much easier to do. This can be very useful when you are building furniture or other similar items.
Table Saw Uses
There are many different uses for a table saw. It will make it far easier for you to be able to cut a board down to size.
If boards are crooked or curved then the saw can be used to straighten them out. A table saw is also very good at creating crown moldings.
With so many different things that it can be used for, it is easy to see why table saws are considered to be such an essential piece of equipment.
Although you can straighten curved or crooked wood with a table saw, there is a specific technique that you will have to use.
The curved wood should be nailed to a straight piece of wood before it is put through the saw. This will prevent the wood from kicking back and potentially causing an accident. Nailing the wood to a straight piece ensures that there is no room for it to move around.
Tip: A good table saw blade can make a big difference and often problems people have when cutting are blamed on the table saw when it is really the blade that is the problem.
Buying a table saw
One of the most important things to bear in mind when choosing a table saw is the type of use that it will get. If you use heavy duty wood on a regular basis, then you will need to get a saw which is capable of dealing with this type of wood. If you are taking it to a job site then you need portability.
It is important to do your research before you purchase a table saw. There are several different types of table saw and all of them will have different features. You will need to think about the types of projects that you will be carrying out the most often and choose a table saw that is going to be useful for that.
If you need portability then you will want a contractor table saw. If you want to make fine accurate cuts then you will want a cabinet table saw. Each type of table saw has different price ranges e.g. cabinet table saws are the most expensive and can cost thousands of dollars. Contractor table saws are considerably cheaper.