When it comes to buying a table saw there is not much that you need to know.
A standard table saw comes with a saw blade, a ripping fence, a safety guard, a miter gauge, a blade height adjustment wheel, a blade 0 to 45 degree angle tilt wheel,
a stand, a motor and a table top. A 10 inch table saw refers to the diameter of
the saw blade not the size of the table. 10 inch table saws are the most common.
Your main concern should be the size of the table top, the weight of the saw, the motor and what type of projects you plan on using the table saw for.
Miter Saw Blade
A large table top gives you more stability when cutting large pieces of wood such as a
four foot by four foot sheet of plywood or paneling. Some table tops may look small but have slide out extenders to give you more table space.
If you plan on doing indoor and outdoor projects you should consider the weight of the table saw. A lot of people have their workshop in their basement or garage. If you have an outdoor wood cutting project you might want to bring the table saw outside to make working on the project easier instead of running downstairs to your work shop to cut
wood. Portable table saws with wheels are available. However a small 85 pound table saw is not too hard to take upstairs if necessary.
The motor that comes with the table saw should be powerful enough for your wood cutting. There are two types of motors that are used on table saws. Direct drive and belt driven. A direct drive motor receives more stress than a belt driven motor. Some people
claim a direct drive motor does not last as long as a belt driven motor. In my experience,
I have never had a direct drive motor burn out on me, but I have had two or three belt driven motors burn out on me. Overall unless you have an issue with motors, I would not worry whether it is direct drive or belt driven.
What do you plan on doing with the table saw ? Building birdhouses ? or building kitchen cabinets ? If you are using it for small projects you should still consider buying a table
saw with a large table top for possible larger projects. The cost should not be much more and you will be glad that you did.
So there you have it. Determine your current and possible future needs, consider the weight of the table saw if you plan on moving it somewhere else, possibly consider
the type of motor and get a large table top.