What the machine does
The CPSC describes the machine plainly: a motor-driven blade protrudes through a flat table, and the operator lays the work on the table and pushes it into the blade, guided by a rip fence or a miter gauge. Those two guides define what the saw is for. The fence guides rip cuts, along the length of a board or panel, at a set width. The miter gauge guides crosscuts and miters, across the work at a set angle.
What it is not for matters as much. Saw makers forbid freehand cutting — work fed without the fence or the gauge — and DEWALT gives the reason: freehand sawing leads to misalignment, binding and kickback. The saw cuts straight lines only. And because the blade stays put while the work moves, every cut depends on the work being flat, guided and supported all the way past the blade.
The main types
There is no exact line between the types; the CPSC sorts them by size, weight, portability, power transmission and price, and notes that makers also use names such as jobsite, hybrid and sliding saws. The blade does the same job in each. What changes is how much the saw weighs, how it is driven and how much work it can carry.
| Type | Blade and power | Drive | Weight | Share of units sold |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bench (including jobsite saws on wheeled stands) | House voltage (110–120 V); cordless models 18–60 V with 8.25 in blades | Universal motor, gears | 34–133 lb | About 79% |
| Contractor | Usually a 10 in blade; house voltage | Induction motor, belt | About 200–400 lb | About 15% |
| Cabinet | Usually a 10 in blade; 220–240 V; 1.75–5 hp or more | Induction motor in a cabinet, belt | About 300–1,000 lb | About 6% |
From the CPSC's 2023 supplemental proposal. The CPSC lists jobsite, hybrid and sliding saws as names some makers use; sliding saws are covered in their own guide.
Heavier, belt-driven saws run with less vibration and noise, which the CPSC links to smoother, more accurate cuts in thicker stock; a jobsite saw trades that for being carried to the work. A sliding saw is a different machine again: the panel rides a carriage past the blade instead of sliding across the table. Matching a class to the shop — the widest rip, the thickest stock, the space and the power — is the subject of choosing a table saw.
The parts
Parts of the saw
- Table and wings
- The flat reference surface. Extension wings widen it so the fence can be set farther from the blade.
- Blade and arbor
- The blade mounts on a threaded arbor that raises and tilts. Contractor and cabinet saws generally take 10 in blades, the CPSC notes, and cordless bench saws 8.25 in; both saws in the table below use a 5/8 in arbor. See blades for the saw.
- Throat insert
- The removable plate around the blade. Saw makers forbid running without one. See inserts.
- Riving knife, splitter, guard and pawls
- The guarding system: a guard over the blade, a knife or splitter behind it that keeps the cut from closing, and pawls that resist the work being thrown back. See blade guards and riving knives.
- Rip fence and rails
- The guide for rip cuts, locked on the front (and sometimes rear) rail parallel to the blade. See fences.
- Miter slots and miter gauge
- Two slots in the table, parallel to the blade, guide the miter gauge and sleds. See miter gauges and sleds.
- Handwheels
- Raise and lower the blade and set its tilt for bevel cuts. SawStop's cabinet saw has separate elevation and tilt handwheels; DEWALT's jobsite saw has a height wheel and a bevel lock lever.
The specifications that matter
A specification sheet tells you the limits of the work. The figures below are two makers' own, for one jobsite saw and one cabinet saw; they show what each line means, not what every saw offers.
| Specification | What it limits | DEWALT DWE7491RS (jobsite) | SawStop PCS (cabinet) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blade diameter | Depth of cut; which blades fit | 10 in | 10 in |
| Arbor | Blade bore | 5/8 in | 5/8 in |
| Depth of cut at 90° | Thickest stock in one pass | 3-1/8 in | 3-1/8 in |
| Depth of cut at 45° | Thickest stock at a full bevel | 2-1/4 in | 2-1/4 in |
| Rip capacity, right of blade | Widest piece cut against the fence | 32-1/2 in | 36 or 52 in, by rail length |
| Bevel direction | Which side the blade tilts toward | Left, 0–45° | Left |
| Dado sets | Whether, and how wide | Up to 8 in diameter, 13/16 in wide, with a dado insert | 8 in sets up to 13/16 in, with a dado brake cartridge and insert |
| Power | How hard it can cut | 15 A at 120 V | Varies by motor option; see the manual |
| Table | How much work it carries | 21-7/8 × 26-3/8 in | 44 × 27 in with wings |
From the DEWALT DWE7491 manual and product page and the SawStop PCS31230 manual. Other saws differ: DEWALT's own compact DWE7485 takes an 8-1/4 in blade and its manual rules out dado sets altogether.
- Bevel direction decides which miter slot is safe for bevel crosscuts: SawStop warns against using the gauge in the slot the blade tilts toward.
- Dado capacity is set by the saw's maker and can be zero; see dado blades before buying a set.
- Rip capacity comes from the fence rails; a longer rail means a bigger footprint.
Equipment notePaid link
8-1/4-in compact jobsite table saw
DEWALT DWE7485
DEWALT's compact saw named under the table above: an 8-1/4 in blade, and a manual that rules out dado sets altogether.
Paid link — BenchRoot may earn a commission if you buy through this link.
The safety system
Current saws ship with two kinds of protection, the CPSC notes: a blade guard, a physical barrier over the blade, and kickback-prevention devices — a splitter or riving knife that keeps the two halves of the cut from closing on the blade, and anti-kickback pawls. Since UL 987's 7th edition took effect in January 2010, the voluntary standard has required a modular guard and anti-kickback device attached to a riving knife. Both DEWALT and SawStop tell owners to use the guard, knife and pawls for every cut they can be used for, including every cut that passes through the work.
Injuries have not fallen with those changes. The CPSC estimated 26,500 emergency-department-treated blade-contact injuries in 2017, about 2,800 of them amputations, and its trend analyses found no reduction from 2010 to 2021. Its staff noted that a guard works only if it is used, and that people remove modular guards for the same reasons they removed older ones — to see better or to make certain cuts. Some saws add active injury mitigation: SawStop's brake stops the blade in about 3 to 5 milliseconds when it detects contact with the body, which SawStop itself calls a last measure, not a substitute for the guard. In September 2025 the CPSC withdrew its proposed rule to require such performance, saying it no longer intends to issue a final rule.
Safety— Your saw's manual controls
Designs, limits and procedures differ between saws, sometimes between models from one maker. Read your own saw's manual before the first cut; where this series quotes a maker, it is that maker's instruction for its saw. The safety guide covers kickback and safe habits in full.
Blades, accessories and support
- Blades. Rip, crosscut, combination and plywood blades differ in tooth count, grind and hook angle — see the blade guide, and saw blades for blade sizes and labels across power saws.
- Dado sets cut wide grooves in one pass where the saw allows them — see dado blades.
- Inserts. A zero-clearance insert supports the fibres at the cut — see inserts.
- Crosscutting. The miter gauge and the crosscut sled both ride in the slots.
- Support. A jobsite saw needs a stable stand or bench, and long work needs support behind the saw — see workbenches and outfeed tables and roller stands.
Setting up and using it
Using the saw walks through setup, ripping and crosscutting; cleaning and adjusting the blade covers the blade itself; and common problems separates the causes of binding, burning and wobble. To plan the cuts before you start, the cut list optimizer lays parts out on boards and sheets with the kerf allowed for.
Read in your saw's manual before the first cut
- How the guard, riving knife and pawls fit, and which cuts each is removed for
- Which blades the riving knife is marked for — kerf and body thickness
- Whether dado sets are allowed, how wide, and which insert they need
- How the saw must be mounted or set on its stand
- The push-stick pattern and when the manual calls for it
- How to check the blade against the miter slot and the fence against the blade
Sources
Specifications are each maker's own published figures for one model, quoted as examples; they are not limits for every saw. Injury figures are the CPSC's estimates for the years stated. OSHA's standard applies to employers; it is cited for what it requires of the machine, not as a rule for home shops.
- 1.
Safety Standard Addressing Blade-Contact Injuries on Table Saws (supplemental notice of proposed rulemaking), 88 FR 74909. U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Federal Register, 2023.
Used for: The definition of the machine; the bench (including jobsite), contractor and cabinet types with their weights, motors, drives and shares of units sold; the guards, splitters, riving knives and pawls fitted to current saws; UL 987's requirement for modular guards from 2010; active injury mitigation systems; the 2017 estimate of 26,500 emergency-department-treated blade-contact injuries.
- 2.
Withdrawal of Proposed Regulatory Actions, 90 FR 46541. U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Federal Register, 2025.
Used for: The Commission's September 2025 withdrawal of the proposed table-saw performance standard.
- 3.
Owner's Manual, 10" Professional Cabinet Saw, Model PCS31230. SawStop.
Used for: Professional Cabinet Saw specifications (blade, arbor, depths of cut, rip capacity, tilt, dado limits, weight); the brake's stopping time and its description as a last measure; guard and riving-knife use.
- 4.
DWE7491 10" (254 mm) Job Site Table Saw, Instruction Manual. DEWALT.
Used for: DWE7491 specifications (blade, depths of cut, speed, tilt, dado limits) and the requirement to use the guard, riving knife and anti-kickback assembly for every cut they can be used for.
- 5.
DWE7491RS 10-in. Jobsite Table Saw and Rolling Stand. DEWALT.
Used for: Rip capacity, arbor and table size of the DWE7491RS.
- 6.
DWE7485 8-1/4" (210 mm) Compact Job Site Table Saw, Instruction Manual. DEWALT.
Used for: The compact saw whose manual rules out dado sets, multiple blades and shaping cutters.
- 7.
29 CFR 1910.213, Woodworking machinery requirements. U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
Used for: Workplace requirements for hoods, spreaders and non-kickback devices on hand-fed table saws.
About this guide
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