Benchtop Saws
Originally in Workbench No. 251 (February 1999)
For small shops or on-site work, benchtop table saws provide a compact,
lighter-weight, and affordable alternative to their bigger cousins.
By using a circular saw universal motor for power and substituting aluminum and plastic for cast iron and steel, manufacturers whittle down the weight and dimensions of a table saw to portable proportions.
But we wondered just what you sacrifice for the smaller package, so we put six popular 10" benchtop saws through their paces. Rather than work the saws over with a micrometer to measure machining tolerances, we concentrated more on using the saws the way you might — ripping and crosscutting framing stock and sheet goods.
In generating piles of sawdust, we found our analysis logically broke into four main categories: table tops, motors, fences, and controls. And while there's no denying these saws offer compact portability, we found compromises in each of these areas that directly affect performance.
Delta 36-540
Delta mounts the motor to a stamped steel bracket that hinges on a pivot pin
(see photo, right). This bracket and similar ones on the Skil and Pro-Tech can't prevent
vibration.
When we tried to raise the blade on the Delta, we got a surprise — the
crank has a left-hand thread so you turn it "backwards" (counterclockwise) to
raise the blade. The tilt-lock lever was also awkward to operate.
At a Glance
- Amps
- 13
- Volts
- 120
- Motor RPM
- 3,650
- Dimensions
- 26"W × 17-1/8"D × 11-1/8"H
- Weight
- 40 lbs
- Blade
- 36T Carbide
- Depth of Cut
- 3" @ 90°
- 2-½" @ 45°
- Rip Capacity
- Rt of blade=11-3/8"
- Lft of blade=11-3/8"
- Warranty
- 2 years
- Factory Settings
- Minor adjustments needed to 90° stop, blade, and fence
- Street Price
- about $180
- Call to Order
- (800) 438-2486
- Virtues
- T-slot miter gauge
- Stable
- Tubular steel fence
- Vices
- Crank turns counterclockwise to raise fence
- Tilt-lock is cumbersome
- Verdict
- Fewest amenities of any benchtop saw we tested
DeWalt DW744
The rack-and-pinion fence on the DeWalt is excellent, rivaling high-priced
after-market fences available for contractor saws.
DeWalt molds a handy base and wrench storage recess into the base.
At a Glance
- Amps
- 13
- Volts
- 120
- Motor RPM
- 3,650
- Dimensions
- 26-5/8"W × 22-1/4"D × 13"H
- Weight
- 64 lbs
- Blade
- 36T Carbide
- Depth of Cut
- 3-1/8" @ 90°
- 2-¼" @ 45°
- Rip Capacity
- Rt of blade=24-½"
- Lft of blade=15-½"
- Warranty
- 2 years
- Factory Settings
- Minor adjustments needed to 90° stop, blade, and fence
- Street Price
- about $500
- Call to Order
- (800) 433-9258
- Virtues
- Excellent fence
- Large rip capacity
- Smooth table with cast insert
- Full dado capacity
- Vices
- Too heavy
- Lacks control for fine-tuning blade tilt
- Verdict
- Favorite of testers, but its hefty price is comparable with contractor-type saws
Hitachi C10RA
The C10RA has a T-slot miter gauge, but the slots have tabs instead of a
continuous groove. This makes it difficult to align the blade parallel to the
miter slot.
To adjust the blade tilt, push in the height adjustment crank to engage a
rack-and-pinion gear system. Once engaged, turn the crank to tilt the blade.
At a Glance
- Amps
- 15
- Volts
- 115
- Motor RPM
- 5,000
- Dimensions
- 34"W × 21-1/8"D × 12-1/8"H
- Weight
- 56 lbs (w/o stand)
- Blade
- 36T Carbide
- Depth of Cut
- 3" @ 90°
- 2-½" @ 45°
- Rip Capacity
- Rt of blade=14-½"
- Lft of blade=14-½"
- Warranty
- 2 years
- Factory Settings
- Adjustments needed to 90° and 45° stops, blade, and fence
- Street Price
- about $300 (with stand)
- Call to Order
- (800) 598-6657
- Virtues
- Good power
- Positive blade brake
- Geared tilt adjustment
- Vices
- Top and miter slot poorly designed
- Dated fence design doesn't stay parallel
- Verdict
- Hitachi made a good start with the motor and carriage, but the top and fence place it a distant third
Makita 2703
The motor mounts to a cast housing that rides up and down on steel rods,
(photo, right) producing very little vibration. It operates very smoothly.
The outer rim of the height adjustment crank turns independently and operates
the Makita's blade tilt.
At a Glance
- Amps
- 15
- Volts
- 115
- Motor RPM
- 4,600
- Dimensions
- 27"W × 22"D × 11-7/8"H
- Weight
- 40 lbs
- Blade
- 36T Carbide
- Depth of Cut
- 3-9/16" @ 90°
- 2-½" @ 45°
- Rip Capacity
- Rt of blade=12"
- Lft of blade=12"
- Warranty
- 1 year
- Factory Settings
- Minor adjustments needed to fence
- Street Price
- about $325
- Call to Order
- (800) 462-5482
- Virtues
- Most powerful of saws tested
- Blade brake
- Blade tilt mechanism very smooth
- Rigid undercarriage
- Vices
- Plastic base seems a bit flimsy
- Miter gauge and fence lack fine adjustment features
- Verdict
- A good overall saw suitable for job site work
Pro-Tech 4106
On-board storage for the miter gauge and wrenches were nice additions to the
Pro-Tech 4106.
The fence stores neatly under the top. In operation, the Pro-Tech's cam-lever
fence locking mechanism was prone to creep loose.
At a Glance
- Amps
- 13
- Volts
- 120
- Motor RPM
- 4,800
- Dimensions
- 26"W × 17-5/8"D × 11-¼"H
- Weight
- 40 lbs
- Blade
- 44T steel
- Depth of Cut
- 3" @ 90°
- 2-½" @ 45°
- Rip Capacity
- Rt of blade=11-¼"
- Lft of blade=11-¼"
- Warranty
- 1 year
- Factory Settings
- Minor adjustments needed to 45 degree stop and fence
- Street Price
- about $140
- Call to Order
- (800) 888-6603
- Virtues
- Built-in storage for fence, miter gauge, and wrenches
- Low price
- Vices
- Fence prone to creep
- Lots of vibration
- Supplied with a steel-toothed blade
- Verdict
- This saw was the surprise of the test group — it offered more amenities than some better-known brands for the least money
Skil 3400
Blade alignment and tilt stop screws are easily accessible from above on the
Skil and several others.
The long lever and left-hand threads make the Skil's tilt lock difficult to
operate.
At a Glance
- Amps
- 13
- Volts
- 120
- Motor RPM
- 4,800
- Dimensions
- 26-5/8"W × 19-1/8"D × 11"H
- Weight
- 35½ lbs
- Blade
- 44T steel
- Depth of Cut
- 3" @ 90°
- 2½" @ 45°
- Rip Capacity
- Rt of blade=12"
- Lft of blade=12"
- Warranty
- 1 year
- Factory Settings
- Minor adjustments needed to 90° and 45° stops
- Street Price
- about $160
- Call to Order
- (800) 301-8255
- Virtues
- Flattest table surface of any saw we tested
- The fence scale is easy to read
- Vices
- Vibrated badly
- Tilt lock was very awkward
- Verdict
- This saw vibrated so much it raised questions about safety
Less Weight, More Vibration
Vibration was the single biggest problem we encountered. The heavy cast-iron top on a stationary saw — cabinet and contractor's alike — provides a flat, stable cutting surface that absorbs vibration like a sponge. The saws tested have cast aluminum tops which lack the heft to soak up vibration.
Similarly, the cast-iron arbor support assembly on stationary saws holds the blade steady in relation to the top, and trunnions lock it solidly in an upright or tilted position. In the Delta, Skil, and Pro-Tech benchtop saws, the motor mounts to a stamped steel saddle that pivots on a pin to raise and lower the blade. We found that these brackets flexed during cuts, adding to the vibration.
The DeWalt, Hitachi, and Makita saws' motors mount to a cast aluminum bracket that rides up and down on a pair of tracks or rods. These saws felt more solid — and safer — and their beefier motor mounts definitely reduced vibration, though they still lacked contractor-saw smoothness. While the six saws' price tags reflect these differences, we found other factors worth considering.
Testing from the Top Down
Except for some minor assembly and adjustments, these saws came out of the box ready to run — even the blades were installed. We added the hand cranks, blade guards, and assembled the fences, then checked the factory settings and made necessary adjustments.
As mentioned, all the saws have cast aluminum tops, primarily to retain strength while reducing weight. Most of the saws have ribs or an open gridwork molded into the top for sawdust clearance.
Only the DeWalt has a continuous, smooth-surfaced top, part of the reason this saw weighs almost 65 lbs. — the heaviest of any saw tested. In addition, DeWalt gives this heavy-duty top a non-stick coating similar to that found on frying pans. Boards glide over it, though, for safety's sake, there were times the surface was a little too slick.
Makita makes its top with slightly raised ribs running parallel with the blade, and the aluminum surface has a smooth coating so wood slides easily across it. The Hitachi has a three-piece ribbed top — a 19-½"-wide center section and two 7-¼"-wide wings — creating the widest cutting surface at 34". But its finish was rough and the sections were hard to align and keep level during assembly.
The one-piece brushed aluminum tops on the Delta, Skil, and Pro-Tech give the illusion of wings with a gridwork of openings along either side. These holes prevent sawdust from accumulating, but also can pinch your fingers when adjusting the fence.
One additional feature worth noting is the throat insert. Only DeWalt and Makita use a traditional throat plate that fits completely around the blade and adjusts flush with the table. The rest have small, rectangular plates that fit only along the right side of the blade, leaving gaps that can catch your workpiece. While dado inserts are available, the maximum dado width for all but two saws is ½" or less — the DeWalt and Makita accept a dado set 13/16"-wide.
Circular Saws at Heart
Manufacturers keep these saws compact by using the same type of direct-drive universal motor found in helical-gear ("sidewinder") portable circular saws. The motors in most of the saws are rated at 13 amps, although Makita and Hitachi use beefier 15-amp motors.
When you throw the switch on any of these saws, prepare yourself for an awakening — the high-pitched motor slams the blade to operating speed in a fraction of a second. It's a jarring contrast to the quiet belt-driven induction motor, like the one in a cabinet or contractor's saw, that spins the blade smoothly up to speed.
But when you turn off most tablesaws, including the belt-driven varieties, momentum keeps the blade spinning for several seconds — still plenty of time for an accident to occur even though the saw is "off." That's why our testers appreciated the electric blade brakes found on both the Makita and Hitachi saws. The brake in the Hitachi was especially positive in halting the blade once the power was shut off.
To test the saws' power, we mounted identical 50-tooth combination blades on each saw and ripped 8/4 oak and "wet" pressure-treated 2x stock. While we had to slow our feed rate, none of the saws stalled or tripped the reset button. However, as mentioned earlier, the Delta, Pro-Tech, and Skil saws vibrated when we ripped the oak. In fact, the Skil chattered so badly we bought a second saw to confirm our test, and the results were the same.
Because the motor bracket in these three saws pivots on a single mounting point, the bracket can flex. Under load, this flexing allows the blade to "bounce" up and down slightly, creating a rough cut and a dangerous situation for the operator.
Chances are you won't be ripping much 8/4 oak, and these three saws did perform somewhat better on the pressure-treated stock. You can improve that performance even more by investing in a decent thin-kerf blade when you buy the saw. Just don't expect to rip a clean edge.
Fences Run the Gamut
When DeWalt introduced the DW744 nearly two years ago, the fence system was like nothing else on the market, and that's still the case today. It locks solidly with a flip of a lever, and the rack-and-pinion adjustment lets you dial in the width you want — all the way out to an amazing 24-½" rip capacity that is unmatched in this class.
All the other saw fences lack a fine adjustment feature — you simply nudge them into position with your hand. The Makita 2703 has a well-built fence with a positive locking cam lever, but the fixed scale indicator means you must slide the rule attached to the table to fine-tune the scale setting.
Delta includes a steel-bodied fence that stays square and locks firmly in place. Though similar in design to Delta's, the fences on the Skil and Pro-Tech saws have aluminum bodies. We found it difficult to keep these fences parallel to the blade. And the fence locking cam on the Pro-Tech saw had a tendency to creep loose — an aggravating and potentially dangerous flaw.
Hitachi uses an older style screw-down clamping system on its aluminum fence. The handle sticks straight out, where it can catch your clothing and get in your way. The fence also won't slide smoothly unless the extension wings are perfectly aligned — a task not easily accomplished since the support braces tend to "twist" the wings when you tighten the wing mounting bolts.
Controls Need Attention
All the saws have similar cutting capacities at 90° and 45°, but the quality of the controls you use to raise and tilt the blade varies greatly.
To raise the blade, all the saws employ a crank handle. These handles all turned relatively freely, until we tried the Delta saw. It has a left-handed thread so you turn the crank counterclockwise to raise the blade. When we unpacked it, the crank had been turned clockwise until the mechanism had jammed, requiring a wrench to loosen the retaining nut. Once free, the crank operated smoothly, but I invariably forgot which way was "up" — a small problem, but one that kept cropping up every time I used the saw.
Delta's not alone, however, when it comes to "backward" controls. The tilt-lock lever on the Skil 3400 has a left-hand thread so when you think you're tightening the ratcheting handle, it's actually getting looser (There are arrows showing which way is tight, but habit and instinct are hard to overcome.) To compound the problem, the lever's also too long, so it's easy to bang your knuckles into the underside of the top.
Adjusting the blade tilt on most of the saws, including the DeWalt, is an inexact science at best. You loosen the lock and manually pull the carriage into position. Just as they offer more power and a blade brake, Hitachi and Makita address this shortcoming.
Hitachi gives you a crank adjustment for tilt, but requires you to push the spring-loaded crank handle inward to engage rack-and-pinion gears. Loosen your grip and the handle pops back out at you.
Makita offers the best solution — an independent crank adjustment that fits around the outside of the blade height crank. It also uses rack-and-pinion gears like the Hitachi, but the action is quicker, smoother, and easier to operate.
Switch placement varied from saw to saw, but all were readily accessible. While some of the switches are too small for my liking, I can single out the large paddle switch on the DeWalt as an excellent safety feature. You can flick it off with a quick swipe of your hand — important if you want to shut things down in a hurry.
Miter Gauges
For the most part, the miter gauges for these saws are too light, too short, and fit sloppily in the table grooves. Only the DeWalt saw is built to accept a full-size ¾"-wide miter gauge bar (and standard accessories such as featherboards and hold-downs).
Delta and Hitachi provide T-slot miter gauges, but the Hitachi C10RA's table doesn't have continuous slots. Instead, sections of the slot sides are bent upward. These tabs keep the miter gauge from tipping up, but they catch the end of the bar and make it difficult to use the slot to align the blade.The angle scales on all the gauges are coarse, but then you shouldn't consider using these saws for cutting precision-fit miters. Delta and DeWalt do provide adjustable stops for 90° and 45°.
Should You Buy One?
The greatest benefit these saws offer is portability. Their compactness and light weight makes them well-suited for job site work, especially if you have to use a car or truck to reach the project. And benchtop saws will get the job done. With any saw we tested you can rip, miter, crosscut, and perform any standard table saw operation you could want.
If, however, you're after a saw for building furniture or doing precise trim carpentry, I suggest looking seriously at a contractor's saw. These benchtop saws are okay for rougher work, but generally they lack the accuracy to produce consistently fine cuts, especially the three lower priced models.
Among the six saws we looked at, the nod has to go to DeWalt. But I'd have to think long and hard about spending that much money for a benchtop tool. Its fence and ripping capacity put it in a class by itself, but at roughly $500, it also costs three times what the Pro-Tech, Skil, and Delta saws sell for. One fellow in our shop said buying the DeWalt would be much easier to justify if the price was closer to $400.
The Makita 2703 provides another solid option even though it falls short of the DeWalt in overall performance. The model tested was an early production version with a "suggested retail price" of $349. If the street price is $325 or less, I think you'll get a lot for your money with the Makita.
Despite having a great motor, blade brake, and a nice blade tilt feature, the Hitachi falls short of the mark. To be in the hunt, this saw needs a better-designed, one-piece top and an improved fence.
The benchtop saw category is still young, so it's likely innovations are yet to come. Though I doubt performance will ever match that of their cast-iron cousins, these saws are sure to find a place in many tool arsenals, mostly as job-site saws for remodeling pros and home improvement enthusiasts.
