Tool Location
Wood Room
Tool Type
Cutting
Additional Information
One Page Tool Reference Sheet
Overview
The table saw is a woodworking tool with a circular saw blade. It is used to cut straight cuts typically along a guide. The angle of the blade can be adjusted to make angled cuts. By changing the blade, different materials can be cut or different shaped cuts can be made. The blade can also be moved up and down to cut different thicknesses of materials.
Capabilities
Cut Depth
This tool can cut through material up to 3 1/8 in thick
Cut Kerf
The cutting kerf of the standard blade is .118 in
Max Angle
The table saw can make bevel cuts of up to 45 degrees.
Materials
The table saw is designed to cut mostly woods, but various plastics can be cut as well.
Woods:
- Plywood
- Particleboard
- Hardwoods
- Softwoods
Plastics:
- PVC
- Polycarbonate/Lexan
- Acrylic
PPE
Safety glasses and closed toe shoes are required in the wood room and must be worn while operating the table saw. If a large amount of dust is produced while cutting, a dust mask is advised to be worn.
Safety Features
The Sawstop is an incredible safety feature of our Tablesaw. When turned on, there is a light electrical current running through the blade. If the blade comes into contact with anything conductive (skin, metal, etc), the blade will immediately drop and plunge into a block of aluminum. Learn more about this feature here.
Note: This safety feature requires being more selective of material cut on the tablesaw to avoid false triggers. Conductive material can show up in unlikely places. Here are a few things to look out for
- Damp wood
- Small staples/nails/screws
- Labels/Tags on sheets of wood
- Laser cut wood
Example Work
Layered Diorama
Use the table saw to make a small diorama
Cutting Board
Cutting boards are a great woodworking project for beginners. They make solid gifts too!
Large Bowls
Here is a creating use for an experienced table saw user
How To Use This Tool*
Content coming soon!
Content coming soon!
Content coming soon!
Before performing any maintenance make sure the table saw is unplugged, and that the blade is at zero angle and retracted fully.
General
- When cutting thin strips, the strips might fall between the gap between the blade and the table, so use a sacrificial piece of wood to get rid of the gap and prevent the strips from falling in. The sled also works well for this.
- When cutting round objects like dowels, brace it between other sacrificial pieces of wood.
- Use the crosscut sled to cut stock at angles
Change/Replace the Blade
- First make sure everything is off. Then use the handle on the throat plate to lift it up and place it aside. Loosen the clamping handle on the riving knife to ungrip the fin and lift it up to place it aside.
- Loosen the screw on the blade and remove the saw blade.
- Insert the new saw blade and tighten the screw.
- Make sure the blade spacing is correct by using the yellow spacing gauge and turning the yellow nut to make sure the blade just fits between that and the base.
- Spin the blade two revolutions to make sure no tooth contacts the brake.
To replace the sawstop cartridge
- Lift the clamping handle so that it is not in the way.
Turn the cartridge key 90 degrees to loosen the cartridge.
- Remove the cartridge.
- Install the new cartridge aligning it with the correct mounting pin.
- Insert the key again and turn it to lock the cartridge in place.
If the wood sticks when running it through the blade consider using the sled and sliding it through faster. Prying the wood apart as it is pushed though helps stop the wood from gripping the saw.
To prevent kickback from thick pieces clamp the workpiece to the sled and pass it through slowly. Also make sure the fence is aligned well because even small angle differences cause kickback.
Clean the sawdust out of the table saw by opening the base and vacuuming the dust out of the base. Also, remove the throat plate and use compressed air to blow out any sawdust in there.
References:
Professional Table Saws for cabinet makers. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.sawstop.com/table-saws/by-model/professional-cabinet-saw
https://www.diynetwork.com/how-to/skills-and-know-how/tools/solutions-to-common-table-saw-problems
http://www.sawstop.com/images/uploads/manuals/Getting_Started_With_SawStop_Cast_Iron.pdf
Author Information
Article was written by Siddharth Salunkhe and Constantine Venizelos, and edited by Reed Morris
Last Updated: September 5 2018.