POWER TOOLS
Table Saws
Table saws rip boards, crosscut with a sled, and cut the joinery that makes cabinets possible. Alignment, kickback, blades, fences, sleds, and projects.
17 guides
A table saw is built around ripping — cutting a board lengthwise to a chosen width — and the joinery that ripping enables: dadoes, rabbets, tenons, finger joints, and bevel cuts. The blade stays put; the workpiece moves.
For most home shops it's the first power tool worth buying after a drill, because the cuts it produces (long rips, sled-driven crosscuts, dado stacks) are the ones every other tool struggles with. Setup, alignment, and safety habits matter more than saw class — a $500 jobsite saw with a tuned fence and a sharp blade out-cuts a $2,000 cabinet saw with a drifting fence.
The guides below cover saw selection, blade choice, fence + miter alignment, push-block and sled technique, kickback prevention, and the joinery cuts a table saw makes possible.
Table Saw Blade Height: How High Should It Be?
Set your blade so gullets just clear the top of the wood, 1/8" to 1/4" above the surface. Why that measurement prevents burning, and when to break it.
How to Build a Crosscut Sled for Your Table Saw
Step-by-Step Build Plus the 5-Cut Method for Getting the Fence Square to 0.001 Inches
Build a crosscut sled from 3/4-inch plywood in 4 hours. Includes the 5-cut method with worked formula to get your back fence square to within 0.001 inches.
How to Align a Table Saw Blade to the Miter Slot
Get to 0.002 inch parallel in under 30 minutes with a dial indicator
Align your table saw blade to the miter slot using a dial indicator. Test procedure, trunnion adjustments for both saw types, 0.002-inch tolerance target.
Push Block vs Push Stick: Which One You Actually Need
Push stick for rips under 3 inches, push block for over 6 inches. Learn the decision rule, the combination method, and what to buy at each price point.
Table Saw Blades: Rip vs Crosscut vs Combo Picks
24T rip blades for cutting with the grain, 60-80T crosscut for across the grain, 40T combo for everything else. Tooth geometry (FTG, ATB, ATBR) explained.
What Is a Zero-Clearance Insert?
How It Eliminates Tearout on the Table Saw
A zero-clearance insert replaces your stock throat plate to stop tearout and dropped offcuts. Make one in 15 minutes or buy a Leecraft insert for $30.
10-Inch Table Saw Blades
How to Pick the Right Blade for Your Saw, Your Budget, and Your Cuts
Choose the right 10-inch table saw blade — blade types, tooth count, kerf, specific brand picks, and how to match a blade to your saw's motor.
12-Inch Table Saw: Who Actually Needs One
Availability, cutting capacity, and whether the upgrade makes sense
12-inch table saws are industrial machines most shops can't power. What you gain, what models exist, and the better alternative for most woodworkers.
Best Table Saw Blade for a Beginner
Honest Brand Comparisons and Buying Guide
The best table saw blade for most beginners is the Diablo D1040X ($35). Here's when to upgrade and what the premium actually buys.
Can a Circular Saw Replace a Table Saw?
What Works, What Doesn't, and When to Just Buy the Saw
Can a circular saw replace a table saw? Guide-rail and inverted table methods compared, with an honest breakdown of what each can and can't do.
How to Use a Grizzly Table Saw
Setup, Blades, and Safe Technique for the 10-Inch Hybrid
Set up a Grizzly 10-inch table saw correctly, pick the right blade, and cut safely. Covers G0771Z setup, ripping, crosscutting, and kickback prevention.
What Is a Jobsite Table Saw?
What It Is, What to Buy, and What to Watch Out For
A 15-amp portable saw on a folding stand, 55–100 lbs, stores flat. Which features matter for small-shop and mobile work, and which models are worth buying.
Kobalt KT10152: Setup, Cuts, and Honest Expectations
The Kobalt KT10152 is a 15-amp portable table saw for ~$329. Honest verdict, calibration walkthrough, and safe technique for ripping and dado work.
Table Saw Fence Alignment: Setting It Parallel to the Blade
Why Parallel Isn't Always Enough, and How to Measure to 0.002 Inches
Align your table saw rip fence to the miter slot in four steps, with or without a dial indicator. Covers toe-out vs parallel and three fence types.
Fix, Improve, or Replace Your Fence
How It Works, How to Test Yours, and When to Upgrade
How table saw fences work, a five-test evaluation framework, and when to fix, improve, or replace yours. Specific tolerances, costs, and products.
What Is Table Saw Kickback?
Three Failure Modes, Four Fixes, and the Difference Between a Riving Knife and a Splitter
Table saw kickback launches wood at up to 120 mph — faster than you can react. Learn the 3 failure modes and 4 hardware fixes that prevent each.
Table Saw vs Miter Saw: Which One Should You Buy First?
What Each Saw Cuts Best, Where They Overlap, and the One Project That Forces the Decision
A table saw rips boards to width and crosscuts with a sled; a miter saw chops to length and angles. The order to buy matters — here's how to decide.