Rip Fence and Rip Capacity

Published at Tuesday, January 15th 2019. by Adelisa Legrand in Industrial Machinery.

Obviously, the easiest way to know which blade fits your table saw would be to consult the instruction manual. Also, use some common sense. There is a finite amount of space inside the arbor, so you can't use just any blade. The space is also limited with the presence of a blade guard. Speaking of the arbor, the central arbor hole on most table saw blades is 5/8 inches in diameter, but then again, there are exceptions to that rule. If the diameter and the arbor are supported by the saw, you are on the right track.

Accessory Storage. On board storage space another handy thing to have on your table saw is some on board storage space which allows you to store all the necessary tools and accessories you might need while operating a saw. Some units can even store fences, miter gouges, blades, and plenty of other stuff.

see also

Table Saw Buying Guide, You Need to Understand This before Deciding to Buy Part 3

Table Inserts. throat plate Table inserts, or throat plates as they are usually called are nothing more than thin pieces of metal or wood, mounted around the blade and leveled with the surface of the table. This prevents small pieces of wood from falling inside the arbor.

Now, the most common type of fence found on table saws at the moment (especially the cabinet type) is the Biesenmeyer Commercial “T-square” fence, or in most cases manufacturer's copies and offshoots of that design. It's the most popular design because it is easy to adjust and operate, is made out of welded steel, accurate, and best of all there is not much that can go wrong with it.

Push Stick; if you are not the lucky owner of a saw with the SawStop safety system, you are going to need a push stick, which comes in handy when you need to slide the wood through the blade. Having your hands too close to the saw blade is never a good thing, so it is a wise idea to rely on a push stick. You can get one at just about any shop that sells woodwork supplies, or make one yourself. There are plenty of tutorials on line to teach you how to do so.

Table Saw Safety Features. The most noticeable and probably the most important safety feature is the blade guard, because it's very effective at keeping your fingers away from the danger zone – the saw blade. Truth is though, that many woodworkers don't like the blade guard because they can't measure and see the cuts if it's attached, especially if the guard is not made out of Plexiglas. They also complain that things like changing the blade or removing stuck wood take more time, so they often decide NOT to use the blade guard.

On/Off Switch. The on/off switchThese days, table saws come with an on/off switch that allows for easy access should the situation call for it. Usually these switches are located at the front of the saw, and preferably the off button should be large enough to be operated using your entire hand (protected of course), elbow, or even your knee. The easier it is to switch the table saw off, the better.

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