8 Best Table Saws in Australia 2024

The best table saws in Australia

• Best table saw: DEWALT DWE7491-XE 2000W
• Best budget table saw: ALDI WorkZone 210mm 1200W
• Best DIY table saw: DEWALT DWE7485-XE
• Best portable benchtop table saw: Bosch GTS 635-216 216MM
• Best contractor table saw: SawStop CNS36TGLIDE
• Best hybrid table saw: Carbatec 10" TS-C250H
• Best cabinet table saw: Harvey HW110LGE-30 Table Saw
• Best premium table saw: Festool TKS 80 EBS

Want to rip a thick length of wood into something thinner? Want to get a nice straight cut on a long piece of wood? Need to dabble in some dado? And do you want to achieve that goal without cutting off a limb or appendage? Then you don't just need a table saw; you need the best table saw in Australia.

But what's "best" for your job, may not be the "best" for someone else.

In this article, I'm going to take you through the best table saws you can buy in Australia right now for each use case. I've spent plenty of time using this powerful tool during my time renovating and can vouch for their handiness. They can make a hard job easy and save you plenty of time. And as they say in the building industry, time is money.

Why we chose it

You'll have to look far and wide to find people who have anything bad to say about DEWALT table saws. The brand is highly revered in the table saw space and a lot of that comes down to the dual rack and pinion Fence. It's famed for delivering accurate cuts and for its longevity.

There are a few models to choose from, but we've gone for the DWE7491-XE as it offers plenty of power at 2,000W and a wider table space capable of delivering solid 825mm rips. It can handle almost any cut you can throw at it and has a wide enough arbor to take dado blades, too. It has a -3° to 48° bevel range and the ability to cut 79mm at 90° and 57mm at 45°.

Best of all, it remains portable. At just 26.6kg – even with its steel protective roll cage – you can take this out of the workshop and on the road if required. At the time of writing, there are deals going where you can get a free stand with the purchase, too.

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Why we chose it

At my house, I've got the DEWALT as my big-ticket table saw when I'm working a job for a long period in a single location. But I also have the little budget WorkZone that I collected from ALDI. You can pick it up with one hand and move it about easily to do smaller jobs with softer woods quickly and efficiently.

At $99.99, it's a lot cheaper, but it's not necessarily short on features. You can cut at a 45° angle, there's a Fence and Mitre Guard and there's even a little side horse that can be used to provide extra stability on larger materials. And while its 1,200W of power isn't top class, it's still enough to handle most materials. It even has a five-year warranty.

You do, of course, get what you pay for though. The cutting depth (just 48mm) isn't amazing, the Fence is flimsy and you need to constantly double-check it's parallel to the blade. Also, the table space is puny and it's as loud as a hundred roaring lions in a small cave. The smaller blade isn't as widely available either.

Yet, despite all this, for those working on simple softwood DIY projects, it does do a respectable job.

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Why we chose it

As mentioned in our best overall category, DEWALT table saws come with exceptional word of mouth among both professionals and DIY aficionados. This model keeps a lot of what we love about its bigger brother, including the excellent Fence, durability and power. However, it delivers it in a smaller, more compact footprint.

As a result, it's significantly cheaper. As you're still getting plenty of great table saw without having to over-invest, it's a top option as the best DIY table saw in Australia.

The compromised size means you get less table top space to work with and are, therefore, restricted to 622mm rips. The smaller saw blade does impact cutting depth, which is only 65mm at 90° and 45mm at 45°. But it is lighter and therefore easier to move about and store. The price justifies the compromises, making this a great table saw for DIYers.

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Why we chose it

This recent update to the Bosch range of table saws trims a bit of the fat in terms of materials and features to provide a more portable option. At 22kg and with a decent amount of table space with a ripping width of 635mm, this happily falls into the jobsite (also known as benchtop) category – especially if you pick up the stand with the purchase.

The 1,600W of power is a bit down on some of the pricier models, but still more than ample for most use cases. The 70mm cut depth (50mm at 45°) is more than acceptable. You're also looking at a 216mm blade with a 30mm arbor.

Where you do lose out a bit at this price range is with the Fence, which is solid but can't be trusted to always be straight – you'll want to check it with a square. The lighter materials do mean it's less stable as well, and it tends to make a racket. But the price reflects that, ensuring it remains good value for money.

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Why we chose it

This beast of a contractor table saw is for professionals and serious DIYers looking to set up in their shed or garage with little intent on ever moving it. The handy stand does allow you to move it about your workshop, just not to different rooms or jobsites easily. The cast-iron top carries the blame for that, bumping the overall weight up to 135kg, but provides fantastic stability for improved accuracy.

The T-Glide Fence also works a treat and has large and clear measurement guides, while the safety features on this saw are some of the best we've come across in the category. It can cut 76mm at 90° and 57mm at 45°, can handle dado cuts up to 19mm, too. Good dust removal and plenty of power also ensure you can cut any wood. The ripping width of 927mm gives you a lot of scope, with additional steel wings providing added range.

Yes, it's heavy; yes, it's expensive, but this is a great contractor saw.

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Why we chose it

As the word hybrid suggests, these are stationary like a cabinet saw, but smaller and cheaper than a contractor saw. You would opt for this kind of saw in a permanent workshop that doesn't have the space (or you don't have the budget) for a full cabinet table, but you still want the stability and accuracy that comes with serious materials.

Despite its name, the Carbatec 10" TS-C250H Cabinet Saw very much sits on the hybrid side of the fence. It's incredibly strong and sturdy, with its cast-iron top sitting on a steel base. Overall, the thing weighs 250kg, so once it's in, it's staying there. Yet it comes in well under $2K.

It's super powerful with over 2,200W of power and while the 90° cutting depth of 75mm is average, the 45° cutting depth of 60mm is impressive. It can rip wood to 990mm, too. There is an accessory pack you can buy as well that converts it as required into a sliding table saw, opening up a bigger range of crosscutting opportunities.

This is a serious saw, but it's priced well for what it offers. Just note it comes with a 15amp plug.

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Why we chose it

For those at the heavy-duty end of the table saw journey, the Harvey HW110LGE-30 table saw is worth considering thanks to its power, precision cuts and flexibility. Weighing in at 230kg, its ground-cast iron shell with extension wings gives you that essential stability and lack of vibration.

With 2,300W power, albeit using a 15amp plug, there's nothing it can't handle. The 70mm max cutting depth at 90° (50mm at 45°) is a little under what we would have liked as is the 750mm rip potential, but it remains acceptable. This saw does excel with the quality of its Fence, its Riving Knife system and its ease of dado cuts up to 15mm.

It's also worth noting that this model comes with optional slider table and router table attachments, allowing you to make better use of the space it consumes in your workshop.

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Why we chose it

Festool brings its renowned durable, reliable, quiet and precise engineering talents to the table saw category, but boy, do you pay for it. But if money isn't an object and you want the premium experience, then the Festool TKS 80 EBS has some fantastic features that are hard to ignore.

It's incredibly safe, with a responsive sensor that allows the blade to identify the touch of human flesh and to stop the blade within five milliseconds. Even the wood is protected via Festool's famed splinterguard tech. It's great for ripping with an excellent 80mm cutting depth at 90° and 56mm at 45°. It also has a wide -2° to 47° angled cutting range.

It's great that the stand is built into the saw, too, with legs that can be folded up for transport. Plus, the dust extraction set works a treat.

We're less inspired by the 36-month warranty for a saw of this expense and you'll likely want to upgrade with the extension table to make the most of it. There's isn't a whole lot of table top space to work with.

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Types of table saw users

There are three broad categories of users that buy a table saw. Which one are you?

• DIY hobbyist: A weekend warrior working on little maintenance projects around the home or small furniture constructions using softer woods. Saw type: Portable, budget or all-rounder.
• Job site tradies: Contractors and chippies working on job sites that need not only a good saw but one that is portable. Saw type: Jobsite, constructor or hybrid.
• Professional woodworkers and serious DIY consumers: Saws that are likely to live in one location and are capable of making plenty of cuts into hardwoods and larger size materials. Saw type: Cabinet, hybrid or premium.

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Types of cuts you can do with a table saw

A table saw is most commonly used for ripping wood down to smaller sizes along its length. It can also be used for crosscutting when you're looking for more perfection than you can get out of a drop saw. There is also a range of more precise cuts that can be made, include grove, rabbet and dado cuts (the latter also known as housing cuts). They can also be used for mitres and bevel cuts, too.

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How to choose the best table saw

When you're considering what type of table saw is right for you, there are a number of features you need to think about:

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Understanding table saw terminology

What is a Fence?

A Fence on a table saw is the parallel guide that defines the width of a cut. It runs the length of the saw table, parallel to the blade.

What is a Mitre Gauge?

This sits generally to the left of the blade and allows you to angle your wood, which you can then slide through the blade to achieve a mitre cut.

What is the arbor?

The arbor, sometimes called bore, is the metal rod that threads through the hole in the middle of your blade connecting it to the saw's rotor. The width of the arbor defines what kind of blade you can use; the length of the arbor determines how many blades you can put on it for dado cuts.

What is a dado cut?

A dado cut is where you cut a trench or housing into a piece of wood without cutting all the way through. This allows you to join two bits of wood together in a tighter and stronger fashion than screwing because the vertical shear weight is bared by the trenched wood.

What is crosscutting?

This is where you cut against the grain, ripping the wood width-way as opposed to length-way.

What are wings?

These are extensions to the main table top of a table saw that allows it to support wider pieces of wood.

What is a riving knife?

As you cut your wood, the riving knife separates the two components from each other, which prevents jamming that can cause dangerous kickbacks.

What is the cutting depth?

This is how thick the wood can cut at the extreme angles of 90° and 45°.

What is the rip width?

This is how wide a piece of wood can be that the table can cut against the Fence.

What is a push stick?

This is a device shaped like a stick you use to push the wood through the saw, keeping your fingers well away from the blade. Then can be simple and short, but can also be designed with purpose to be more comfortable and formidable.

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Amazon prices last updated on 18 December, 2024 at 01:08 ameBay prices last updated on 17 December, 2024 at 04:02 pm

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