There are 4 kinds of tables saws to choose from though most amateurs will only want to use the less expensive table saws. There comes a time in every amateur home improvement enthusiast's life when he realizes that a table saw would make a job much easier. The kinds of table saws available are cabinet saws, contractors saws, hybrid saws and benchtop table saws.

A benchtop table saw can often be moved from one spot to another and is usually placed on a bench of some kind. The "benchtop" or "portable" table saw is often the best table saw for the amateur woodworker who doesn't have a large work area and will only use the portable table saw for small projects. Some portable table saws have extra bases available for an additional fee.

You can easily move benchtop them in and out of vehicles as needed. Portable table saws usually weigh anywhere from forty to eighty pounds, so you can't exactly carry them around as you would a hammer. Most benchtop table saws can use regular sized saw blades like other table saws, but there are still some drawbacks to portable table saws that you should know about.

Portable table saws often have some restrictions on how large a piece of wood they can cut. A lot of portable table saws often lack sophisticated measurement tools that more professional saws have. Because benchtop table saws are less heavy than normal saws they are not often as sturdy as professional table saws. Recently manufacturers have begun making more durable portable table saws for the contractor market.

You may want to consider what kinds of blades you think you'll use, whether you will need to adjust the blade height and whether you'll need to disassemble the unit and upgrade the rail system. When comparing specifications you'll want to compare weight, base configuration, and motor size. You might how difficult it is to adjust blades and add accessories. If price is a consideration then you might want to purchase affordable tools online. As you can see, when you're trying to buy the best portable table saw for your needs there are many things to consider.

If you're just starting out then a portable saw is the way to go because they are the most affordable of all the table saws and they can be stored fairly easily. There are lots of advantages to beginning with a benchtop table saw. Benchtop table saws can easily handle common ripping and cutting but may be more difficult to use for more trickier cutting. Benchtop table saws might not have the ability to use dado blades or advanced fence and rail accessories.