What Are the Main Uses of a Table Saw?

A table saw is a key component in any wood shop. This precise, versatile tool allows a carpenter or woodworker to accomplish a wide range of tasks with ease. The table saw can replicate many of the uses of other shop tools, including the radial arm saw, miter saw and dado saw.

Ripping Lumber

Carpenter performing a rip cut.

The single most common application for a table saw is ripping lumber (cutting a piece of wood the long way). With this technique a you can cut the wood to the desired width for the project in progress. Do this by setting the fence to a distance from the cutting blade equal to the desired lumber width. The fence is the built-in movable straight edge that comes as a component with most table saws. Woodworkers use this technique commonly on long boards or sheet goods, such as plywood.

Crosscutting Lumber

Table saw with a bevel gauge slotted on the surface.

Woodworkers perform crosscuts on a table saw by making use of the miter gauge. Crosscutting is the process of cutting a board to length. In order to accomplish it on a table saw, the carpenter frequently removes the fence from the cutting area to prevent the board from binding. The carpenter measures the board to length. The miter gauge slides into one of the grooves on the top of the table saw. The table saw holds the board tightly against the miter gauge, with the blade aligned to the measured marking as the carpenter performs the cut.

Bevel Cuts

Table tops with beveled edges.

A bevel is an angled edge on a piece of lumber. Beveling is similar to ripping lumber. The key difference is that the carpenter tilts the blade of the saw with a crank on the saw base. Once you've aligned the blade to the desired angle, the board moves through the saw and receives its beveled edge.

Miter Cuts

Painted wooden picture frame with mitered joints.

A miter cut is an angled crosscut, like those present in the corners of picture frames. A table saw can produced a miter in a number of ways. However, the most common is to use the miter gauge. You cut a miter using the bevel gauge set to the correct angle before you cut the board. Angle measurements are printed on most miter gauges.

Dados and Rabbets

Rabbets allowed the striped pieces to be inlayed at the corners.

A dado is a groove cut into a piece of lumber, usually intended as a channel to receive a joint or inlay. A rabbet is a similar groove cut along the edge. You accomplish these cuts by changing the table saw blade for a stacked dado. This is similar to several saw blades mounted together, and it creates a cut of a specific width. Then, you set the blade height to the desired depth of the channel. This is less than the full depth of the board, and the board travels through the saw. Downward pressure is particularly important with these cuts. The board can easily lift off the table and fly toward the operator.

References

• "Waterfront Woods"; Table Saw Techniques; Rick Christopherson; 1998
• "The New Woodworker"; Table Saw Basics; Tom Hintz; September 2006
• "This Old House" magazine; Choosing and Using Table Saws; John Kelsey; January 2010