Help

Tool review: 3-HP Tablesaws

With riving knives now required to earn approval by Underwriters Laboratories, manufacturers took the opportunity to freshen up their saws. We tested 9 of them.

Share
Print
Comments (5)

Pages in this Story:

Riving Knife Saws

WOOD® magazine tool tester Bob
Baker uses a power feeder to drive
2"-thick red oak at a consistent rate

Riving Knife Saws

According to the old joke, every tablesaw made in the last 50 years came with a free dust collector: the combination blade guard/splitter that sits on a shelf collecting dust. That's because most of us reason that we're smart enough not to stick our fingers into a moving blade. However, kickback can surprise even the most seasoned woodworkers, and many tablesaw injuries caused by kickback could have been thwarted by a riving knife, a steel fin located immediately behind the blade that goes up and down with it and prevents a board from contacting the teeth at the back of the blade.

Our test of today's riving-knife-equipped cabinet-style saws reveals that you'll be glad to have most of them in your shop. As we discovered, it's the subtle differences and helpful features that separate the top performers from the pack.

Continued on page 2: You'll like a riving knife

Free Year + Free Gift! Order NOW and get 1 FREE YEAR of Wood® Magazine! PLUS you'll get our Great Projects for Your Shop guide instantly! That's 2 full years (14 issues) for the 1-year-rate – just $28.00. This is a limited-time offer, so HURRY! (U.S. orders only) (Click here for Canadian orders)

First Name:

Last Name:

Address:

City:

State:

Zip Code:

Email Address:

100% Money-Back Guarantee: You must be pleased, or you may cancel any time during the life of your subscription and receive a refund on any unserved issues – no questions asked. Wood® Magazine is currently published 7 times annually – subject to change without notice. Double issues may be published, which count as 2 issues. Applicable sales tax will be added. E-mail address required to access your account and member benefits online. We will not share your e-mail address with anyone. Click here to view our privacy policy.

Comments (5)

shelcom wrote:

I'll take a Canada Made General any day!

12/2/2010 02:17:44 PM Report Abuse

climbing123 wrote:

I bought a Sawstop four years ago. I debated between it and the PM2000, but couldn't be happier with the Sawstop. It is built so well and is so easy to use. I've never had an issue cutting 12/4 hard maple on it, while my old delta couldn't come close to handling it.

11/13/2010 12:22:52 PM Report Abuse

gilstebbins2328678 wrote:

You didn't indicate which brands of 3HP table saws were used in the review.

11/12/2010 04:16:43 AM Report Abuse

Tlotimothy wrote:

I once attended a power-tool event at the Hardwood Connection in Sycamore Illinois. Their shop foreman said he'd assembled hundreds of large-scale power tools "from the factory" over his career, and nothing came close to the fit & finish of SawStop.

11/11/2010 04:13:27 PM Report Abuse

hosford6 wrote:

I totally disagree. I have a SawStop ICS and it defiantly is not under powered. just finished cutting 50 BDFT of 10/4 White Oak no problem. The machining is excellent inside and out. Highly Recommended.

11/11/2010 12:18:39 PM Report Abuse