To the active renovator, woodworker, craftsperson or even odd-jobber, a table-saw is a very welcome – if not absolutely essential – tool. Sure, you can rip long pieces of wood with a circular saw, but it will take you triple the time. You’ll have to measure and set up a guide or jig and arrange adequate support. And the results can be dubious.
Face it, you need a table saw.
The problem is the space. Many of us are already deprived of workspace, and setting up a table saw in a fairly permanent location really eats into it. And if you need to cut long pieces of lumber, it’s a genuine pain to hump an ordinary table saw outside to find more room.
A table saw seemed a pipe dream to me. My workshop is housed in an 8′ x 12′ shed, and there just wasn’t room. Then one day, while waiting for my son at the orthodontist’s office, I picked up a copy of Canadian Home Workshop magazine and read an article on portable table saws. Within a couple of months, I’d picked up my 10″ Ryobi RTS30 Portable Table Saw with wheeled stand, and I haven’t looked back.
It stores easily in a corner of the shed, and when I call it into action – which is often – I simply grab the two legs that double as handles and roll it to where I want. Flick a release, slide the legs into position, and tilt it into position. It’s literally ready in a few seconds. And when the job’s done, it’s just as easy to fold it up and store it away.
You can move it anywhere you want, by yourself, and it fits easily in the trunk of your car if you need to use it elsewhere (or lend it to a friend.) And the Ryobi’s extendable table allows you to cut a full 24″ width, so you can rip a full sheet of plywood.
Have a look at it here.
I’ve got nothing but good things to say about my Ryobi. But most top power tool manufacturers offer similar models. Take a gander at this Makita Contractor grade table saw with a portable stand.
Or check out this Bosch 4100DG-09 10-inch Worksite Table Saw.