Explore the Powered Saws in My Workshop
Over the past 3 years, I have been upgrading my saws and expanding my saw collection. There are still more upgrades I would love to do, but I feel that I am in a good place and can accomplish most of my projects safely.
I had an inexpensive miter saw when I started woodworking and DIY projects. As I developed my skills, I quickly noticed I had issues with the miter saw’s accuracy and even making the adjustments the saw offered did not solve my problems. The sliding arm also took up a lot of space behind the saw. After much research, I found the Bosch 10” miter saw (listed below) met my needs the best. The unboxing and setup of the Bosch CM10GD was one of my first videos I made for YouTube.
The table saw was my next saw purchase, the Dewalt 10” table saw listed below is a contractor saw that offers a nice fence and supports a dado stack. At the time of the purchase, space was a huge concern, limited funds, and I wasn’t sure how much I would use it. Silly me, it is the MOST used saw in my shop and I would love to get a bigger/better cabinet or industrial saw some day.
If you want to resaw wood (sawing lumber into thinner pieces) a band saw does it the best. I tried resawing lumber using a table saw, but the blade height is only so tall and you have to make 2 cuts to accomplish it. Even then, some lumber is too tall to resaw using a table saw and you run the risk of imperfections when you have to flip the wood. If resawing isn’t something you are interested in, a jig saw can make the same cuts a band saw can, but a band saw’s features will make higher quality cuts.
Next to my table saw, my track saw is my favorite saw in the shop. Cutting a full sheet of plywood used to be something I avoided. Using a contractor saw, by myself, with limited supports made it extremely difficult for me. Instead of lifting the plywood up to the saw, I place it onto foam insulation on the ground and I can bring the saw to the plywood. If you don’t have a jointer (like me), a track saw can get a straight edge to start the milling process.
Power Saws:
Con: Dust collection
Pro: Sliding arm, accurate out-of-the-box, cutting capacity
Pro: can handle dado stack, nice fence, mobile/compact
Resaws up to 14”
Comes with a fence (not sown in picture)
Optional Accessories: Mobile Station & Light
Love this track saw. Makes cutting down plywood easier vs. using a table saw. I also have the blade for plastic/aluminum that I use on acrylic.
If you don’t want to pay for a track saw, this is decent circular saw. I upgraded the blade and purchased a few jigs to help cut straight lines
Pros: Onboard Light, 4 Orbital settings
Really versatile tool, comes with multiple heads that allow you to cut in tight spaces.
Works great on trim boards and cutting holes in drywall
I find I use this tool more to repair than to build.
