If you use a table saw on a regular basis or have to cut things at a different location, then you’re going to need a portable table saw. The benefit being that you can take a portable saw with you anywhere whereas with the larger ones, you’re stuck in one spot. But there’s tons of table saws to choose from so how do you know which is the best portable table saw?
We’ve reviewed a wide variety of portable table saw’s to narrow it down to this list of the top 7. We’ll show you the specs, what we like, don’t like, who should use each one and more.
Let’s jump right in…
In a Rush? Our Top 3 Picks In Order...
Below we review each table saw, cover the specs like power, safety, weight and more. We also show you what each one is best used for and who should or shouldn't get it.
If you need a lightweight and portable 10” table saw with an enormous 32.5” rip capacity, the DWE7491RS is your workhorse. While it’s a little on the heavier side, it comes with a built-in stand that has oversized wheels that make it easy to bring it to and from the job site. The legs fold down so you can put it in the back of your truck without it tipping in transport. And when you get to the job site, the legs easily fold out and you’re ready for action.
It’s huge 32.5” rip capacity means you can cut up to a 75” board directly down the middle and with 4,800 rpm’s you’ll have no trouble cutting through even harder sheets of wood. As far as job site set up and portability goes, beyond the wheels and folding legs, it also has a smooth rack and pinion telescoping fence that glides out for easy and accurate adjustments on the fly. And if you’re cutting indoors, it has a 2.5” dust port that fit’s a shop vac and collects the vast majority of the sawdust.
A few more notable things about the Dewalt are that almost everything on the saw can be quickly and easily changed out. The blade guard just snaps in place, the
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If you’ve done any home renovations or construction work, you already know about Bosch tools and their level of quality. The Bosch 4100-10 is a contender for the number one spot and, frankly, it’s a hard decision.
When it comes to cutting accuracy with portable table saws, there are some sacrifices but that’s the nature of a portable saw. However, the Bosch 4100-10 is one of the most accurate portables we’ve seen. It comes with a powerful 4 hp, 3,650 rpm motor and a 25” rip capacity that can easily slice plywood with precision and speed. And when it comes to transportation and set up, they’ve thought of everything.
It has a patented gravity-rise frame that makes this one of the easiest saws to both setup and break down. The oversized 8” wheels on the frame make it easy to bring the saw through construction sites and with a lightweight total of only 60 lbs, it’s one of the most portable options. Beyond that, there’s on-board storage for your rip fence, blades, smart guard, miter gauge, and push stick so you’ll never be without the tools you need on the job.
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The SKILSAW SPT70WT-01 is the first portable table saw with a brass-geared worm drive system and it packs serious power in a lightweight package. It has 5,300 RPMs making it one of the highest powered saws on the list. It’s worm drive makes it a highly stable table saw and, even though it doesn’t come with a stand, it’s lightweight enough to move it in and out of the truck with relative ease.
Right out of the box they include a diablo blade that absolutely chews through wood like it’s butter. On the outside, it has a durable roll cage built to add stability and when you use this saw, it’s so low vibration that you can barely tell it’s on. When it comes to cutting angles, a simple turn of your wrist is all that’s needed and the rip fence is one of the most solid on a portable. It stays in place even when you put significant pressure on it.
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The Hitachi C10RJ is a great portable table saw for ripping lumber and packs both convenience and power all in one. The primary use of this saw is cutting large boards down like you would at a construction site. However, the cutting isn’t as accurate as the Bosch or Dewalt saws so if you’re a woodworker and you need precision, this isn’t the one.
On the other hand, it’s very easy to move around, set up and get cutting. It features folding legs with one having an adjustable foot for leveling and it has large 8” wheels that make it easy to walk it over uneven surfaces.
At 96 lbs, it’s a little heavy but the wheels and durable stand make it relatively easy to move it around. In fact, the only time you really notice that weight is when you’re unloading or loading it back into the truck.
As far as safety features go, it has anti-kickback paws, an oversized emergency shut off button at knee level, motor overload automatic shutoff, and an installed riding knife to prevent binding. And finally, it features on-board storage for all of the table saw tools you need.
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While the Makita 2705 doesn’t come with its own stand and it’s pretty heavy, it made it on the list because it packs a lot of power in a small package. With a 4,800 rpm, 15 amp motor and rip capacity of 25” you can cut through 4’ sheets with speed and accuracy.
The Makita features easy telescoping table extensions that are easy to adjust but there have been reports of difficulty so it’s a little hit and miss. That being said, the 2705 receives high marks in power, accuracy, durability, and overall performance. And as far as safety goes, the Makita 2705 has on-board anti-kickback pawls, soft-start tech, and a large off switch to prevent you from getting injured on the job.
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The Dewalt DWE7485 weighs just 53 lbs and comes with an 8.25” blade. At over 5,800 RPMs it’s built to cut through even hardwoods with ease. While the blades are smaller than all of the other saws on this list (8.25 vs 10 inches) it still has the ability to cut through 4’ sheets of wood with accuracy and speed.
One of the most notable things about this one is that it’s built like a tank with a durable roll cage that makes one-handed carrying easy. Most of the other portable table saws are heavier and harder to get in and out of the truck. With this one, it’s much easier.
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Another SKILSAW makes it on our list of the best portable table saws, and for good reason. The SPT99-11 comes with many of the same features as the highly ranked one above but this one has a stand with giant 16” wheels that can easily move over any job site terrain.
The motor isn’t quite as powerful as the SPT70WT-01 but it’s a mere 300 rpm difference. However, it makes up for that slight shortage with a larger, 30.5” rip capacity that allows you to slive 5’ boards perfectly in half.
Like the other SKILSAW, this one has very little vibration when cutting and super easy adjustment for the blade angles.
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There are quite a few portable table saw’s to choose from and if you don’t know what to look for, they all look great. With that said, below we cover the main things to think about before purchasing your saw.
The average cut depth at a 90 degree angle for most of the portable saws is right around 3” – 3.5” and 2” – 2.5” at a 45 degree angle. Most plywood is ½ – ¾ of an inch so you have plenty of depth to cut most of the wood you encounter. And saws like the SKILSAW’s with a 3.5” depth can cut through a 4×4 on one pass. Opt for a deeper cut even if you don’t need it because it gives you the most options. Whether you’re a contractor or you perform woodwork in the garage, this will get the job done on most projects.
There’s no doubt that you’re considering weight when you’re searching for a portable table saw. Portable table saws range between around 50-100 lbs on average. With that in mind, if the saw is on the higher end of the spectrum, you probably want it to come with a stand or you’ll want to get a stand for the saw. You also have to consider whether or not you can handle lugging it into and out of the truck. On the lighter side, you may still want a stand to make cutting easier but it’s far less work to transport them into and out of the truck. Some saws like the Dewalt DWE7485 are light enough to carry with one hand to and from the work site.
Of course price is a factor in every purchase you make. There’s not much we can say on this because you’ll make your decision based on your personal budget. However, making a decision based solely on price is almost always the wrong decision.Cheap table saws typically have weak motors, hard to replace parts, and are ultimately bad purchases. However, the saws above are all a great value for the price. They’re not the most expensive or the cheapest but they’re all right in the sweet spot of price, durability, and value.
When looking at portable table saws, you want something with at least 3,500 rpm’s. The higher the rpm, the more powerful the motor and the easier it’s going to cut through thicker and harder woods. If you cut harder woods on a regular basis, opt for the highest rpm you can get. The two SKILSAW’s on this list are the highest ones in this category. However, pay attention to the torque because even saws with lower rpm may have a higher torque rate which means the cuts will be more accurate and the blade will jam less.
Most portable table saws have anti-kickback technology that prevents wood from jumping and kicking back at you. However, take note of the soft start which prevents you from tripping circuit breakers, the emergency off switch on the side, and the guard.
Every table saw on this list is equipped to handle any job you throw at it. And you can’t go wrong with any one of the options. However, there are a few that stand out as the best.
And there you have it. Those are our top three picks with the Dewalt being our favorite and the best portable table saw