Harbor Freight Table Saw
Table Saw
A table saw (also called a table saw or table saw in the UK) is a woodworking tool consisting of a circular saw blade mounted on a tree and driven by an electric motor (directly through a belt or gearbox). The blade protrudes from the top of the table to support the material to be cut, usually wood. For most modern table saws, the cutting depth can be changed by moving the saw blade up and down: the farther the saw blade extends from the table, the deeper the cut in the material. On some early table saws, the blade and shaft were fixed, and the table moved up and down to more or less expose the blade. Control by adjusting the blade angle. Some early saws tilted the table to control the cutting angle.
A table saw is more than just a table with fast rotating blades. By using the suitable table saw accessories and accessories, you can upgrade and upgrade your table saw.
Table saws are mainly used for grooving, but this is not all you can do with this very important woodworking machine. You do not have suitable accessories.
All You Need To Know About Harbor Freight Table Saws: Terminology And Parts Explained
Table saws are one among the foremost common power saws found in virtually every woodworker or contractor’s garage. While they’ll seem fairly straightforward to use, table saws have specs and parts which will be confusing. To dispel that uncertainty, this text details all you wish to grasp about table saws from their various specifications to all or any of the parts you’re susceptible to interact with.
Harbor Freight Table Saw Basics: Specifications Explained
Amperage
If you think that electricity sort of a flow, then the amperage is that the amount of “water” flowing through the present. detain mind, this doesn’t seek advice from how the speed or strength of the present, just the quantity of electricity or electrons flowing. That said, the amperage tends to be one in all the foremost important specs when considering the ability of a table saw because it impacts the saw’s ability to take care of power while cutting or “under load.” For light work, 5 to 10 amps should be fine, but heavy-duty work requires 12 or more amps for the simplest results.
Horsepower
Horsepower is what many of us consider after they consider the ability of a motor or engine, but it’s actually a combined rating. You derive the horsepower from the amps combined with the voltage which– though the efficiency also comes into play. Since many motors tend to run between 50% to 70% efficiency, the horsepower and amps can vary significantly. While not the simplest metric, this provides you a solid rough idea of motor power without digging any longer.
Voltage
Voltage refers to the difference in potential drop and therefore the work required to push an electrical charge between two different points. For table saws, these can either are available 120V or 240V ratings with the latter ready to push more energy to the motor than the previous. While this might not necessarily be quite as important for general functioning, it becomes way more important for heavy-duty work. If you’ve got a cupboard or hybrid table saw, it’s an honest idea to appear for one that works on 240V.
Watts
Watts is another combined spec that finds more application on the International market. While this rating is also less common in American markets it multiplies the volts with the amps to produce a way of the 000 power a motor can push. the nice news is that it’s far more difficult for manufacturers to “fudge” the numbers with watts compared to a number of the opposite power ratings. However, Americans don’t seem to be accustomed to considering large electrical power in terms of watts.
RPM
Rotations per minute or RPMs can actually ask a pair of various specs betting on the manufacturer. With table saws, RPMs tend to talk over the number of rotations the blade makes in an exceedingly minute. However, some manufacturers provide the arbor’s RPMs if the blade RPMs aren’t quite as impressive. this can be generally what people mean once they speak about “blade speed” and matters more reckoning on the density of the fabric you narrow. Denser material requires more RPMs to forestall burning the cut face while softer materials require lower RPMs to forestall tear out.
Rip Capacity
The rip capacity refers to the utmost width of a workpiece that you simply can feed into the blade. it’s important to recollect that rip capacity is often measured both to the proper and left of the blade. However, if a manufacturer only provides one rip capacity, it nearly always refers to the capacity to the correct of the blade. as long as this will limit the scale of your projects, it’s often one of the more important specs.
Dado Capacity
A dado could be a cut made into the workpiece that doesn’t go all the way through the workpiece and forms a trench. The dado capacity of a dado refers to the width of the cut and trench made within the workpiece, unlike the dimensions of a conventional blade which refers to its diameter. Dado blades are available in wobble or stacked types with the latter offering an adjustable capacity but requiring more skill and knowledge.
Cutting Depth
Alongside the rip capacity, the cutting depth is that the other cutting size spec that matters a touch over most. That said, the cutting depth isn’t as simple as taking the radius of the blade and calling it each day. Since the arbor sits below the table, the cutting depth will always be but the radius of the blade. reckoning on how low the blade sits will determine how large the cutting depth is compared to the blade size.
Blade Size
The blade size is measured in terms of the diameter of the blade. this can be not necessarily the foremost important factor, but you generally cannot use a blade of the incorrect size– whether or not it’s smaller. Most table saws use blades that are either 10” or 12” in diameter, though some benchtop models use 8 ¼” blades. Even smaller “mini” table saws exist, but they’re either specialized or consumer-grade.
Bevel Capacity
Bevels are cuts made into a workpiece at an angle that not in line with one in all the faces. The capacity often refers to the utmost bevel angle, measured in degrees, but may also include considerations of positive stops. For the foremost part, beginning woodworkers and contractors can flee with a 45° bevel and no other positive stop. That said, if you’re an experienced woodworker or professional carpenter, other bevel sizes might occasionally be necessary.
Direct Drive Vs Belt Drive Motors
A direct-drive motor connects the arbor to the motor which allows for a more efficient transfer of power from the motor to the blade. A belt drive motor, on the opposite hand, connects a belt to the motor which then drives the blade.
While a belt-drive motor may even see a less efficient transfer of power to the blade, it compensates for this with a stabler cut. A direct-drive motor is prone to introduce vibration to the blade, causing it to chop less precisely. Learn more about direct drive vs belt drive motors.
Space For Storage
These days, most table saws include some feature that enables you to store either accessories or maybe workpieces within the table saw’s housing. However, smaller benchtop table saws generally have less storage and will never use hooks or another exterior storage method. Larger cabinet table saws often allow you to store all of the saw’s accessories yet as additional blades and perhaps even workpieces.
Harbor Freight Table Saw Parts Explained
Table Top
Tabletop is is that the part of a table saw where the workpiece sits as you feed it into the blade. this can be one of the more important parts of a table saw as its straightness will impact the precision of the cut. On top of that, the density of the table can reduce vibrations.
On/Off Switch
The on/off switch controls whether or not the motor receives power and spins the saw blade. While many smaller benchtop models use an actual switch for this part, larger table saws often include large buttons. the massive buttons are generally mounted lower on the saw and might be activated by your knee. this can be a security measure that enables you to quickly kill the table saw should your clothing get caught within the blade.
The Blade
The blade is that the part of the table saw that cuts the workpiece and comes in very kind of types and sizes. Of the two, it’s vital that you just use the correct size of the blade for your table saw to stop injury to yourself or harm to the tool. After that, consider the number of teeth, the fabric of the blade, and also the geometry of the teeth to decide on the correct sort of blade for the cutting task you would like.
Throat Plate
The throat plate may be a removable piece of the table saw’s table that enables you to access the arbor and blade underneath. While often metal, some lower-grade throat plates are made out of plastic, though these don’t stoppage further. Zero-clearance throat plates help prevent tear-out with edges positioned right next to the teeth of the blade. Read more about the benefits of employing a zero-clearance table saw insert here.
Arbor
The arbor could be a shaft within the table saw that holds the blade and determines the dimensions of the lade you wish to use. Some arbors are adjustable in terms of their size but most aren’t. The arbor either connects to the gear works turned by the motor or the belt. Arbors range from ¼” to 1” in diameter with ⅝” and 1” being the foremost common sizes for table saws.
Elevation And Tilt Handles/Wheels
The elevation and tilt handles or wheels allow you to lift or lower the blade in addition to tilt it. Tilting the blade allows you to create bevel cuts, though this also means you generally cannot use zero-clearance throat plates while doing so. Wheels generally accompany larger table saws while smaller models will use handles.
Blade Guard
A blade guard could be a plastic or metal cover that sits over the blade and helps protect you from it while cutting. detain mind, the blade guard only protects you from the highest of the blade. Some manufacturers use blade guards with tool-less removal to create changing the blade easier.
Riving Knife
A riving knife helps keep you safe by ensuring the 2 faces of a workpiece being cut don’t pinch or bunch up. This function helps prevent the workpiece from kicking back and potentially injuring you. Furthermore, the riving knife mounts directly onto the blade’s arbor and raises or lowers with the blade.
Dust Collection System
While technically any sort of feature that removes dust from the table saw while it cuts is an element of the dust collection, this generally refers to a feature integrated with some blade guards. A port at the highest of the blade guard allows you to connect a vac hose that sucks out the dust as you narrow. While this may be an incredibly convenient dust collection system, its efficacy depends on the vac power and flow.
Stand
Only smaller table saws include a stand which may be a component that you simply mount onto the housing of the table saw. A stand allows you to maneuver the table saw around and keep it at the most effective height for you. More often than not, stands are included with benchtop table saws but not many other types.
Cabinet
While technically every table saw comes with a cupboard, that’s infrequently what manufacturers mean after they consult with a cupboard. Instead, a cupboard generally refers to a particular form of housing for larger table saws. While the eponymous cabinet table saw is one, hybrid table saws also often have a cupboard. Table saws with a cupboard tend to be more powerful and precise than a table saw with smaller housing.
Harbor Freight Table Saw Accessories Explained
Rip Fence
The rip fence is technically an adjunct to the table saw, though most models nowadays include one. A table saw rip fence serves as a guide for the outer face of the workpiece, allowing you to stay the workpiece straight while feeding it into the blade. More often than not, the rip fence is created of metal to square up to the pressures of the cut and will be treated with an anti-stick coating to create sliding the workpiece smoother.
Fence Lock
The fence lock is really part of the rip fence that permits you to lock it to the table of your saw. Some older models use a bolt-on fence lock that’s incredibly sturdy but also takes longer and energy to use. A more common contemporary fence lock is that the cam design which allows you to lock the fence in situ with a lever.
Miter Gauge
A miter gauge is somewhat kind of like a fence in purpose, though it would look very different. Generally, table saw miter gauges are made out of metal, though some are the product of plastic. The miter gauge allows you to regulate the straight edge by degrees so miter cuts are accurate and precise.
Splitter
A splitter is comparable to a riving knife except it doesn’t affix to the saw’s arbor, sort of a riving knife. This implies that, unlike a riving knife, a splitter stays in the same place irrespective of the blade’s height. This could leave the workpiece to pinch in between the blade and splitter when the blade is ready to low.
Anti-Kickback Pawls
Anti-kickback pawls are another guard designed to stop kickbacks and are generally attached to the riving knife or splitter. The anti-kickback pawl employs two pieces of metal with teeth angled away from the blade. This permits you to feed the workpiece into the blade but causes the teeth to catch the workpiece should kick back out.
Magnetic Switch
A magnetic switch works to safeguard you from injury should the facility venture out while using the table saw. Essentially, if you lose power, the magnetic switch prevents the saw from automatically turning back on when the ability does.
Table Extensions
They are an often optional accessory that permits you to extend the rip capacity of a table saw. They connect with the table of a table saw, generally with a rack and pinion system. This permits you to regulate the dimensions of the extension as required, with some extensions providing for a maximum 52 “rip capacity.
Featherboard
Featherboards are another safety component that acts as a fence of sorts on top of the workpiece. More often than not, purchased feather boards attach to the fence. They help keep the workpiece straight along the fence’s edges. Thanks to the angled fingers, a feather board also helps prevent kickback.
Crosscut Sled
A crosscut sled is somewhat just like a fence except it moves with the workpiece. Crosscut sleds are useful because the longer fringe of the workpiece tends to run with the grain. You position a crosscut sled behind the workpiece to feed the workpiece into the blade.
Push Stick
Push sticks are safety accessories that allow you to feed the workpiece into the blade without having to fret about getting your hands and fingers close. While a push stick may be thick enough to be considered a “block,” the standard push stick is supposed to be used for creating thinner rip cuts. This ensures that you can simply maintain control over the smaller workpiece without having to position your finger near the blade.
Dust Bag
Unlike other forms of power tools where a bag attaches to the tool which sucks up and collects dust, a table saw’s vacuum bag sits under the saw. In this instance, the vacuum bag catches falling dust particles as they sift through the saw’s body. While not terribly helpful in keeping the cutting area clear, a bag makes cleanup much easier.
Dust Chute
While some table saws try and target dust at the source with dust collection mounted to the blade guard, that’s away from the norm. Traditionally, table saws include a dust chute embedded within the housing of the table saw which collects dust because it falls through the body. Table saw dust chutes are generally available in sizes of 1 14″, 2 12 “, and 4” with many models with multiple sizes.
Dado Blade
As mentioned prior, dado blades are accustomed to cutting trenches out of workpieces and are available in a number of different varieties. The wobble dado blade is the standard model and sees the blade spin in an “S” pattern that leaves a small curve within the cut. Stacked dado blades are available in a collection with blades and chippers that you can just add or remove to regulate the scale of the dado cut. Stacked dado blades leave a straight edge and are more precise.
Mobile Base
Opposite the cupboard, a mobile base could be a part of some table saws that make it way more portable than it otherwise would be. In confine mind, most table saws with a mobile base attach to the bottom, though some have the bottom built directly into the housing. Generally, a table saw with a mobile base is supposed to be taken to the employment site. As such, these table saws find most of their use with contractors and other professionals.
Summary
As you’ll see, once you break down a harbor freight table saw into its various parts and specs, what was once a confusing topic is fairly straightforward. Outside of industry-specific terms and jargon, table saws really only involve a few unique concepts. Now that you simply know all about table saw basics, you ought to be well-armed to shop for the simplest table saw for your workshop.
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Important Factors to contemplate
When buying a table saw it’s important to stay some important factors in mind:
Portability – Will you wish to maneuver your table saw often or will it’s stationary? There are larger table saws that might do best in an exceedingly stationary place. If you would like to maneuver your table saw around or take it with you there are compact and portable options too.
Ease of Use – If you’re a beginner you’ll want to seem into a less powerful table saw, this can be because when an influence tool has more power, it will be hard to regulate.
Motor – The more power a motor has, the higher its performance is going to be. However, confine mind that when a motor is more powerful it can sometimes make the tool harder to regulate. For more information on what proportion power a table saw needs, check out How Much Power
Does a Table Saw Need?
Power Source – There are cordless and corded table saws out there. Cordless power saws are great if you wish to move your table saw quickly and simply, however, you’d need some batteries readily available for a full day’s work. A corded table saw makes moving the saw around harder but you don’t must worry about having enough batteries.
Durability – Since power tools like table saws don’t seem to be cheap, you would like to form sure the table saw you’re looking into buying is durable.
Why you thought to Buy a Table Saw
There are quite a few reasons to feature a table saw in your workshop. Here are some of them:
Very versatile – Table saws have many uses. they’re very customizable and that they are useful on job sites, in workshops, etc.
Powerful – Table saws will allow you to tackle a number of the toughest jobs with ease.
Great for larger materials – Most table saws have more table space compared to other saws. this permits you to handle larger materials easier and more safely.
There are many pros, but there’s one con that may affect people’s decision when it involves buying a table saw:
Dangerous power tool – Table saws are more dangerous than something sort of a miter saw, this might be a priority for somebody who doesn’t feel very confident around power tools.
HARBOR FREIGHT TABLE SAW REVIEW
The harbor freight table saw is one of the most important pieces of equipment in the carpenter’s arsenal because it is used in almost every project. Whether you are making a bookcase or a chair, you will most likely still use a table saw, but it is important that you invest your money in a high-quality table saw, which will bring you excellent results. And will serve you for a long time. the weather. Experience and uptime I decided to review Harbour Freight’s table saws to help you make the best purchase decision.
USING THE HARBOR FREIGHT TABLE SAW FOR THE FIRST TIME
After getting the table saw out of the packaging and founded for its first project, I used to be excited about finally getting an opportunity to check it out. I had spoken to some colleagues who were curious about my review of the Harbor Freight Table Saw in addition, because they’d heard of the brand but never used the saw before.
I was planning on making a straightforward desk for a family friend, which involved employing a table saw to induce the proper measurements. This allowed me to actually test the capabilities of the Harbor Freight table saw. The blade cut relatively smoothly for a coffee end table saw and therefore the motor provided quite enough power. Hard Money Property often recommended Harbor Freight after they provided hard money loans in different locations around the U.S. I think that the table saw did an adequate job of cutting the pieces I needed for my desk.
PROS OF THE HARBOR FREIGHT TABLE SAW
The Harbor Freight Table Saw could be an alow-end table saw that’s affordable enough for people on a budget yet as anyone who is simply getting started with woodworking. I think this is often an excellent option for beginners, but if you’re a sophisticated woodworker, this may not be the most effective option for you. From my review of the Harbor Freight Table Saw, here could be a list of the pros of the merchandise.
It is affordable. This makes it an ideal option for anyone who is looking to shop for their very first table saw.
It is a little table saw. Typically, beginner woodworkers don’t have enough space for an oversized table saw, so this can be a good option for limited space.
It has a robust motor. The 15amp motor is one of the more powerful motors in this price range.
CONS OF THE HARBOR FREIGHT TABLE SAW
I enjoyed my experience using this table saw, but it’s important to show some cons to present you with a full understanding of the merchandise. This table saw could also be one of the most effective table saws for beginners, but it probably won’t do the work for well-versed woodworkers.
It is a tiny low table saw. Small table saws will be great for a few people, except for larger projects it may be difficult to use a tiny low table saw.
The cuts may well be cleaner. If you’re functioning on a vital project, you would like your cuts to be as clean as possible, but with this table saw there’ll be the occasional stray cat.
HOW TO GET THE MOST OUT OF YOUR HARBOR FREIGHT TABLE SAW
Harbor Freight Table Saws can facilitate your getting through a large variety of different projects, but it’s important to urge the foremost out of your table saw. Harbor Freight offers great table saws and a reasonable price that makes them perfect for your average woodworker or craftsman. You shouldn’t worry about spending a fortune to induce a table saw that you simply can use on many various projects. To urge the foremost out of your harbor freight table saw, we highly recommend that you just use your table saw more often! The simplest thanks to realizing how versatile a table saw is, is to do new projects! If you simply work on identical forms of projects, you’ll never realize how beneficial a table saw will be. Read Harbor Freight table saw reviews to work out what quiet projects other customers are using their table saw for.
HOW DO YOU INSTALL A TABLE SAW FROM HARBOR FREIGHT?
To put in your table saw from Harbor Freight, it’s important to follow the instructions that include your saw. These instructions will walk you through the complete process of putting in and operating your table saw. Sometimes it’s easier to own a group of helping hands to make it easier to put in your table saw.
HOW TO SHARPEN HARBOR FREIGHT TABLE SAW BLADES
If you purchase a table saw from Harbor Freight, there may come a time where you’ll sharpen the blades. Sharpening table saw blades may be beneficial because it will provide you with a cleaner and more accurate cut for your woodworking projects. After reading Harbor Freight table saw reviews from past customers, we haven’t seen many mentions of table saw blades eager to be sharpened. From our experience, we’ve never experienced a necessity to sharpen the blades, but if you suspect they have to be sharpened, we highly recommend reaching bent Harbor Freight and not trying to try and do this by yourself. Sharpening table saw blades are dangerous if you don’t know what you’re doing.