TESTED: Saw vs Saw, three benchtop models

 

Words: Andrew Potocnik

The saws tested here are not your heavy duty type and come in at a much lower cost than a free standing ripping or crosscutting saw. They are designed to perform a variety of cuts, be portable, less noisy and provide value for money whilst still being robust workhorses. These are saws you can afford for the home workshop, or use as a site saw for transporting from one job to the next.

Metabo TS 254

This is a really well thought out saw, no frills, but everything you need is there and so easy to set up. All movable parts either slide or clip into easy-to-reach fittings on the body of the saw. It takes two to lift it out of the box, from then on it’s
a one-person job. Fold out one set of legs that double as handles and it’s ready to wheel away. Fold out the second set of legs, lock the first into position, tip the unit over, and it’s ready for use. It took about 15 minutes to unpack and set up.

I spent well over an hour ripping down 70mm thick dry redgum fence posts and found the saw simple to work on. It's comfortable for my 1.71m height. The fence is easy to slide into position (and the scale is accurate); however I found myself searching for the stop button because it’s not on the left where I’m used to having it.

The soft-start motor stops rapidly due to a brake — a great safety feature. As for the redgum — not a problem, the saw handled it with ease and never faltered. The 254mm blade left a clean surface and minimal tear-out on the underside of cut wood. The blade has a saw kerf of 2.4mm, which wastes little material and cuts up to 87mm, however the guard limits this to only 63mm. To cut to full capacity you need to remove the guard — thankfully, the riving knife stays in place.

Although the casing of the machine is open, the motor is in a plastic housing that catches most dust efficiently and sends it out through a 50mm outlet. An extra hose can be attached to the guard to trap dust generated on the blade’s exit. Lower edges of the casing are reinforced with 25mm diameter tube which doubles as a very comfortable handle when moving the machine.

The mitre gauge has small indents for easy adjustment to commonly used angles; it's well thought out and simple to use. The solid ripping fence clips onto the back and front of the table, but at times ‘pinched’ the timber on exiting
the cut. A little pressure applied to the fence before locking it into place overcomes this problem. For ripping narrow sections, simply release two screws and the inside edge of the fence flips over so the fence can slide under the guard.

The extension table on the right enables 630mm ripping capacity, and a support slides out at the back for long boards. I found this to be a really well designed portable saw that is truly ready for transportation from one job to the next. It’s easy to set up, simple to use, robust and effortless to pack up and wheel away. And the stand is a part of the machine, not an accessory, so it is included in the 33kg weight of the saw. The Metabo is a really compact saw that is easy to set up and robust construction adds to its versatility as a heavy duty worksite saw.

DeWalt DWE7491-XE

Unpacking and setting this saw up took about 15 minutes, easy. The riving knife is released via a lever under the table to swap it for the second knife which has the guard attached. No bolts, no screws, no spanners, no drama!

I gave the saw a thorough going over in terms of ripping lengths of dry 70mm thick redgum of between 450 and 600mm length and it didn’t falter — even after a couple of hours of solid ripping. The fence adjustment system is easy to use and there isn’t a problem with it tailing into the blade; it unlocks with a large lever fitted beneath the right side of the table and a knob which controls the rack and pinion movement from left to right. Making adjustments on this machine was a pleasure, the best I found of the three.

It’s marketed as a site saw and at 28kg was the closest to being a one-person saw that was relatively easy to move around, thanks to the built-in tabletop handle. A folding stand that is easy to assemble and fit was supplied. The large footprint provides a sturdy base but you have to get used to moving around it.

The split guard is the best I’ve ever encountered. Clear plastic enables a good view of what’s happening at the blade; plus being split, either side of the guard can lift or drop according to the thickness of material being cut, providing maximum protection for the operator — clever! It has an outlet for dust extraction, but no hose, nor a junction to attach to the bottom dust port.

The rack and pinion assembly that operates the fence is quite different to other saws. Once I figured it out and the fence was clipped into place I was won over. It attaches to several points along the sliding rails, including to the left of the blade and from there on it is a breeze to position — quick, simple and no tailing or ‘pinching’ of wood, enabling a rip of up to 825mm to the right and 558mm on the left. This saw has the biggest rip capacity of the three.

The flip-over fence used for ripping thin materials is the simplest and most efficient of all saws tested. Just release it from a clip, flip to the left and push it into another clip and it’s ready to use. On the outside of the fence you’ll find another clip used to hold the pushstick, ready to grab just when it’s needed, another clever feature.

The 2000 watt motor drives a yellow blade that gave the cleanest cuts both in ripping and cross-cutting modes. The blade can cut up to 79mm, even with the guard in place, and 57mm at 45°; however there isn’t rack and pinion assembly here, blade angle is set manually. The yellow blade seemed a bit unusual at first, but once in operation, I found it practical as you can see the perimeter of the spinning blade quite clearly.

This saw doesn’t have a soft-start or a brake and the mitre gauge is quite basic however this is a real workhorse
that just keeps going and going. It has lots of very well thought-out features, and it’s designed for simple and efficient use. The DeWalt is a solid workhorse, is perfect for the workshop and probably the best suited of the three for the worksite.

Bosch GTS 10 XC Professional

This machine arrived in a somewhat compact box of 850 x 810 x 420mm and takes only minutes to unpack and assemble. With leg extensions bolted into place, the process slowed and it took about 1.5 hours to unpack and assemble. Many parts of the saw were packed separately adding to set-up time.

Once in place the saw proved to have many positive features. I have no idea what the table surface is treated with, but wood simply glides along the surface. There is a sliding table on the left side to which the mitre gauge locks and then the table simply slides along ensuring angled cuts are repeated easily with minimal effort. The mitre guide has stops for locating commonly used angles. The table moves 305mm back and 165mm forward, giving total travel of 475mm.

The switch is conveniently located on the lower left side of the plastic casing, with a flip-up cover ensuring the machine isn’t accidentally turned on, but making it easy to switch it off. The 2100 watt motor powers a 254mm blade with soft-start and a brake that stood up to anything I pushed through, either in ripping or crosscutting mode. Ripping 70mm thick dried redgum wasn’t a problem for the machine, although the blade configuration left a slightly rough face and a bit of tear-out on the underside of the wood.

Plastic housing encases the motor and blade assembly so most dust is trapped and sucked out via the 50mm outlet.
The blade tilts via a rack and pinion assembly with a scale printed onto the case of the saw. Raising and lowering the blade is simple. The stated 79mm depth of cut is true if the guard is removed, but when in place, the guard assembly reduces the cut to 50mm. Fortunately the riving knife stays in place if the guard is removed.

It’s funny how small things make work a pleasure. The Bosch pushstick is a good width for ripping down to under 10mm, stiff enough to push material through easily and best of all, it’s comfortable to hold.

The table is 760mm wide x 600mm long. An extension on the right enables a 675mm rip and an extending support reaches 430mm beyond the sturdy ripping fence which locks to both front and back of the table. Sliding it into place quickly caused the fence to pinch timber between itself and the back of the blade, but this is rectified by pushing the fence tail out before locking it into place.

At 36kg, this saw isn’t really a one-person-move, but two built-in handles work for a duo. The underneath edges are rounded for finger-friendly lifting and once tilted, it’s easy to slide it into position, whether on a vehicle or the stand. All tools and accessories are housed on the machine, so once it’s set up you can just lift and move it elswwhere.

Abridged from issue 85, Australian Wood Review.

Andrew Potocnik is a regular contributor to Australian Wood Review. Learn more at andrewpotocnik.com