8 1/4" vs. 10" Worm Drive Portable Table Saw?

[Gavin Egersett]

Hi!

I'm looking for some advice on two benchtop table saws (limited garage space). Currently I'm looking at the two Skil Saw Worm Drive benchtop models (SPT99T-01 and SPT99-11). I plan to rip up to 2 inch thick hardwood and up to 7 feet in length. My question is as follows:

1. Both motors are 15 amps. Is there a benefit for me to get the 10 inch vs 8 1/4 inch if my max rip would be 2 inches with a rip blade, which is under the total max rip capacity of the 8 1/4?

2. I mainly picked these two because it looks like the fence has a rail slot to slide accessories in on the face of the rail and others did not. I'm mainly looking at the JessEm linked below because of this (don't want to spend $300 on the other JessEm model). Can anyone confirm those are actually rails for attachments? I didn't see any real mention of it in the manual?

Thanks!

https://www.amazon.com/JessEm-04301-...0O5TGQ50&psc=1

[Curt Harms]

I haven't used that style saw for a good many years so my info and perceptions may be dated. I would not put a $308+ device on a $435 saw or a $648 saw. If the saw is properly aligned and you have a correctly adjusted splitter/riving knife installed you should be able to use your saw safely without additional devices. Just my opinion of course.

As far as 8 1/4" vs 10", I don't know if the smaller blade would appear to have more power or not. I seldom cut material thicker than 1 1/2" so a smaller blade would not be an impediment to me and in fact I often run a 7 1/4" blade on a 3 H.P. table saw when making cuts on small stock.

[George Yetka]

-The larger blade would have a higher speed and more teeth for an equivalent blade. Probably 40 vs 36 or so on a combo blade. Higher blade tip speed will clear chips faster and take smaller cuts. so less bogging of motor on say 2" hard maple.
-10" Blades would probably last longer because wear is spread to more teeth
-10" blades are easier to find
-Quality blades are more common in 10"

Either will fight you on 2" hard maple

An alternative may be a tracksaw and MFT style table. If space is a big issue. both fold away very small. You would gain the ability to do sheet goods a whole lot easier.

[Kenneth Moar]

One thing to consider is which saw will accept a full dado stack. I know the 10 inch saw will accept a full dado stack, not sure about the 8 1/4

[Cameron Wood]

I've had 8 1/4" and 10" Makita portable saws, and the 10" is way more useful in general utility, and blade selection/availability.

Rip capacity on a bevel is a factor, and I've ripped lots of 6X material on the 10", which I don't think can be done with the other.

[Michael Schuch]

That JessEm hold down looks WAY over priced for applying a vertical hold down force. In my experience a horizontal force to hold the stock against the fence is much more important / useful. The yellow plastic finger boards with a big magnet to secure them to the top of the saw are very useful for guiding the stock parallel to the fence giving you much cleaner and straighter cuts. I would make sure what ever saw you get has cast iron or steel top that a magnetic finger board will stick to!

I would also make sure the fence is sturdy and does not flex! It is too easy to get the cut alignment off a bit if the fence flexes. A solid fence is a must for good clean cuts.

Rather than the JessEm hold down I would invest in a good solid pair of stock support stands. The roller ball stands don't steer the the stock as you are pushing stock over them (which is a good thing) but limit the minimum stock width you can support with them to a few inches wide (depending on the spacing of the balls). The rolling cylinder stands work better for narrow widths of stock but the steering force increases the wider and heavier the stock gets. I made my own stock support stands out of a pair of old studio photography tripods that are studier than any commercial stock support stands I have seen. With good stock support stands I have never found a need for anything that applies down force to the stock at the blade.

The availability, cost and variety of 10" blades should make the choice of table saw size a no brainer. Quality 10" blades will probably be cheaper than 8 1/4" because of the massive number of 10" table saws in use. I use Freud hair line rip blades in my table saws and they leave an excellent cut finish that does not require further prep before use. Personally I wouldn't even consider a 8 1/4" saw for anything more than laying engineered flooring.

[Darrell Bade]

The Jessems do more than just push vertical. They are angled and push the stock against the fence and do not turn backwards for anti kickback. They also have some drawbacks but I have them on my table saw and router and like them. Woodcraft has them on sale every now and then for way less than the link but still expensive.