Portable/contractor tablesaw recommendations.

[RoadKingLarry]

I've been using granddad's ancient Craftsman 8" tablesaw for quite a few years.
It's a solid saw but it has no modern safety features and I can't run a dado stack on it and the 8" blade is a little limiting.
I've had 2 near missed due to kick backs with it recently, the 1st one it flung a piece of wood 25' and dented the metal wall of my shop, I learned to stand off to the side of saws long ago. Today I was ripping some shorter stock and the blade grabbed the  cut off piece and bounced it off my right clavical at base of my neck. This kind of startled me a bit. No damage beyond a bit of a bruise and a lump on my collarbone.

My wife caught me checking out the spot and I told her what happened.  She is now pretty much demanding I buy a modern, safety equipped saw.

Looking for a 10" saw, need to be able to run a dado pack. Want maybe something portable or at least semi-portable.
Budget is up to $600-$750-ish.

[Regolith]

This video has some good suggestions:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOPTam9r4eA&t=2s

Also, avoid anything with proprietary miter slots like the plague. I have a 10" Craftsman that has them, and it pisses me off every time I use it...

[RoadKingLarry]

This video has some good suggestions:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOPTam9r4eA&t=2s

Also, avoid anything with proprietary miter slots like the plague. I have a 10" Craftsman that has them, and it pisses me off every time I use it...

I'll watch that. I've been watching his videos for a while now. His collection of hand planes gives me a woody .

[charby]

I bought this last summer on sale. My only complaint is it could use a tighter fence. I'll probably get a fence upgrade if I advance beyound remodeling with it. I paid a little over $200 on sale. It is very portable and fold ups up nicely.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Kobalt-10-in-Carbide-Tipped-Blade-15-Amp-Portable-Table-Saw/50056619

[Firethorn]

Looking for a 10" saw, need to be able to run a dado pack. Want maybe something portable or at least semi-portable.
Budget is up to $600-$750-ish.

If you want a safe saw, the best I've heard of is "sawstop".  This is the saw that will, at the cost of a $80 cartridge and the blade, will ensure that you don't get more than a knick even if you stick a finger into the blade.  This is the saw where they show barely nicked hot dogs after running them into the blade.

It's a 10" blade, what you're looking for, though they do cost more than what you've listed your budget.  A contractor saw is $1800.  Would have saved my grandfather a few joints. 

https://www.sawstop.com/

All the reviews I've seen of them say that they're excellent saws even outside their unique safety measures.

[lupinus]

Keep in mind a saw stop, while having some great safety features, won't stop kick back nor will any other saw. For that the only real things I'm aware of are proper set up, making sure a riving knife is installed and properly set up, and proper cutting techniques to minimize kickback. Most any modern saw may well be better at the set up/design part. The technique part is on the user.

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[Boomhauer]

Visit a real tool store and see what you like. We have one that caters to contractors and they have higher end tool models the big boxes don’t stock

 

[dogmush]

We have a Ridgid portable at work we use for ripping marine plywood and some teak for the boats. It's not a cabinet saw, but I've been impressed by it. It has a decent fence, which is nice in this segment.

It certainly beats my Hitachi contractor saw.

Ridgid r4513

[Silver Bullet]

I went very cheap and bought a Kobalt from Lowe's.  $280 except on black Friday, when it could be had for $180 (don't know if that's still true).

Standard slots and fits a 3/4" dado.  I only use it occasionally in the garage, but it's my favorite tool.  Probably not sufficient for professional use.  Has a riving knife, anti-kickback pall, and one more device (I don't know what it's called) to prevent injury.

I built a small crosscut sled for it that I use at least half the time.

[RoadKingLarry]

The Rigid looks like a possibility.
After the wife saw the bruise I have now she went from "pretty much" demanding to "foot stomping" demanding.
She wants me to take grandpa's old saw apart and just put it away.
My price range may have gone up a little. I was browsing Woodcraft saws and pointed out a Jet brand hybrid that lists for $1500, she said "go get it".   
Not sure I can really justify that much saw though. I only use if 4-5  times a month at most but I do cut a lot of hardwood, oak, ash, osage orange...when I fire it up.
Still more research to do...

[K Frame]

Friend of mine has one of these: https://www.homedepot.com/p/RYOBI-10-in-Table-Saw-with-Rolling-Stand-RTS22/301205688

It's a good saw, but it only handles 1/2" dado stacks. By doing some rather... sketchy... things we've been able to use a wider dado stack, but to do anything much over 5/8s inch we have to make multiple passes.

We also ended up making a throat plate for the dado stack because we didn't think about needing one. It worked well, and we didn't lose fingers...

[AZRedhawk44]

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00F2CGXGG/

I bought this DeWalt about 2 years ago and it's been glorious.  Prior to that I had a hand me down Craftsman that has been through several families, and had a very much less than satisfactory fence. 

While being portable, it's incredibly stable.  I do have a dado stack for it, but I must confess I've yet to use it.  I have a friend with a proper carpentry grade table saw that I will visit his shop for tasks like that.

[41magsnub]

We have a Ridgid portable at work we use for ripping marine plywood and some teak for the boats. It's not a cabinet saw, but I've been impressed by it. It has a decent fence, which is nice in this segment.

It certainly beats my Hitachi contractor saw.

Ridgid r4513

I have that exact saw - well an older version where the stand isn't wheeled - and love it.  Fence is rock solid.  The ruler markings are dead on.

[PEfarmer]

I have the same Kobalt that Charby and Silver Bullett spoke of.  It's an ok saw, but not great.  Quite a bit of runout in the blade, and as mentioned, the fence is just ok, though there are some tricks to make it work better.  paid 180 at black friday a few years ago.  At a 1500 budget, the sawstop jobsite saw might be my recommendation.  The fence and construction are top notch, and fingers are nice to keep.  If you want a job site saw but don't want to spend that money, the Dewalt  7491 is probably a great choice.  The rack and pinion fence is pretty great compared to every other jobsite saw.  And for one more wrinkle, have you considered a track-saw in lieu of a table saw.  Food for thought.  I have the Makita and love it.

[bedlamite]

May be a heavier saw than you're looking for, but I'd look close at the Grizzly:

https://www.grizzly.com/products/Grizzly-10-2-HP-120V-Hybrid-Table-Saw-with-T-Shaped-Fence/G0771Z

[charby]

I have the same Kobalt that Charby and Silver Bullett spoke of.  It's an ok saw, but not great.  Quite a bit of runout in the blade, and as mentioned, the fence is just ok, though there are some tricks to make it work better.  paid 180 at black friday a few years ago.  At a 1500 budget, the sawstop jobsite saw might be my recommendation.  The fence and construction are top notch, and fingers are nice to keep.  If you want a job site saw but don't want to spend that money, the Dewalt  7491 is probably a great choice.  The rack and pinion fence is pretty great compared to every other jobsite saw.  And for one more wrinkle, have you considered a track-saw in lieu of a table saw.  Food for thought.  I have the Makita and love it.

Track saw same as a radial arm saw?

[bedlamite]

Track saw same as a radial arm saw?

No. Track saw is basically a guide for a circular saw. Very useful for sheets, not much good for anything else.

https://www.woodworkersjournal.com/track-saw-review/

[charby]

We have a Ridgid portable at work we use for ripping marine plywood and some teak for the boats. It's not a cabinet saw, but I've been impressed by it. It has a decent fence, which is nice in this segment.

It certainly beats my Hitachi contractor saw.

Ridgid r4513

I clicked on that link, except for being orange it is a dead ringer for my Lowes Kobalt saw.

[RoadKingLarry]

May be a heavier saw than you're looking for, but I'd look close at the Grizzly:

https://www.grizzly.com/products/Grizzly-10-2-HP-120V-Hybrid-Table-Saw-with-T-Shaped-Fence/G0771Z

The Grizzly saw is also a contender. Springfield is also close enough to make it worthwhile  just go get it to save shipping costs.

[Regolith]

Friend of mine has one of these: https://www.homedepot.com/p/RYOBI-10-in-Table-Saw-with-Rolling-Stand-RTS22/301205688

It's a good saw, but it only handles 1/2" dado stacks. By doing some rather... sketchy... things we've been able to use a wider dado stack, but to do anything much over 5/8s inch we have to make multiple passes.

We also ended up making a throat plate for the dado stack because we didn't think about needing one. It worked well, and we didn't lose fingers...

 Ryobi is the other brand besides Craftsman that tends to have proprietary miter slots on the cheaper saws, and it looks like that's one of them according to the comments.

[RoadKingLarry]

Decided on the Grizzly https://www.grizzly.com/products/Grizzly-10-2-HP-120V-Hybrid-Table-Saw-with-T-Shaped-Fence/G0771Z

I went by the local Woodcraft and looked at their similar offering and was a little underwhelmed. I've probably read and watched all the reviews on the 3 saws that made my finalist round, the Grizzly linked above, the Jet Proshop II and the Delta 36-725. I think any of them would probably have served my needs but a common thread in the reviews I looked at were folks with one of the 2 more expensive saws saying the had the delta first and it was a good saw but the one they had now was better. The fence on the Grizzly was rated a good bit higher than the Delta fence so that was enough to sway me. I really think the Jet is a bit overpriced but that is my opinion.

The wife and I are going to drive up to Springfield Friday morning to pick it up and make a road trip out of it.

[Unisaw]

Seconding the comment from lupinus, you should get a GRR-RIPPER and avoid kickback in the first place.  They are pricey but control the work very well to prevent kickback.

https://www.microjig.com/

[charby]

Decided on the Grizzly https://www.grizzly.com/products/Grizzly-10-2-HP-120V-Hybrid-Table-Saw-with-T-Shaped-Fence/G0771Z

Very nice

[AZRedhawk44]

Opted to set aside the portable or semi-portable requirement?

[RoadKingLarry]

Yeah, tried to think of the last time I took a table saw somewhere and figured out other than when I moved in 24 years ago I haven't. I did opt for a mobile base so I can move it around in the shop so that kind of sort of makes it almost semi-portable.