Josh,
I am a hobbyist woodworker so others may disagree with me.
A cabinet saw is not any more or less accurate than a non-cabinet saw. What it states or implies is that the saw has a fully enclosed base. This really helps with sawdust control. I use a cabinet saw primarily for sawdust control. My dust control system is attached to the cabinet section sucking sawdust. I still get sawdust throughout the shop. It just happens. A “construction table saw” has an open bottom and throws sawdust all over the place. I enclosed a friend’s construction saw with ¼” plywood and he has pretty good sawdust control with it.
The accuracy of the saw is manufactured into it by the design and manufacturing process. From that point on, how easy is it to align as things change? Most good table saws, known by trade names and brands, are pretty easy to align and they only need is occasionally. So, stick with the name brand stuff you recognize – Delta, Shopsmith, Rockwell, Ryobi, etc. Chicago Electric – Harbor Freight – my luck is not good.
Try to see them on the sales floors. Are they solid, rigid, in construction? Do the fences move or jiggle when locked and REASONABLE pressure is put against them. Do the miters jiggle left and right even the least bit when in their slots?
Power. (Just to complete the presentation for others.) Can you operate 125 VAC only or 220/240 as well. Power – volts x amps is watts and watts is power. Power means cutting a piece of 2” Oak or not cutting a 2” piece of Oak. What power do you need? Cheaper to buy power once and not use it than to not buy it the first time and have to buy it later.
Where does the rip fence sit in relation to how the blade tilts? Saws are left or right handed. I was taught by my dad NEVER to cut with the saw blade angled towards the fence. Just how I define it, if the saw blade above the table tilts right as you move it off vertical, it is a right handed saw. In this case I would want the rip fence to move to the left side of the blade. Why is this important in MY opinion, based on my education? If the blade tilts towards the rip fence you are creating a tunnel for the wood to pass through. As the wood distorts with the cut it will bind on the blade, possibly creating a stall situation. Wood has a grain and as it is cut you can expect this grain to change the shape of the wood.
How big a blade do you need? 10” is the most common for a shop and that allows cutting just over 3 ½” in most cases. This is due to the arbor and blade drive attachments. A 7 1/2” blade is probably good for just over 2”. Again, bigger the first time is better than having to buy a larger one later.
Personally I run a Delta 10” cabinet saw and do a lot of my work on it. I also run three different Shopsmiths. All four systems are 10” blades. The Shopsmiths are super in my opinion. They are 95%+ of what a table saw will do and they will do a lot more than any table saw will ever do as they are multi-tool systems from the outset. I cut hardwood, Oak, Maple, Walnut, up to 1” thick on them without a problem. And the Shopsmiths are variable speed so I can select the blade and cut – rip or cross cut, and speed for the wood. Beyond 1” thick hardwood it is the Delta. I do all my turning on my Shopsmiths, the best lathes I have ever used. As a power base I use them to power my belt sander, strip sander, band saw, and as a horizontal and vertical drill press. So I am a big fan of Shopsmiths. However, they have their limitations, as any tool does.
And I have one for sale. I am trying to recover floor space in my shop due to a recent CNC purchase.
Thanks,
Rex
