Best Small Table Saw? SawStop vs DeWalt Compact Table Saws

Testing the SawStop CTS vs the DeWALT DWE7485 jobsite table saws. I compare the features of each table saw as well as the cutting performance to find out which one is the better value. I purchased all of the table saws and supplies used to test the saws to ensure an unbiased review. I am able to do that thanks to our Patreon and Channel Member supports as well as some product links are Amazon and other affiliate links. That means if you buy something we'll receive a small commission but it costs you nothing extra. This helps support my channel so I can continue to make content like this. Thank you!

*Videos To Watch Next*

Product in this Video

#tools #powertools #woodworking

[Woodworks]

▼EXPAND FOR LINKS TO THE TOOLS▼
🛠 Tools In This Video:

Other Tools/Equipment I'm Asked About Often:

(If you use one of these Amazon and other affiliate links, I may receive a commission)

Other useful links:

[pscdfk]

Thanks for a great comparison. As a retired plastic surgeon who spent many years amputated mutilated digits or sewing back amputated fingers from table saw accidents, there is no doubt that the extra $600 for the Sawstop safety is eminently worthwhile! I am replacing the generic blade with a Forest Woodworker ll blade.

[jackwilliams]

I had a small nick on my thumb because of a distraction. It could have been much worse. A one hour round trip, $70 for a new brake unit, and $3, 000 for the saw. 12 years ago totally worth it.

[lelandfranklin]

Worked in the ER as a nurse...and the Dewalt IS probably a better saw. But, for my little home projects the Sawstop is just fine for my needs. It really is a $600 insurance policy...and with my deductible of 3k...well worth it. Saw injuries change your life in an instant.
Oh, and the Sawstop blade it comes with is pretty terrible. Upgrading it helped a LOT.

[jackdrury]

Still recovering from putting my hand through the table saw. I would like to think I am on the higher end of care taking when woodworking, but apparently not careful enough. Did it turning the 10 inch dewalt table saw off after starting a basic straight 13mm plywood cut but something wasn't right. Looked down at the switch, clicked off, didn't feel anything. then the realism kicked in that I had gone hrough my left hand fingers somehow. Spent a lot of emotional time looking at blood trails, cut direction and anything I can think of trying to figure out exactly what I did. No luck. 9 days in hospital, now 11 weeks down the line. Very life changing. Just wish I had known that the sawstop saws were actually somewhat affordable these days. Thought they were still only selling the full size one for like 20, 000. Can't really afford it but getting a compact one. It's the only way I will keep making furniture and I love it. Just thought I would share in case it swings even one persons decision. Biggest regret of my life. Don't be like me. You won't see it coming. No dado stack compatibility absolutely sucks but worth the other single feature.

[AB-nuwe]

I have the SawStop Jobsite Pro saw. It's vendor supplied blade was awful too. I switched over to one of my Forrest Woodworker II's and it made a huge difference. Barely taxes the motor, beautiful cuts. And of course, as a Forrest blade, very little if any chipping on plywood edges.

I did have one other issue that slowed my saw down: Out of the box, the bevel gauge was 1 degree off. Everything I cut was binding and burning badly. I saw that the gauge was off, but thought that was just an acceptable error on the gauge. I finally threw an engineers square up against the blade - woah, it was out of vertical. I went through the calibration process and that also made a huge difference too. Checked the fence after that, and it was parallel to the table top slots. Saw runs very well now.

Is the saw you're working with worth the $600 difference? Oh yeah, like insurance. You pay for something you hope you never have to use, but it's there when it counts.

[frankd]

I appreciate your candid approach when explaining what you are trying to accomplish with ease. Well done video sir. At 71+ yrs old I am learning about woodworking and find it extremely calming. Thank you for the presentation. The Dewalt Job site saw is on my wish list. Take care - Be safe 😎

[ScottS]

You're right! Lots of people have accidents on table saws... ESPECIALLY WHEN THEY'RE NOT USING THE BLADE GUARD! It's really a shame that you didn't take the time to review and compare the blade guards that come with both saws. If the blade guard is easy to install and works well, you're more likely to use it and may have less need for SawStop's flesh-sensing technology. It might be interesting to see whether you could push that sweet potato into the blade on the DeWalt with the blade guard installed.

[Mike-oups]

Howdy Mr. 731....

Allow me to begin by saying....MARVELOUS video!!! Wasn't too long, wasn't too short. It was pointful (is that a word) and direct. I applaud you and your editor, well done!!!

(Damn, hit the wrong button, have to edit, wasn't done talkin)...

To be very specific here....A "JOB SITE" saw. Meaning, it is for the "JOB SITE"....i.e. You are a tradesmen and you travel to and from locations to perform work. This comment is NOT for the hobbyists getting into woodworking.

If I recall correctly Mr. 731, you yourself was an "on site" construction worker. I'm sorry, I don't recall the details, but nonetheless, you worked "contract" work on homes being built from ground up.

That being the case, so was too was I....I installed prefab cabinets from around year 2000 to 2009. I just call it 10 years in the trade. I worked very SPECIFICALLY alone. I had a few "helpers" but their quality sucked, I fired them. These are people's homes man, they spend 100's of thousands of dollars, these cabinets are important, they MUST be done correctly. Countertop people are coming in behind us, do it RIGHT the first time DAMNIT!!! Oooyyyy!!! Anyways, I could trust no one but myself to get it done, so, I worked alone. In my beginning career, I did "simple" installs. Like 13 cabinets, that includes kitchen and bathrooms. It took a few years, but I EARNED my trust with the company and I was soon installing 75+ cabinets in million dollar houses, BY MYSELF. Would take me 2-3 days depending on detail. Very RARELY would I be called back from the inspector to correct something.

Point I'm getting at is...I've worked "JOB Sites". And ya know what....there most usually is NOT a driveway for you to walk up, or sidewalk for that matter....There is a TON of crap between you (your vehicle with tools) and the house of which ontop of trash and discarded wood from framers with nails pointing out in all directions, you've got MUD to deal with and so help me...It was almost ALWAYS wet sticky mud. And, you're not always the first trade to show up on site, so parking right in front of the house didn't happen much. That means you gotta carry BY HAND (cause ya can't use a dolly through mud) """ALL""" of your tools from truck to inside the house.

Sooo, case in point....The lighter your tool, the less energy you use. You've got a 10 hour cabinet install....do you want to lug a 80lb saw 50 yards through the mud and navigate the mine field of scrap lumber then turn around and make 4 more trips to get the rest of your equipment? Ohhh HELL NO!!!

I used a $99 Delta tablesaw/jobsite saw and it weighed maybe 30lbs. My Dewalt miter saw weighed more (or so it seemed) (still have that miter saw btw). Not ONCE did I ever stop and think, "Geee, sure would be nice if I have a HEAVIER tablesaw that would instantly retract if my finger touched the blade". And then...I'd have to replace a brake too?

As for the 10" blade vs. the 8.5 blade....That's just total nonsense. When and how often do you need 3 1/8" blade exposed for cutting? Not very often at all unless your trade is building Decks and you're using 4x4's, but if that's the case, then your not using a tablesaw for that anyways.

Dado cuts??? Again, if your purpose was a saw for the jobsite....it's very unlikely you're going to be doing dado cuts so that's mute point. The only dados you'd be doing on a job site are for VERY high end houses and if you're doing work on those types of houses, neither of these saws are on your truck anyways.

So, in the end...it's about weight, quality of cut/accuracy and durability AND functionality with minimum maintenance. Dewalt gets a "check" on all 4. Sawstop gets a check on ONE, accuracy. Dewalt is under HALF the cost of Sawstop and fulfills ALL requirements.

That's "Jobsite" comparison of the 2 brands.

Personal shop and hobbyists....Well, that's a conversation for the stadium next door, cause that's a whole different sport.

[jsmxwll]

I ran the Skill table saw you recommended and this DeWalt. The most noticeable thing is that the 10" blade pulls far more current. I'd expect this SawStop is similar. I couldn't do that with any of the 10" direct drive saws I've used over the years. When cutting through 12/4 hickory for more than a few minutes, the Skill will pop a 15 amp breaker all by itself. 8-1/4" blades require less load on the motor for the same amount of torque so the current draw is lower.

If popping 15 amp breakers, or power draw on a given circuit in general, is a concern, then the DeWalt might be a better option. I can run my extractor and the DeWalt without much issue on a single 15 amp residential breaker.

[johnso]

Hearing you say that the DeWalt stops faster than the SawStop made me laugh. I get that it doesn't run as long after the powered is cut, but the SawStop stops nearly instantaneously when it counts!!! 👍🏼

[robertmatthews]

I just got the Dewalt from HD after watching your review. Thanks! I got the DW7485WS (with stand). Was cheaper than buying the saw & stand separately. Love your videos!

[RonGuilbault]

Using the blade guard on your table saw will reduce your chance of injury. I would have liked to seen this test with the blade guards installed. You can use a track saw for a lot of cuts, further reducing the possibility of injury.

[rcrogers]

May be a comparison between 10" versions of both saws would be useful. It would also be helpful to put blades that you would recommend on both saws. Thank you for a very interesting comparison. BTW, the Sawstop seems MUCH quieter.

[Mosa-]

Fair review, thank you. I purchased the Dewalt 7492 qs (European version) equipped with powerful 2000 watts motor. It takes dado Stack. Beautiful saw!

[MrPhilst]

Hi, thanks for the in depth comparison. I wonder, at 14:39, what's the name of that song? Can't figure out where I heard that, but it rings a bell and I'd like to find-it :)

[ibarskiy]

I got a sawstop specifically for that reason (and also precision. Dewalt is not the easiest to calibrate in some ways if it goes out of alignment). But evaluating whether I would feel a loss of a digit - the answer was a resounding yes - in very many ways - so that factor made it worth the premium.

[haltz]

Saw blade manufacturers recommend speed ranges (10-18k) for blades and this is done in SFPM (surface feet per minute). The larger the blade, the faster the teeth on the edge are traveling, so that RPM number is directly related to blade size. You can find this number by multiplying the circumference (blade size * 3.14) by RPM and dividing by 12 to get to feet from inches. In this case, the speed of the teeth on the edge of the blade are both on the low side of that range. The motor and saw blade are the variables that matter the most here I think.

Your circular saw might be 6, 000 RPM and 3 HP professional cabinet saw might run at 3, 500 RPM. A Makita 16" timber framing circular saw runs at 2, 300 rpm. The Ryobi 8 1/4" reconditioned table saw that's a whopping $60 at Direct Tools right now runs at 5, 600. Etc.

The almost proprietary blade size was necessitated by safety regulations that maintain certain table size blade height ratios etc. 8 1/2 in blades are pretty common on miter saws and it's surprising that they couldn't make that work, or maybe it was on purpose, who knows. The DeWalt saw is simply the smallest saw they can make and they make a bigger one with a 10 in blade if that's what someone needs. This one is incredibly cheap and portable. I have two of them and a Sawstop PCS in my garage. I'm sure there were a bunch of guys like me who found the Jobsite Pro to be huge and take up too much space in their truck or van or trailer and went back to this little guy, so Sawstop got into the compact game as well. I wouldn't recommend either one of these saws to a hobbyist.

[joemetzger]

Spent my entire life in the cabinet making and construction industry and have had multiple close calls but fortunately didn’t end up cutting off anything. The short answer is to not fear the tool but to NEVER be complacent and have total respect for it. If you think you are about to do something sketchy, you are don’t do it. Never rush so someone else can use the tool and ALWAYS keep the blade just above the material to reduce kick back.

[maxperis]

I lost part of my thumb in a table saw accident. Definitely having the saw stop would have saved it. Stay safe fellow wood workers/ construction workers