This is my hybrid table saw.
A hybrid table is essentially a cross between
what's traditionally known as a contractor saw
and a cabinet maker saw, but I don't have
a cabinet maker saw to show you. Now the term contractor saw
is kind of obsolete because contractors nowadays
almost always use job site saws, like this one,
because these are so much easier to move than one of these.
But before these saws came into existence in about the 1980's,
one of these was still a lot easier to move
then a cabinet maker saw, because on one of these,
you can take the motor off and you can also detach it
from the base and then it's actually fairly luggable
by two people. So this contractor saw
isn't exactly the way they come stock
I have added a table extension here, I closed it off
on the bottom, and I closed it off here
so I have better dust collection and L also added this here,
which dampens some of the vibrations so it's kind of hard
to see inside the saw right now but the mechanism for the saw
is essentially attached to the bottom of the cast iron table,
which isn't ideal. On a cabinet maker saw
the mechanism would be attached to the base
and then the table just sits on top
but this is a hybrid table saw and it's actually built
more like a contractor saw even though it looks more like
a cabinet maker saw. So this one has
an enclosed housing, there's a lid that goes on here
and the mechanism is almost identical
to that of a contractor saw in that you have the trunnions
attached to the bottom of the table
they're tied together with this bar here, and the motor
hangs off the bottom of the mechanism whereas if it was
a contractor saw, the motor would hang out the back here
and this would be open. So the big advantage of this
over a contractor saw is that it's much easier to contain
the dust, you don't have the motor sticking out the back,
and beyond that it operates very much the same.
Disadvantage over a contractor saw is that this is
much harder to move because you can't take the motor off
very easily, and you can't take the base apart but that's okay
because these saws are meant for hobbyists, they're meant to go
into a hobby workshop and you really don't move them,
much like you wouldn't with a cabinet maker saw.
Now contractor saws have cast iron tops and induction motors,
which means they run quiet and they're fairly precise
but given the much better portability of a job site saw,
even though they don't work as well,
the increased portability of a contractor saw
compared to a cabinet maker saw just doesn't make sense anymore
and so you don't really see many of these made anymore
and for a hobbyist who just wants a inexpensive saw
to use in the workshop it makes much more sense
to have a cabinet like this with a motor inside.
This doesn't cost any more to make than one of these
and essentially this serves the purpose of being
a hobbyist cabinet maker saw. And, so the saws typically
come with motors that are 1 1/2 or3/4 horse power,
which is the biggest that you can still plug into
a regular 120 volt outlet, whereas cabinet maker saws
come with typically 3 horse power motors
and require a 240 volt circuit. Now having the whole mechanism
hang off the bottom of the table is not ideal
compared to a cabinet maker saw because for one thing
it causes the table to sag down just a little bit,
whereas on a cabinet maker saw with the mechanism on the cabinet
there's no load on the top. This contractor saw is actually
a little bit better in this regard because with a motor
at the back it actually applies leverage and pushes the middle
of the table up a little bit and having a table bow up
is actually much less of a problem than having it bow down.
This one bows down by about half a millimeter.
I've been using my old contractor saw partially because
I wasn't sure where I wanted to put it and I have a mobile base
on that one, but I'm pretty sure I want it there now,
So I'll move it in place before I put it together.
So except for the guard, which is kind of useless,
this is now pretty much everything that came with the saw.
And now adding my homemade table extensions.
I have my router lift right here plus an extra leg
to support this table extension
and I have my little mini dust collector hooked up here
and right now this saw is actually, I put an angle
because I needed a lot of room this way
and then later for cove cuts this way because I was making
a whole stack of baseboards since then
and that will be next week's video,
because we'll be traveling this week so I don't have
as much time to make a really involved video.
So that's all for this week and here's a sneak preview
of my next review which should be ready in a week.