If there’s one tool in every serious woodworker’s wish list or workshop, it must be a table saw. The super versatile power tool is a must-have for a range of cutting tasks, and the results are comparable to none.
But what do you do if you don’t have a table saw? If you don’t have a table saw, you can turn to any other cutting tools like the circular saw, jigsaw, or track saw and get the job done. However, the table saw is an all-rounder, something we can not say about other types of saws.
Most substitute tools may perform great in a few circumstances, but not every area that a table saw does.
If you are not sure of the right tool to choose for your specific wood cutting needs, you’ve landed on the right page. In this post is a list of alternatives to table saws, and we’ll tell you what jobs they are best for.
What Is A Table Saw?
A table saw is a robust and effective motorized sawing and cutting tool. It is designed like a table with a circular saw popping up through the underside.
Users feed boards to the blade spinning at ultra-high speed, and it slices them. The height of the blade is adjustable to enable the table saw to make very deep cuts, thereby handling thick lumber effortlessly.
It is popularly used for making very long cuts or rip cutting on a large scale. And because it can do repetitive jobs quickly, it is a familiar tool in professional workshops.
Working hand-in-hand with a table saw is a table saw fence, a straight flat-edged surface placed on top of the table. The fence guides the wood along so it doesn’t shift, maintaining perfectly straight cuts.
In addition to making long, straight, and deep cuts, table saws are loved for their clean finish. The edges are often so smooth there’s no need to go over them again with a finisher.
Another area where table saws shine is speed and repeatability. Once you set the saw’s dimensions, it will generate identical repetitive cuts continuously and fast. This is critical in a workshop where you need to churn out plenty of cuts quickly.
Among the many functions of table saws are rip cuts, cross cuts, bevel cuts, miter cuts, and joinery cuts. There are several different types of blades available for this range of cuts.
A table saw is pretty much a must-have for woodworkers, but the price tag might be giving your pause if you’re not ready to invest in expensive tools.
Table saws are a huge investment. Honestly, mainly contractors and professional woodworkers find it worth getting for their workshops. It will pay off where woodworking is carried out en masse.
Ordinary apprentices and homeowners can get a table saw too, but the significantly expensive cost and storage space requirements are constraints for many DIY woodworkers with tiny spaces or low budgets.
Another issue with table saws has to do with safety. OSHA has raised the alarm over safety concerns for using table saws, given the uncountable number of fatalities from work-related injuries associated with table saws.
Since you feed the wood through the blade, the chances of accidentally chopping off your fingers cannot be ignored. The most common table saw injuries are from kickbacks.
When the cut wood pinches the blade, it flings the workpiece backwards. Because the blade is spinning so fast, the throw advances with enormous force and speed, hitting your face, chest, or stomach.
At the same time, it could push the fingers backward and into the blade. The worst-case scenario is when the user tips over onto the blade.
If you are a lucky table saw owner who already knows ways around preventing such accidents, still, your favorite table saw could suddenly break. So, what can you use instead of a table saw?
7 Table Saw Substitutes For Cutting Wood
Among the multiple functions of table saws are ripping, crosscutting, bevel cutting, grooving, rabbeting, kerfing, and joint cutting like tenon, dado, lap, and dovetail joints.
With the bar set so high, finding an equivalent for this workhorse may seem impossible. There definitely is no perfect match, but many alternative tools are nearly as good and perhaps even better at specific cuts.
These are not as versatile, fast, nor smooth as table saws, but they may be smaller and more budget-friendly, and they’ll get the work done efficiently.
1. Circular Saw
A circular saw is the most common substitute for a table saw. It is compact and portable, hence more convenient if you need to work at different job sites.
This saw features a circular rotating blade, and unlike a table saw, it is handheld. You push the rotating blade (which is usually around an arbor) into the wood and get access to full control.
It can make accurate straight cuts. Provided that a guide system is put in place to line up the wood, it works great for rip cuts.
A good quality calibrated guide also helps with repeatability, without which making identical cuts becomes a struggle. A circular saw makes cross cuts as well. A framing square can be used as the reference guide for the spinning blade.
This saw must, however, be handled with care, preferably by trained workers. It can cause fatal injuries similar to a table saw.
2. Track Saw
The track saw is another alternative available for high-quality cuts. It is a handheld saw guided by a rail or track on which the blade slides on, hence the name.
In fact, a track saw is a circular saw on tracks. Therefore, it eliminates the need for a reference fence.
This tool is great for lengthwise cuts such as rip cuts. It makes perfectly straight and relatively smooth cuts. You can also make angled cuts easily.
Although it supports repeatability, you have to continuously reset it each time, which can get tedious quickly if you’re doing bulk work.
Another attractive quality of a track saw is that they are safer. You need not worry about losing a finger or flying wood breaking your nose if you’re operating it properly.
Also, they don’t eat up so much space since you do not need to factor in room for infeed and outfeed.
A track saw can be your multipurpose tool, but it is best at cutting large boards into manageable sizes. You’ll have a bit of a hard time making cuts on small pieces, though.
3. Bandsaw
A bandsaw is just about as versatile as the table saw. It features a long blade between two wheels (sometimes four) and comes in various sizes and blade options.
There’s so much that you can do with a bandsaw: rip cuts, cross cuts, especially on wider boards, and miter cuts. However, the accuracy and smoothness do not match up to a table saw but can come very close with skill.
Also, changing the blades for different tasks on the same project can be frustrating. It entails setting it up from scratch. You’ll tune everything again, from the tension to the bearing, the tracking, and even the fence.
Unfortunately, a band saw is incapable of making rabbet and dado cuts, as it fails to cut to certain depths. As for matters safety, there’s some good news. A band saw is a much safer alternative to table saws with no chance whatsoever of kickbacks.
That’s because the pressure is exerted downwards when cutting wood with a bandsaw. So, if safety is the main reason you avoid table saws, you’ll love band saws.
The other two areas where a band saw beats a table saw hands down is in making curved cuts and resawing.
Curved cuts will be a piece of cake for you with a saw band. You’ll also be able to minimize wastage by resawing, something a table saw cannot do.
4. Jigsaw
A jigsaw is another cutting tool that you might consider. It has a much smaller blade than the other saws.
Though not the best out there for rip cuts, it is capable of making straight cuts, but you’ll need the support of a guide. It is much better at cross-cutting but on thin narrow sheets.
On its own, a jigsaw is not stable enough to maintain a straight course due to the thin profile of the blade, which makes it bendy. It is nearly impossible to pull off a long rip cut without flaws.
The best uses for a jigsaw are small precise cuts and curves. The small and narrow blade supports maneuverability within small and tight spaces.
A jigsaw cut must be finished with a sander or plane because splintering and inaccuracies are inevitable, especially when wrestling thicker boards.
5. Miter Saw
As the name suggests, a miter saw is an ideal tool for miter cuts. If you’ve used a table saw before for small miter cuts, the miter saw will provide you with an even better experience and accurate results.
Miter cuts are angled cross cuts or bevels, and the miter saw makes it so easy to execute. Simply slant the blade at a desired angle and cut.
While the table saw can mimic a miter saw’s functions, the precision and accuracy that miter saws provide, particularly on differing angles, cannot be matched.
It is a must-have tool for trimming and mold work. A table saw would only make sense on thick lumber and where precision is not fundamental.
You can also use a miter saw for ordinary cross cuts as well, but the wood has to be really narrow. Miter saws come in a range of sizes, but the 7 ½, 8, and 10-inch sizes are the most ubiquitous.
6. Router
Fitted with the right bit, a router can perform many similar functions to a table saw. You can stock up on a range of bits and interchange them for special tasks.
Depending on the shape of the bit, a router can make dado cuts, rabbet cuts, and even straight cuts, though the latter will not be executed as fast and as refined as with a table saw.
A router is the perfect alternative for a table saw with a dado blade. Even where there’s access to a table saw, it is the preferred tool for grooves and slots.
It is ideal for cutting interlocking joints such as dovetails and tenons, as well as precise and detailed cutouts from a template. You can use a router for this as long as speed and numbers are not of the essence.
The router on its own is a handheld tool that makes it portable compared to a table saw. However, portability is a trade-off for support and accuracy.
You will definitely need stability and could use a pair of free hands, especially on small workpieces, to be truly accurate. You are better off with a router table where you can have rails, a fence, and guides for maximum control of the direction of the now stationary mounted router.
To get more out of your router, you can also pair it up with a jigsaw.
7. Hand Saw
Unlike the various saws discussed on this list powered by a cord or batteries, the hand saws are manual saws. These humble saws cannot be dismissed as good alternatives to table saws.
Hand saws are among the oldest cutting tools that are surprisingly still relevant today, even with the advent of power technology. This classic saw, which also goes by “panel saw,” is hand-powered. That means you will need to exert physical force to get it to work.
It should not be a horrendous task though, if the saw is very sharp and of good quality. You may also need to go over the edges with a sander because it does not give a very smooth finish compared to table saws.
The best selling point for hand saws is that they are extremely pocket-friendly, have excellent mobility, and you can transport them quite easily. Also, they don’t take up a lot of storage space and give you complete control of your work.
There are various types of hand saws. A rip-cut saw, for example, is quite a common hand saw. It is designed to cut along the grain and is good for rip cuts.
The crosscut saw, on the other hand, cuts across the grain and is good for crosscuts. We also have the coping saw for curves and fret saw for even more detailed and smooth curve work.
There are many others variations like the hacksaw, backsaw, Japanese saw, keyhole saw, etc. Each of these and many more other hand saws have their specific uses.
Final Thoughts
So there you have it. Table saws are absolutely great to have for nearly every wood cutting need. But if you are limited on space, low on budget, or injury averse, there are a myriad of options available for you.
Table saws are not 100% irreplaceable, even if it means going back to a chisel and mallet to get the job done. After all, some of the greatest buildings and structures in history still standing today were actually built with very basic hand tools.
Luckily, you don’t have to go that far back in technology because there are better and faster tools besides table saws.
You can choose any of the smaller, portable or stationary, motorized, and even manual alternatives to table saws listed on this post for your various woodworking needs.
However, we didn’t promise they’ll be a multitasker like the table saw. You might need to add a few different tools to your collection to be able to complete any wood cutting task.
Up Next: Reciprocating Saw Vs Circular Saw
