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The DeWalt® 10” Jobsite Table Saw goes from its space-saving collapsed mode (left) to ready for work (right) in seconds. That aside from its long list of solid features can brighten the day of any woodworker faced with a small or shared-space shop. Click images to enlarge

DeWalt® 10” Jobsite Table Saw

Compact, portable power and versatility

Text, photos and video by Tom Hintz

Posted – 8-13-2014

One of the unmistakable trends in modern woodworking is the need for more portable, more easily stored power tools that better suit the small shops or shared spaces so many work in today. While several companies have taken a shot at this “portable” market the DeWalt® 10” Jobsite Table Saw (#DWE7491RS) shown in this review has been at the top of that short list since it was released. While it does not have some cabinet saw capacities it is capable of nearly everything the average woodworker needs to do. That fact that the DeWalt® 10” Jobsite Table Saw can handle that level of work at a price substantially under even cheap cabinet saws is remarkable. Add its ability to fold up for transport or to reduce storage space and you can understand why this saw is a favorite of woodworkers and contractors alike.

The Basics

The DeWalt® 10” Jobsite Table Saw (#DWE7491RS) includes the saw itself, a 10" 24-tooth carbide blade, rolling fold up stand, push stick, miter gauge, rip fence, 2 blade wrenches and the blade guard assembly. This machine sports a 15.0-Amp motor with a no load speed of 4800 rpm. To make it compatible with virtually any 10” table saw blade it has a 5/8"-diameter arbor.

The DeWalt® 10” Jobsite Table Saw has a cut depth of 3-1/8" at 90-degrees and at 45° 2-1/4". You get 32-1/2" of rip space to the right of the blade and 22” to the left. Maximum dado width is 13/16”. The overall table dimensions are 21-7/8" X 26 - 3/8". Overall weight of the DeWalt® 10” Jobsite Table Saw is 90-lbs.

The DeWalt® 10” Jobsite Table Saw has a built in 2-1/2"-diameter dust port to fit common shop-vac’s. This dust system is very effective because the blade is enclosed below the table in a shroud that concentrates the shop-vac’s power. As long as we have circular blades some dust will get ejected above the table but this system is very effective.

The 10" blade is enclosed in a shroud below the table (left) which greatly enhances the effectiveness of a shop-vac. the controls up front (right) are familiar and located logically for the operator. Click images to enlarge

The DeWalt® 10” Jobsite Table Saw comes with a full over-the-blade guard system that works well if the operator just uses and checks it’s alignment from time to time. The saw is shipped with the riving knife installed. The riving knife, like the blade guard system is mounted to the arbor assembly so it follows the blade up and down automatically. A nice feature here is that the release for the riving knife and splitter is under the left side of the table, not in the throat where I can be very hard to reach. I have skinned my knuckles and arm too many times trying to flip release levers down in the throat next to the blade.

This is a modular guard system that allows you to convert it to the included riving knife quickly. All of the components have on-board storage so they are always within easy reach when needed again. The fence and the miter gauge can also be stored on-board when not in use.

Rip Fence

The DeWalt® 10” Jobsite Table Saw uses a telescoping rack and pinion type fence system that lets you dial in the amount of capacity needed up to the 22” max to the right. The rip fence itself can be quickly repositioned to the right or left of the blade without tools. The rack and pinion system also allows retracting the fence rails to reduce the overall size of the DeWalt® 10” Jobsite Table Saw for storage.

This fence has a unique hinged surface that can be flipped over onto the table surface for cutting thinner materials. The low profile of this secondary fence surface offers the operator more room to use push handles and other safety devices to move the stock across the blade.

In the Shop

Assembly of the DeWalt® 10” Jobsite Table Saw is straight forward. The fasteners come in bags labeled with which part of the assembly for which they are used. Between that and a nicely done instruction manual you should have the DeWalt® 10” Jobsite Table Saw up and ready to use in an hour or two.

The fence system (left) has this flip-over surface that makes working close to the blade guard and with thin stock easier and safer as it allows push handles to be used. The rack and pinion fence system (right) lets you set the exact capacity needed to limit floor space usage. Click images to enlarge

The manual describes alignment of the blade to the miter slot along with aligning the splitter, riving knife and rip fence. All of these adjustments are rather easy for a contractor-style saw. I was able to get the DeWalt® 10” Jobsite Table Saw within a few thousandths of an inch of perfect and it seemed to hold that alignment well during our in-shop evaluation.

In use the DeWalt® 10” Jobsite Table Saw did a good job with all common woodworking cuts. The included combination blade performed well and is a good match for this machine. The motor has plenty of power if you keep a sharp blade on it and use realistic feed rates. I know some will complain about the DeWalt® 10” Jobsite Table Saw not having the cutting power of a cabinet saw but we have to remember that it also does not have the price tag or space requirements of a cabinet saw. For all of the real world woodworking cuts I tried, the DeWalt® 10” Jobsite Table Saw and its motor performed nicely.

Dust collection using a shop-vac is very good. The blade below the table is encased in a shroud that concentrates the shop-vac power to evacuate the majority of dust. As long as we have a circular blade some dust will get ejected above the table surface but the amount was insignificant during all of my test cuts.

Folding Cart

This feature of the DeWalt® 10” Jobsite Table Saw as reviewed here makes it compatible with the smaller shops in which many woodworkers find themselves. Working in a shared space is even more common and also requires putting the DeWalt® 10” Jobsite Table Saw away when not in use. This cart makes that a small chore and makes the DeWalt® 10” Jobsite Table Saw a small package that is easy to store out of the way.

Conclusions

Saws like the DeWalt® 10” Jobsite Table Saw often get a bad rap because they do not perform like a full-on cabinet saw. Of course that is a dumb comparison but one too many still make. This is a very good saw for this segment of the woodworking world and one that will serve the needs of a large number of today’s woodworkers.

The overall size of the DeWalt® 10” Jobsite Table Saw gives the operator a substantial platform on which to perform a wide range of common woodworking cuts and procedures. Add a couple free standing work supports (that you should have anyway) and the DeWalt® 10” Jobsite Table Saw can do it all.

The DeWalt® 10” Jobsite Table Saw is capable of making very precise cuts if the operator simply takes the time to set it up right in the first place. Normal care and occasional checking of the alignment is all that is needed. We should be doing alignment checks on the finest cabinet saw as part of maintaining these machines. The DeWalt® 10” Jobsite Table Saw in this regard is no different from saws costing thousands more.

The folding stand is solid and easy to use. The wheels are large enough to make taking the DeWalt® 10” Jobsite Table Saw to the job easy even over rough terrain. In the storage configuration wheeling the DeWalt® 10” Jobsite Table Saw to an available storage space is simple.

The DeWalt® 10” Jobsite Table Saw with the fold up cart has a street price hovering around $600.00 (8-12-2014) which is not bad at all for a machine with these capabilities. Certainly there are lower priced competitors but none that match the versatility, quality, ease of use and compact storage abilities of the.

To visit the DeWalt® 10” Jobsite Table Saw web page – Click Here

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