Rockwell Table Saw Reviews

It does not matter whether you are building frames for a door, or making your own furniture, you definitely need a table saw that is capable of handing the wood that you are using.

When making things out of plywood or MDF, the Rockwell table saw is one of the best tools that you can have.

What to consider before buying table saws

Any woodworker knows that a table saw is an absolute necessity when making wood items to the standards that are required today. There are certain factors that you should look at when you are thinking of buying a table saw, and these are:

  • Type of table saw – there are three types of table saws, and these are the portable, cabinet or contractor table saws. You will also find some that are called hybrid, because they are a mix of two of these main types.
  • Power rating – this has a direct effect on the type of work you will be doing. Low ratings will not manage to cut this wood, so you should consider this.
  • Dust collection – when you work in an environment full of saw dust, you may develop respiratory complication; the saw you choose should have a good dust collection system.
  • Safety features – you must always think of your safety when working with power tools. This is the reason why you should make sure that the saw you buy has the latest safety feature included or added as an option.

Presenting Rockwell Table Saws

Rockwell table saws are precision instruments; the company has come up with a way of fitting laser guides on the saws, which show you where the cut is going to be made. This is one of the features that stand out in these tables. No more guesswork as you go about your projects; there several other features and you will see them later in the article.

Things We Liked

  • The saws have a laser guide that improves the accuracy of the cut; no guesswork hence no wastage.
  • It has a deep cut and the depth goes to 3-9/16 inches maximum.
  • This saw has a fold out rip fence, which allows for wider rip capacity when compared to table saws in the same category.

Things We Didn't Like

  • The saws have a complicated blade adjustment process, which affects the time taken to set it up.
  • The laser guide should be powered by the saw and not the laser guide.
  • There is a weakness from the customer service department when it comes to answering questions, especially about the blade adjustment process.

Key Features of Rockwell table saws

Here are some of the key features associated with Rockwell table saws:

Great assembly process

When assembling Rockwell table saws, you will note that they are designed to assemble quickly. The table saw and the stand come assembled; the stand unfolds in seconds and securing the saw takes will be just as fast. You should always use the blade guard so you have to add it in, although this is optional. You will also take seconds to install the riving knife and the dust bag. It will take you approximately 20 minutes to assemble this saw.

The next thing to do is to adjust the blade, which is required to be true to 1/8 of an inch; this is actually a stringent requirement, so you must be careful when you are doing so. In order to do this, you have to flip the blade over, and remove the orange grating at the bottom of the dust port. Then you have to turn the handle that adjusts the height of the blade, and you will find the nut that holds the horizontal bolt for pivoting the motor assembly adjust the nut in order to align the blade correctly.

The laser guide

This is one of the best features of Rockwell table saws since it guides you on where the blade will cut the wood. This reduces the amount of guesswork that you must do during your projects and results in better and accurate results. The laser is operated by AAA batteries, and it seems to have been added as an afterthought.

Fold out 30 inch rip fence

This feature allows you to have a wider rip capacity than most other table saws. Cutting a 4 X 8 sheet of plywood will not need the assistance of another person. The rip fence is accurate and strong, and will hold the wood firmly as you feed it through the blade. The cut of the saw is quite deep, and goes up to 3-9/16 inches, meaning that you can cut a 4 X 4 piece of wood with a single cut.

15-amp motor

Rockwell table saws come with powerful motors, spinning the blade at about 4,800 rpm. When you are working with hardwood, you can be sure that the blade will work without any challenges. You should check the alignment to avoid any kickback or binding, when using a blade that is as powerful as this. You will have the assistance of an outfeed support which catches your wood as you cut it; this removes the need for saw horses or rollers.

Miter gauge


The miter gauge is quite odd in this case. When there is no wood on the table, it may seem to wobble a little bit, but one you put wood on the table, it becomes rock-solid. It is quite accurate once it has been held down by the wood, so you do not have to worry much about it.

Fantastic stand

Rockwell table saws come with a stable stand, and the trolley folds quite easily; the stand comes with wheels which you can use to move the saw from one point to another. All the accessories and tools can be stored in the stand, so you will not lose anything during transportation.

Light in weight

Rockwell table stands are considered to be the lightest in the industry. When you couple this with the fact that they have wheels, then you have one of the best portable table saws in the market. The portable variety has a weight of only 88.5 pounds.

Durability

Rockwell table saws are very durable, and they are easy to hold together once they are aligned. Even if the saw is accidentally dropped, it will not lose its alignment. There is little or n wear of the finish, even after being used several times. This shows that the company did put a lot of resources in making their table saws durable.

Easy to use

When you consider the laser guide, you realize that Rockwell table saws are very easy to use, even for a novice. It has a rip fence that easily folds out, and the extension table is easy to attach. Since it is light, it can easily be transported from one place to another; the stand folds down within seconds, and the saw is ready to be moved.

2 year warranty

Rockwell table saws come with a 2 year warranty, albeit limited; customers are still quite happy with this. However, they are not so helpful when you call them and ask how you should align the blade, given that it is a complicated process where you have to remove so many parts to access the alignment bolt.

What other users say about Rockwell table saws?

After browsing the Internet we found certain customer reviews that shed some light on certain aspects of Rockwell table saws. Here is a sampling of their comments:The laser guide on Rockwell table saws has made it very easy to work with marked wood. When cutting challenging designs, the laser guide ensures that no mistakes are made. The table saw is light and easy to use. This are great tablesWhen looking for durable, accurate and portable tables saws, Rockwell has some of the best. They have features that you would find on high-end table saws. Rockwell has done it again.

Alternatives to Rockwell table saws

Ridgid R4510

This is the best table saw when you need portability; it is easy to set up and can be moved with ease. When you have a workshop that has limited space, you may need to move the saw to where the project is being done, and that is why portable saws have become so popular. This one has a folding and rolling stand and it is heavy-duty in it performance. The rip fence comes with a Microjust adjustment for better accuracy when cutting wood. It has a 10 inch blade and is ideal for professional and hobby use.

Powermatic PM2000

When you want power, the Powermatic PM2000 is one of the table saws that you should seek. This behemoth weighs in at 650 pounds, but it is just as powerful. It comes with wheels to aid in its movement, but they do take some time to wind up and time. It has a 3 HP engine, which add to the power aspect. The saw comes with extensions which allow for the cutting of wood that is as wide as 42 inches. The weight of the saw reduces the vibration and this increases the accuracy at which it cuts.

Bosch GTS1031

This is a table saw that comes in perfect alignment right out of the box. The manufacturers know that alignment can be a challenge and they do it for their customers’ right from the factory. It has a Squarelock rip fence which does not budge when it is fastened. This increases accuracy of projects. Despite being light in weight, it is a very sturdy saw, and is assembled in less than 5 minutes. You do not need any tools to assemble the saw, since all parts simply snap into place. You can either use the saw on the stand or as a bench-top table saw.

In conclusion

When you are working on wood projects, you need a table saw that can give you power, accuracy and reliability. You need a saw that will be easy to move from place to place, in accordance to your job requests. When you look at Rockwell table saws, you see saws that have been designed to be light, and sturdy. This is a great balance between durability, weight and accuracy. You can also consider some of the other options listed above.

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