Contractor Table Saw vs Hybrid Table Saw?

You nailed it, the hybrids are much better at dust collection and with the inboard motor store nicely against a wall if you need to move then out of the way.

-- //FC - Round Rock, TX - "Experience is what you get just after you need it"

Charles, I have an older Delta contractor saw. It has 2 hp, same as the hybrids. I have both wings that are cast iron, so the saw is fairly heavy. With a link belt, the vibration is low. The only advantage I can see is the dust collection. If you want a cabinet saw, I would look around for a good used one. With the new Unisaw out, maybe there’ll be some old unisaws on the market soon.
That’s my $0.02 worth.

-- Tim -- http://tmuli.com

a contractors saw will work but the hybrid has a few advantages.

dust collection – a contractors saw has almost no dust collection and takes a lot to set up dust collection for

beefier trunnions – a more stable cut, the blade has less deflection and runs truer

trunnions are mounted to the cabinet – makes setting the blade to the miter slot easier. you just loosen the table and move that. for a contractors saw you have to loosen the trunnion assembly and move that. its just a bit easier. some though are mounted to the table you just have to check on that

fence – usually a bit higher quality fence. depends on the saw.

just to put it out there i’m getting this from a fine woodworking article so if anyone else says differently and they have actual experience i would trust them more than what i am saying.

The magazine article’s got it right…I’ve had a Delta contractor’s saw and currently a Craftsman hybrid. The contractor’s saw was a bear to adjust due to the way the trunions were mounted to the top. The hybrid is significantly less frustrating to adjust.

-- Patrick, Chicago, IL www.TenonAndSpline.com

teenage and Patrick – Actually MOST hybrid saws trunnions are connected to the table top – just like contractor saws are… I think only 2 hybrids have the trunnions connected to the cabinet – I think it’s craftsman and Steel-City’s, but other than those 2, the rest are connected to the table tops.

The benefits of the Hybrids are the dust collection, the motor being inside the cabinet and not hanging in the back, and mostly they have a more powerful motor than the contractor saws (1 3/4hp- 2hp as opposed to 1hp-1 1/2hp). aside from that – as a marketing technique, the hybrids usually come with cabinet style fences, and other features that mimic the cabinet saws, but on a smaller scale, and at a more affordable price point, but again – these have nothing to do with the saw being a “hybrid”, these are extras that are given with the saws.

-- My Drinking Club has a Woodworking Problem...

Both contractor’s and hybrids can work well. If you need to lug the saw into or out of a basement, being able to take the motor off the back of a contractor’s saw is helpful. If you attach an outfeed table without taking into account the path of the motor when you tilt the blade, a contractor’s saw can give you a big headache as the motor pushes against the structure of the table and twists the trunnions out of alignment. I think this is the biggest problem of a contractor’s saw. It can be avoided, but is big trouble if you don’t.

A contractor’s saw with a shroud on the blade makes DC work fine.

A contractor’s saw with a quality fence would be definitely superior to a hybrid with a mediocre fence, though the latter could be upgraded. Upgrades are usually more expensive than buying what you want to start—unless you are upgrading a very good deal.

-- Alan in Wisconsin

Thanks guys for the comments, I will be getting the Jet Proshop Hybrid Table Saw, I think Its the best saw for the money and for my small 10×12 shop.

-- CJIII Future cabinetmaker

PurpLev is correct about MOST Hybrids not haveing cabinet mounted trunions. I have had a Delta Contractors saw with a 30” Unifence and mobile base since 1995 when I bought it new and see no reason to replace it with a Hybrid. I replaced the stock V-belt that came with the saw with a Fenner Drives PowerTwist link belt, wired the saw for 240 V, replaced the toggle power switch with a paddle switch and relocated it under the fence, added a removeable outfeed table ( the bracket kit came from Delta ) , and redesigned the dust collection. Here is a link to my saw. http://woodchuck1957.googlepages.com/home

-- If you can't find the time to do it properly, how will you find the time to fix it ?

When tilted, the blade of a contractor’s saw tends to
“rack” due to the weight of the motor. This becomes
more pronounced as the trunions wear over the years.

Most cabinetwork is done without tilting the blade however
and even on a cabinet saw it is often more accurate to
make a jig to hold the work at an angle than it is to
tilt the blade.

On a saw with the motor mounted underneath the weight
of the motor is more evenly distributed on the trunions
when the arbor is tilted, thus making for more accurate
cuts which are more relevant to fine joinery than any other
type of woodworking.

I feel the hybrid saws are an improvement on the contractor’s
saw design and in fact they have been around for a long time
in “junior” line cabinet saws from Delta and other makers… saws
with the motor underneath and the trunnions bolted to the
table. The super-accurate INCA 2200 cabinet saws are made
this way as well.

-- http://amherstcabinets.com - also a marketing consultant with expertise in direct response marketing for woodworking and online businesses - http://COPYMATCH.COM

Beginingwoodworker: Contractor saws are designed to be light and portable, to take to the job site. The other styles are stationary units and usually a little heavier, quieter, with more bells and whistles.

-- another tip from cooperedpatterns