Kelly Mehler, who makes some of the most beautiful furniture in America, shows how to get the most out of this essential tool. This comprehensive shop reference is now completely revised and updated with new color photography throughout. Youll learn what to look for in choosing a table saw and accessories (including sawblades). He gives valuable tips on setting up a table-saw work area in your shop, and shows how to tune and maintain the saw for smooth, accurate, and safe operation. Mehler also covers the many innovations in tablesaw design and new accessories since the last edition.

By following Mehlers clear, step-by-step instructions, youll learn how to handle oversized and undersized stock and produce precise, repeatable joints and parts. Youll also learn how to build practical jigs and fixtures to improve the safety of your work and get true and accurate cuts every time.

Introduction

Introduction to the Table Saw
Table-Saw Anatomy
Basic Safety Equipment
Types of Table Saws

Buying a Table Saw
What Size Saw?
Combination Machines
Features to Consider
Buying a Used Saw

Table-Saw Blades
Blade Design and Anatomy
Selecting the Right Blade for the Job
Gauging Blade Quality
Specialty Blades
Blade Stiffeners
Blade Care

Safety
The Risks
Safety Accessories
Dust Protection
First-Aid Procedures

Table-Saw Tune-Up and Maintenance
Initial and Periodic Tune-Ups
Arbor and Bearings
Cleaning and Lubricating the Internal Parts
Eliminating Gear Backlash
Pulley Alignment and Belt Inspection
Setting the Blade-Angle Stops
Stabilizing the Base
Aligning the Tables
Aligning the Miter-Gauge Slots to the Blade
Aligning the Splitter to the Blade
Adjusting the Rip Fence
Adjusting the Miter Gauge
Cleaning and Maintaining Work Surfaces
The Table-Saw Workstation
Saw Placement
Wiring
Lighting
Dust Collection at the Table Saw
Shop Accessories
Tools at the Table Saw

Ripping
Preparing Wood
Basic Ripping Techniques
Ripping Long Stock
Ripping Sheet Stock
Ripping Narrow Stock
Ripping Short Pieces
Ripping Thin Stock
Ripping Thick Stock
Resawing
Ripping Angles
Ripping Bevels

Crosscutting
Guiding the Workpiece
Basic Crosscutting Techniques
Repetitive Crosscutting
Crosscutting Wide Panels
Crosscutting Short Pieces
Crosscutting Bevels
Crosscutting Miters

Cutting Joints and Shapes
Butt Joints
Rabbets, Dadoes, and Grooves
Sliding Dovetails
Lap Joints
Bridle Joints
Mortise-and-Tenon Joints
Finger Joints
Miter Joints
Coves
Kerf Bending
Pattern Sawing

Sources

Index

What a great opportunity to be able to write a second edition of The Table Saw Book! There have been a number of changes in the world of table saws and accessories since the first edition was published in 1993.

One of the most surprising changes has been the upsurge of interest in table-saw safety. Hundreds of people have contacted me with questions, comments, and -- most poignantly -- their personal stories. I have been touched and moved to action by the phenomenal impact that a one-second close encounter with a table-saw blade can make on a person's life. As a result, you'll find throughout this book the best safety information currently available to help you perform your work safely, accurately, and conveniently. As you'll see, I've covered the latest in commercial blade covers and splitters. I've also provided many suggestions for crafting your own simple safeguards. The sections on table-saw tune-up and maintenance have been thoroughly revised, organized, and expanded to give this all-important topic its due. After all, if your saw isn't properly tuned up and maintained, you're compromising the quality of your work, as well as your personal safety.

I've addressed European table saws and combination machines more often in this edition, and for good reason. These tools are making major inroads into the American market due to the space economy that they offer the small shop. As I discuss, they also typically feature superior safety equipment.

So whether you're a novice woodworker or a seasoned professional, you'll find this new edition brings you up to date on the latest developments in the world of table saws. Of course, there is also plenty of meat-and-potatoes technique to help you build your furniture, which is what you bought your saw for, after all. The complete index will help you locate the information you need, and the Sources section will help put you in touch with manufacturers of saws and accessories.

Customer Reviews from Amazon

Prior to adding my thoughts, I read all the other reviews first. Most everything about this book has been said and my thoughts are very similar to Rusty Flewelling's and Will Cosair's:

If you are looking to purchase your first saw or have just done so, this is the perfect book. Sections on what to include on your shopping list, how to set up (tune) the saw and how to maintain are very well written as is the section on safety which also serves as the undercurrent throughout the book (as it should). If you already have been using a table saw for awhile, you're not going to get much out of this book. You'll find the reading to be quite elementary be left wanting more. Descriptions of jigs and such are but basic ones.

I didn't find the references to European saws all that troubling as others have. Having used one, I can appreciate what the author is attempting to relay. It's not like he wrote in-depth about European saws and just glossed over US ones. He thoroughly covered US saws and referenced European ones (If this was a European Table Saw book, it would be seriously lacking).

The only spot where I found it lacking as an intro text: The author advises to check the table top for flatness but doesn't really indicate what allowable limits should be and what to do if it isn't within these limits.

I bought this book with a serious table saw purchase in the next 12 months in mind. I thought that I should learn as much as I could, so I hopefully wind up with what I want and with a quality unit. This book is exactly what I was looking for -- everything is here. Explanations of different designs, pros/cons, and all of the things one should consider when looking for a saw. After reading the first few chapters, I realize that spending a little more than I originally planned would probably save me money and grief later down the road. An excellent book, and worth reading if you are looking for or already own a table saw.

This book certainly covers a lot of what there is to know about table saws. I don't mind the comments on "European Saws" so much... the author after all explains what features make them better in his view. The latest generation of American brand saws might well stand up to that. What I am missing a bit is an application part with a few little projects that teach you how to use your saw effectively. I feel that despite the age of my saw I as the operator bring in more errors.

The Table Saw Book provides plenty of information. The organization is fine, and I am not disappointed. Compared with other shop literature, however, Kelly Mehler fails to make the reading compelling -- or even very interesting. This book is more like a dull lecture.

I found this book very disappointing. As others have pointed out he's very dismissive of anything other than top of the line equipment and he's nearly obsessed with "European" saws. I feel certain that many people buying this book are like me and have already purchased a mid-level "American" saw. It really doesn't help me to tell me over and over that I've wasted my money on a piece of garbage and then sing the praises of expensive equipment I can't afford. I really get the idea that he feels that if you can't afford a $3000 saw using $200 blades and a thousand dollars worth of dust removal equipment you're just throwing your money away. This teaches me nothing about how to make the best use of what I have.

I was also put off by his dismissal of working with plywood and would have liked some more examples helpful to those of us who aren't master carpenters working with unlimited funds.

I guess I should have saved my money (and taken out a second mortgage) for a better saw instead of getting this book.

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