You’re thinking about buying a table saw. You’ve narrowed it down to a couple of big brand names with good reputations. Let’s look at these two portable table saws to see which one will help you get the job done right.
DEWALT DWE7480 10-Inch Compact Job Site Table Saw with Site-Pro Modular Guarding System
DeWalt made the DWE7480 adaptable for a wide range of jobs. If you’ve got plywood sheets to rip or hardwood trim to cut, this may be the saw for you.
Therails telescope out for a 24-1/2-inch rip capacity on the right side so it can handle bigger cuts than other table saws in its class. The left side can handle up to 12 inch rips.Thefence rails are rack and pinion and are easy to adjust in very precise increments with just one hand.
The ten-inch blade bevels between 0-45 degrees, eliminating the need to use an additional miter saw on some projects. DeWalt includes a miter gauge in the box.
The DWE7480 has an anti-kickback system with pawls to catch the material before it comes back at the user. The riving knife and modular tool-free guard are part of the DeWalt’s design for a safer tool.
The back feet of the saw can be individually raised or lowered to level the saw on uneven surfaces. The Bosch GTS1031 does not have this feature. The DWE7480’s feet are rubber to keep the saw from sliding.
Although this has been a popular saw in the DeWalt lineup, there are a few things some users don’t like. The saw cannot use dado blades, there is no stand included, the miter gauge seems cheaply made, and the 24-tooth carbide blade in the box isn’t the best choice for finished work-pieces.
More Features of the DWE7480
- The smooth table coating reduces friction
- Depth of cut at 90 degrees is 3-1/8” and at 45 degrees is 2-1/4”
- The blade arbor is 5/8”
- The motor is 15amp and runs at 4800rpm when idle
- The dust collection port fits a shop vac hose
- There is onboard storage forincluded components like the power cord, the push stick, the miter gauge, and the blade guard
- The saw weighs 45 pounds and is portable
- DeWalt offers their standard 90-day money-back guarantee, 1-year free service contract, and 3-year limited warranty
Bosch GTS1031 10-Inch Portable Jobsite Table Saw
Bosch emphasizes the portability of their GTS1031 saw, explaining that it can be carried in one hand and stored either on its side or laying flat.It has a soft grip handle, two side handles, and an all-steel base with rubber feet.
The GTS1031 can handle single dados or stacked dado blades up to ½-inch, something the DeWalt DWE7480 cannot do. Its maximum width for cuts is only 18 inches on the right side and 7-3/4 inches on the left. This is quite a bit less than the DWE7480.
The sliding fence rails are not rack and pinion, but they have a self-aligning square-lock feature. When the user selects the width they want, the fence clicks into place to firmly hold the same position all along its length, making for truer cuts.
The blade bevels from -2 to 47 degrees, a wider range than the DeWalt DWE7480 has. It can cut up to 2-1/4” at 45 degrees and 3-1/8” at 90 degrees. Having this saw on-site could make a miter saw unnecessary, depending on the job.
As with the DeWalt DWE7480, the Bosch GTS1031 includes anti-kickback pawls, a blade guard, and a riving knife for safety. The blade guard is not tool-less, but Bosch includes a blade guard wrench in the box. All included components store underneath the saw.
This is also a popular saw with few complaints. Some users have criticized the lack of detents, or positive stops, for beveling the saw.
More features of the Bosch GTS1031
- The motor is 4 horsepower, or 15amp, with 5000rpm when idle
- The blade arbor is 5/8”
- The blade guard is modular and can be removed
- The saw comes with a 24-tooth 10-inch carbide blade, blade and blade guard wrenches, a push stick, and a miter gauge
- There is a dust collection port on the back
- The saw weighs 52 pounds
- Bosch offers a 1-year limited warranty and 30-day money-back guarantee
Recommendation
True portability may be a matter of opinion. The Bosch GTS1031 has a rubberized handle for one-handed carrying, but it weighs 7 more pounds than the DeWalt DWE7480. Neither saw weighs less than 45 pounds.
Both saws are durable. DeWalt offers the clearly better guarantee.
Both saws come with a basic stock blade which is decent for ripping but perhaps not as useful for fine finish cuts. One the basis of accessories alone neither saw has a clear advantage.
Both saws are versatile in different ways. The DeWalt DWE7480 can handle much wider materials than the GTS1031 can. The Bosch GTS1031 can bevel further than the DWE7480. If you don’t already have a miter saw, consider which you need the most often: wider cuts or more precise angle cuts.
Finally, the feature that may make the choice easy for you is whether you plan to make dado cuts or rabbets. The Bosch GTS1031 can do that and the DWE7481 cannot.
Click here to purchase DEWALT DWE7480 on Amazon!
Click here to purchase Bosch GTS1031 on Amazon!