The heart of any table saw is the fence, and DeWalt's smooth-sliding, unique double-cam action fence locks down tight and always travels parallel to the blade. The fence face shifts forward, too, giving you the option--if a cut requires it--of extra fence area in front of the blade. The fence can also drop flush to the table for ripping laminates. In fact, this saw is loaded with great, user-friendly features. There's an oversize, left-side on/off switch that lets you bump the saw off with your knee if you run into trouble while making a cut. It's exactly this sort of attention to detail that wins a lot of people over to DeWalt products. The blade-elevation crank is also set lower on this saw than most, so there's plenty of hand clearance for making blade-height adjustments. Again, this might seem like a minor touch, but think about how frustrating it is to bang your knuckles on a table bottom every time you want to change the blade height. This table's sturdy metal bevel scale is nice, too; it's easy to read and much burlier than the mere stickers found on a lot of other saws.
The saw's inboard 1-3/4-horsepower induction motor is quiet, cuts down on vibration, and makes this saw considerably more space-efficient than outboard motor saws, a feature you'll appreciate if you work in a small shop or have to take your saw through doorways. And at 254 pounds, this saw has plenty of heft, a big cast-iron trunnion, and a sturdy steel base. There's also an integrated dust port if you want to hook the saw up to a dust collector. Available in a few different configurations, this model--the DW746XB, with its 30-inch fence and free mobile base--is a smart buy for a woodworker with a small shop. --Jon Groebner
