The Table Saw Book, Completely Revised and Updated

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.

If you are already a skilled woodworker, look elsewhere. The information in this book will be too basic for you.I am NOT a skilled woodworker; I did not have "shop" classes in high school (and man, in retrospect was I ever steered wrong!); and I'm determined to learn the right way to work with power tools. For someone like me, this book is perfect.Thanks to Mehler, I now know that I'm looking for SO much more than a motor spinning a blade. This book's discussions on table saw history, design, application, and safety are written with a wealth of first-person experience behind them. Mehler's style is relatively jargon-free, in that he explains the common terms used in woodworking when they come up.Mehler's clear exposition has persuaded me to pass up the $89 table saw at the local big-box store. My time, my lumber, and my fingers are all too precious to waste my money that way. What is remarkable, though, is that he has also persuaded me that I don't have to give up an arm and a leg (sorry!) purchasing a stationary home-shop saw. There are several good models at the high end of the portable saw market that will do everything I am likely to need, for about $500. (And yes, your mileage may vary--that's what this book helps you determine.)I did not find the comments on the advantages of European-style saws to be tedious. They served to educate me on what I should be seeking in my own table saw--and I would hope that American consumers would start demanding some of these improvements since they relate to safety and performance. Knowing what I was looking at, I noticed that some of the American saws on the market in the three years since this book was published now have some European-style features...and wonder of wonders, without an increase in price.What was taught in woodworking classes was "The Code"--how this stuff works and how to use it. I believe Mehler effectively teaches The Code to beginners like me through this book. I heartily recommend this clear text with its full-color illustrations to others who want to know how to purchase and use a table saw.

This book covers lots of techniques for safely using your table saw. To me the safety considerations alone counts for 4 stars. I immediately used the techniques in this book for a project I was working. I do not think I have reached the end of the book yet. Every time I read some of it I run into my shop and try out what I learned.Why no 5 stars then? This book needs some modernization. Everything in the book is usable. If you shop for blades, miter gages, etc.; you will know the book is a bit aged. For instance, a certain safety table saw is mentioned as a concept not a product that has been around for a while.

I am a beginner at woodworking. I bought this book, based on reviews, hoping that it would give me some of the fundamentals of table saw use. Mr. Mehler does cover many of the basics fairly well but he also has something of an eliteist attitude about saws.The first problem is his infatuation with "European" table saws. Example: "A riving knife. . . is a much better solution than a typical splitter. . . Sadly, riving knives are only available on European saws." This is fairly typical. There are lots of good illustrations but many of them are of a guy working at a European saw.Then there is the fine woodworking attitude. He starts off the section titled "Ripping Sheet Stock" with: "I don't use plywood or other manmade boards very much in my work, but. . ." Gee, as a beginner just hoping to get a project to come out square I plan on using plywood quite a bit. In most of the other procedural discussions plywood given little attention, if any at all.This book contains good discussions of setting fences and miter gauges, stuff like that. How to handle stock, how to extend the utility of the saw, safety tips. There is value here.European saws sure look great but right now I have a simple contractors saw and I would appreciate a book that tells me how to make the most of that without giving me an inferiority complex.

I usually REALLY dislike reference-style technical books, either I find them too chatty or too dense on jargon that I'm not familiar with, but this was a stand-out exception. I read this cover-to-cover and actually enjoyed it! the author has a rare ability impart technical information in laymans terms (I bought this to help me set up my first used table saw) to the reader, while still including sufficient detail that I know I will refer to this many times in the future......this is a must have for anyone who is either in the market for a table saw or wants to brush up on some useful tips.

A Great book but i found that while reading chapters i was flitting back several chapters to get the full meaning of the book, the one way this book could be improved is to reprint the shop tips on the pages you are reading rather than having to often go back several chapters to read a shop tip to try & get the full meaning of the chapters that you are reading

Covers all areas of using table saws.

Table saws are very different in Europe and America due to health and safety. This book does cover the differences but its weird reading through all the material written by an American evangelising how great the European safety features such as roving knives are compared with a "normal" table saw, when you really would prefer to be getting info on how to make more use of the table saw you bought. Other than that, would recommend it for hits and tips very good.

Helpful but really he alao admires European saws so if you value your fingers or lungs a free European saw catalog is even more helpful

Very informative for the first time purchaser of a table saw when starting to set up your workshop. So that you can buy the best you can afford.