The Makita 2705X1 Table Saw is Makita’s dedicated 10-inch contractor table saw – what that means is that it’s actually a benchtop table saw aimed at contractors rather than being a contractor saw.
Designed for professionals and contractors who want a highly portable, large capacity table saw, it has a number of excellent features, including the easy to use spring loaded stand plus telescoping fence rails which extend the large 24-5/8″ x 22-1/4″ table surface to give you that critical 25-inch rip capacity (critical because a rip capacity greater than 24 inches means you can do anything you need to with a 4X8 sheet of plywood).
Weighing 115lbs lbs with the stand it’s not the lightest table saw out there, but with the spring loaded stand it’s very easy to move around and set up. You won’t be lifting it into the back of the pickup single handed, but two men can do it easily or you can use a ramp.
It’s got a very powerful 15 amp motor giving more power than any of the competitors’ comparable saws and it also has an electric brake which is a feature you don’t see on many benchtop table saws. The power is good enough to make use of the large cutting capacity (3-5/8 inches at 90 degrees and 2-1/2 inches at 45 degrees) and you can use up to a 6 x 13/16-inch dado blade.
What to Look for When Buying a Table Saw
The central tool in almost all cabinetmaking shops is the table saw, probably the most useful single tool the average woodworker is going to have, because the work it does serves as a base for everything that comes afterwards. There are 3 main types – bench top, contractor and cabinet saw – with bench top table saws being the lightest, used most often by contractors and other people who need a lightweight, portable job-site saw.
Once you’ve used one you’ll wonder how you managed without it and you certainly won’t want it sitting back in the workshop when you’re out on site – hence the popularity of lightweight, portable saws. Whatever type you choose there are a number of features that you need to look for. In this Makita 2705X1 Table Saw Review we’ll take a look at the power of the motor, the guard, the fence, and the miter gauge, and since this is a contractor/job-site saw we’ll also look at the portability and sturdiness. Legendary Makita Power. The saw will actually rip a 4×4 in half in one pass, and not just with a new blade.
Powerful 15 Amp Motor
Despite its compact and lightweight design, the Makita 2705 still has a powerful 15 Amp motor with a no-load speed of 4,800 rpm which is adequate to let you make full use of the large cutting capacity (3-5/8 inches at 90 degrees and 2-1/2 inches at 45 degrees) and you can also use up to a 6 x 13/16-inch dado blade. It’s got a cast frame holding the motor which helps keep it stable, plus it’s got an electric brake which is a nice feature you don’t normally get on a benchtop table saw.
[/su_box]Tool-less Modular Blade Guard System
Like all the other quality benchtop table saw the Makita 2705 has a tool-less modular blade guard system which is a three-part, modular system that includes a riving knife, anti-kickback pawls and top guard.
The tool-free riving knife helps to reduce the occurrence of kickback and allows you to easily change riving knives in order to accommodate for various blade thicknesses. The riving knife can be adjusted to three different positions for making through cuts, non-through cuts and dado cuts, and you can adjust it without having to remove the throat plate.
[/su_note]Telescoping Extension Table
To increase the cutting capacity of this compact saw, the Makita 2705 has telescoping right extension table; this means you can retract the extension table when you’re carrying it around and then by extending the rails you get that critical 25-inch rip capacity to the right of the blade. For contractors and anyone else using full-sized sheets of plywood 24 inches is the magic number as it means you can do anything you need to with a full sheet.
Miter Gauge
In line with pretty well every table saw on the market, including expensive cabinet saws, the miter gauge that is supplied with this saw is fairly basic. If you plan to do a lot of cross cutting then you should consider investing in an after market miter gauge. There are some excellent miter gauges on the market and you can read reviews of the best of them at Miter Gauge Reviews
Sturdy, Portable and 100% Adjustable
This saw gives you everything that you need in a portable saw – it’s a big, powerful saw and although the Makita 2705X1 weighs over 100lbs with the stand it’s really easy to move around and set up. The stand is extremely durable and sturdy, it’s simple to operate and (unlike a lot of the competitors) it’s completely adjustable meaning that you can adjust it to any height. Other table saws like the Bosch and Dewalts are fixed height only.
How much should you expect to pay?
We found the Makita 2705X1 on the web for approx $750 Click here to view on Amazon
Buying the Makita 2705X1 with the stand is definitely the best bet – better than buying the saw and then buying the saw separately later.
What are other people saying?
The Makita 2705X1 Table Saw has received a lot of excellent comments from users, particularly about the power and durability
- “Best Job Site Table Saw”
- “Very powerful saw for its size that can handle any hardwoods you throw at it”
- “Stand is nice with the adjustable height”
- “The motor in this saw should outlast anything else out there”
- “Last year we trimmed out over 120 homes with this saw with up to 5 carpenters at a time”
Any complaints?
The only real complaint that we could find is that the fence is not quite as good as some of the competitors, although it is much improved over previous models
What kind of warranty is there?
Even though this saw is aimed at the job-site and can expect to get a bit of heavy treatment, you still get a one-year limited warranty and 30-day money-back guarantee Click here to view on Amazon
