At one time, the only table saws on site were 10-inch contractor models. These work well, but they're too large and heavy to haul between small jobs, especially if you work alone. In the early 1980s, Makita introduced an 81/4-inch table saw for the contractor market, and other companies soon followed suit. These lightweight machines solve the portability problem, but they have some serious shortcomings. For the last few months I have been using two different stands designed to improve the performance of portable table saws. They do this by lifting the saw to a comfortable working height and increasing its rip capacity. Problems with Portables Most portable table saws come without legs. While many carpenters put them on sawhorses, the
