When manufacturers first started offering big-battery tools, promising long runtimes and corded performance, I was a skeptic. I saw them as a gimmick that likely performed nowhere near the claims the manufacturers were making. It took running a substantial amount of oak through a buddy’s DeWalt FlexVolt table saw for me to acknowledge that these tools were viable pro options.
Fast forward about a year or so, and I was forking over close to $700 for a cordless miter saw and its sold-separately batteries. It’s a heavy price tag, but the saw is worth the money. It performs incredibly well, and I can cut all day with it and still have half a charge left. These aren’t the toys I had erroneously assumed they were.
Still, those are miter-saw cuts; short cuts, by and large, compared with long rips with a table saw. The draw on the battery is different. I was curious to see how a cordless 10-inch table saw played out.
Full-On 10-Inch Table Saw
Metabo HPT (formerly Hitachi) has been making waves with its MultiVolt platform. One of the newest, and arguably most anticipated, additions to the lineup is the C3610DRJ 10-inch table saw.
You read that right: 10-inch. As in full-on, 3 1/8-inch depth of cut at 90 degrees versus 2 1/2 inches at 90 on smaller saws. And a nice, big table surface that works for me and the work I do.
While other manufacturers are offering blade diameters of 8 1/4 inches with rip capacities at or under 25 inches, Metabo HPT went all in with the 10-inch blade and a whopping 35 inches of rip capacity to the right and 22 inches to the left—more than any other cordless or corded jobsite saw save Metabo HPT’s corded version of this saw.
Add to that a motor that has a no-load speed of 5,000 rpm (for reference, that’s about 1,400 more than my corded jobsite saw and 500 more than the corded saw Metabo HPT sells) and the ability to use an optional AC adapter for plugging in to a receptacle and you might have the ultimate jobsite table saw.
Power
The first question on most people’s minds is power. Metabo HPT’s 36-volt battery delivers 4.0 amp hours of runtime. Metabo says the battery will last four hours under continuous use; though I haven’t tested that, I have put this saw to moderate use for full workdays and had more than 50% charge left at the end of the day. The tool also has soft start, which reduces noise and recoil at start-up, and its electric brake stops the blade quickly for added safety.
There is a slight drop in rpm when I am running 3/4-inch materials, which is typical for a jobsite table saw. It’s less noticeable when plugged in to the AC adapter. Nonetheless, it powers through whatever material I use—hardwood, framing, plywood, PT lumber—and that is the bottom line.
This saw is more than ample for any task you want to throw at it. It will even spin an 8-inch dado stack at up to 13/16 inch.
Build
This saw appears to be well made with features that show a great deal of forethought in its design. For starters, the onboard storage is second to none. It holds the blade-guard assembly, small parts, auxiliary fence, included push stick, miter gauge, and the anti-kickback pawls, all within easy reach. The large table surface (28 3/4 inches by 22 inches) is backed up with an indispensable adjustable outfeed support bar that you will wish you had on every saw you’ve owned.
The rack-and-pinion-style fence is the most easily adjustable fence system on jobsite saws today. A simple release lever unlocks the dial, which in turn can fine-tune for a cut with relative ease. The fence also has a secondary narrow fence that, when flipped into the horizontal position, is used as a work support for pieces wider than the table top.
Optional Stand
The optional stand features a design that makes one-person transport much easier. Wheels that have no trouble going through gravel and other terrain make the tasks of pack-in and pack-out a bit easier. The legs operate much the same as those on my miter-saw stand, with a spring-loaded ball catch. They both unfold and collapse easily. The metal used isn’t what I’d call heavy duty, but it does seem to do the job.
The saw must be mounted to the stand with bolts, which could be a pro or a con, depending on your preference. Some carpenters would prefer a quick release to separate the two, while others would rather carry the saw and stand together for fast setup. One thing worth noting is that the saw and stand together have a fairly large footprint. You aren’t going to throw this in the backseat of your crew cab.
Conclusion
The Metabo HPT 10-inch table saw is a stellar option in the field. For me, the battery power is a lifesaver in so many situations; for instance, on a site where there are four trades but only one outlet, or on a dock, or, obviously, anywhere that doesn’t have power.
Having used both cordless table and miter saws for some time now, I’d never go back to plugging in again—unless I had to, and I can with the MultiVolt system.
The included blade, dado plate, and charger with a USB port all make this great saw even better.
I found the bare tool for about $440 online. metabo-hpt.com.
Photos by Nathan Rinne
