I bought the 10" Makita table saw after I got tired of lugging the massive and heavy Bosch in and out of my truck everyday. With the Bosch, you can expect to spend a lot of time at the chiropractor, but the Makita is so lightweight I can carry it with one hand.
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br /I normally use a 7 1/4" Marathon blade for ripping and a 7 1/4" 40 tooth red Freud deck blade for finish ripping/cross cutting. With the small and thin blades, the saw cuts incredibly fast and clean. I also own several expensive 10" blades, but I only mount them when I need to cut deeper than 1x material.
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br /I also have the Rousseau stand with the Biesemeyer style fence. There is no better fence and stand for a portable. With infeed rollers and long outfeed tables, I have ripped and resawn lumber as long as 21 feet with the little Makita with no problems.
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br /I recently added a set of "Board Buddies" hold downs to the fence and now the saw cuts more accurately than a delta cabinet saw with a unifence.
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br /I miss the soft start and quiet running motor of the Bosch, but the blade brake on the Makita is more practical and safer. The small 7 1/4" blades stop almost instantly.
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br /The Makita saw has a removable trigger safety that prevents the saw from turning on when you remove the safety.
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br /Makita does not offer a zero-clearance kerf insert, but it is easy to make them out of mdf. Dado inserts are available, however.
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br /The stock fence will work if you lock it down parallel to the blade, but it leaves a lot to be desired. The stock rip capacity is less than 20 inches. This saw really is designed to be used in a Rousseau or Makita (made by Rousseau) stand with the large fence. The saw lacks all the sliding extensions and rack pinion assemblies that you don't need with a Rousseau stand. If you don't intend to buy a Rousseau stand for your saw, you will be better off with a higher priced saw that has a better fence and more rip capacity.
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br /Ripping a 4x in a single pass is an amazing and humbling experience because all that blade sticking out of the table could take a leg off a Rhino in no time flat. Ripping huge lumber is best left to the lumber yards with their monstrous saws and fearless machine operators. I mostly use the saw for finish work so I rarely need to run anything thicker than a 2x4 through the saw, thankfully.
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br /There are lighter and cheaper saws available, but many of the cheaper saws do not have a blade shroud (the Makita's is made from cast aluminum instead of plastic). The blade shroud keeps you from putting a hand into the running blade should you reach under the saw for something. The metal shroud would offer better protection from shrapnel should your blade lose a tooth or fracture.
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br /I recommend this saw for a contractor looking for a lightweight yet powerful and accurate portable. The price is great, the saw is super easy to transport and set up, and the saws are know to be extremely durable and long lasting.

Like a lot of the other reviewers have said, this saw packs plenty of power for ripping lumber. It will handle just about anything you can throw at it. Another plus - it's very lightweight even for a portable saw. The downsides: 1) don't expect to crosscut anything if you expect any sort of accuracy. The miter guage is useless, and you can't upgrade either because of the non-standard slot size. I suppose you could make a shop-built sliding sled but the slots are so narrow and shallow I would worry about it jumping out easily. 2) it leaves a very ragged cut due to slop in the gears that drive the arbor. These are my 2 biggest beefs with this saw. 1 minor thing - it's tough to clamp a featherboard to the table and you can't use the miter slot for this. I drilled and tapped a couple holes in the top for a homemade adjustable featherboard but it's still a bit of a hassle.pIf you're looking for a saw to move around the jobsite easily and rip framing lumber, cca and plywood/OSB sheathing, this is the saw for you. Get the Rousseau stand to go with it. If you need a saw for finish work, crosscutting, or tight tolerances, I would definitely test drive a few saws before purchasing.

I've been using this saw heavily for a year now. I still smile every time I use it. I love the power it has . I love the fact that it has the biggest capacity of any 10" table saw portable or stationary .(3 9/16") I haven't had any problems with it whatsoever. I have several guys using it and not one could be described as easy on tools. The first thing that caught my attention with it was the improved height adjustment over the old one. This one is very fast and easy to adjust. The bevel adjustment is also much better. The miter gauge is pretty poor but I don't use it anyway . I prefer a dedicated miter saw . The fence operates nicely if you adjust it correctly. I have to be honest . As a stand alone saw , the Dewalt and Bosch saws beat it hands down. They offer wider capacity and nicer fences. But they cost ... more. And with all the added bells and whistles they weigh a lot more . As an overall package though , I wasn't happy with either of them. They both need a stand and side and outfeed support. That adds almost another ... to the cost. I bought the Makita plus the Rousseau 2700xl table saw stand and the huge outfeed table for the same money as the Bosch and Dewalt total package cost. This setup positively blows them away! You get thicker and wider rip capacity , better acccuracy , much better stability with large material, higher degrees of safety with the huge work surface. A very sturdy Tee square fence of 2" tubular steel. A real side table to mount your router in. I could go on and on. This combination kicks butt.

As a long term owner of the Makita 2708, I was at first overjoyed to hear of their portable 10" that would drop right into my existing Rousseau stand, and best of all, they replaced the elevation knob with a speedy crank!Then I actually saw one, and much to my dismay it became apparent that Makita wanted to play the same games they played with the 2708 - the Miter slot is slightly under the world-wide 3/4" standard, which means none of the superb aftermarket saw accessories are usable with this saw. To add insult to injury, the only accessory Makita offers is the standard miter gauge. What a waste!I think it's time to dump my 2708 and go elsewhere....

Don't buy this saw. There appears to be a manufacturing defect in the rack plate which allows adjustment of the beveled angle on the saw. Makita needs to rethink their design and use steel instead of plastic for this part. Twice now I have purchased the saw and had to return it because several teeth were missing on this plate making bevel adjustments impossible. This can create a real problem in delays for the professional contractor.

I work this saw like a dog eight hours a day. Never had a problem with overload or jams. It's solid enough to take the punishment of going from truck to job, truck to job. Two things need improvement: Rip fence and miter gauge. For standard cuts, the fence is fine, but when I need a true strait cut, I often use the tape just to be sure the fence is strait. It's a minor issue for a good saw. Bigger problem: miter gauge. Hash marks are in 5 degree increments and the whole gauge feels flimsy. Even the[delta] has a better gauge.

Tenon jig, forget it. Featherboard, nope. Accurate miter gage, negative. Any accesories to make this saw do more than ripping, out of the question. Documentation of the non-standard miter slot, non-existent. Don't buy this saw unless you are looking for a plain old plywood cutter. It does that pretty good though.
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br /An update - Still using this saw, still cursing the fence and MITER SLOT. Recently I've found the arbor to be way short for dadoing. Maximum dado width is 3/8". List price of $550? Are they joking? You can buy a Grizzly cabinet saw for a little more than that. Seriously, all you can do with this saw is basic ripping.

This is a great saw in many ways. It's light, but sturdy. It's set up perfectly right out of the box, and offers easy adjustments to fine tune its performance. It's perfect to haul to jobsites, or just pull out of the garage on weekends. No other lightweight table saw is so solid, durable, and powerful.
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br /So the fence really is a pity. It's easy to adjust and lock, but it doesn't square automatically. You have to realign it every time you reset it. And it doesn't even hold a setting, unless you clamp it in place with huge c-clamps. So it's not really suitable for any kind of fine work unless you replace the fence. Which isn't easy, because it's not a standard size, and you have to fabricate brackets. Which isn't really that difficult, but for about the same money, Ryobe makes a saw with a great fence. It's not as powerful or durable as the Makita, but if I were doing it all again, I don't think I would have bought this saw.
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br /PS: (2005) Just got the Rousseau folding table with rock-steady fence. It's like a whole different saw; I love it! Highly recommended.

This saw used to be the end-all in portable table saws. It's still as tough as they come, but Makita has done little to improve it's features in the twenty years I've been working. It is lightweight, but the fence and sliding angle guide are highly inaccurate. If you buy this saw, I recommend purchasing the Rousseau table with it to ensure an accurate fence, outfeed and extension tables. Unfortunately, the cost of both table and saw exceed that of buying a truly good job-site table saw such as the Bosch, DeWalt or Porter Cable. I'm really surprised, too, because Makita offers (in my opinion) the best 10" sliding compound miter saw on the market. If all you're doing is framing, buy the Makita.

This is my first table saw and the features are excellent. It cuts through a 4x4 like a knife through butter. Lots of power makes easy cutting. I made an enclosed base and the collection system around the blade puts about 98% of the sawdust in the base. There is very little on the floor. It is very light and easy to move. One still needs to measure to check the fence for accuracy, but a small tradeoff to make for the other features.

I have owned 3 Makita table saws and used them very hard in tough construction conditions. Never a problem except the blade adjustment knob gets very hard to turn. With the new 10" model I was hoping that they fixed this problem and also upgraded the rip fence. It started out good, meeting my high expectations. But after a year of use the bevel gearing (made of plastic) lost a couple af teeth. Shortly after that the height adjustment became stripped. Then the rip fence knob broke! The motor and the housing were great and I especially liked the dust chute. This would be a great saw except for the above.

This was my first table saw. I'm an amateur builder and I bought this saw because I thought it was a good choice for most construction projects. In the heat of deciding on my purchase, I was unaware that this otherwise well thought of little saw had a non-standard miter slot. Only later did I discover that the usual featherboards, tapering jigs, etc. would be useless on this saw. Fooey.

This is my first table saw. What I don't like about the Makita is the non-standard mitre slot. It makes no sense. It takes away the ability to upgrade to a decent mitre gauge. The fence seems pretty poor. Luckily for me, I'm a weekend warrior. If I was using this saw all day everyday, I'd upgrade. The only way to make sure the fence is parallel to the blade is to visually line it up. It takes a long time.brBesides the fence and mitre slot, I guess I have no complaints. But IMO, those are two pretty big complaints.

I've owned several different Makita tools over the years and have been very happy with their durability and performance; that said, the 2703 has performed below expectations. First, the reasons NOT to buy this saw:
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br /1) The most important feature of any table saw in this price range is an easy-to-use fence that is consistently parallel to the blade. For several generations now, the 2703's fence has continued to wiggle this way and that, requiring the user to either measure twice, from the front and rear of the blade to the fence, or, to attempt to keep an even reveal between the fence and the ribs that run longitudinally in the table top. Despite these measures, the fence can still end up slightly skewed, bogging down the motor and giving you an uneven rip. I'm not sure why Makita has neglected to update the fence all these years; perhaps the cheap fence keeps the 2703 under a critical retail price point.
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br /2) Cutting miters on the 2703 is an even more awkward affair, given the sloppy fit in the miter slot and the cheaply-made miter accessory.
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br /3) While touted as powerful, the 2703's motor has bogged down, blown fuses, etc. when ripping 1 x pine stock against its substandard fence. With practice, I have been able to reduce these instances by slightly loosening the fence during the cut and letting the stock push it to a more or less parallel position.
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br /4) The 2703 will NOT accept dado blades; it's arbor is too short. Being able to run quick dados on site for cabinets, bookshelves, etc. is a nice option to have on a table saw.
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br /5) For $429, you can buy a saw that is superior in every way except weight (60 lbs., vs. 40 lbs. for the 2703). The Bosch model in this class
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br /a) comes with a rugged steel stand that is nearly impossible to tip over, even when jamming full sheets of plywood through the saw.
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br /b) will accept dado blades.
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br /c) has an outstanding, easy-to-adjust fence that stays parallel to the blade.
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br /d) has the most powerful motor I have ever seen on a portable table saw.
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br /e) has pull-out wings that increase the table surface for ripping just about anything in the field.
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br /f) will cut miters happily with its excellent miter attachment.
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br /g) is a good enough saw to make cabinets on. Many, many cabinets.
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br /Reasons FOR buying the Makita 2703:
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br /1) It is light enough to carry with one hand.
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br /2) The electronic brake does make for a safer saw.
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br /3) You can drop it into a Rousseau table, which does have a good fence.
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br /4) It is one of the cheaper table saws in its price range and, when coupled with a Rousseau stand, it will rip full sheets of plywood with considerable ease.
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br /5) If you can pick up the original 8" version (with the dark green body and simple twist-handle fence) you will find yourself in possession of an extremely light, compact, and powerful table saw. The 8" has the same lousy miter attachment and the original switch may need replacing, but the fence is of a better design (clean and wax the fence-to-table interface if needed) and motor did not bog down when ripping 2" red oak, 4" fir posts, and other things the 10" version would not be happy about.
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br /6) Since most saws in this range are for on-site work, vs. shop applications, cuts don't have to be nearly as accurate. Homeowners and occassional users might be happy with this saw due to its low price and light weight (about 40 lbs.).

I have been using this saw for 2 years as an on site stair builder after my employer purchased this saw against my, and my coworkers, recomendations. This saw is cheaper than the DeWalt and the Bosch, and it shows. The miter gauge was used once and found to be useless. The fence is a joke, getting it square to the blade requires a measurement from both ends of the blade, keeping it square requires no pressure against the fence. For cuts that require accuracy, more often than not, I resort to clamping a guide board to the table to ensure that it will slide, or flex, halfway through the cut. If you are looking for quality and accuracy spend the extra dough and buy a DeWalt or Bosch, the time and aggravation saved is well worth the money spent.

This is not a bad saw...depending what you want to do with it. i struggled using it in my shop as my woodworking saw, for several reasons:1, what is the deal with the miter slot? it is undersized and basically useless. 2, the fence is lacking. it is ok for rough cutting, but hard(or impossible) to get any kind of accuracy out of. 3, i wish it had soft start like the 10" sliding compound miter. the saw practically jumps off the stand when you start it.br Now, if you want a lightweight, powerhouse to carry on the jobsite, this is a great choice. ripping 2X and plywood is what this saw is for. the table is too small for full sheets and lacks the capacity to rip 24". .... but man it hawgs through the 2X material. br i chose not to spend the money on a rosseau stand to increase the capacity. instead i just got a delta contractors for my shop and will use this makita for the job site. i thought about selling it, but it will be alot easier to haul the mak to the jobsite instead of my 300lb contractors saw.br so there you have it. if it meets your needs go with it. if you want a saw that will do a little of both, i recommend the porter cable.

I got this saw as a gift when I moved into my new house. I didn't know much about table saws then. I noticed that I was getting some binding and burning - even after squaring the stock fence. I read some reviews and, unfortunately, plunked down another $300 for the Rosseau table.
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br /So it's true - the stock fence is poor. After getting the Rosseau I had the same problems with inaccuracy, although it had improved. Getting a better fence and squaring it properly resolved the burnout and binding. Then I bought the Masterplate and Mastergauge to try to figure out where the inaccuracy was. I found out that there was runout at the arbor. There was enough runout on the arbor alone to make fine woodowrking an impossibility on this saw. The blade guard and splitter are low quality -and laborious to change out.
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br /Another problem - the positive stops (detents) at 90 and 45 degrees are inaccurate and, as far as I can tell, impossible to adjust. At the 90 degree positive stop on the handwheel my blade was about 5 degrees off. You can get 90 degrees by manually turning the wheel to get there (past the set detent)and then locking it there. The manual directs you to adjust a screw to adjust the positive detent settings at 90 and 45 degrees. Well that's a laugh. You turn the screw counterclockwise (which is supposed to adjust the blade angle) and it just...unscrews. It does nothing to the blade angle. Then if you try to manually position the blade and screw it back in to lock the blade in place it forces it back out of square. I didn't even bother trying to adjust the 45 degree stop after that fiasco. With this saw you just have to set your bevels manually.
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br /As others have said this may be quite good for rough carpentry. It is light and powerful. You can cut 4x4 (3.5") on it without a problem. But if you have any aspirations to do woodworking or cabinetry, forget it. You will not be able to get square cuts on long boards with any precision. I am replacing this with a Unisaw. I'll probably sell this saw and the 2700xl for a loss.
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br /This is the first Makita tool I am giving a mediocre review to. I own the compressor, 2 routers, lithium ion set, circular saw, sliding miter saw and plate joiner. I thought they were all very well made. Perhaps this is a better tool than I am giving it credit for, but it just didn't meet my needs.

I too have a Rousseau table which goes a long way in improving this saw. The original fence is terrible and frustrating to use, since it often does not lock in parallel to the blade. The small lightweight miter gauge runs too loose in its slot. The table is slightly convex (common for an unground/unmachined cast top). The blade in my opinion is mediocre. There is no depth scale for the raising and lowering of the blade (I always measure anyway). Finally, the arbor of my saw is slightly bent so the blade wobbles slightly, reducing the accuracy of a cut. My old Makita 2708 was a better table saw - depth gauge, no wobble in the arbor, fence would clamp in parallel, etc.
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br /The good attributes of this saw include portability, a powerful motor; and it is built to take you typically job-site abuse. For rough carpentry use it is a capable saw, but for more precise work like trim or finish carpentry, I would look for a more accurate saw.

I am into my fourth year with the 2703 and have so far found it to be a good value. I use it with the Rousseau table which makes all the difference in the world as far as this saw is concerned. The saw, table and very good fence that comes with the Rousseau table have taken a lot of abuse from me and look like they will last at least another four years or so. The rather flimsy power switch handle broke on the saw last year but I have been too busy to replace it. One note about the standard fence, has anyone ever found an adequate fence on a portable table saw? The fence that came with this saw is no worse than any others. There is a fair amount of run out on the arbor but with a good blade and judicious feed rates a clean cut is possible on hardwoods. On it's own I give the 2703 three stars, with the Rousseau table and fence it rates an easy 4 stars.

I am an advanced amateur craftsman and was looking for a table saw to use around the house. I was tired of using a radial saw to make all of my cuts. I am very happy with this Makita saw. It was ready to work after about 20 min of assembly. I cut everything from MDF to four by fours with the saw and it has performed very well. The toughest test was a half-inch wide, one and one half inch deep dado cut on six inches of material at a time. I had to go slow but the saw never missed a beat. The only down side to the saw is that the miter slot is smaller than standard size. I am not sure why Makita decided to depart from the standard but it makes doing complex table saw operations difficult. I recommend this saw to anyone looking for a tough, powerful (for its size), workhorse of a saw. As long as you remember that in is a tabletop saw you will not be disappointed.

After owning the 8 1/4 inch table saw for 15 years, the decision was easy.I put this saw in the rousseau table, with the outfeed table and it is an excellent mobile and portable tool. A Carpenter for 30 years.

Ive used the old 8 1/2 makita for years, and now owned the 10" (and the Bosch) for a few years now. I loved the portability (best part) and the fence is god-awful unless you get the rousseau table. It would be the ideal set-up, but the arbor stinks on this one--with a 100 dollar new blade, it still scores up the cut--meaning I have to joint or sand every finished piece. You can see the wobble as you turn it on. I've heard the same complaint from other contractors, and it has been mentioned on this board. MAKITA WAKE UP! I would never buy this saw again if this weren't fixed--if it were, the saw would tear off the roof!

If you want a reasonably priced portable table saw that will not break your back, and keep on working, this is a good choice. This is my second Makita benchtop table saw. The first one never quit working, but the motor started to get weaker, the push button safety was missing and the plastic base was broken in a few places (from years of throwing into the back of my pickup). I used my first one to trim out homes (10 years partime basis). When I decided to remodel my home you know it was an excuse to buy all new power tools. I did not want to pay $500+ for a contractor grade saw, I have a weary back, and I did not want a saw with a lot of nuts and bolts that fall out every time you use it.
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br /If your looking for a lower priced table saw that is dependable and light this saw is for you. If your a contractor look elsewhere. The saw table could be bigger, and the saw more quiet (I'm sure I have some hearing loss due to this saw) but few are lighter. This saw is great if you have back problems and trouble lifting. I found this saw to be much better then the low price Delta's or cheaper big box store table saws.
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br /Large sheets of plywood are difficult to cut, as is a door bottom or side if not assisted. If you have to do a lot of this buy a saw with a larger saw table.
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br /If you keep a good quality, sharp blade on this saw it will outlast you, or at least your desire to keep doing this stuff. This saw will definitely layer your work area with saw dust. You need to wear a mask if you have long cuts, especially if sawing particle board shelving.

I own a Makita 2702 which is nearly identical to the 2703 except that the 2702 can only handle a max. 8 1/4 in blade. I'm not sure if the 2702 is even available anymore. I like the light weight and portability which makes it a very good job site saw. The electric brake is also a nice feature. I bought the saw about 8 years ago and have used it on quite a few carpentry jobs. Recently, I upgraded the 2702 with a Rousseau table and a dado blade set. The dado blade will only cut a maximum 1/2 inch wide dado becuase that is all the arbor can handle. I also built a crosscut sled which wasn't easy because the miter slots are only about 3/16 inch deep. This saw really isn't a woodworking saw but will work o.k. for rough carpentry or small home projects. The arbor is loose which creates a lot of runout, which can leave saw marks and burns in the wood (especially hardwood) during ripping and crosscutting operations. If you plan to make furniture, invest your money in a decent (heavy cast iron) cabinet saw.

After spending quite a bit of time reserching a table saw to use for small projects I decided on the Makita for two reasons: 1. the weight and 2. the depth of cut. I agree with all of the reviews I read about the tool. The mitre guage leaves a lot to be desired but with care and a good grip on the guage and the work piece, good cuts can be obtained. More importantly for me it will cut a 2 by on edge or a four by four. It really has the power for ripping and the lightness of the saw makes it easy to get out and store. For anyone looking for a resonably priced saw that will rip through any wood material this is your saw.

Strong saw, and light, and with the Porta Table has a nice fence and will cut very wide. However, the arbor is too short for dado work as large as I'd like and the non-standard miter slots limit the amount of after market stuff you can use with the saw. I'm looking to sell mine and upgrade to a more versatile saw.

Our family is involved in remodeling our home. My 20-year old table saw wore out the the Makita 2703 has been a wonderful replacement. The electric break, engine power, portability, and accuracy have been great. The saw needed little attention out-of-the-box to have it up and running. We like the safety features such as the switch and the kick-back protection. The family members all feel pretty comfortable making the cuts. To be, honest, we almost bought one of the less expensive brands, but I believe our added expense was well worth it.

this saw is good for nothing except maybe ripping rough framming material
br /too small for ply (easily tipped over)
br /fence useless (very difficult to square with blade)
br /weak motor
br /arbor too short
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br /BUY A BOSCH

The factory fence sucked bad. I added the Rousseau 2600 fence system and it now a different saw, plenty of power, now very accurate. I use the portable setup in the bed of truck, sitting the saw on the tailgate at least 3 times a week ripping material for jobs. Bought this saw for $151 atHD so even happier at that price. Rousseau was $101 with all the Amazon deals available at the time, $30 off, Gold Box, and A9. Believe it or not I still like my old 2708 better.

Our company purchased 1 of these saws about 6 mo ago and it has been a pleasure to use. We install hardwood flooring and so we need a saw that is lightweight yet powerful and reliable. We have used many table saws through the years including 10" Hitachi jobsite table saw, Ryobi, Tradesman, Skill, Delta, and have found that they don't even survive a year before the bearings go out or other major problem. I have noticed some key design benefits on the Makita that may help with the longevity of the tool. Makita has a dust port that exhausts the dust out the back of the saw so that it does not get sucked into the motor. My only small complaint is that the switch is located on the right side which is harder to use for right handers since you are normally holding the material to be cut with that hand and would normally turn the switch on with the left hand. Perhaps this is some sort of safety feature or maybe it's designed for lefties. Overall it is a great saw. The reviews noting that the fence is inadequate for precision work are true, but for me the lighter weight of this saw in comparison to the Dewalt makes it more desirable.

br / I purchased this saw with to use with the Rousseau 2750 portable saw stand. Thus far this duo has given me the results I was looking for in a portable unit. The only knock on the Makita saw is that the table top is only able to use the Makita T-slot mitre guage.

Not the best table saw, but for 212 dollars after shipping it was by far the best for me. Motor is great, solid construction, lighter than a Bosch or the newest Makita. The fence is lame, you have to parralel it to the blade front and back every time you reset it to make a different width rip. The blade arbor has some play in it which is evident if the fence is not prefectly parrelel and you are ripping PT stock or whatever. I allready knew this.The addition of a Rousseau table for 300 bucks gives it 32" rip capacity, a great fence and a table to set things on, I've used that combo before. I will buy it in the near future. If you are building cabinets furniture, it's not for you but if you are doing framing, remodels, trim, siding, it's a good saw but be aware of it's faults before buying it and then crying about them.

In combination with the Rousseau stand, I find this portable saw nearly perfect. Set-up is easy, fast and lightweight. The saw is quite powerful and easily rips 2X material with no strain on the motor.
br /The electronic braking system is a welcome safety feature that should be made mandatory on all saws. Great saw, highly recommend.

I've owned this saw for seven years now and couldn't be happier. I use it with the Rousseau stand and one wing extension which in my opinion is a must have for the professional contractor. Forget the lousy miter slot, that's what a good cabinet saw in the shop is for. On the job I assume most have a good chop saw with them for crosscuts. The fence is ok I guess for a quick cut when you need to pull the saw out in a hurry and don't feel like dropping it in the stand. For the most part I use the fence with the Rousseau stand which also is less than perfect if your trying to cut to the nearest 64th. This saw has flawlessly cut through some of the thickest lumber (even wet) that I've pushed through it (as long as it's not twisted)
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br /My saw has been left out in the rain more times than I care to admit and still works as good as day one. A thorough cleaning of the mechanics with Paslode's cordless gun cleaner and a good spray lubricant has kept the raising and lowering gears running smooth. The brake system is a must have and still works great after all these years.
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br /A buddy of mine was set up next to me with his brand new Bosch table saw and couldn't get it to cut through a wet 2x6 in one pass without bogging down the motor...He pushed it through mine effortlessly and to say the least was a little unhappy. To be fair with the Bosch, he was running a higher tooth blade more suited to finishing, but so was I...To make him feel better I told him "But yours looks really cool"...
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br /Nice job Makita, don't ruin a good thing.

I had this for my first table saw when I started woodworking. No matter how long I spent adjusting it, I couldn't get the rear of the fence to lock solid, or to lock in the same place every time. VERY frustrating when you're trying to make pieces of plywood with square corners.
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br /This is not the same caliber tool as Makita's hand tools.
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br /It may work OK for carpenters, but compared to woodworking, they don't need any kind of precision. For that, a good contractor saw like a Jet would be good. But do spend the money for the upgraded fence. The stock fences on those are garbage too. If you really need a lightweight, compact saw, look at the DeWalt and the Bosch.

Great saw. I haved owned two of the 81/4 makitas and the dark army green one gave up after 12 yrs of hard service and the current green/blue still working.This saw is more powerful and I like the bevel wheel however sawdust gt into the mechanism and kept it from going to 45 after clearing it it has been good.I have the roussou set up the fatory fence is a joke for finish accuracy.with the roussou table this is a really good saw for small shop and portable situations.25 yr exp woodworker.

a terrible design with a weak fence that can't stay true, non standard miter slot so shallow that nearly impossible to make a cross cutting sled, dado cutting very limited needs viagra to get wider cuts. Why buy this with a Rousseu Table when it is cheaper to get a good contractor saw for less than $500?

I bought the table saw for my husband for his birthday and he loves it. He's a carpenter and uses it daily. For me the price was the best. I saved alot of money using Amazon.com
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THIS SAW IS IN ACCURATE, MITER GAUGE IS USELESS. RIPPING FENSE ASLO INACCURATE BUT NO PORBLEM TO USE FOR FRAMER. IT NEED RECHECK AND READJUST IN ACCURATE.
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br /I RECOMMEND MORE ACCURATE SAW. I WILL SELL AND BUY ANOTHER SAW IF POSSIBLE.
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Must get rousseau 2700 with this saw. Table saws are for ripping. Throw away the miter gauge and makita factory fence. The rousseau besenmeyer fence will do it all. Get an outfeed roller. Light, portable, strong. Want to build fine furniture, get a $4000, 500 pound Delta. Want to bevel rake boards and rip plywood or 2x. Get this one.

I have had one of these for about ten years. I mostly use it on the job for ripping 2x material. It is light weight and stay very accurate even after years of use.

In addition to a general contracting (remodel and restoration) I do intricate detailed finish carpentry. I've owned this tool for at least five years now and like Timex - It takes a lickin and keps on tickin. But paired with the Rousseau 2700XLK 3 Piece Table Saw Stand System, this saw becomes a truly professional work station. Since initial set-up no adjustments have been required - just drop it in the hole and it is dead on. It will produce 1/16 veneer off an eight inch board (flipping the board) with out a burn and that's after ripping 80 ft. of cement board at a 45 miter. I've seen trimmers and framers blown away in unbelief. On the serious side: the brake, the power, the Rousseau fence and the ease of mobility are the pluses. Also, drop a bag under it and hook up a vac. and it's about 97% dust free (as long as your not running MDF). Blade changes are a snap as long as you don't forget the Mikita supplied tools. Makita makes a 1/2 inch dado for this saw that is reasonibly priced if you are in to such. There is that one con that you'll read about in any review. If I have to do a cross cut I use a framing square or run a line. I trashed that miter thing a log time ago.

purchased this saw about a year ago and found some good and some bad qualities. the fence that comes with it sucks, miter guage sucks, and the stand is also pretty sucky but these are things other reveiwers have already written. The good things are the price, lightweight, and pretty powerfull. The best thing for the saw is the rousso stand which gives you a excellent fence and stand. The only downside is the stand cost $300 and adds another 45 pounds to the saw. I guess what I'm trying to say is in the end I would of been better off with the bosch or the dewalt, and it would have cost me atleast a $100 less.
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I've been a self employed carpenter for thirty years, and have an old Delta Rockwell contractors saw for shop use purchased in 1974. Ive gone through several bench saws from various companies. I burnt all up in less than a year each. One saw in 6 months. Finally I bought the 2703 in Oct. 2001. What a change. (...) Remember this is what they call a bench saw, and will not have the finesse of table saws, but if you need a jobsite powerhouse this is it.

My husband and son both own this table saw. It is a top of the line product. My husband and owned his for at least 10 years and uses it daily. Still in great shape with very low maintance.

This saw does everything you'd expect a heavy duty shop saw to do. Because of its weight it is easily carried to the job sight. I plan on upgrading all of my power tools with this brand. These tools are definitly for the serious home repairman or professional woodworker.

I would purchase this saw again because its great! But be careful. I took the blade guard off and ended up with a scrap 2X4 in the eye. Boy did that hurt! I put the guard back on just for safety reasons but it blocks the view of where your fingers are. Within a couple of days, I cut all the fingers off of my left hand. Now because of my nubs, I cant woodwork at all. I probably should have bought a Porter cable instead.