With the table saw being the most heavily used machine in the wood shop, it's no wonder there are so many accessories available for it. It's these accessories that can take a fine machine, and make it excel at many specialized tasks.

Between specialized blades, molding cutters, miter gages, tenon jigs, cross cut sleds, sliding table attachments, infeed and outfeed tables, it is very easy to spend as much money on them, as you did on the saw itself. However, these accessories will serve you in many ways, making the accuracy better, the work safer, or just faster and easier.

To many wood workers, the idea of spending this kind of money for the accessories just doesn't sit well. What you might want to keep in mind though, is the very reasons that made buying the saw practical, are the very reasons to add these accessories.

There are a few basic categories regarding accessories. The first would be those used to cut or shape the wood. Specialized blades are available for a number of different materials and purposes. Hardwood, softwood, crosscut, rip, solid wood, plywood, solid surface materials, plastics, to name just a few, and within each of these is a number of options. Then you have dado blades, which again offer a number of types and styles. Add to this, molding heads, which simply by changing insertable cutters give you the versatility to make dozens of moldings. It is entirely possible to spend well over a thousand dollars, just on different blades and cutters, and we haven't even gotten past the motor yet.

The next would be those that hold the wood in position, and are used to bring it into the cutter. This would include tenon jigs, miter gauges, and cross cut sleds. They make it possible to make cuts that could be difficult or dangerous without them. Cutting tenons without the help of a tenon jig could prove quite dangerous. Cross cutting wide pieces is much easier and more accurate when using a sliding crosscut sled. Using an after market miter gage is far superior to those supplied with the saw, and make cutting multiple identical parts simple.

They next category would be those fastened to the saw itself, some permanent, some portable, and assist in moving the materials past the blade. Sliding tables, for cross cutting plywood get attached permanently to the saw. These make cross cutting full width sheet goods possible, while providing perfectly square cuts. Outfeed tables are often permanently fastened to the back of the saw, and generally fold down when not in use, making them a good option for smaller shops, or those that don't use much sheet materials.

The down side to these folding out feed tables is they need to be rather short, so they don't hit the floor when folded down. A relatively new style out feed table is available, made by Ezee-Feed Mfg., and it is a portable unit. It is 58" long, making it easier to cut full length sheets, without having the pieces fall on the floor after being cut. It mounts and dismounts from the saw in seconds, and folds for easy storage.

Relatively new to the accessories market is the infeed table. Currently only one on the larket exists, and it too is made by Ezee-Feed Mfg. Anyone that cuts plywood or other sheet goods is quite familiar with the challenges of trying to cut these bulky materials. An infeed table holds the sheet, so you simply slide it through the blade. You are not holding the weight of the sheet. These units can be positioned anywhere along a 4' track system. The infeed system also mounts and dismount from the saw in seconds, for as needed use.

All of the accessories mentioned here will make a very heavily relied on machine better at specific tasks, by increasing the speed, accuracy and safety.

If purchasing the saw was a practical investment, then getting the most out of it by buying the proper accessories for it should be considered a sensible investment as well.