Makita 2704 Table Saw

My father and I bought a Makita 2704 to replace our entry-level Metabo TKHS 315-C. We decided to buy a decent quality table saw because we are both renovating. The Metabo was a good saw, don’t get me wrong but the guidance system is not that good. You couldn’t make precise cuts with it.

The options

Before we bought the table saw we took a look at all the available saws in the same quality range.We are talking about the Metabo TS 254, Makita 2704 and the DWE7491 van Dewalt. We would have liked to take a look at the Bosch GTS 10 XC but the seller didn’t sell Bosch tools. The candidates had a couple of things in common: a 250mm saw blade and a guide rail that would allow for 60cm cuts (the standard depth of a closet or cabinet over here). We will not discuss every saw into detail because I simply didn’t have the chance to test them in depth. In short the price and quality were going together from the Metabo to the Makita to the Dewalt. The Metabo was very light with its built-in leg system. We found it to be a little wobbly. The Makita had the biggest working surface and felt really sturdy. The Dewalt had a smaller table top but could cut wider The gearing mechanism on the Dewalt was also a pleasure to work with. The price was just to high and that’s why we bought the Makita 2704.

About the Makita 2704!

The saw as we bought it came with a 260mm 24-toothed saw blade. A fence, crosscut guide, dust collection attachment and pushstick come with it. We also bought the stand that goes with it for easy transportation . The body of the saw can house all these pieces so that it’s packed and ready to go. The only problem I have with table saws these days is that they didn’t put in a spot to put the provided tools for opening the blade insert. I tend to lose those all the time and it gets me really frustrated. The screw that’s holding down the insert is made out of black coated steel. The steel they have used is far to soft causing the screw bit to tear out. It’s rubbish and I quickly replaced it with a stainless steel machinery screw. Luckily for me they used standard screws!

Ease of use

The machine could go on a diet. It’s a little on the heavy side compared to it’s competitors with its 36kg (the Dewalt weighs 27kg). The saw is built a little bit sturdier and bigger than the Dewalt so I can live with that. If you are a contractor and you need to get it up to the third floor on your own, you will have a hard time. I just really like the bigger working surface. It makes it more comfortable whilst working with sheet goods on your own.
The stand was very well built. It’s sturdy even though you can open it up with little effort (thanks to the small pumps). In one minute you are set up and ready to go.
The fence is a pleasure to use. It locks nice and square and it moves easily when you want it to. You can just read the length on a scale so there’s no need to take out the tape measure every time ‘just to make sure’.

The dust collection works as it is needed. The working environmont stays nice and clean. Don’t expect miracles though cutting MDF always gives you a local sandstorm. Hearing protection is needed with the 90+dB the machine is putting out.
The height and angle adjustments are made by turning a crank and a wheel. I feel like the crank is just a little bit to long for the radius of the wheel (or the wheel is to small compared to the crank). When turning the wheel it sometimes gets in the way. I don’t know if this is any better on other table saws (the Metabo TKHS 315C didn’t have a combined wheel-and-crank so I can not compare it).

Overall I’m really happy with the saw. It cuts nice and smooth (without tearout) and I don’t feel the 1650W is underpowered for its 93mm (3.7″) cutting capacity. It still cuts 64mm (2.5″) under a 45° angle. I do need to mention that I haven’t cut any really thick hardwood with it so far. A vertical beam of pine just went trough without a problem.

In short (a.k.a. TL;DR):