tilting arbor table saws

[KEITH]

I am considering purchasing a 10" cabinet saw to up-grade my
home workshop. I would like to know what the differance is
in the right tilting -vs- left tilting arbors other than the
obvious that one tilts right and the other left. What are the
pro's and con's of the two? Which is preffered? And what
are the limitations of each? Thank you.

[MadMark]

The choice is completely personal. From a performance standpoint there is no cut that can be done with one that cannot be done with the other, although you may have to "mirror" or reverse some settings (fence to left vs right).

Select the one that you learned on and that feels "right" to you.

Certain cuts (notably bevel cuts), should always be done so NOT to create TRAPPED cuts. This applies equally for L & R tilt.

M

[Cincinnati Dave]

The other post is right, it's up to you. Take it for what it's worth, the Powermatic 66 saw is the top of the line and it's a left tilt.

[rrich]

Keith,
Thanks to people like MMark, Lou and another infrequent visitor, Dane the mysteries of left vs. right tilting were explained in another thread.

It's really a simple decision based upon your working style and projects.

First, you want to avoid a trapped bevel cut at all costs. This is a cut where the blade is NOT at the perpendicular to the table (a.k.a Bevel cut) **AND** the material is trapped between the blade and the rip fence. This type of cut is most common on a table saw with a right tilting arbor. Obviously, on the left tilting saw the cut is made with wood flipped over and the wood is not trapped.

The left tilting saw has a measurement disadvantage. Every time blades are changed, the fence should be recalibrated for the distance between the blade and fence. This is because the blade is clamped in the arbor and the solid part is to the left. With a right tilting saw the solid part is to the right and this part always remains a fixed position reletive to the fence calibration. On a left tilting saw the fence calibration changes as you use different thickness blades and dados.

My choice was right tilt because of the calibration issues and being a long time Radial Arm Saw user. (I know that it sounds dumb but the RAS is used differently. Very long story. )

Just decide what you would be comfortable with and go for it.

Rich