Makita 2703X1 15 Amp 10-Inch Benchtop Table Saw with Fixed Stand

by Makita

Product Description

Amazon.com Review

For the price, Makita's 10-inch portable table saw is a solid choice for the job site. The 15 amp motor packs plenty of power, and with a 3-9/16-cut capacity, this saw will rip four-by material on a single pass. This saw also has an electric brake, so adjustments between cuts are both safer and quicker to make. The table's a good size, too: 27 by 22 inches. We also really like the saw's new cam-lock rip fence, which is much easier to adjust than double-locking designs. The bevel adjust has a pretty good rack-and-pinion design (metal, admittedly, would be better). All in all, this saw strikes a nice balance between weight (only 40 pounds) and vibration (minimal). Simply put, the Makita 2703 is a solid saw, better for the job site (quick, powerful, lightweight) than the home shop. For the shop, we'd recommend a saw with a more accurate fence. --Jon Groebner

Product Description

Volts: 115, Amps: 15, Speed - No Load (RPM): 4,600, Table Dimensions W x L (in.): 27 x 22, Blade Diameter (in.): 10, Arbor Size (in.): 5/8, Cutting Depth at 90deg (in.): 3 9/16, Cutting Depth at 45deg (in.): 2 1/2

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Product Details

Product Manual [1.51mb PDF]

• Product Dimensions: 28 x 25 x 13 inches
• Shipping Weight: 76.6 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• Shipping Advisory: This item must be shipped separately from other items in your order. Additional shipping charges will not apply.
• ASIN: B000055XZ9
• California residents: Click here for Proposition 65 warning.
• Item model number: 2703X1
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #171,820 in Home Improvement (See Top 100 in Home Improvement)
  • #72 in Home Improvement > Power & Hand Tools > Power Tools > Saws > Table Saws

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

64 of 65 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Makita 2703X1, March 5, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Makita 2703X1 15 Amp 10-Inch Benchtop Table Saw with Fixed Stand (Tools & Home Improvement)

The Makita portable table saw in one form or another, has been around for about twenty years, and will no doubt continue to be around for quite a few more. It was being thrown into the open bed of a pickup truck on a rainy overcast day long before either DeWalt or Bosch were ever a jobsite presence. It is probably one the most popular but mishandled, abused and poorly maintained tools on any given jobsite. The design has improved and changed over the years on it's way to becoming the 10-inch 2703 but has always been very solid and capable, unlike many of the people I've seen attempting to operate it with satisfactory results. This saw was designed to be a rugged heavy-duty general-purpose portable jobsite table saw for use with or without table legs and as such, excels in this area. I'm not sure a professional woodworker would want to attempt to build their heirloom quality furniture or custom cabinetry with any portable table saw, but I do know that with the proper setup it can been done successfully with this saw.
I have always kept the fence properly adjusted and have it faced with 1 X common stock on both sides, so I haven't experienced the problems with alignment and slippage that some other owners have reported in their reviews.
Although I don't believe it was specifically designed for exacting shop use, precise square hairline "shop saw" accuracy is surprisingly attainable with the 2703X1 but, this is not an "out of the box" saw for precision shop woodworking and you will need to take the extra time and steps to set it up properly for precise results. And of course, as with any table saw, results always depend greatly on user skill combined with patience and common practices such as, using a clean high quality blade matched to the material being cut, precisely set and maintained initial blade square and bevel adjustments, wood facing of the miter gauge for stability during cuts (especially important because of the shallow miter gauge slots in the 2703's table), double sided wood facing of the fence to add stability and maintain a smooth parallel path to the blade (especially because of the short length and hollow tubular construction of the fence), always measuring accurately and using a square to set the fence, (for my own personal preference, this requires the not recommended practice of permanently removing of the blade guard), using a protractor or angle gauge to set the miter gauge or blade bevel position, clean waxed table surfaces, solid mounting of the saw base to the table legs, proper support of the work piece and very slow, controlled stock feed rate. Also because of the lightweight construction of the saw, weighting of the table legs with cement blocks or sand bags on a level concrete floor is beneficial to stability and accuracy.
A 6-inch dado is the only size recommended by Makita for use with the 2703 and as such is the only size I have ever used with it. The table insert for the dado costs about twenty dollars.
As for durability, I believe if you ask anyone who owns and routinely uses one if they have had any real problems with it over the years (except for those caused directly by abuse), the response of the majority of owners would most likely be... No.
Overall, I personally feel that with the combination of price, durability and capability the 2703X1 is easily the best portable table saw value on the market today.

38 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good but needs improvement., September 21, 2002

By 

Warren C. Jones (Swansea, MA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Makita 2703X1 15 Amp 10-Inch Benchtop Table Saw with Fixed Stand (Tools & Home Improvement)

I am a contractor and own 2 of these saws. I have had 2 replaced in the last year because of broken blade bevel mechanisms. The reason is that the gears are plastic and packed with grease that subsequently fill with sawdust and jamb when you try to bevel the blade to 45 deg. I still own the old reliable Makita 8 1/4" # 2708, never a problem, except the cord getting a little old and frayed. Makita should have stuck with the tried and true design on the bevel and changed only the blade raising handle to a crank (as in the 2703). It's still a good saw, especially when you drop it in a Rousseau stand, I just wish Makita would get rid of the plastic gears.

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Tool Time Tim, May 2, 2002

By 

Tim Lavrouhin "timmyL" (Big Bear Lake, California) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Makita 2703X1 15 Amp 10-Inch Benchtop Table Saw with Fixed Stand (Tools & Home Improvement)

I bought this saw based on my expierience with Makita tools in general and was not disappointed. It's not a "shop saw'" for doing precision work but as a job saw, for common rips and quick cuts on the jobsite, you can't beat it. Every time I turn it off I say, "I just love this saw". The quick acting electric brake is a boon when you have to make a quick fence change. The light weight is a plus if you have to move it around to access different job areas. There's even a hole in the table to let you see the power switch without having to squat down or step back from the saw. And while were on the subject of the table, it's heavy cast aluminium. A feature not always avalable in a saw in this price range. There's a nice blade well with a vacuum system fitting on the back for dust free opperation. I cut a hole in a wet vac box and bunjied it to the back of the stand, and the sawdust just shoots right in.
This saw is a good value. Just like all my Makita tools, there's enough power to do the job, with a minimum of noise and vibration.