Table saw question

having borrowed a very similar craftsman saw from my neighbor I can say that it is in fact a death trap. It is impossible to cut down full sheets of ply or mdf safely on it. It looks like they changed the fence clamp a little bit but on the one I used, it absolutely sucked.

I kind of agree with Foz. Unless you really plan to do real work with it, skip the cheap table saw. If you are planning on doing more real work and you don’t mind taking up some space, get a proper cabinet saw. Even the one from Home Depot is decent. Jet also makes some really nice stuff.

You will definitely use a mitre saw more often for home stuff. Everything from trim to flooring to crown molding. Don’t skip there, get a big one like 10" or even 12" if you can afford it. Also look into sliding ones. I have a 7.25" craftsman and the biggest piece of stock you can cut in one pass is a 2x4.