: . . .
: My first purchase will be a table saw. I'm confused about what I need.
: Friends have expensive cabinet saws that they argue for as the only way to
: make clean consistent cuts. However, it seems like adding the cove and
: bead edges with a router cuts down on the need for such a fine saw.

The edge that gets the cove or bead treatment is not the edge that you are cutting. It is at 90 degrees to the edge you are cutting. So this point is not particularly appropriate.

: My guess is that a good quality contractors saw will do.

I think that is a very good guess. You might want to add a realy good fence.

: I've also been reading about in between saws called hybrid saws.

It is interesting that these saws have suddenly mutated into hybrids. They used to just be called "table saws".

: I do expect to do some modest home repair work. The most complex of that is
: making replacement shutters.

For this you will probably need a router or a shaper.

: thank you in advance

I think you should look at what your long term goals are with woodworking. For making canoes and kayaks you can rip strips with a handheld circular saw, a radial arm saw, a bandsaw, and Oh, Yes, a table saw. This is just one or two projects. It is not worth investing a lot of money into expensive tools which will be used only a few days a month. As for your choices:

Disregard the base that the saw sits on for a moment. That part doesn't cut the wood and (unlees it is shaky) has no effect on the accuracy of the cut.

When you are looking for a table saw you want to consider the size of the table, the power of the motor, the drive system, the height the blade can be raised above the table (how deep of a cut can you make), the fence, and the sliding miter gauge (or fence). The last two items can be replaced with home- made jigs or you can buy upgrades for some saws.

As for the bases. If you are planning to take your saw out to different places on a regular basis then you want a base which has fairly large wheels. If you can designate a spot in a dedicated shop area where you can park a table saw, and leave it there, then you don't need wheels on it. Casters will be adequate.

A contractor who needs to tote a tablesaw to a jobsite wants it to be light enough that he can lift it into his truck, so he might pay extra for a high quality magnesium or aluminum top. But he will want that top to be of a modest size so that the saw can be carried easily. On the other hand, a person cutting 4x8 panels of plywood wants a large table for supporting the panel, and to give him a place to mount the fence. He would probably pay extra for an oversized cast iron table, and buy cast iron table extensions.

If I had a dedicated workshop just for carpentry I'd need a space about the size of a 2 1/2 car garage--about 500 to 600 square feet. The table saw would go in the middle of the floor so I could position an infeed table and an outfeed table. Both of these I would make myself and get them to match the height of the saw. If I was going to be ripping strips I'd want 20 feet of space at least on either side of the saw, so that would mean a workspace over 40 feet long. Or, I'd need to position the saw so that the stock could be fed through a doorway. Or, I'd need to get the saw outside and do the work in the yard. If you don't have this kind of space, look at a saw which is more portable than a cabinet saw.

If you are ripping strips, making shutters, or ripping plywood then you'll be working with stock which is under 1 1/2 inches thick.
Almost any 10 inch table saw can cut through 1 1/2 inch stock at a 45 degree angle. Most of the time you'll be making 90 degree cuts through stock which is 3/4 inch thick. That doesn't require a very powerful motor. If you expect to be ripping 4x4 oak into tapered table legs on a regular basis, look for a 220-240 volt motor, and rewire your workspace so you ave an outlet to plug it in to. Such a saw is not going to be very portable as you'll have a hard time finding power for it. (Unless you also buy a generator and bring that along, too.)

There are plenty of housebrand and off-brand table-top saws in the under $150 category. Clamp them down to something sturdy, build a plywood infeed and outfeed area, and they'll do a good job for ripping strips--but they are a bit flimsy for any other work.

In the middle are all those "hybrid" saws. I'd look for onw iwht a large cast metal table. I used to like only cast iron, but I've seen some nice cast aluminum tables recently. I'd stay away from any with stamped metal table extensions with one exception. I saw one saw with a cast iron table, with cast iron extensions, and on the outside of the cast iron extension on one side was an additional extension which was made from stamped steel. It let you get the fence REALLY far from the blade, and supported very wide material. I doubt it would be used very often.

Have you tried lookng in the local want ads for used table saws? There are a lot of old cast iron Craftsmen saws being sold for a pittance. These were well made, and probably little used. Typically these had a separate motor which drove the blade with a V belt. Modern contractor saws, on the otherhand, tend to be direct drive. With the v belt drive, you could replace the motor fairly easily. Any old saw that has a burned out motor could be purchased cheaply and upgraded easily.

Most table saws can be "tuned". You can go under the table to adjust the alignemtn of the blade so that it is truly parallel to the slots in the table, and the fence. It doesn't matter whether you have a cabinet saw or not, you should be able to make accurate, repeatable cuts with any well adjusted tablesaw.

Good luck with your purchase.

PGJ