Ridgid Contractor Table Saw – Why not?
I’m just about to apply the finishing touches to the inside of a new garage/workshop. I’ve now got space for a larger/more permanent table saw (not to mention the boatload of other tools I’ll need to buy) and have been checking out contractor saws. I’ve had my Bosch 4000 jobsite saw for 2-3 years now, but would like to get into making some furniture – I guess I need a slightly larger saw with a higher grade of precision. A cabinet saw is out of the question ($$$).
From perusing discussion boards and looking at reviews, I can’t see any reason not to buy the Ridgid saw. I spent a good half-hour in HD the other day trying to practically break the thing (don’t ever buy the floor model if I’ve been there first) and it seems solid. It’s several hundred less than comparable saws and the fence seems great – I couldn’t get it to move (I stopped short of grabbing a hammer) – and has t-slots everywhere for attachments. Anyone have experience with the Ridgid – positive or negative? How tough is it to align the fence/blade/miter slot? Any qualms with the tilt crank/lock?
Many thanks,
Jason
Replies
I have the TS-3612 contractor saw and love it. It is an Emerson pre-OWT version with lifetime warranty for what that's worth. I am super satisfied with it. There is a Ridgid forum that guys will pull no punches on if you want to check them out.
http://www.ridgidforum.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?category=2
I also hesitated to buy a Ridgid power tool because they were so much cheaper must be something wrong......., but I bought a Ridgid 12" miter saw when my Hitachi was stuck on a jobsite, and found that I like it better than the Hitachi. Who woulda thunk it?
Aren't the Ridgid tools made in China? I always assume they must be cuz they're so cheap.
Don't automatically let 'made in China' put you off. Most Hitachi and Makita tools are made in China these days. Some Hondas, Volkswagens and Toyotas are made in Mexico. More important is the engineering and quality control.
WallyLignum est bonum.
What isn't made in China?
Mostly its the hand tools made in China that I steer clear of. I've tried a few of them, hooked by the low price, and been really disapointed with the quality. Take something like drill bits - you can buy a 100-piece set of Chinese drill bits for less than a 10-piece set made in the US (or EU, Japan, etc), but you might get 10 times the wear out of the US bits, so the price advantage is pretty much lost. When they improve the overall quality of the stuff, it will be pretty difficult for the rest of the world to match them. Guess this is a whole other thread.
We use a cabinet sub who recently immigrated from Germany. He decided to ship his entire shop via container because he didn't see decent quality tools when he was out here before the move. We all think made in Canada or US is good but the Euros seem to disagree...
Wally
Lignum est bonum.
oh yeah?http://www.mutoworld.com/PettyRTools.htm
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I`ve got one....love it, for the most part. It was cheeper than either the Dewalt, or the Bosch.....the only other two I considered.....and, it came with the foldup rolling stand.
Don`t remember who (Ryobi?), bought them out not long ago.....I`m hesitant to buy anything else since then...but the model I have, purchased prior to the buy out, has worked out well for me to this point.
J. D. Reynolds
Home Improvements
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Rigid is made by Ryobi.......according to what I was told by several employees of DeWalt.
I'm about to buy the Bosch.....
jocobe
"Rigid is made by Ryobi.......according to what I was told by several employees of DeWalt.I'm about to buy the Bosch....."Not exactly.The are made by the parent company. TTI or TII or something like that.Who by the way also makes stuff under contract for Bosch and some of the other companies and who now also is buying Milwaulkee.
I think this maybe them:
http://www.ttigroup.com/general/home.php
I've had one for about 5 yrs now..absolutly no problems..except when a part was missing or maybe it was my bandsaw, but I tried the 1-800 number..and dialed 800-ridgid and got a phone sex line..too funny.
back to the saw..the real little annoyance was getting the tilt stops dead on..do it b4 it gets full of dust underneath, the process is finicky, and I just wound up backing off the stops, and using a square or an angle block cut on the chopsaw to set any tilt angles, I never trusted the angle scales on ANY tool any way.
Mine has the mobile base, a real nice feature in a small shop.
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