Table Saw Opinions

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JohnsonMBrandon

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Brandon Johnson
I am looking into buying a new table saw. Does anyone have any sugguestions. I think I would entertain spending up to about 900 dollars. It seems about the best I have found are the new craftsman saw that has an enclosed cabinet and 1-3/4 hp motor. The other saw that I looked was the new rigid table saw carried by home depot. Both of these saws look to be decent quality. Does anyone else know of other options for a mid grade range saw. I have looked at so many, and I am not really sure where to start. Of course I want the best bang for the buck, and try to save money without sacrificing quality.

- Brandon Johnson
 
R

rickc

I have a Rigid TS3650 saw, and cannot be happier about my selection. I spent a lot of time doing research, and got down to a DeWalt, Delta and the Rigid. I love the included "hercu-lift" moveable base on it. The cast iron top is standard. Left tilting blade, and I have found the fence to be right on. Plus the biggest hinderance to safety is the blade guard itself. I knew for me to keep using it, I needed something I could swap on and off easily. The fence attaches to a pivot point on the back of the saw by a thumb screw. By lossening that screw, I can slide the guard off when cutting the overise pieces of stock. When done, I slide it back on, a pin that aligns with a notch gets me real close to aligning with the blade. A little tweaking using a straight edge to align the blade and splitter and I am all set to go. No removing zero clearance plates, no wrenches, etc. Can't get much easier. It also has a built in dust collection port as well! The miter guage seems right on as well - no error that has negatively affected a project. (Though I can't say the same thing for the user!;-) ) I do NOT do production work, but am a weekend warrior. It went together easily, all parts were there, and I have had absolutely NO problems with it. You can check out the specs here:

http://www.ridgid.com/Tools/TS3650-Table-Saw/

You can also download the owner's manual for it as well. When doing research the biggest problem I found was in Rigid's customer service. There were a number of complaints about availability of replacement parts, and even poor attitude. I came to the conclusion I would mitigate the risk of dealing with customer service by really checking for missing pieces, and getting a clear understanding of the store return policy.

It was also selected by Wood Magazine as a "Best Buy" in reviews they did a couple of months ago. However, a good place to check out information is the Rigid Tool Forum. It is definitely a place where people feel free to be critical. You can find it here. Just look for the TS 3650 entries and read to your heart's content.

http://www.ridgidforum.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=forum;f=14

I was VERY happy with the deal I got on mine. It is normally $599, and Home Depot had it marked down to $565. At the time they had a special where you got $100 gift card for all purchases over $499. I asked the salesman if they would take $500 for it. He spoke to the manager and came back with a "yes" answer. Bottom line for cost - $599 saw for $500, plus another $100 in gift card.

Like I said I really like the saw. I put a moderately priced Freud blade on it, and it cuts like a champ. Also made sure I coated the cast iron table tops ASAP. It is definitely a heavy son of a gun. I put it in the bed of my Ranger, and it made it ride like a car. Comes in two boxes. One for the rails, the other for everything else. I did not properly inflate the tires on my hand truck, and popped the seal. Tough moving about 300 lbs on a handtruck with one flat tire!:oops:

In summary, as I spoke with others, and heard of the features I should be looking for in a saw (in my budget), the Rigid kept coming up over and over. I decided to take a chance on the customer service and in over a year have not had to contact them.

There is another person on this site, I believe Ryan(?), who has one as well, and spoke highly of his, as well.
 

JohnsonMBrandon

New User
Brandon Johnson
The other good thing about the ridgid is that right now they are offering a lifetime warranty on the saw. I think thats a pretty good deal. I have been researching quite a few saws and all. I was just strung between the new craftsman and the ridgid. I'll do a little more research and let you guys know what I come up with. I am also going to check out both saws in the stores. I really appreciate the input. If you guys think of anything else let me know.
 

sapwood

New User
Roger
Brandon,

I would encourage you to grive Grizzly a look.
The 3hp 220 1023SL cabinet saw comes highly recommended: 1023SL at a little over $1000 shipped. A step down would be the G044Z at $660 shipped.

That said, there are other great choices like the Rigid that cost less, may be more appropriate for the hobbyist, and allow one enough left over cash to purchase bades, etc. I bought a ten-year old Grizzly 1023. My only complaint on this saw is the fence, but that and dust collection have been significantly improved on the new ones. As Rick suggested, a decent blade makes a tremendous difference. It's not hard to spend a couple hundred dollars on blades:roll:

Good luck,
Sapwood
 

DaveO

New User
DaveO
Man, you've opened a can of worms. I would have to agree with sapwood, I've got the Griz 0444Z and love it. Get it and have some money left over for some good blades. Their cabinet saws get great reviews, too. I've heard good things about Craftsman zipcode saws, and about the Ridgid. I guess the big question is do you want to move it around or will it stay in the same location. My 0444Z doesn't have the mass of a cabinet saw, but has the same rip capacity and CI table surface. Once I built a large outfeed/side support table around it, it ain't going nowhere. I toss sheet goods at it, and it takes them in stride. Dust collection is also an issue. Cabinet and hybrid saws will give you better dust collection, if that is a priority, personally I like saw dust boggers the day after spending time in the shop. Stay tuned I am sure you will get many more opinions. The only good rule to buying tools is buy the best you can afford. Dave:)
 

cloudancer

New User
Greg Dake
Dave's right... worms indeed.

I've got the Craftsman your talking about and really like it. Of course I don't have the skill to talk about it like someone who had been doing this for 10-50years. For what it's worth there is a craftsman club sale on now so you could save some on it till Sat.
 

Joe Scharle

New User
Joe
I've had the 22124 since November and think it's just right for me. My shop is my former garage and the cabinet/dust collection was a big factor in my decision. At the time, the General & Delta contractors models were the same price. Plus Sears delivers and this thing weights 400 lbs. I had to get 3 Beisemeyer fences before I got it right, but everyone involved made it happen as fast as UPS could go. I read that the big saws are starting to use the flat belt now too. The blade was a pleasant surprise as well. It's a Leitz and are not sold locally, but they are good.Good luck,
Joe
 

cloudancer

New User
Greg Dake
I would. It's a very solid saw for the price. If you are looking for that fence (or something in its class) and good dust collection you will have a hard time finding a saw priced that low.
It's a good size for my garage, presise and accurate, very smooth and I haven't had any power problems with it yet. The weight, tables, fence etc are all good. I had very minor problems in assembly (the manuel is ok, but not great). I also did have to spend some time ajusting it to get everything lined up (the blade was a little out of line with the miter slot), but I think that's standard with any bigger saw.

Only other problem I've had is when the splitter is set correctly the clear guard is too close to the blade. As a result I've cut into it several times as pieces of wood push on it.

Bladeburner is absolutely right about the home delievery, you do not want to pick the thing up yourself.

Bladeburner, What was wrong with the fence if I might ask?
 

cloudancer

New User
Greg Dake
I bought it (22124) for four reasons. One I know some folks on another board that had it and were happy, it had just finished getting top marks in a review when I got it, it was the most recommended saw in the price range on woodworking boards in my informal survey and price to features (the biggest reason). When it is on sale plus craftsman discount it can get really cheap (realitive).

BTW, It is produced by a company of ex-delta guys (can't remember the name now).
 

Joe Scharle

New User
Joe
It's made by a company called Orion who are almost embarrasing with fall all over you service. The fence story is:

1st fence's indicator holes drilled so that the plastic indices wouldn't line up
2nd fence had a left tilt on left side, OK on right
3rd fence right on. Beisemeyer guy called from factory and said that
he had checked that one personally.
Believe it or don't, all this including UPS time took place in 7 days. Last one was delivered on a Sunday.
I put the Sears (HTC) lift on mine. If you're going to put a roller base on any saw this heavy, you should do it before you put it all together.
Joe
 
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