TheRecklessOne

I was in Home Depot today and saw the Granite topped table saw Ridgid has apparently put out. I was previously interested in the Steel City granite topped cabinet saw so I stopped to look. The "granite" looks and feels more like composite. The miter slots feel rough...not just a little rough, but holy friction and wear on expensive Incra miter gauge rough. On top of the that the fence rails were two pieces connected with a piece of flimsy plastic, and the fence itself was a joke. I've seen better fences on benchtop saws...It was really sad. Please tell me this is just a floor model like the cardboard tv's they use to sell furniture. Anyone??

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JDavis21835

I noticed one the other day. Didnt have much time to look at it, it was close to closing, and i needed to get back to the shop to finish a few things up. I know what you mean about the miter slots. The thing that caught my eye was the top was cracked in 3-4 places.

Tom5151

hmmmmmmmmmmm...........so glad i got the clearance deal on the 3660......

Haggus

I picked up one of these on tuesday and let me tell ya it was a pain in the ass to put together, it weighs in at 450 pounds. The top is in 3 pieces and slides onto 3 bolts into the main piece, there is also supported by 2 steel rods, then bolted in 3 spots. With a little adjusting it forms a smooth surface. The miter slots on mine were smooth but not finished steel as I previously stated, sorry, dont know if the granite is composite but its heavy.

As for the fence guide, it is held together with a plastic collar but there are so many bolts holding it to the table I dont think it will be an issue. The issue I have with the fence is that the back side if it does not clamp at all. The lift system works well and I do like that the case is sealed for dust collection. Power does not seem to be an issue as I used laminate I had sitting around from a bowling alley and it went through it nicely, and its hard as hell to cut. I pushed it to see if I could bog it down.

I just looked at a Steel City cabinet saw floor model and it looks like Ridgid took the same design and downgraded it, everything is similar just cheaper. The fence and guide system are the same concept just much smaller scale and cheaper, lighter materials. The blade and motor set up look the same, and the table is made of the same material, only thinner.

glassyeyes

Haggus, I just finished assembling mine, too (details posted elsewhere).
I didn't expect it to match the Steel City, but that's no surprise given the cost difference. The granite isn't composite -- I can see natural veins and inclusions in mine, and the wings were clearly not cut from the same block as the main table. I just didn't expect they could mis-cut the under-table support slots by 1/16th of an inch!

The two-piece fence design, I think, is only for the manufacturer's convenience, to solve the shipping cost/issues they had on the TS3650/3660 series. The only difference between the two was a one-piece vs. two-piece rail set, the one-piece set being boxed separately (and subject to loss and extra shipping cost) and the two-piece rail being packaged in the same box.

I had the Delta T2 -- I tried to rehab an odd-sized saw before deciding on a new one instead -- and I'm beginning to think I should have kept it and bought the Delta contractor's saw instead. At least my local Home Depot manager said they'd take it back if the replacement wing doesn't line up, but the sales will likely be over by then --

glassyeyes

One more picture; the trunnions really are heavy, compared to contractor's models.

Mort Tenon

This is a question I had about the granite tables--it would seem that they could be cracked or chipped. Can this be a real problem?

GeorgeC

I think this is a good question.

Granite is very weak in the horizontal position. You always handle a slab of granite with the width vertical.

I just do not see how a slab of granite on a table saw can take the abuse to which most saws are subject.

Anybody on here actually have a saw with a granite top?

G

RIGOOD

I've had the Steel City granite table saw about a year with no issues. I am probably more cautious with it than I would be with cast iron. I got a great deal on it so granite was not a factor in the purchase. Although I like the look and am not unhappy at all I think if I was in the market today I would opt for cast iron. Inserting and removing the miter gauge is always the worrisome part.

red

I have the Ridgid R4511 granite top table saw and love it. It was not too hard to assemble using some common sense more than the owner’s manual. The granite top is fantastic. I would not use it as an anvil, nor would I use a cast iron top as an anvil.

The fence works great and was very simple to adjust and it stays accurate. It glides smoothly on the rails. People who do not own the saw seem to knock the fence because it does not have factory installed plywood/MDF face. You can easily add this yourself.

The saw is a great saw to own and for the $599 price tag, it’s a real deal.

Red

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dbhost

I saw the Ridgid R4511 at the Houston Woodworking show. I did not notice the slots being rough, but there were some things I didn't like about it. Specifically the granite top being 3 separate pieces, the floor model wasn't set up right, or there was a serious problem with the separate panels as there was about a 2.5 to 3mm difference in the heights of the different pieces. And the fence did not feel like it locked down tight.

I really liked the TS3660 aside from the contractor layout with the motor hanging out of the back end of the saw... But I could have lived with that had I wanted to...

I have no reason to replace my BT3100 for the foreseeable future, but one day in the distant future, maybe I might want something bigger, with more mass. When that day comes, I think I will look at a used Unisaw...

I am not trying to bad mouth the R4511, and I desperately hope the demo model at the WW show was just really badly set up... But I went in there thinking that I could justify in my head going with one of them... Now they aren't even a consideration...

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Wskinz

I recently got the Rigid Granite Top Table Saw from my local Home Depot (Mom wanted to get me something nice for my 30th birthday).

The saw comes in an aluminum framed cardboard box weighing an impressive 477 lbs. It was fork lifted into my truck and I had to unload it with a cherry picker.

Thankfully the saw is pretty much assembled except for the base, extension wings and fence. It took me three hours to assemble and adjust, retreating to the beer fridge for one of many Heinekens during the process.

Granite Top-
The granite top is quite flat and aesthetically pleasing to the eyes. (I may have to change all my garage cabinets to granite as well!) Holy cow is it heavy though!

Extension Wings-
The extension wings are beautiful and heavy. They are attached with 3 steel T bars the run roughly 6" into the table top and 6" into each extension and then with all-thread bolts, washers and nuts.
Adjustments are made with Allen screws in the T bars.
I had trouble getting the extension wings to be perfectly flat with the table top. It could be my straight edge though.

Fence-
The fence is my one complaint but it might be unwarranted. The fence is aluminum and too light for my taste. I personally prefer the fence to actually rest tight against the saw top surface.
The fence rail comes in two pieces and is joined by a Play school looking rubber piece. This is a no no coming from past experience with VEGA and Beisemyer fence system.
Once the rails and the fence are installed they operate rather smooth.
Even though I personally will be replacing the fence I must admit with does cut square and will provide repeatable cut consistency.

Motor-
The motor is mounted on the bottom of the saw table top (comes completely assembled and mounted-just add the belt) and runs very strong, and surprisingly quite.
I've ran 3/4" oak and various plywoods with no problems. I will run maple this weekend and add to my observations and opinions on this saw.

glassyeyes

Wskinz, I've had my R4511 for about 4 months now. I was interested in your description of the extension wings and fence. I wonder if they've changed the supports for the wings; mine only had two bars per wing, with three studs. Also, my fence was steel, rather than aluminum. You can plane a hardwood spline to go inside the two fence pieces to improve alignment, or as someone else noted, replace the front tube with a single piece and get greater ripping capacity that way. I have had reasonable results with the spline so far, but I'm considering replacing the tube. I also added a 1/8" by 3/4" by 4ft. steel bar at the back, with longer socket-head bolts; the factory-supplied split rail provides no support at all to the wings.

You can get the riving knives from Steel City, but you'll have to sand the base of the thicker one to fit properly.

Haggus

Since I originally replied to this post I have put my saw through some work. The fence , specifically, the back end of the fence does not lock down, so I'm using a quick-grip there, as for the wings, I have had no problems, they are not perfectly aligned with the rest of the top, but its withing a 32nd of an inch. I don't have a very flat floor in my shop area so the lift system has caused the most trouble for me, it gets caught on very small edges in the floor, its a minor problem. I already modified my fence and cant wait to upgrade, but thats pretty common on factory saws.

Wskinz

dbhost, I don't know why I said the extension wings had "three" t bars when in fact there are only two.
As far as the fence is concerned, I didn't place a magnet on the metal but having worked in the aviation field for 10 years and worked with aluminum and stainless steel for much of it, I would say it is aluminum.
Aluminum is a poor choice for any table saw fence due to its unstable nature in unclaimed controlled environments. Aluminum tends to expand and contract as much as wood!

I replaced the factory Rigid fence with a Shop Fox fence with 7 foot rails and legs from Amazon.com
Amazon.com: Shop Fox G9220 The Classic Fence w/...I haven't had a chance to run any material using the new fence but it is leaps and bound more stable then the Rigid factory fence.

I forgot to add a little bit about myself to my original post so here goes.
I was born and raised in Oregon, and my step dad owned and operated a wood working business (K&D Enterprises) for over twenty years, where I learned all my woodworking techniques at a very young age.
When 9/11 happened the cities, counties, and the state, stopped spending money, which is where we did most of our custom cabinet work, so I moved to Wichita, KS to get into the aviation cabinetry field.
Since moving to Wichita, I have had the pleasure of working with top-notch equipment including large 3 and 5 axis CNC routers and cutting edge compounds and composites. I've build furniture for numerous athletic team aircraft as well as work stations in the governments E4B 747s, Saudi Prince 747 and floor boards the Boeing Laser plane.
I started my own custom aquarium furniture business in 2006 and did work for all the local aquarium shops here in Wichita. I closed up shop in 2007 after a life altering divorce.
I'm on target to reestablish my business in late 2009.

Pirate

Reading your history in the woodworking world, I'm really surprised you would buy that saw. From reading the posts about it, It would never have a place in my shop. 3 piece top? No thanks. T slot miter slots? Bet it wouldn't take much of a oops, to crack the end of that.
Cast iron is your friend.
Granite is for kitchens.

glassyeyes

Haggus, if you want to level the wings in relation to the main table (if that's problem, rather than just leveling them), you can try painting a little clear fingernail polish on the upper or lower edge of the mating surface of the wing, as appropriate. You might want to wax over it, after it dries, to prevent contact adhesion. (I had bigger problems aligning the wing front-to-back, myself.) Just don't your wife find out you borrowed the polish; you'll never hear the end of it.

Wskinz, I'm envious of the new fence! I guess that has to go on the list soon.

Pirate

[quote=dbhost;77093]I have no reason to replace my BT3100 for the foreseeable future, but one day in the distant future, maybe I might want something bigger, with more mass. When that day comes, I think I will look at a used Unisaw...
quote]

And then you will understand what it's all about!
Grab one when you find a good deal, and you will never regret it.

Wskinz

Pirate, the Rigid table saw was a gift from my-very generous-mother whom I would never deny a chance to spoil her son. So far I would pit this "hybrid" saw against any "unisaw" for the purposes of most "at home" woodworking projects.
The other point about writing this review is that I'm a person who has worked with the best that table saw manufacturers have to offer and feel the Rigid saw offers an impeccable value that will deliver on what most "hobbyist" woodworkers expect.
Sure, if you are planning on running 300 BF of 12/4 maple stock into 2" face frame material this might take a while with this saw because it lacks 220V juice.
I am very confident in centering my home shop around this saw and will do so till it proves it cannot handle the abuse I will undoubtedly subject it to.
I am currently building my St.Bernard (Layla) a dog house 72"x30"x36". I'll post pictures this weekend of my progress.

glassyeyes

Home Depot has a good deal on large purchases, for a short period of time; 25-30% off, up to $1,000.00. A $600 purchase gets you a $150 discount (25%). Enough for a really good blade!