New Ridgid Tablesaw

Coin on edge. If the coin on edge does not fall during start up, while the saw is running, or during shut down, it passes the nickel test. There are varying degrees of this test, the minimal you are looking for is for the coin to stay upright when the saw is running. Start up and shut down is really not a factor since you don't normally cut during start up or shut down. Now if the coin stands up and does not roll or spin you are really headed in the right direction.

Reply to
Leon
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You are leaving out the fact that the top will not rust and that it will stay flat. Cast iron will rust amd many will not remain flat. Remaining flat has as much to do with accuracy as reducing vibration.

Additionally, magnetic feather boards/jigs and fixtures are a relatively "New" concept. Not too many years ago they, magnetic, did not exist yet those jigs that attached in other ways hve existed for a very long time. I use a magnetic feather board however in some instances my older feather board that attaches to the slot works better, it has a longer reach. Often the magnetic feather board is too tall to use along with my Gripper.

Now that is simply being anal. No blade runs perfectly. I only use Forrest blades, known for being considered one of the best brands and being very flat. Does it run with out vibration? I seriousely doubt it, although a lot less than other brands.

For some it may not. For some one making small tight fitting objects like puzzles or cutting 1/16" and thinner veneer it would probably make a bigger difference.

I personally will probably not ever purchase a TS with a granite top however both cast iron and granite offer something that may be considered more important to different people and for different uses. Some people keep their saws out doors and or exposed to the outside climate. In desert regoins a cast iorn top works out well and waxing the top works fine. Some people live near salt water, rust is a daily battle and wax does not even begin to address the rust issue. I live 60 miles from salt water and TopCote is a must. I live in Houston, north of the Gulf of Mexico and the prevailing summer winds bring salt in the air.

Of course, I've done all of my work on

Reply to
Leon

Oh, sorry to bite your head off then. Yeah, the test is to balance a nickel on edge while the saw is running.

Here are a couple of shots of the test in progress. You can't really tell that the saw is running though--I need to reshoot them sometime and play with the shutter speed until I get the blade movement clearly.

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Reply to
J. Clarke

It might be helpful to ask it the other way, too. Why NOT granite? Who knows. The only thing that comes to mind is not being able to tap a threaded hole in stone. I don't typically drop heavy, sharp cornered steel tooling on the tablesaw. The only jig I have that fits that description is the big, heavy tenoning jig. So far, I managed to not ding the C.I. top with it. I also move somewhere else for heavy hammering. Why NOT granite?

Reply to
MikeWhy

If Ridgid was making substandard ovepriced tools it would be one thing, but even without the lifetime warranty their tools are exceptional value.

Reply to
J. Clarke

Machined pulley and multiple V belt are part of the Ridgid package.

I've had one here for checking out, and it's an astonishing saw for the price--$599.

Reply to
Charlie Self

No rust is another benefit. Ease of assembly of extensions is another. Much lower vibration overall is a prime benefit.

This is a good saw made better by the extra mass. On the one here, the extension wings weighed 54 pounds each, compared to the Jet's cast iron 40 pounders.

Reply to
Charlie Self

Oh, come on. At this moment, ANY person who guarantees almost any cmpany being around a decade from now is foolish. The company that manufactures Ridgid tools, or at least the table saw, is immense, as is Home Depot. That doesn't mean either can fail, but in general, manufacturers tend to have less greedy and more able managers-- especially those not auto related...bankers and insurance, Jaysus! AIG is paying $170 million bucks of our money to keep their "skilled managers," the guys who led them into their current debacle.

Reply to
Charlie Self

Hell, Ridgid wasn't even first. Steel City appears to have been. Others are following suit, though those that aren't won't comment on the reasons they're hanging in there with cast iron.

Reply to
Charlie Self

It certainly looks like a fine saw. The granite top makes a whole lot of sense, although I worry a bit about the t-track. But a properly selected slab of granite is some tough. Any wee pits and chips are easily filled and levelled.

Reply to
Robatoy

Granite might crack, chip or break, wears faster than iron. Vibration can be caused by many factors including case design, material, mass, belt design, tar buildup, rpm, bent shaft, damaged blade, etc.

My lathe sometimes has a vibration issue. It helps to have a variable speed motor--sometimes changing the speed eliminates the vibration completely. It helps to have a pair of 800 pound cast iron legs with a shelf full of sandbags.

Reply to
Phisherman

Chipping and cracking was first on my mind as well. But how? In normal or even extreme use, how or what will cause it to chip or crack? Just how tough or fragile is this stuff? It's only a matter of time before the woodworking magazines bombard one with ball bearings and bowling balls. I'll sit on the fence until then.

Reply to
MikeWhy

That's what I meant. I wasn't implying that HD was any more or less likely to fail than any other company. I'm just not overly impressed with so-called lifetime warranties. OTOH, at my age 10-20 years will handle my lifetime :-).

Reply to
Larry Blanchard

The cracking has a lot to do with selection. Natural fissures occur, but can be found ahead of use. Chip? Well, that takes a bit too. Something that chips granite, will likely damage/pit cast iron as well. It will out-wear cast iron by a long shot too. That stuff takes diamonds to machine.

Reply to
Robatoy

Cast iron can crack too you know. My Dad had to put a new table on his band saw once when he dropped the old one and it broke into two pieces.

Reply to
J. Clarke

Percussion?

In art school I bounced a hammer off a granite tile once 2'x2'x2" and the thing cracked as if I'd kung fu'd it.

Reply to
phorbin

Bombardment only makes sense if they do the same to all the saws with cast iron tops as well.

From what I've been told, small chips fill in easily with epoxy, which is then sanded flat.

Someone else stated that granite wears faster than cast iron. I don't know that, but let's assume it does. When was the last time anyone here saw, or even heard of from a reliable source, a tablesaw top in hobby use wearing out? It just doesn't happen. Sure, it's possible in some commercial applications, but even then, I've got my doubts.

Reply to
Charlie Self

I've destroyed two vises in my life. One when I was a kid and horsed one of those 2 in. clamp to the table types too tightly. And last year I wrecked one small boat anchor of a mechanic's vise by dropping.

:^) I guess I better stop using my saw table as an anvil.

Reply to
phorbin

Make sure it is a Biesemeier.

Reply to
Robatoy

Granite is not all created equal. You will see a diamond cutter take his wedge, look at it carefully and give the stone a whack..it splits. The hardest stuff known is diamond. Yet, there are fissures. A properly selected chunk of granite will be every bit as strong (and stronger) than cast iron...cast iron which is also not created equal can be as brittle as pot metal. It is all about apples and apples and oranges and oranges. To make a direct comparison is foolish. As a prof of mine sometimes did, he'd mark LOI. (Lack Of Information.)

Planes are faster than cars......well....not necessarily.

Reply to
Robatoy

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