Ridgid Customer Service???

[renicker]

I am considering purchasing the Ridgid 10" table saw at Home Depot for $597.

Anyone have any experience with this saw or Ridgid's customer service?

Any feedback you have would be appreciated.

Thanks!

Mike

[sniper-joe]

Go for the Delta instead ... Model 36-650, 1 1/2 HP, 115/230 volts, 60Hz motor 10" Blade, 5/8" arbor.

[Richard Cline]

I've had the saw for a couple months. I am very happy with the saw. The assembly was well documented. Parts immediately aligned very accurately. HD customer service was not much help in getting the saw into my truck. You need somebody's help at the store and for the first hour of assembly.

Dick

[Charlie Self]

sniper-joe responds:

screwed up here, which makes you wonder, but the depth on the Delta is also

27"), sheet steel wings vs. cast iron, 234 lbs. versus 287 lbs.

Can't see the value, if the OP is willing to spend the extra $120 or so. I've got one of the Ridgid saws and it is quite a tool. Uses a poly belt to help smoothness, has a built-in mobile base, works about as well as an so-called contractor's saw around.

Where's the superiority of the Delta saw, other than in price?

Charlie Self "It is even harder for the average ape to believe that he has descended from man." H. L. Mencken

[Wally]

Nah,

Before shelling out too much money for a Delta piece of junk, make sure you take a look at the General International 50-175 / 50-185. So much more for so little money more...

Here's the link:

here's a complete review about it: sure to read what the others have to say about it:

gotta be blind of plain stupid to get the 36-650...

Wally

[Mortimer Schnerd, RN]

I have the earlier comparable model: the TS2424 and have been very happy with it. I've got to warn you... it's a hoss to move until you get it set up. After that it's no problem. Passes the nickel test easily; fairly quiet and doesn't bog down like my POS Capsman RAS. I added on a router table attachment to the left cast iron wing and there's absolutely no sag (didn't remove the left wing as suggested by the manufacturer, but added it onto the edge of the left wing).

Most of the guys who talk down the Ridgid saw have never used one.

[J. Clarke]

Of course he _could_ preorder a Sawstop saw .

[renicker]

Charlie,

Are all of the parts that you would expect to be cast iron, actually made of cast iron?

I read somewhere that some Ridgid saws have parts made of pot metal instead of cast iron.

That could have been an earlier version of the saw or just plain wrong but I thought I should check.

Also - is the miter gauge slot of standard size? I would like to buy an aftermarket miter gauge.

I am thinking this is a pretty good saw for the money and am about ready to buy it.

Thanks for your help!

Mike

[Charlie Self]

renicker asks:

Almost all the contractor's style saws out there use cast zinc for trunnions. Not what I'd choose, but it is what the manufacturers choose. There are acouple with cast iron trunnions, but offhand I don't remember which. The Ridgid uses cast zinc. Other than that, all the metal that you'd want to be cast iron is cast iron.

Charlie Self "It is even harder for the average ape to believe that he has descended from man." H. L. Mencken

[Richard Cline]

I believe that pot metal is mostly cast iron but there are a lot of impurities. The dictionary says that it is an alloy of iron with so much silicon that it cannot be milled effectively. I can only say that the top of the table is milled to a very nice smooth surface and the table as well as the extensions are very heavy. I would expect them to be cast iron.

The miter gauge slot is standard. At least the miter gauge slot takes the same width as a previous Craftsman saw. In any case I almost never use a miter gauge. I use a sled that I have constructed along with attachments to provide specific angles.

Dick

[P©WÉ®T©©LMAN]

It's sad that some people have to go overboard with their opinions Dave, almost all tools have a niche in the marketplace except perhaps some of the Chinese junk that is lucky to accomplish even the simplest task, (beware those $19 range assortment of power tools, the free set of brushes with each one is a good indicator of impending doom), you are only "stupid" if you expect high quality long term work day in day out with your 36-650 & even then I wouldn't use the word stupid.....more unlucky. However if you expect your economical saw to do reasonable job on an occasional basis then you were "smart" & lucky enough to have bought a saw that meets your needs without spending a small fortune.

As for Ridgid, I was reluctant to become a Ridgid Warranty Service Center but am due to having been a Ryobi Warranty Service Center since way back when they made some decent middle of the road tools, it just happened automatically & so far Ridgids tools appear to be more like the fairly decent middle of the road tools Ryobi used to make, not industrial, not heavy construction, not professional but good light construction, handyman, homeowner type tools that for the price are very good value for money with features found on much more expensive tools.

In a nutshell tools aimed at the Smart & Lucky not the Stupid & Unlucky if you catch my drift....you get what you pay for with Ridgid, nothing more nothing less.

[bridger]

that's the problem with english. no definition control....

the pot metal referred to here is a semi-random alloy of tin and zinc, mostly, but with plenty of other crap ending up in it. this would be a screamingly inappropriate metal for precision machine parts, and in fact is not what is used for most of the trunnions on taiwanese bandsaws and tablesaws.

what IS used is a tightly controlled alloy of zinc and I think copper. the reason it's used is that it can be cast accurately enough that some machining steps can be eliminated. it's strong enough (barely) for the application, but it's not hard enough to wear well in the long run and tends to creep with temperature changes.

cast iron is a much better trunnion material. it costs more. it's one reason that an older machine is a better buy, and will out perform the modern stuff now and in 10 or 20 years.

[Lee K]

I've had one since November, very happy with it.

[Charlie Self]

Powertoolman notes:

That's what all contractor's saws are designed to do, a reasonable job on an occasional basis, but most are aimed at near daily use for the occasion, simply not really heavy cutting and not repetitious cutting. For most woodworkers, that's more than enough.

Yeah, well...take a WAG at who makes Ridgid power tools, including the table saw under discussion.

And with almost all tools. Sometimes you get a bit less, but no manufacturer can afford to give you more.

Charlie Self "It is even harder for the average ape to believe that he has descended from man." H. L. Mencken

[Wally]

Well, OK I got overboard with my opinion... Sorry about this. Half of my gripe goes to this crappy Delta product line and the other half as a huge "BEWARE" to eventual buyers.

But I do maintain my claim that the Delta 36-650 table saw is a very bad product. It's been introduced as part of their 2000 Series a while ago and this line of products was a bad attempt to offer some competition in the Taiwanese made table saw market.

Unfortunately for Delta, the QC people at their plant in China probably couldn't figure out their left foot from the right...

I was myself "stupid" enough to get the 14" bandsaw from this serie. I'm still swearing at it and my wildest dream would be to see a Delta representative eat it with his smallest orifice. I had a bunch of parts replaced and to make it run without shaking I had to invest another 150$ of parts... It took me over one month of fine tuning and repairs to be able to use it. Maybe you'll say that I got what I paid for.... Well, I could have got a 14" King bandsaw for cheaper that had a more powerful motor, a flawless cast iron table, a fence, a closed base, variable speed, etc. If I could go back in time, I would never buy this saw...

The 36-650 is not competitive at all when you compare apples with apples. If there's people to be happy with it, it's fine by me but I'm suspecting they're lacking some experience here to sort out the crap out.

I had one of the first B&D 29.95$ cordless drill and I was very happy with it. I would have said so many great things about it... Then eventually I upgraded to a 250$ Milwaukee cordless drill... Needless to say the B&D is in the trash today...

Wally

[P©WÉ®T©©LMAN]

I know only too well who makes each & every Ridgid tool in the recent past & current line up

manufacturer

That's very profound thinking.....occasionally though a tool comes along with excellent design & quality that could have been priced higher & still sold well but that is definitely not par for the course (these days anyway).