Ridgid TS 36->6<-0!

Well, got the saw unpacked, getting it unpacked in the back of a Grand Cherokee when it's turned on its side (had something else in the GC so there wasn't room to put it flat) wasn't fun, but I managed. Got it downstairs and now it's time to take a break.

Didn't notice until I had it completely unloaded that the model number is TS 36*6*0, not TS36*5*0.

I'm betting that the number reflects the new packaging that has the fence in the same box with the rest of the saw rather than any mechanical changes.

The packaging is _real_ nice. The fasteners are all on a bubble card with each type labelled as to size and quantity, and they're oriented so that you can actually count them without opening the bubble. Everything is in fitted foam. Box weighs a ton (well, not really--it's listed as 301 pounds).

The heavy pieces are the base and table assembly (the base comes with the table already attached), the motor, and the table extensions. I can carry the base but it's awkward, I'd be nervous with it on stairs (I skidded it down). The extensions and the motor I can carry easily (one at a time) but if I carry them any distance I know I've been working (of course that might have more to do with being an old fat guy than with their actual weight).

One immediate impression, the blade wrenches that come with it appear to be identical to the ones that Sears sent me as replacements for the ones that came with my Craftsman RAS many moons ago. Don't know if that has any significance or not with regard to origin.

There's a dust port under the blade, it's 2-1/2 inch though. At some point I'll probably cobble up a 4 inch but that's not urgent. I seem to recall dust collection being a criticism of the 3650 so that might be new with the 3660.

Reply to
J. Clarke
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The 3560, at least the one I have, has a 2 1/2" dust collection port. I use a 2 1/2-4" adaptor.

Reply to
dale martin

There was a number of completely mangled fence boxes when I got mine, and I got the least mangled of them. So not surprised they changed that.

It may have changed, but with mine yes they are were all in a spiffy bubble packaging. But the labels on the package and the names in the instructions were translated by different people, so you had to do a bit of detective work.

The 3650 has the 2-1/2 inch port. I don't know if they made any changes but the problem with it is the shroud around the blade doesn't go all the way up on the right side, to allow for blade tilt. If you block this area it works very well, except on cuts where one side of the blade is exposed, but no under the table collection is going to help there.

-Leuf

Reply to
Leuf

Got the legs on it and got it tipped up. No need for a buddy. Lift one side, put a block under it, lift the other, do the same, brace the legs so they won't slide, slip an 8 foot 2x4 under it, and it tips right up.

Reply to
J. Clarke

Mine is less than a year old.. It came with one box for saw and fence, one long box for the rails..

mac

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Reply to
mac davis

Is yours a 36_5_0 or a 36_6_0?

Reply to
J. Clarke

Reply to
bob kater

it's a 50..

mac

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Reply to
mac davis

The ones in the stores now are 60s--the single box seems to be the major change. Apparently they started shipping sometime in the December/January timeframe and Ridgid doesn't seem to have bothered to tell anybody that the model number was changing.

Reply to
J. Clarke

Well, it's together, cuts Lyptus nice and clean with the factory blade, which is very thin (even thinner than a thin-kerf Freud). The particular pieces I cut ended up very slightly crowned, which I suspect is my technique rather than the saw. Pulled the Oldham off the RAS and will give that a try just in case it's the blade flexing.

Just for hohos, tried the nickel test, and by golly it balanced. There's a transient resonance at startup and shut down that shakes it just enough to knock the nickel over (come on, what do you _expect_ for under 500 bucks), but when it's up to speed the nickel sits there like it was glued down.

One thing I noticed--I overtightened the screws that hold the Herculift and it ended up partially supported by the wheels, and was kind of shaky. Loosened those screws and it firmed right up--I suspect that the ones that people have seen in stores that were shaky had been overtightened the same way. Is it solid like a Unisaw? No. Is it solid enough? I think so.

Went to tune it up and turned out that all the crucial settings were "dead nuts" right out of the box, or at least as close to it as I could measure.

Reply to
J. Clarke

The Oldham blade fixed the taper problem, but I think I need to get it sharpened--it wasn't cutting as cleanly as the Ridgid. Or I may just bite the bullet and take a run down to Coastal tomorrow and pick up a Woodworker II.

Meanwhile, cutting with the fence set on the 1 inch mark I measured the actual cut as .999. Lookin' good.

Reply to
J. Clarke

I'm very happy with mine... I don't think you're going to get more saw for the money anywhere..

Mine seemed a bit smoother after converting to 220v, but that was probably my imagination..

I'm pleased with the factory blade, which sort of surprises me.. seems to cut straight and square...

I was expecting to need upgrades on the blade and fence but for my limited skill level, they're both great..

mac

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Reply to
mac davis

Something to consider if you are thinking about buying a WWII thin kerf. I had a 1 hp Craftsman saw that did great with a decent quality regular kerf blade. Smoother cuts and truer cuts than with thin kerf. You might have to go a little slower with a regular kerf blade but you should get better results.

Reply to
Leon

I've run 220 to every tool I have that will take 220. Right now I'm running the Ridgid on a 12 gage extension cord plugged into a 20 amp circuit and it's going fine--not going to run a dedicated circuit for it until I get a little bit of other overhead work done (otherwise I'll have to do the wiring twice).

I like the fence. The grooves that will take a 1/4-20 bolt head are a very nice touch. Make it very easy to attach featherboards and jigging. I've been getting within .01 of my target dimension just eyeballing it--if I need better than that I've got an Incra jig that adjusts in .001 increments that I can clamp on.

Reply to
J. Clarke

mac davis wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

Ok, you guys have convinced me. We sat in a cold Pizza Hut for 45 minutes and afterwards headed to Home Depot. They had moved the demo saw off the rack on to the floor (so you could actually SEE it), and everything looked good. (One of the things that kept me from seriously considering buying before was that I couldn't see the top of the saw.) The guys who helped load it both had good opinions of the saw, and offered them without any proding. That's a Good Thing (tm).

So now it sits in the truck, waiting to be unloaded and assembled. Grandma's birthday is tomorrow, so I won't be able to unload and assemble the saw until at least Sunday.

Puckdropper

Reply to
Puckdropper

Same here... I have a "multi-head" 220 cord for the carport that's working ok until our contractor gets his shit together with the RV hookup wiring... Any load that I can take off the 115v circuits is a good thing..

Got to take this with a grain of salt because my table saw since 1980 was a Shopsmith, but I love the fence on the ridgid.. especially the magnifier on the micro adjuster....

I use magswitch featherboards and jigs, but use the grooves on the fence for sacrificial fences and stuff... I'm pretty much a turner, so it doesn't get a lot of use, but it sure was fun to use when I build my display shelves...

mac

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Reply to
mac davis

I think you'll be happy with it.. it's a nice tool at a good price..

TIP: read the assembly instructions all the way through before you put it together..

If I remember this right, I didn't see any point in assembling the stand, flipping it upright and doing a few steps and then flipping it upside down again to put the Herculift on it... I'm guessing that at one time the lift was an option and the assembly was towards the back of the instructions..

mac

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Reply to
mac davis

TIP: read the assembly instructions all the way through before you put it together.. If I remember this right, I didn't see any point in assembling the stand, flipping it upright and doing a few steps and then flipping it upside down again to put the Herculift on it... I'm guessing that at one time the lift was an option and the assembly was towards the back of the instructions.

Got my 36-5-0 last weekend near Houston; no 3660 seen. They sound very close. Don't throw out the box before cutting off the UPC. You need it for the 'Lifetime Service Agreement'.

If the manual is the same for the 60 as the 50, read the instructions that came with it, download the ones on the Ridgid site, look carefully at the pictures, and take an average.

The Herculift can installed with the saw vertical- just slide the two assembly pieces between the the legs after taking one screw out of the wide bracket so it will scissor between the legs. The pic for the lift in my book showed the lower assembly supports attaching at a 90 degree angle. They don't. The upper and lower are really more like two A frames, with one inverted so it slides into the other. The lift assemblies go on TOP of the brackets on the stand. (duh - it says so....) Drawings in the 'Repair Sheet' book are much better than in the assembly manual.

Belt tensioning was confusing by the book and took a long time. Rough starts, thrown belts, climbing on pulleys, etc. Instructions show it far too loose. Some of the manual is a hodge-podge, like the step for installing the belt comes immediately before installing the belt guard, which starts with 'remove the belt'. And, while bolt sizes are listed in English units, metric fits better (I think they were mostly 10 and 11).

All that said, once assembled, it's sweet. Going out now to make a sled and sacrificial fence.

Reply to
Joe

Correction- Re-The lift assemblies go on TOP of the brackets on the stand. (duh - it says so....) The lift assemblies go BELOW the brackets on the stand.

Reply to
Joe

I just pulled the motor out until there was a little deflection on the spring and that seems to have done it.

Yeah, some of the fasteners are schizoid--English thread and metric head.

Reply to
J. Clarke

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