Steel City 35920 Vs. Ridgid R4511 Granite Topped Table Saws

[Edwood Ferrari]

It's time to upgrade my old Skill saw contractor to something a bit safer and larger. I have been holding off until I had the funds and I could find a bargain for a saw with a Riving Knife. I also wanted a Hybrid design to help with the dust control. My choice is down to two quite similar saws; Steel City 35920 or Ridgid R4511. Both are granite topped 30 inch fence saws apparently made by the same vendor. Leaving aside the discussion about granite for tool tops there is about an $85 difference in cost, SC $725, Ridgid $644 both delivered to my garage included. Both seem to be an excellent value for a hobbyist such as myself. I am leaning towards the SC mainly because it comes with two additional Shark Fin Riving Knives while the Ridgid only comes with the integrated guard assembly. I have read where the SC Shark Fins can be retrofitted to fit the Ridgid but after the additional cost and bother you would be at about the same cost. Additionally the Steel City has a slightly stronger motor of 1 /34 hp vs. 1 1/2 hp. Also the SC has a full cabinet enclosure vs. 3/4 on the Ridgid. The Ridgid has a T-slot miter but the SC only has a flat miter slot. T-slots seem to be a major flaw in granite tops but still there must be a good reason to have one besides being able to extend the miter gauge beyond the table edge? Finally the Ridgid has a Herc-U-Lift mobile base while the SC has a Built-in mobile base. I would think both would work equally as well or poorly. Does anyone have experience with either bases? This is a major tool investment for me so I want to make the right decision.

[Paul Ryan]

Edwood,

I just sold a steel city granite saw it had a 3 hp motor, and the industrial fence. Mine did not come with a mobile base, I bought a jet, and put under it. That was not the best senario but it moved the saw. I did absolutly love the saw, the granite was awesome. My advice. What ever distrubutor you are buying the saw from see if you can get the industrial fence for the saw. The dexlue fence as SC like to call it, is nothing special. But IMHO the SC industrial fence is the best fence on the market. And it will last forever. It may cost you a few more bucks, but in the long run that set up will be head and shoulders better than the ridgid saw. I looked at one at my local HD the other day. To me it was nothing special, I think you will be much happier with the SC years to come.

[keith ouellette]

I was very curious about this as I read it. It left me with a question?

Why a granite top? I am guessing cast Iron sags or contorts over time. Is that it?

I have worked with granite and though it is a very durable stone it does crack. Especially if it isn't thick enough so I was also wondering how thick the table is and if the trunnions are attached to the table?

And how is the table attached to the cabinet (or the frame )? I couldn't see holes tapped into granite.

Just a few curious questions.

[John Thompson]

I was very curious about this as I read it. It left me with a question?

Why a granite top? I am guessing cast Iron sags or contorts over time. Is that it?

I have worked with granite and though it is a very durable stone it does crack. Especially if it isn't thick enough so I was also wondering how thick the table is and if the trunnions are attached to the table?

And how is the table attached to the cabinet (or the frame )? I couldn't see holes tapped into granite.

Just a few curious questions.

Why a granite top?.. It adds weight to help dampen vibration and simply put.. it won't rust which you might appreciate on the east coast of Fl.

How thick is the Steel City top... 1 1/2" re-inforced with stainless steel rods that are epoxied into the granite top.

Trunnions are mounted to the cabinet...

Holes are drilled into the granite and steel threaded bushing are expoxied into the top so it basically mounts the same way a cast iron top mounts.

Regards...

Sarge..

[Paul Ryan]

This granite thing goes on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on....

You get my drift. Trust me I owned a granite saw and THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THEM. As with a SS they are not for everyone. But just as with cast iron as long as you take care of them they are fine. I loved my grainte for the maintence free aspect. And they are silky smooth. I like the way cast looks though. The grainte is so nice because you dont have to do anything to it, just use it. Cast iron is like a mother in law. You have to codle it a love it and say nice things to it. I have had my cast for like a week now. I have put 2 coats of wax on it and some T-9. Last night I sneezed on it and didn't get it cleaned off in time. Guess what I had a spot this morning. Not that big of a deal cleaned off with a little steel wool, but cast is a pain in the arsh. If you like the granite buy it, you will love it.

[Rob Price]

I will pipe up about the base- I had a Ridgid 3650, the Herc-u-lift was great, all four wheels swivel, easy up, easy down.

The new Rigid looks interesting. The fence looks puny- it doesn't come with any slats on the side, you have to add those yourself. For the money, I think you're better off with the fully enclosed base/bigger motor/better fence/riving knife. I really like the riving knife on my new saw. Ridgid does have a good warranty...

I wouldn't worry about the T-slots, personally. I've heard they can be blown out on granite if you abuse it, but I wouldn't count them as a pro or con.

[John Thompson]

I wouldn't worry about the T-slots, personally. I've heard they can be blown out on granite if you abuse it, but I wouldn't count them as a pro or con.[/quote]

T slots can be blown out on cast iron if you abuse it also. Cast iron is much softer than steel. On the newer Steel City miter gauges the metal washer has been replaced with a plastic washer. And if you have one of the orignal SC saws with the metal washer.. give Steel City a call and ask for technical.. Tell them and they will send a replacement plastic washer.

I can't say a lot about the new Ridgid saw other than I saw it last Sat. I though the saw was a good price point for what it is. I don't care for the fence though.. and personally fences are very important as already stated. The SC Industrial fence is as good if not the best fence on the market as it is a copy of the original Biesemeyer which had a bolt with nylon pad on the bottom on the rear that rides the rail. The rear of the fence doesn't drag as the new style Biese after the Delta buy-out.

So.. good luck to the OP.

Sarge..

[Edwood Ferrari]

So it seems the Steel City will be the best option. I sent an email to SC asking if was possible to install/upgrade the Industrial Fence system on this saw. I agree the fence is key.

The supplied fence seems to be a clone of the the Delta T2 fence. From what I undstand the T2 is not bad fence though it looks kinda thin. I don't think it would take much work to attach some UHMW on the faces.

[keith ouellette]

Why a granite top?.. It adds weight to help dampen vibration and simply put.. it won't rust which you might appreciate on the east coast of Fl.

How thick is the Steel City top... 1 1/2" re-inforced with stainless steel rods that are epoxied into the granite top.

Trunnions are mounted to the cabinet...

Holes are drilled into the granite and steel threaded bushing are expoxied into the top so it basically mounts the same way a cast iron top mounts.

Regards...

Sarge..

thanks Sarge I like the idea of the stainless steel rods and bushings epoxied into the table. It makes the whole thing make more sense to me. Thanks for quelling my curiosity.

[John Thompson]

So it seems the Steel City will be the best option. I sent an email to SC asking if was possible to install/upgrade the Industrial Fence system on this saw. I agree the fence is key.

The supplied fence seems to be a clone of the the Delta T2 fence. From what I undstand the T2 is not bad fence though it looks kinda thin. I don't think it would take much work to attach some UHMW on the faces.

You are correct the that T 2 is not a bad fence. But once you get spoiled with a Biesemeyer and now and even better SC Industrial as on my SC 5 HP.. everything else just doesn't get me excited. That's coming from someone who's first TS in 1972 when I started was a J.C. Penney circular saw screwed under a 2 x 4 sheet of ply with a rectangular slot cut for the blade to protrude through. The high tech fence was a piece of angle aluminum held on by two C clamps.

That T 2 would have been like Mose's parting the Red Sea at the time. :)

[Kelly C. Hanna]

To me it's a no brainer to choose the Steel City over the Ridgid. Wouldn't bother me at all to have a granite top...no rust!

[John Thompson]

So it seems the Steel City will be the best option. I sent an email to SC asking if was possible to install/upgrade the Industrial Fence system on this saw. I agree the fence is key.

The supplied fence seems to be a clone of the the Delta T2 fence. From what I undstand the T2 is not bad fence though it looks kinda thin. I don't think it would take much work to attach some UHMW on the faces.

Ed.. I just got off the line with Steel City Technical. The main difference in the Ridgid and the SC 920 is the 920 has a better swithch.. two riving knives as opposed to one.. a removable inspection cover on the side in case you need to get to the guts.. a full cabinet as opposed to a 2/3 cabinet and until April a Forrest II blade thrown in the mix I believe as their 930 definitely has the Forrest working at the moment.

The SC 920 will take the SC Industrial fence. They were not sure if the Ridgid would or not as they have no Ridgid on hand to check. But.. with that said.. if you really want the SC Industrail fence you would be better to ordrer the 930 which already has it. A fence runs around $300 or so so you would save by going with the 930 over the 920. And... the 930 also comes with a pre-built side extension table.

So... hope that helps and good luck with your search...

Sarge..

[David DeCristoforo]

There is one issue with the granite tops. You cannot drill and tap them for mounting jigs, fixtures, feeder bases, etc. Nor can you "safely" clamp anything to them without risk of cracking the top. Not an issue for everyone but enough to at least merit consideration.

[Justin McCarthy]

I can't speak for the steel city, and people on this board have the ridgid and are happy, but my dad and I took a look at one at the HD a couple of weekends back and neither of us were impressed (which is saying something because my dad is a HUGE ridgid fan - I mean he has everything ridgid, jointer, planer, SCMS, Table Saw, Bandsaw, Sanders, you name it). The fence is definitely the biggest minus, it is very poor. We also weren't too impressed with the granite top either. It seemed that the granite wouldn't let the miter gauge slide freely on the top - it was always binding and it seemed to be on the granite top -- although it might have been setup wrong.

I couldn't get a good look at the guts however because the whole thing is enclosed.

My dad called last week and told me that he was looking it over again and as he was inserting the miter gauge into the slot he just missed the middle of the slot and where a normal cast iron top would just deflect the miter gauge into the slot, the Ridgid granite top cracked. I'm not saying that the top itself wasn't defective or abused (it was a floor model so who knows) - just that my dad was not the one abusing it - just using it in a normal way it would be used in a shop - SO be careful if you go with granite. (Edit: there have been other anecdotal reports of this happening as well, but there is no evidence as to whether those were abused or not.)

-J

[Paul Ryan]

I was in HD again today and I checked out their new saw again. For $599 I don't think that is worth it. The fence on that thing is horrible. The old saw they sold had a much better fence. To be honest the rest of the saw wasn't that bad. Even though it is a 3/4 cabinet I think the dust collection would be decent. The table top seemed good. Even though the miter guage that they had, had the metal washer on the end. Make sure you if you have the saw get the plastic on from SC. The washer from the SC saws will fit it.

Even the delux fence on the SC saw would be 10 times better than that "THING" on the ridgid saw. The jet contractor saw I had with the jet fence was better than that thing. I would not buy that saw for the few extra bucks that the SC will cost you. You will not be happy with that fence and end up trying to upgrade it in the future. Problem with a granite saw it you want to update the fence good luck. There is no was to drill new holes for a different fence system. Go with the SC. Even on their saw if you decide to up grade the fence you can go with their industrial fence at a latter date and it will bolt right on.

David did bring up a good point about the granite. If you are a guy that will want to drill for other accesories or use magnetic tools the granite isn't for you.

[Edwood Ferrari]

Thanks Sarge. This was pretty much what my email from SC told me though the better switch is new to me. The 930 would be better if I wanted the better industrial fence now rather than upgrading. If I could wait until later then the new fence would be a bolt on.

But going with the 930 puts the purchase price +$1000 and into a whole new saw category and I would have to look at other saws.

I hear what you guys are saying about the Ridgid fence and how weak it is. Some seem to believe the 920 deluxe fence would be somewhat better. But from the photos it really looks identical to the Ridgid but at least there would be the option to upgrade.

Justin you have me a little worried now about the granite top. Perhaps because the Ridgid has a T-slot the miter got hung up it got overstressed. I can see a small chip in the miter slot but an actual crack? That would be totally unacceptable. Yikes! The SC does not have a T-slot and or they use plastic washers that give instead so it would be less likely but still something to consider. SC does guarantee for 10 years should something like this happen.

I don’t think I would be likely to use magnetic attachments also I think the jig makers will probably offer vacuum type clamping on their jigs which should work just fine on a smooth granite surface and serve the same purpose. I have and will occasionally clamp things down to the top. I generally use clamps with soft grips but again something else to consider.

Thanks to you all for bringing up these issues. I still am leaning towards the 35920 mainly because of my budget and the value of the saw. But I am also considering holding off just a bit to stretch for the 930. Still need to keep researching the granite top issues though.



Ed.. I just got off the line with Steel City Technical. The main difference in the Ridgid and the SC 920 is the 920 has a better swithch.. two riving knives as opposed to one.. a removable inspection cover on the side in case you need to get to the guts.. a full cabinet as opposed to a 2/3 cabinet and until April a Forrest II blade thrown in the mix I believe as their 930 definitely has the Forrest working at the moment.


The SC 920 will take the SC Industrial fence. They were not sure if the Ridgid would or not as they have no Ridgid on hand to check. But.. with that said.. if you really want the SC Industrail fence you would be better to ordrer the 930 which already has it. A fence runs around $300 or so so you would save by going with the 930 over the 920. And... the 930 also comes with a pre-built side extension table.

So... hope that helps and good luck with your search...

Sarge..




I can't speak for the steel city, and people on this board have the ridgid and are happy, but my dad and I took a look at one at the HD a couple of weekends back and neither of us were impressed (which is saying something because my dad is a HUGE ridgid fan - I mean he has everything ridgid, jointer, planer, SCMS, Table Saw, Bandsaw, Sanders, you name it). The fence is definitely the biggest minus, it is very poor. We also weren't too impressed with the granite top either. It seemed that the granite wouldn't let the miter gauge slide freely on the top - it was always binding and it seemed to be on the granite top -- although it might have been setup wrong.

I couldn't get a good look at the guts however because the whole thing is enclosed.

My dad called last week and told me that he was looking it over again and as he was inserting the miter gauge into the slot he just missed the middle of the slot and where a normal cast iron top would just deflect the miter gauge into the slot, the Ridgid granite top cracked. I'm not saying that the top itself wasn't defective or abused (it was a floor model so who knows) - just that my dad was not the one abusing it - just using it in a normal way it would be used in a shop - SO be careful if you go with granite. (Edit: there have been other anecdotal reports of this happening as well, but there is no evidence as to whether those were abused or not.)

-J

[Justin McCarthy]

Something of note as well is that I believe Ridgid has a lifetime warranty going on right now.

You might wanna find out if it covers the granite top and if so what does it cover with the top? If it covers the granite top and the scope of coverage seems reasonable, I guess I wouldn't worry tons about the cracking issue.

As to that particular issue, I do believe it relates to the t-slots.

My advice to you is to go and take a look at the saw. Find a home depot in your area (even if you have to drive a little to find one) that has a floor model and look it over. Put it through its paces - slide the miter gauge in and out - put a little normal strain on the T-slots and see how it holds up (I'm not advocating you sit on the miter gauge or anything like that, but just apply normal workshop pressure), adjust the fence and see how sturdy it is. Take an aluminum level or other straight edge from the hardware department and see how well the fence is aligned. Is it bowed? See if you can get them to open up the back of the saw so you can see the trunion and motor.

Bottom line - you are making a major investment - go and kick the tires a bit on the Ridgid. Unfortunately it's unlikely you can do the same with the Steel City.

I took a look at it and personally didn't like the ridgid, but others on this forum have it and love it. just a personal opinion. Ridgid does have a pretty good reputation and I'm happy with my Jointer and planer that I have from them as well as my finish nailer.

I'd recommend you my saw, because I love it, but the price has gone through the roof on it (Dewalt 746 hybrid) to the tune of $1200.00. I got mine for around $800 (give or take $100) with free mobile base and free shipping several years ago and its a great saw. (American made too which is a bonus). I'm just not sure it's worth $1200 now.

-J

[Paul Ryan]

Edwood,

I just wanted to let you know I am not bashing ridgid either. I have a 4330 planner, and the occilating splindle/belt sander. Both are really nice tools. I really think that new table saw would be a winner if it had a better fence but the fence is terrible. And if you ask me a fence can make a good saw bad, and a bad saw better. Since the top is granite updating the saw is a no go. I wouldn't worry about the miter slots blowing out too much. The saw at my local HD didn't have any problems. Those blow outs usually only occur in diplay models because you have chowder heads messing around with a miter bar. If you own the saw and take care of it you wont have any problem. And on top of that if you replaced the washer with the plastic one then you wouldn't have to worry. But I think that saw is a looser because the fence is so bad.

[scott spencer]

Edwood,

I just wanted to let you know I am not bashing ridgid either. I have a 4330 planner, and the occilating splindle/belt sander. Both are really nice tools. I really think that new table saw would be a winner if it had a better fence but the fence is terrible. ...

Paul - I realize that the fence on the Ridgid R4511 looks a little funny because it ships without faces, but the majority of comments I've read from owners has been very positive about the fence. It's a steel t-square design that's fairly similar to the Delta T2 and Jet Proshop fences, with the exception of not having faces on the fence tube and the use of a two-piece front rail. I'm sure it's not quite to Biesemeyer or the SC Industrail fence standards (neither was the 3660 fence IMO...few are), but what specifically causes you to consider it "horrible" & "terrible"?

[Paul Ryan]

I maybe looking at a fence that was not assemble properly or just by a bunch of fools at the local HD here. The fence I saw was missinng pads that help it slide. It did not have faces on the fence. I is a very low profile fence, which I don't like. It seems like a very crude fence in my opinion. The legs on the fence don't extend that far, so the one at this store had a far amount of deflection. That could be caused by a lack of pads, and I also think a lack of support. It looks like a very cheap fence to me.

[John Thompson]

My dad called last week and told me that he was looking it over again and as he was inserting the miter gauge into the slot he just missed the middle of the slot and where a normal cast iron top would just deflect the miter gauge into the slot, the Ridgid granite top cracked. I'm not saying that the top itself wasn't defective or abused (it was a floor model so who knows) - just that my dad was not the one abusing it - just using it in a normal way it would be used in a shop - SO be careful if you go with granite. (Edit: there have been other anecdotal reports of this happening as well, but there is no evidence as to whether those were abused or not.)

-Justin M....

Good morning Justin.. I would like to make a comment about your comments concerning the top cracking when you dad missed center miter slot. First.. the granite tops are tested with 400 lbs. pressure which creates no problem to within 2" of front table. That 2" is the critical part on granite and cast iron tops for that matter. You should never over-load the granite or cast iron with the miter gauge tip that far back with weight on it.

But... he only missed center and was not pressing down and it cracked. Now.. how does he know it was not already cracked and his action just was the final straw which I suspect? As far as the reports of this happening how many have you heard from someone that actually has the saw with the granite top?

Yes.. to date Steel City has 8 tops that this has happened on and they had to replace the granite top. But.. not one of those replacements as of 3 weeks ago when I spoke to them about it was from someone that had purchased and used the saw. All happened at Woodcraft as showroom floor models. The one your dad had the mis-hap with was a showroom floor model at Home Depot.

Is it possible that someone curious pulled the gauge all the way to the rear and put pressure on it just to see how much it could take. According to the Woodcraft Stores that had to have tops replaced this is exactly what happened in several cases and the suspected cause in the rest. Take a good look at a cast iron TS at a WW store.. hundreds of finger-prints each day and unless someone wipes them and resurfaces with WD 40.. wax.. etc.. they have rust. People in WW stores just don't have the time nor ambition in many cases as I have seen some pretty heavily rusted show models. Customers in WW stores take liberties as it is not thier machine. These are my thoughts.

So... I would have to question the why of what happened in your dad's experience. I saw the TS at HD local about a week ago. The fence was sitting on the table with the rails laying under-neath. I questioned the Tool department guy about why? He had nobody that knew how to mount it. When I left the store the fence was on the saw as I showed him how.

Was that fence as good as the Steel City Industrail on my 5 HP saw? Not even close but it worked on the one I put together. Does it ride the rails fluidly like my SC Industrial 5 HP TS? Not even close as my fence cost in the range of $300 if purchased separately and is as good if not the best on the market. But keep in mind the Ridgid TS is only aound $600 and it couldn't be priced at that point if you added a top quaility fence.

Just wanted to point out a few things in reponse to what you pointed out to try to complete a bigger picture.

Have a good day...

Sarge..

[Edwood Ferrari]

I got to play with the Ridgid tonight at my local HD. My overall impression was it's not too bad. You have to understand how much better this saw is than my current yard sale special. The fence much better than I am used to. I was clear that the fence was not properly adjusted. I was able to get some deflection when I pushed on the far end of the fence. I would think during normal cutting you would have to press a piece lumber pretty hard against the fence to get it to deflect. It definatly could use some faces on it though. Also the back split rail was not quite aligned and when I moved the fence over the split there was an annoying glitch in the movement. The rails should be able to be aligned better to minimize this annoyance. Sure I would love having an industrial fence but I think this will work for me.

I am actually thinking no T-slot would be a good thing. I use a cross-cut sled now and really don't use a miter guage much. Having to slide the miter guage all the way out to remove out of the T-slot is somewhat annoying. I have to say though I wasn't too impressed on how rough the miter guage was sliding in the slot but maybe the slot needed a good cleaning. There is plenty of table behind the blade so I don't think I would often need to start a cut with the miter extended too far out.

I plan on calling the WoodCraft store in my area to see if they have the SC 35920 on display to see how it compares.

I am thinking that either saw will fit my needs

As a side note I also got to play a little bit with a Saw Stop Contractor today. Oh man that saw is well built but way out of my league! The fence on that baby just glided across the table.

Ed

[Mark Versprille]

That's coming from someone who's first TS in 1972 when I started was a J.C. Penney circular saw screwed under a 2 x 4 sheet of ply with a rectangular slot cut for the blade to protrude through. The high tech fence was a piece of angle aluminum held on by two C clamps.

That T 2 would have been like Mose's parting the Red Sea at the time. :)

That was my first table saw, too! But mine was powered by a green plastic Black & Decker circle saw that I still use.

[William Diaz]

I was just reading this thread and was wondering what the total cost is coming to? The reason I'm asking if you are going to spend about 1200 bucks why not save a few more for a Sawstop? I'm new to the site and was thinking of getting the Sawstop this fall. (I too am saving for a quality table saw)

[Paul Ryan]

William,

A SS is going to cost you more than a few bucks. The contractor saw with all the bells and wistles will run over 2K, the PCS when released will run over 3K, and the ICS will run very close to 5K. I am not willing to start another debate over this, I am still licking my wounds.

[Edwood Ferrari]

William,

Actually my local Western Tool store has a 36" rail with the table extention for $1700. I ask about the smaller 30" with no extention and was told it would be around $1400. As I said earler if I were to look at a saw over $1000 it opens up a lot of choices. Granted I would be double my starting point but I have to say the SS was a real nice saw with a great fence and solid as all get out not to mention the safety factor. The open frame look put me off a little bit but it is built like a tank so should be no worry.

I am hoping to see the Steel City this Saturday at Woodcraft because I still am inclined to stay in my budget but somewhere in the back of my head is a little red devil calling me to hold off.

-Ed

I was just reading this thread and was wondering what the total cost is coming to? The reason I'm asking if you are going to spend about 1200 bucks why not save a few more for a Sawstop? I'm new to the site and was thinking of getting the Sawstop this fall. (I too am saving for a quality table saw)

[Josh Gerber]

Edwood,

I don't know if it will sway your decision at all, but I'm buying the Ridgid R4511 this thursday. It will be on sale. I got a flyer in my HD statement. Its the big tool sale, if you spend $599 you get $75 off. If you spend more you save more. I'm starting my woodworking hobby and plan on buying some other tools as well. If you spend $1000 you get $300 off, only $100 more then what the saw costs. Seems like a good saw for the $, and it would probably sell well used if you didn't like it.

You may have found it already but there is a 60 page thread over on www.ridgidforum.com (http://www.ridgidforum.com)

[Josh Gerber]

Well I bought the Ridgid Granite top last night. This is my first table saw. I think it will suit me fine. I bought the best table saw my wallet could afford. I've been saving for it for months. This sale put a fire under me. The next best sale will be Black Friday. And I didn't want to wait that long. Spent a $1000 got $300 off.

Ridgid Table Saw - $420
Ridgid 12V lithium 2pack Drill & Hammer Drill - $129
Ridgid 6in Orbit Sander - $90
Ryobi Intermediate Router Table - $69 - Space saver, can be put on a shelf when not in use.

I'm sure there are better tools, but I liked the fact Ridgid offers a lifetime warrenty. I needed a good cordless drill, I have a corded currently. And needed a home for the Frued Router I bought. I figured I would need a sander before a drill press or a band saw. Hope I was right. I excited. Now I just need to narrow down which project is first!

[Rob Price]

that's a lot of saw for $420. enjoy the new toys- I mean tools.

[Edwood Ferrari]

No luck seeing the SC 35920 at Woodcraft as they sold their floor model. I did check out the upgraded saw which was basicly the same saw with the really nice industrial fence.

But the HD sale is really swaying my decision. $599 + another small tool to get over $600 and you get $150 off! The R4511 is yours for a steel <pun intended>. The SC is a slightly better saw for sure but I really don't think it's worth the difference now. I am kinda thinking with proper setup the Ridged will be more than OK for my needs. I will have to hunt down some shark fin riving knifes.

So I see an new orange saw in the near future. Thanks for everyones inputs and suggestions.

-Ed




Well I bought the Ridgid Granite top last night. This is my first table saw. I think it will suit me fine. I bought the best table saw my wallet could afford. I've been saving for it for months. This sale put a fire under me. The next best sale will be Black Friday. And I didn't want to wait that long. Spent a $1000 got $300 off.

Ridgid Table Saw - $420
Ridgid 12V lithium 2pack Drill & Hammer Drill - $129
Ridgid 6in Orbit Sander - $90
Ryobi Intermediate Router Table - $69 - Space saver, can be put on a shelf when not in use.

I'm sure there are better tools, but I liked the fact Ridgid offers a lifetime warrenty. I needed a good cordless drill, I have a corded currently. And needed a home for the Frued Router I bought. I figured I would need a sander before a drill press or a band saw. Hope I was right. I excited. Now I just need to narrow down which project is first!

[Rob Price]

use some of that extra money to get a decent blade. you don't have to spend big bucks, I had real good results from the porter cable razor that you can pick up at the same time for $30. more money will get you a better blade, but that's all up to you.

[John Thompson]

Rob has an excellent idea of using the excess to get a good blade. You will see a very noticeable difference immediately. And he is also correct about you don't have to spend a ton of money. I run fairly high dollar Amana's.. Infinity's.. CMT.. Freuds.. etc. and have used the Forrest on quite a number of occasions. All excellent blades.

But.. about a month ago I ordered an Oshlun 40T blade from Holbren for $25 on Knotscott's (Scott test a number of TS blades) recommendation just to see for myself. Well.. I now know the results of that $25 blade I questioned. Frankly.. it cuts as well as all the blades I mentioned above and is an excellent value at $25. I will probably order another as I do keep about 4 rip blades on hand and 4 40 T general use.

The Oshlun will cross-cut and rip with the best of them in the 40T category and many only use one blade. I couldn't think of $25 more well spent. And.... I don't work or represent Oshlun or Holbren in any manner other than a customer on occasion of Holbren. But.. I am now an Oshlun customer and I hope the price stays the same... forever. :)

Sarge..

[Edwood Ferrari]

I bought the R4511 along with a package of brad nails for my gun ($1.35) extra from HD. They gave me $150 off the saw and will be delivered Saturday. Such a deal!

I already have a couple of Freud Diabiolo blades (fine and crosscut) as well as a Porta Cable Razor combination blade so I think I am all set with blades for now. Going to use the savings to buy some inserts and some UHMV to make some aux fence faces. Also when I can find them the shark fin riving knives.

-Ed