James Fleming
08-26-2009, 11:44 PM
I saw an interesting table saw the other day while shopping at Blaine's Farm & Fleet. The brand name on the saw is "Duracraft." F&F has numerous tools with this brand name. What caught my attention was the rip fence, which is identical to the one on my Ridgid R4511. I stopped to take a closer look. There were more similarities to my saw, but the next thing I noticed was the price tag which said "Duracraft" in large letters and under that name in small letters was "Steel City Tool Works." The price was $399.99 marked down to $339.99. The saw has a cast iron top with stamped wings. It is a 3/4 cabinet model with open bottom and sturdy legs with no lift or wheels. The trunnions look the same as the 4511, cabinet mounted with motor in the cabinet and plastic cover with quick release handles on the right side. While the trunnions seem the same as the 4511, there is a rod sticking out the back of the cabinet through a curved slot which the splitter and blade guard are attached to. Looking inside the cabinet, there seems to be the same riving knife bracket as the 4511 with no riving knife installed. It has a better, large paddle switch and 1-1/2 hp motor wired for 120v. It seems like a pretty good deal for someone who wants a step up from a rear-motor contractor's saw but is strapped for cash. It appears that this Duracraft, Ridgid, and Steel City are all coming from the same factories in China.