Looking for opinions on a tablesaw purchase.

[Richard G. Jackson]

Hi everyone,

I am looking to purchase a table saw and have given it a month on CraigsList to no avail. The saws are either rusted beyond belief or the owners think they have a priceless tool, so I am looking at purchasing new, I can spend between $500. & $700 dollars. I have seen the Rigid3650 on line and it appears that except for the stamped wings, this would work for me. My dilema is that I can't do the touchy-feely thing that I really need to do, I recently purchased a fairly expensive brand name tool over the internet and after many iterations and shipping back and forth it is working OK, but if I had the chance to try it out, I would not have spent my money on this product. I prefer not to expound any further on this because the seller did work very close with me and the bottom line is BUYER BEWARE. I am not aware of any business in my imediate area that has equipment on display (I'm about 70 miles north of NYC) so I thought HD wouldhave the Rigid saw I was interested in, but I was surprised to find out that they are special order only, Lowe's has a PC saw that does not interest me and I am not a fan of Craftsman. I presently have a old Grizzley that was given to me when a friend relocated, but it was rode hard & put up wet. With the help of a friend, I tried to adjust the trunions twice because the back end of the wood is burning on all rip cuts, I also tried a brand new blade, and I took the fence apart and cleaned and squared it up, but i'm thinking this beauty is going to be put out to pasture. Realizing that I still will not be able to see the saw in person, I am wondering if anyone has an oppinion on a comparable????? newGrizzly saw. Oh, I don't know if it is just our local HD, but they will accept a HF 20% off coupon, which reall makes this a pretty attractive buy.

Sorry for the long winded post. I appreciate any help.

[Jim Tabor]

Richard, For $500-$700 you are looking at a new contractor's saw or a used....something??? Even a new Grizzly 0715P hybrid (which is a pretty good value) would be just out of your price range. I have sold two Unisaw's in your price range and a Ridgid R3450 granite top for $400 (which is a great value IMHO), so...you can find a good saw, just take a little more time.

[Ruperto Mendiones]

If, based on a visit last December, I recall correctly, Toolnut in Yorktown Heights, NY had some saws on display. They are very helpful.

[phil harold]

Hi everyone,

I tried to adjust the trunions twice because the back end of the wood is burning on all rip cuts,

what kind of wood are you ripping?
cherry is know to burn with most saws
do you have a dedicated rip blade?
adjust the fence to it is a hair wider between the fence an the back of the blade than the front of the blade

which grizz ya got?
old iron takes time to buy on craigslist
I would avoid Borg

[scott spencer]

The TS3650 (made by TTI/Ryobi) hasn't been made in roughly 5 years, so would only come up in the used market. However, a nearly identical saw is still sold through Busy Beel Tools in Canada as the Craftex CT-146 (http://www.busybeetools.com/products/TABLESAW-CONTRACTOR-10IN.-1.5HP-CRAFTEX.html). That saw predates a riving knife, but has a traditional splitter. The current Ridgid saw is the R4512, made by Dayton AFAIK, who also makes the current Craftsman 21833...they're essentially the same saw, so don't make too much of the nameplate if that turns out to be the saw you want.

It'd be helpful to know the model of your Griz saw, and perhaps see some pics.

A good used saw is likely to yield the most bang for the buck, but the right deal has to come along. There is a used TS3650 (http://hudsonvalley.craigslist.org/tls/3800669943.html) for $350 in Hudson Valley, as well as a used Ridgid TS2424 (http://hudsonvalley.craigslist.org/for/3840672382.html) with an aftermarket Vega fence for $125. Not sure how far you are from them. There's also a used Craftsman 22114 (http://newyork.craigslist.org/brx/tls/3861504439.html) hybrid in NYC with cabinet mounted trunnions made by Steel City/Orion for $250...those were very well regarded saws....with a fence upgrade and a good blade, it could be an excellent hobby saw.

[Jim Tabor]

Richard, the Ridgid granite top is a model R4511, not R3450 as I said in the earlier post. They really are a good saw if you can find one for $375-400. Craftsman and Steel City sell a near identical saw in the $1000-1200 range. I have also seen Rockwell/Delta Unisaw's and used Grizzly 1023 series go for $400-500. Maybe check out IRS Auctions web site. In fact, the best deals I've seen in the last two or three years have been cabinet shop or woodworking auctions.

[Mike Wilkins]

You did not state which Grizzly saw you have, but it sounds like you may have an issue with the fence, not the saw itself. I have no experience with their saws, but it says something if they offer an upgrade fence in their catalog. I would ditch the fence that came with the machine and upgrade to something like a Biesemeyer or its clones. I had a Unifence on my Delta machine and it offered many ways to adjust for a parallel cut and was dead accurate each time it was moved.
My humble opinions come free of charge.

[John TenEyck]

I would be patient and wait for one to turn up on C-list or here or over at Woodnet. One was for sale there from a guy in Saratoga, a very well maintained Unisaw from the 50's or 60's I think it was, just a few weeks ago for around $500. I don't know if he every sold it so you may want to take a look. It's surprising - when you are trying to buy one they seem to never come available, when you are trying to sell one nobody wants it. I also saw a used PM-66 recently over around Albany. Anyway, I'd keep looking because those old saws are a much better bang for your buck than anything you can buy in that price range. I have a 1954 Unisaw that is just a pleasure to use. They're out there.

Somebody around here always says "Never buy a tool when you need it.". I try to follow that advise.

John

[Richard G. Jackson]

Thank you to all who responded to my inquiry.

Phil, Scott & Mike, I actually have the original invoice dated 1/16/87( I think it says 87). On the invoice it says Item G1022 Table-Saw with/Motor, $ 325.00 The owners guide that came with the saw says it is the Tilting Arbor Table Saw , Model 10L (25m/m). Without much help from the owners guide, I disassembled the fence and cleaned it up, but it is a piece of junk. As I said before, with help from a machinist friend, we were able to finally try to adjust the trunnions and I think initially that may have helped, but I don't think they stayed tight. As for the kind of wood I am cutting, I just finished a Craftsman Style Shelf Clock that reqiured some 1 inch(real measurement) quarter sawn White Oak and that was not fun, the wood burned at the end of the cut and I actually stalled the motor after a while. I am not a cabinet maker by any stretch of the imagination, but I have been making saw dust for 30 years or so and I consider myself to be an accomplished hobbyist.

Scott, I just came home from a visit to my local Sears and I looked at the 21833, holy sawdust, the fence rides on a 2 piece rail system that jumps when you move it over the split. I moved the fence to zero on the scale, to the right of the blade, and I would have assumed that the fence would be at the blade, NOT EVEN CLOSE, any no one in the tool department knew why. This machine truly is a CRAPSMAN and not worth anywhere near the asking price. If this is a clone of the Rigid, I thank you for saving me the trouble of returning it.

Please understand that I am not looking for a deal.... I have decided that I must go up in price if I want a good new saw.

Be well

[scott spencer]

I'm not a fan of the two-piece rail system either, but it sounds like that one may have some setup issues that most owners manage to overcome. Most folks don't mention the fence jumping at the seam the way you described. If you past the lousy setup, it's probably not as bad as the impression you got. FWIW, the R4512 has a 3 year warranty (vs 1 from Sears), and is eligible for their Lifetime Service Agreement if you register. Either way, I think you're on the right track by looking for more saw....these saws have had several alignment issues.

If you can work out the alignment issues with your G1022, that saw should have some good potential if fitted with a better fence....it's still a basic full size cast iron contractor saw with a belt drive induction motor at heart. Any chance the connecting rods are twisted? I believe it was made by Mao Shan, who I believe also made saws for Bridgewood, Woodtek, GI, Jet, possibly PM and others.

[John Lifer]

Here's a ridgid for sale, might be same one listed above. It it were me, I'd expand my search and get a used cabinet saw. Not coming up every day, but they are out there.

http://new-york.freetoolshopper.com/tools/rigid-table-saw-ts3650.html

[loren forney]

I traded my TS2410 portable saw and $100 for a 3650. One of the best trades I have ever made as the 3650 is a very decent saw. Both parties happy.

Loren