TS Upgrade

[Chas Fuggetta]

Howdy all, I've been struggling with my old 113.xxx Craftsman TS and decided to upgrade. I found a Ridgid TS3612 in 'excellent' condition and have decided to buy it for $250. Is this a good price for a 10+ yr old TS?

[Paul Wunder]

Will your budget allow $550? For that price you can buy a new Ridgid TS with a warranty, riving knife for safety. and inboard dust collection with a 4" dust port. The used Ridgid that you are considering has no riving knife and because it is a Contractor style saw there is no dust collection capability built and after market collection on that type of saw is very difficult and the results will be disappointing.

[scott spencer]

It's a good deal for that saw IMO. It's got a pretty good fence and webbed cast iron wings going for it. It's also the last of the Ridgid saws to be made in the USA. For double the price, the R4512 gives you steel wings, a lesser fence, a history of alignment issues, better DC, warranty, and a riving knife.

[Chas Fuggetta]

Thanks for the responses guys. I'm going to brave the wet/snow/cold and pick it up tomorrow morning. I knew about the DC issue with it and I'm not afraid/incapable of fabricating a solution for it. The fact it has the Herculift and 36" capacity are big pluses for me. The gentleman selling it had used it for minor projects over the years but hasn't used it for the past few years and appears to be in excellent condition. It looks really clean except for some light surface rust on the wings. Also, doesn't this model have the lifetime warranty with it?

Paul, I looked at the new Ridgid TS but didn't want to fork over an additional $300 since I'm still mulling over a jointer purchase...She Who Rules may not be so agreeable if the price goes up...and up...and...well you get the idea. :D

[David Hendricks]

Take a look at pics of that saw you will see it's pretty much the same as a 113. saw I would consider it a side step instead of an upgrade. What is your issue with the saw you have now?

[Chas Fuggetta]

Take a look at pics of that saw you will see it's pretty much the same as a 113. saw I would consider it a side step instead of an upgrade. What is your issue with the saw you have now?

I agree, but the 113 I have is in pretty poor condition. It doesn't have a spliter or blade guard, both pulleys and belt need to be replaced, the fence is visibly concaved (~.015 at the blade) and adjusting the fence for cuts is an absolute pita. I'm working in my basement so I need something easily portable. It's not really a sidestep if you consider the items on the 113 that need replacing.