What table saw to buy in the $500 range?

[dennis thompson]

We are moving so rather than moving it, I sold my Ridgid 4512 table saw. I was pretty happy with the saw and am thinking that , in the $500 range this is the best saw to buy , so I'll probably just buy another one (I want a new saw not a used one).
Does anyone have any thoughts on other new saws in the $500 range that I might buy?...Please just new saws.
Thanks

[Michael Stein]

We are moving so rather than moving it, I sold my Ridgid 4512 table saw. I was pretty happy with the saw and am thinking that , in the $500 range this is the best saw to buy , so I'll probably just buy another one (I want a new saw not a used one).
Does anyone have any thoughts on other new saws in the $500 range that I might buy?...Please just new saws.
Thanks

In the $500 range you are pretty limited... Rigid 4512 or the Delta 36-725. Step up a bit and you can also look at the Grizzly G0715P (same internals as the Ridgid, or so I read) and the G0771. I have also heard the Masterforce 2400037 and the Craftsman 21833 are essentially the repainted/rebadged Ridgid saws as well. This topic is covered in detail it seems like once a week over on another forum I visit.

Even more so of a step up, but several other companies also offer hybrid (110v) saws. Laguna, Jet, Shop Fox to name a few.

I own the G0771 and am very happy with it.

[Earl McLain]

Three years ago, i narrowed my choices to the Ridgid 4512 and the Craftsman 21833, which are fundamentally the same saw. Noted differences were (at that time anyway)--Ridgid's LSA, motor amperage ratings (Ridgid 13 amps, C-man 15 amps--can't say if they are really different!!), and the C-man included a dado throat plate while the Ridgid did not. In-store purchase on decision day, the 4512 would have been about $50 less money than C-man. Having done some advance searching--Sears web site allowed the stacking of 3 discounts that totaled about $150 (putting it $100 under the Ridgid). So...i went to my car, bought the C-man online and drove the same pick-up door and got the same saw i would have paid more for inside. (i'm not fond of having to do the figuring like that, but money is money).

Both saws had mixed reviews on the blade elevation issue which i'd read in advance. I did not have, and have not had a problem with that. Fence was pretty good, but i've since added an Incra. Miter gauge was replaced by a Kreg. If i had it to do over again, i'd opt for an older cabinet saw (PM 66, left tilt Unisaw, General), but at the time--i also wanted a "new" saw. Eventually, i'll have a 3hp PM 66 in the shop--to fill the want and get a little boost in 8/4 hardwood rips.

earl

[Robert Engel]

IMO sorry you won't get much of a serious ww'ing saw for $500.
Best to scan CL for a used Unisaw or Rockwell.
You'll have 5X the saw as that Ridgid.
If you go that route, make sure the fence is there!

[Ryan Bodnarchuk]

If you are like me, you are not spending $2000 on a saw, but want something a hell of a lot better than contractor mobile saw with a garbage fence....

I got myself the delta 36-725 , it is exclusive to lowes and only in canada too. I absolutely love the saw for what I use it for. It is like a hybrid of sorts too... it is actually belt driven ( by a tiny little belt ), yet still enclosed like a contractor saw. The fence is great, accurate and stays parallel as well as fast and easy to reset and keep on cutting. I've been working with it for about a year and I am building my own custom cabinets now using it. I have many sleds I built for it and can get as accurate is better than 1/1000 of an inch.

I am not using the mobile base frame it comes with, but build my own mobile base for it. I am also going to be adding a rear folding extension wing for an outfeed table, as well as a drop in router table on the side so I can use the fence that the saw comes with.

It was not perfect out of the box and I did have to tune it up to get more accurate cuts, but you should do that with ANY saw anyways.

so, unless you find a used unisaw or something like that....

The ONLY issue I see is parts and service.... Getting anything out of Delta is a pain as they are in the US and no one in canada services them or can get parts. so, be prepared to service it yourself if something goes wrong in the future.

other than the ridgid which seemed to have less favourable reviews to me, i don't think that there are any in-between saws in this range other than the delta and the ridgid.

[Daniel Greening]

If you are looking for a new saw and are ok with a jobsite type saw, I really love my Bosch 4100-09. Aside from that, you can easily find a JET JWTS-10 in that price range, and may be able to find a used Unisaw as well.

[glenn bradley]

By avoiding the used market at a $500 price point you are indeed limited. If you were happy with the Ridgid before I would probably not hesitate to buy again. The Ridgid LSA if registered and used properly is a great incentive. Some folks are 200 miles from the nearest Ridgid service center so for them, this incentive would be moot.

I ran a Craftsman 22124 back when they stormed the hybrid class and demolished it. If it were not for an unexpected windfall I very well could still be using that saw today; it never balked at anything I asked it to do. It had an unfair advantage coming with a Beisemeyer commercial fence, a viable miter gauge, cast iron wings (unusual in the hybrid class at the time), table mounted trunnions and a Lietz 40T blade in place of the junk that comes "standard" with most saws.

Despite all that rambling, if the 4512 worked well before I would go with what you know. $500 isn't much for an anchor tool like the tablesaw but, our uses and requirements vary. If there were things you didn't like about the 4512, you already know what they are and can adjust for them going in. A $500 range "unknown" would be just that; unknown.

[Mike Henderson]

If you are dead set on going "new" make sure the saw has a true riving knife. Otherwise, go used.

If you're going to give up the riving knife, you can get a lot of saw used for under $1,000.

Mike

[daryl moses]

I know your budget is $500 but put another $300 with that and get the Grizzly GO771. I purchased one about a year ago to replace my aging Craftsman. It's a lot of saw for the money. I am very pleased with mine.

[Michael Stein]

I know your budget is $500 but put another $300 with that and get the Grizzly GO771. I purchased one about a year ago to replace my aging Craftsman. It's a lot of saw for the money. I am very pleased with mine.

Couldn't agree more with this statement.

[scott spencer]

The first thing I'd do is check CL for a screaming deal on a used saw. It's not hard to run into a comparable saw for $200-$300, and a much nicer saw for $500. If you're dead set on new, I think the fence on the 36-725 is better than the Ridgid, so I'd definitely give that one a look before I bought another R4512. As others have said, I think one of the Grizzly hybrids ise a step up in both price and saw.

[Ben Rivel]

OP: Wait a bit, save up another $500 and get yourself a good brand new saw. Youll be thankful you did.

[Jim Dwight]

I use a Ryobi BT3100. When it was last sold by Home Depot, it went for $299. It is an unusual saw. It has a 15amp universal motor powering the arbor by two little cogged belts. Depth of cut is 3.5 inches and with a ripping blade I've done it in hardwoods. Table is small but it also comes with a sliding table for crosscuts. Rip fence is short but it locks securely and moves easily and stays parallel to the blade. Micropositioner is a recommended extra if you can find one. You would have to buy it used but you should be able to get one for $150 or so, hopefully with some extras. It is a very accurate little saw.

I like it even better now that I have a track saw. I added the extension rails to the BT3100 and had about 60 inch rip capacity but full sheets of plywood were still a bit of a struggle, especially because my shop was (and is) just a little oversize one car garage. Now that sheet goods get cut on the Paulk inspired workbench with the DeWalt track saw, the little Ryobi (without the extension rails) is more of a fit.

For the record, I've made 7 sets of bedroom furniture, 3 kitchen tables and 12 chairs plus a lot of other stuff with my little Ryobi. It is more capable than most people think.

[Art Mann]

Wow Robert! I wish you had posted this sooner. I spent the last 40 years building cabinets, furniture, clocks, jewelry boxes and other things large and small with contractor table saws that cost less than $500. One of them was even a Ridgid. I never knew I wasn't using a "serious" table saw. Looking back on it, I just don't see how I was able to build all that stuff.


IMO sorry you won't get much of a serious ww'ing saw for $500.
Best to scan CL for a used Unisaw or Rockwell.
You'll have 5X the saw as that Ridgid.
If you go that route, make sure the fence is there!

[Frankie Hunt]

Looks like the Grizzly is on sale for $695 at the moment. Shipping would push it to near $800. But you will still have to pay shipping or tax on another new saw.

http://www.grizzly.com/products/10-Hybrid-Table-Saw/G0771

[Charles Lent]

Find an old Unisaw with 3 or 5 HP 1 phase 240 volt motor in reasonably good condition for about $500 or less, rebuild it, replace the fence if it doesn't come with a Unifence or Biesmeyer, and you will likely never want another table saw. Your children might even fight over it when you can't use it any more. I bought my 1984 Unisaw with the 3 hp motor and 54" Unifence for about $500, cleaned it up and replaced the belts and arbor bearings in 2002. A year later I bought the Wixey DRO for it, and it is the most accurate and solid saw that I have ever used, and I have worked in several commercial shops, plus owned 4 other table saws before buying this one. An old Powermatic 66 will be just as solid and reliable, if you should find one of them first. I don't know why, but the equivalent condition Powermatic 66 saws seem to go for higher prices used. To me, I've used both, and they are about equal in quality and features. Grab either one, if it's in good condition and has a fair price tag.

Charley

[Tom Ewell]

Wow Robert! I wish you had posted this sooner. I spent the last 40 years building cabinets, furniture, clocks, jewelry boxes and other things large and small with contractor table saws that cost less than $500. One of them was even a Ridgid. I never knew I wasn't using a "serious" table saw. Looking back on it, I just don't see how I was able to build all that stuff.

Yeah, some folks do get a little carried away with themselves.
Lot's of ways to do the same thing, the only thing that matters is the one doing it not the tools one choses to do it with.

[Brett Luna]

I also have the Delta 36-725. It's not my dream saw and my garage isn't a professional production shop but I've managed to wring some serious woodworking out of it. It's a hard saw to beat at the price point.