Sep 2023 entry level table saw that doesn't suck?

[Scott Winners]

I paged through the most recent 33 pages here, which took me back to Feb 23 with no bliss. When I searched on "jobsite tablesaw" I got 18 pages of hits dating back to the 2000-oughts.

The knowledge is here, but it is not searchable.

TLDR: (Too long, didn't read) I need a tablesaw to rip some planks that does not suck. I need it this week. How much am I am going to have to spend, and how much floor space do I need to make?

I am willing to move my RAS (Radial Arm Saw) into the dining room for a few weeks, perhaps a couple months, to make room for a table saw in my one car garage. I can come up with 30x36 inches of floor space by moving the RAS to my dining room. There is no meaningful indoor dust collection in my handtool shop. The table saw must move out to the driveway for operation, so wheels.

The one thing I MUST have is a fence/ blade combination that provides consistent width cut stock, but the squareness of the cut may be off by 1/16 or perhaps even 1/8 if the price is right, in 4/4 North American hardwoods. I will be cleaning up the machine cut surfaces with hand tools. 1/8 out of square is not especially desirable (I am paying $10.50 bf for NA beech), but I could go there if the finished trapezoid cross section is uniform.

FWIW I have gone down the "classic proportion" rabbit hole. I am about to construct a shelving unit with vertical visual rhythm on the front face 1:1:3:1:3:1:3:1:1. I need a table saw to rip my stock so I can glue up side panels, for those that notice, of 1:3:1. I haven't figured out what to do to the top and bottom panels yet so my glue lines and dovetails are syncopated, but I will probably need a table saw for that too.

I do not need to run a dado stack. I don't need to break down sheet goods. I don't need to make cross cuts. I am willing to buy a couple nice ripping blades. I am willing to buy an aftermarket fence, within reason. The table saw I want should also be able, as described, to perform good quality parallel cuts in stock too narrow to rip (using a guide rail) with my circular saw.

I think I am allergic to crooked boards, I sneeze near them, but after parallel blade/fence and wheels my third criteria, low priority, would be having a groove in the table top actually parallel to the blade a sled could ride in to slice crook off planks, but my nose is itching just asking about that.

Thank you. I feel like I have done my due diligence before starting a new thread.

The first thing I pan to make, or at least rough cut, with my new table saw, will be one of these, though I will be lucky to get the line of lines dialed in at home. I have no plans to attempt the line of chords or the line of polygons on a homebuilt sector...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uo-zZAgbUyU

[Michael Schuch]

What is your budget? Doo you want to buy New? Or would you consider used? Do you have 220v power available or just 110v?

My father used an old cast iron Craftsman contractor style table saw for many years and it handled his needs very well. I have had very good luck with my Powermatic cabinet saws. A Delta/Rockwell Unisaw is usually a safe bet if it is in good shape. Cast iron Delta/Rockwell contractor style saws are also usually a good bet too. In general I prefer a belt drive saw and stay away from direct drive or cable drive saws. A lot of people are going with SawStop saws for the extra safety. A lot of these same people are selling therre old high quality table saws due to their upgrade to the SawStop.

I would suggest looking on craigslist and facebook for used saw and see what is available in your area.

You are correct in that the fence will make or break a saw so it is worth it to get a good one. I have a biesemeyer commercial / pro fence on my 12" Powermatic 71 and it is a beast. On my 10" Powermatic 65 I have a Vega fence. The vega isn't near the beast the biesemeyer fence is but it stays square and stays in place when locked so I am very happy with it. I also have an original Powermatic fence which clamps on the front and rear pipes/rails. It is nice because there is no flex at all in the fence but I always had to make sure it was square with a carpenters square.

Freud hair line rip blades are my table saw blades of choice. Like you I cross cut on my RAS and rip on my table saw so I keep the correct blade on both and stay away from combination blades.

What RAS do you own? Not that it makes any difference on what table saw you should buy I am just one of those guys that like RAS's.

[Rob Luter]

I do not need to run a dado stack. I don't need to break down sheet goods. I don't need to make cross cuts. I am willing to buy a couple nice ripping blades. I am willing to buy an aftermarket fence, within reason. The table saw I want should also be able, as described, to perform good quality parallel cuts in stock too narrow to rip (using a guide rail) with my circular saw......



You need a band saw. Since I got mine, all I use my table saw for is those jobs you don't need to do. The bandsaw is faster at ripping stock to width (with the correct blade). It will not yield glue ready cuts though.

That said, I have had a Ridgid TS3650 since 2006. It's never let me down. It was a home center purchase and was very modestly priced. https://www.finewoodworking.com/2005/10/25/contractor-saw-no-ts3650-review

It's been replaced by the TS4650, which is similarly equipped but more in line with a contractor's saw in terms of construction.

[Rich Markiewicz]

Hi Scott -
I agree, searching old posts can be very time consuming. Looks like you definitely did your due diligence.
Not knowing your tool budget, but have you considered a high quality track saw ? I have ripped 5/4 oak stair treads with a Festool and their rip blade. Not fast, but it's accurate.
Never used a Mafell, but if I get the right project to justify it . . .

If you connect the FT track saw to one of their dust extractors, the dust collection is very good. Again, I don't know how much you are willing to spend.
Sounds like a great project, good luck , cheers . . . Rich M.

[Jim Becker]

I'm not sure you could call it "entry level", but the new Festool SCS SYS 50 is a killer portable table saw that's very accurate and also not dependent on a wall outlet. It, combined with a TrackSaw, can be a killer portable/compact system for woodworking. Yea, it's not inexpensive, but it has eye opening features and capabilities with repeatable results due to it's small sliding table and so forth. It also stores away very, very compactly.

EDIT... Jason Bent just released this video on the SCS SYS 50 that shows the feature, etc.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dA3zW7GVJaA

[glenn bradley]

I would push the bandsaw solution as well. Especially since you are going to hand finish the cuts anyway. Although many do it (and many 'accidents' happen per year) pushing non-milled stock through the unforgiving straight-and-true feed path of the tablesaw is ill advised. Sure guys do it all the time on job sites but it sounds like you are after something a little more refined. A bandsaw can live on wheels just like a tablesaw, could have a smaller footprint, and will deal with the un-true surfaces and edges of slightly rough lumber. Just like any other cutter the blade will heavily influence your result. If you are gong to rip a few hundred linear feet I would look at bi-mental or carbide blades for the bandsaw. To go the traditional route I would pick up a cheap, used, contractor saw. Fiddle with it to make the cuts you need and send it down the highway when done. A bandsaw would continue to be useful; even for a primarily hand tool guy ;-)

[Edward Weber]

Can't you rip with your RAS? It would solve the problem

[Michael Burnside]

Most compact that would do the job: Festool SCS SYS 50
Best at the price and proven it can do real work: DWE7485
What I would get: SawStop compact saw

Full disclosure, I’ve played with all of them and they’re all good. Never owned any however.

[Dave Fitzgerald]

For a table saw, I'd look for a good-but-not-great used contractor saw - something like a Ridgid TS-24xx or -36xx series, Delta, Jet, or the like. Those can move on mobile bases and typically have 1.75 hp motors - plenty for what you want to rip. Properly tuned with a good blade and a decent stock fence, they can give you accurate, square, and even glue joint-ready (or near-ready) cuts. Cost of <~ $500 would be reasonable for what sounds like a one-project use case. Then, sell it if it's not worth the space.

If you're open to doing the work to clean up the cuts, I like the idea of getting a bandsaw. A 14" saw would have a smaller footprint than a table saw and could make itself useful for a lot of things down the road, and the cost would be reasonable.

Both options should be available to you in a short turnaround time.

[Rich Engelhardt]

Finding a decent affordable used table saw - in Fairbanks Alaska - within this coming week - is going to take a lot of luck.
Here's the used saws from Facebook Marketplace:
The first one is $200 - the other two are $300.


Lowes, in Fairbanks, has the good DeWalt job-site saw - the 10" one including a rolling stand on sale until the 14th for $549.
This is the portable that so many contractors swear by because it has a good fence and it takes 10" blades - not 7 1/4" or 8 1/4" and it can take a dado blade (which I know you said isn't important, but, it's nice to have it if you ever need it)

The other saws available don't show as in stock - so - you may or may not be able to get one by this week.

[Rich Markiewicz]

SYS50 looks very cool ...

[Aaron Inami]

Some things come to mind.

1. Whatever you buy, you will most likely want some sort of out-feed support system. If you are pushing through a 5 foot board, the weight of the board will pull it down when it's hanging off the back of the table saw. This is actually more dangerous because it forces you to apply downward pressure on the board as you are feeding it through. Unless you have a second person supporting the board off the end of the saw, I would highly recommend some sort of out feed support. They range in price, but some examples:

https://www.rockler.com/rockler-roller-stand

https://www.rockler.com/3-row-ball-bearing-heavy-duty-stand (probably the best solution for your scenario)

https://www.rockler.com/rockler-rock-steady-knock-down-table-saw-outfeed-kit (not for compact or jobsite saws - this requires a contractor saw with Beismyer type fence)

https://www.rockler.com/supermax-expandable-roller-conveyor
(https://www.rockler.com/supermax-expandable-roller-conveyor)

While a bandsaw will also do the job, it suffers from an even smaller table than a tablesaw. You will have the same outfeed problem when trying to rip long boards.


2. Many of the smaller compact or "benchtop" tools will have smaller than normal t-slots. The standard t-slot size for most full-size contractor or cabinet saws is a 3/4" t-slot. The compact/benchtop tools may have a smaller 5/8" or even 1/2" t-slot. This means you cannot buy a "standard after-market sled" to use with these (such as an Incra sled).

For example, the Sawstop "JobSite Saw Pro" specifications state the miter slot is .754" Wide. However, their "Compact Tablesaw" only states a "Standard width miter slot". You would have to ask them directly for confirmation of size, but it could be smaller.


3. If your boards edges are uneven (i.e. completely curved and wacky), then a bandsaw is the safest "big" tool to use. However, it's not really going to cut a straight line unless you have a long straight-edge and draw a line down the material to use as a cutting reference.

If you are running a "curved" board through a table saw using the fence, it will end up as a curved board after you rip. I think a track saw would be the best tool to "straighten" one edge of an uneven plank. Once you have one straight edge, then I would use a table saw to rip the material down to the correct dimensions. If your raw material is already cut pretty straight, then a table saw would be just fine for standard ripping.

[andy bessette]

...I need a tablesaw to rip some planks that does not suck. I need it this week...I am willing to move my RAS (Radial Arm Saw) into the dining room for a few weeks, perhaps a couple months, to make room for a table saw in my one car garage...

When you need it bad, you get it bad.

Use your RAS

[Aaron Inami]

Thinking about this, the best option for your scenario may indeed be a track saw for the following reasons:

1. It's the only way in your scenario to cut a perfectly straight edge on a curved board. You need this to be able to make parallel rip cuts. The only other alternative is a $$$$ huge sliding table saw.

2. You don't need to move your RAS to make storage space for a tracksaw. The tracksaw is contained in a small box and tracks can be stuck in a corner or hung from a nail.

3. Once you have the first straight edge cut, you can get a parallel guide system to ensure you make perfect width rip cuts. Of course, the setup and process to rip boards on a tablesaw would be faster , but this does the job just as well.

4. If you buy a vacuum or dust extractor, you can get pretty darn good dust collection on a track saw (80-90%).

5. You can get a TSO Guide Square and attach it to a short track. This allows you to use the tracksaw to make square cuts at the end of your planks ("to slice crook off planks"). They have 4 different guide squares to support different track systems:

https://tsoproducts.com/guide-rail-squares/

Although, you can always use your RAS to do this.

[Lee Schierer]

...I need a tablesaw to rip some planks that does not suck. I need it this week...I am willing to move my RAS (Radial Arm Saw) into the dining room for a few weeks, perhaps a couple months, to make room for a table saw in my one car garage...

My son became interested in making things from wood and wanted to get a table saw, but didn't want to make a major investment should his interest wane. We looked around for new and used table saws from various sources. Finally his decision was to buy the Ridgid 10" Contractor saw (https://www.homedepot.com/p/RIDGID-10-in-Contractor-Table-Saw-with-Cast-Iron-Top-R4560/315635451). I visited his home the weekend he brought the saw home. I helped him assemble it and check it out. I had brought along my dial indicator and when we checked blade to miter slot to fence alignment, I was impressed. It was within 0.004 right out of the box. We were quickly able to dial it in to 0.001 or less. The saw has plenty of power for most cutting needs, the fence is parallel to the miter slot and therefore the blade and locks in that way each time. The saw has a removable riving knife the works quite well. The guard is easy to remove and reinstall once you get the hang of it. After our initial alignments, we did a 5 cut test (https://www.instructables.com/The-5-Cut-Method-Made-Easy-a-Foolproof-Process-and/) and saw no need to make any adjustment.

[Rob Luter]

My son became interested in making things from wood and wanted to get a table saw, but didn't want to make a major investment should his interest wane. We looked around for new and used table saws from various sources. Finally his decision was to buy the Ridgid 10" Contractor saw (https://www.homedepot.com/p/RIDGID-10-in-Contractor-Table-Saw-with-Cast-Iron-Top-R4560/315635451). I visited his home the weekend he brought the saw home. I helped him assemble it and check it out. I had brought along my dial indicator and when we checked blade to miter slot to fence alignment, I was impressed. It was within 0.004 right out of the box. We were quickly able to dial it in to 0.001 or less. The saw has plenty of power for most cutting needs, the fence is parallel to the miter slot and therefore the blade and locks in that way each time. The saw has a removable riving knife the works quite well. The guard is easy to remove and reinstall once you get the hang of it. After our initial alignments, we did a 5 cut test (https://www.instructables.com/The-5-Cut-Method-Made-Easy-a-Foolproof-Process-and/) and saw no need to make any adjustment.

Ridgid makes a solid saw.

[andrew whicker]

Honestly my dewalt worksite saw doesn't suck. I've been impressed.

Low on power for sure. Nice fence and with a nice blade I can get good cuts.

No complaints. Haven't ripped miles of hardwood on it though. Get a good rip blade and be prepared to go slow I guess

[Scott Winners]

Thank you one and all. I knew the wisdom was here, I just couldn't sift it out of the existing dataset.


Can't you rip with your RAS? It would solve the problem

I think I used the term RAS wrong for this decade. In up to date language the tool I have is more correctly a miter saw that cannot make rip cuts. Sorry, that was me using a term that made sense in the 1980s but doesn't work in the 2020s.

I am very very intrigued by the idea of a big bandsaw. There are several other reasons I do want a fairly good sized bandsaw, I currently have no resaw capability for instance. There is a Delta 28-203 on my local CL that has some years on it, I will try to see that in person on Thursday. Tomorrow I am going to hit a local emporium to see what they have on the floor - a regional hardware chain carries but does not stock Powermatic, Grizzly, Jet and etcetera. They keep a little inventory on the floor and probably have one 14" bandsaw on display, but I can order whatever I want.

To the other good points, my shop is currently all 110/120 VAC. I do have a 30 amp dryer receptacle available, but it is 24 feet away from the overhead door. I do have a slew of homeowner tools in my shop space and simply do not have room for a significant dust collector. If I someday have a 3 car garage space instead of a 1 car garage space I will certainly put in a 3-5 hp dust collector and not have to shovel the driveway and then carry my lunchbox planer out onto the driveway at -30dF any more.

I do have a tracksaw of sorts. I look over the Doug Fir 2x4 every time I am at the homestore and have a few pieces of quartersawn knot free DF of various lengths, hand milled to S4S. I use those as a saw guide, have some F clamps, and I know how far it is from the plate edge on my circular saw to the near edge of the kerf. But when I look at say a piece of 4/4 poplar 3 inches wide and 27 inches long, I have no good way to slice that into 2 pieces 4/4 x 1.5 x 27. I do have some nice handsaws filed rip, but I am a bit too old with not quite enough rotator cuff remaining to pretend that is going to work for me without hiring an apprentice to run the saw.

I did say "entry level" in the title, but did not (my bad) specify I was thinking something probably at or near $500 but definitely under $1000.

Tomorrow I will go look at new 14" bandsaws at the regional emporium that will almost definitely be over my budget. Next day I will look at the vintage Delta on CL. If the vintage Delta doesn't need my needs I will stop by my local home store for the DeWalt blah blah ten inch on my way home and get on with my life.

Thank you one and all. I will need to come up with an outfeed system for sure, no matter which saw I buy on Thursday.

[Dwayne Watt]

Whatever you do...do not go the roller stand route for outfeed support on a table saw.
https://www.rockler.com/rockler-roller-stand
Unless the roller is PERFECTLY aligned with your saw, it will guide the outfeed end of the board to the left or right. Unless you have a saw with a riving knife or equivalent, kickback will occur.

[Ron Citerone]

My DeWalt contractor saw is not what I use for most of my furniture hobby stuff. I bought it for my cottage renovation and it exceeded all my expectations for that. When not at the shop I belong to, I have used it for occasional furniture stuff and while it is clearly not a cabinet saw, I think you could go far with it IMO. If not the DeWalt, others have mentioned contractor saws with good fences.......a good fence makes a huge difference. My Dewalt fence is the original and it still works great, even though I have used it hard at the cottage.

I am concerned when you list what you don't need because you may not know where your hobby is leading IMHO. Also, with a good miter gauge or homemade sled there is no reason you should have end cuts off by 1/8"

[Rich Engelhardt]

If you do end up going with the DeWalt - the one with the 10" blade - have a look at the video Tamar made for what she did with her saw:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHil33rqBGg&t=128s

[Scott Winners]

Thanks again one and all. I did have a PM/DM from one of y'all today that I should look at the home store ten inch table saw before I look at the vintage Delta bandsaw. I hadn't thought of that, it is good advice, and I will do so.

My regional hardware store happened to have three 14" bandsaws on the showroom floor today, Powermatic at $1800, Jet at $1650 and Grizzly at $1200. If you are in the lower 48 and you got hair falling out, these are normal Fairbanks prices. Once a thing is in Seattle it has to be handled into a container, then travel by ship to Anchorage, handled, carried by train to Fairbanks, handled, by LTL tractor trailer to the store, handled, then I can buy it.

The main thing I noticed is the hardware under the Powermatic table was significantly more robust and more finely adjustable than the lower priced items on the showroom floor. If I could afford all Jet floor tools I could probably be a happy man. If I was in production, making the same thing over and over again, I could probably get a Grizzly dialed in to my process.

I will make a point to look at the DeWalt 10" TS at team orange before I go look at the vintage Delta 14" bandsaw on CL. I will be taking cash with me out the door and one of those two saws is coming home tomorrow.

There have been more than 2 polite nudges that a 'tablesaw' is capable of a LOT more than I am looking for today. I do not dispute that point of view. For me, in this season of my life, a big (moderate) bandsaw is going to be a better fit for me and the other things I want to do. I might come home with a Team Orange jobsite table saw tomorrow, but that saw will be on the "goodbye" list as soon as I find and can afford the 14" bandsaw I do want.

FWIW I am a 27 year RN, I am still working on the floor that gets all the infectious diseases, and I am sick and tired of moving equipment on and off my head. Having my hearing aids fall on the floor when I am donning an N95 to go try to save someone with the 'rona and no heartbeat is no bueno. When I am home, I want to take off my bifocals, not wear a mask, take out my hearing aids and just cut some dovetails with a little tiny rip saw. If you want a big tablesaw and a big shaper and 4 million dollars tied up in router bits I have no problem with that. You be you. Have fun with this hobby whatever way feels good to you. I like being up close and personal with the wood I am working- but I do wear a forestry helmet around my power tools.

You guys that responded have come up with an impressive list of table saws that are "worth the price" in very short order. Thank you. A few of y'all have pointed out a 14" bandsaw could meet my needs, and you were right. I shall post a pic of my truck bed in the next couple days.

[Jim Becker]

As and aside, Scott, I wear aids and use over the head strap mask types because between my aids and my glasses, my "ears are full" and over the ear masks more than once have made those aids fly away when removing it. It would be nice if the facility you work in provided that type as well as over the ear for sure. Some places I've visited have them and some do not.

[Aaron Inami]

I have had very limited experience with a bandsaw, but this earlier statement seems to echo my results:

"It will not yield glue ready cuts though."

I have been working on a very high end SCM 20" bandsaw (like a S540P) with a really nice resaw blade and I would not say any result I have gotten is a perfectly smooth edge. It's always a somewhat rough edge that needs a drum sander or hand plane. If you do a hand plane or random orbit sander, then the edge may not be 100% straight and may have some tiny gaps if used as a glue edge (since us humans are imperfect).

My friend has seen some people create 100% perfect veneers using a bandsaw for resaw purposes, but this is extremely difficult and requires a lot of skill and experience.

[Scott Winners]

"It will not yield glue ready cuts though."


Thanks Aaron, I am OK with that. I like using my hand planes.


As and aside, Scott, I wear aids and use over the head strap mask types because between my aids and my glasses, my "ears are full" and over the ear masks more than once have made those aids fly away when removing it. It would be nice if the facility you work in provided that type as well as over the ear for sure. Some places I've visited have them and some do not.

Yeah, I happen to get along with pulmonologists like a cat in a butcher shop, so I have been dealing with tuberculosis patients and (FIT tested) N95 masks throughout the 20-oughts and the 20-teens. When 2020 hit, it was like the rest of the planet came to my world. Over the last 25 years or so the FIT tested N95 masks that work for me have one strap over the posterior fontanel of my skull, with the other strap landing on C1-C2-C3 among the cervical vertebrae. It is getting the lower strap (Rx glasses off) over my ears and hearing aids that is excruciating and time consuming. I do agree over the ear surgical masks are one of the higher levels of Hades for those of us with glasses and hearing aids.

In other news I took a flashlight with me to the home stores this afternoon to look at TS undercarriages. And I got skunked on the vintage CL Delta bandsaw, someone else bought it before I got there. My current plan is to bring home a new 14" Powermatic bandsaw tomorrow. I just don't think it is worth the aggravation to keep watching and shopping and racing and upgrading. I have enough aggravation in my life already, I can afford it, and I would rather spend the time in my shop making stuff.

So yes, I started this thread looking for a $500 table saw, and tomorrow I am buying a $2k bandsaw. You guys rock.

[Aaron Inami]

Thanks Aaron, I am OK with that. I like using my hand planes.

In other news I took a flashlight with me to the home stores this afternoon to look at TS undercarriages. And I got skunked on the vintage CL Delta bandsaw, someone else bought it before I got there. My current plan is to bring home a new 14" Powermatic bandsaw tomorrow. I just don't think it is worth the aggravation to keep watching and shopping and racing and upgrading. I have enough aggravation in my life already, I can afford it, and I would rather spend the time in my shop making stuff.

So yes, I started this thread looking for a $500 table saw, and tomorrow I am buying a $2k bandsaw. You guys rock.

My hand plane experience is very small, but I would think you want to use a long jointer plane, like a #7 (or even a #8).

Most of us normally experience the price creep when we start looking at new tools. It's actually very common. I generally like buying new machines. It can be hard to find used machines that are in good condition. Many used machines at our price level are commonly 20 years old and really beat up. It would become a tool rebuild/restore project in many cases.

[andy bessette]

...It can be hard to find used machines that are in good condition. Many used machines at our price level are commonly 20 years old and really beat up. It would become a tool rebuild/restore project in many cases.

"It's too hard..." Seems we hear this all the time. "All the used machines in my area are beat up and need a complete rebuild/restoration..."

I understand that buying used takes extra effort than sitting at your computer and clicking "pay now." Most of us have limited funds available for machine purchases. To get the best machine we can afford often requires buying in the secondary market, so we don't have to settle for a cheap Asian import.

[Richard Coers]

Any job site saw that has a universal motor sucks in my opinion. The noise levels are just unbearable. Whoever engineered the first one and thought that basically using a router for the motor should be taken to the woodshed!

[Lee Schierer]

My son became interested in making things from wood and wanted to get a table saw, but didn't want to make a major investment should his interest wane. We looked around for new and used table saws from various sources. Finally his decision was to buy the Ridgid 10" Contractor saw (https://www.homedepot.com/p/RIDGID-10-in-Contractor-Table-Saw-with-Cast-Iron-Top-R4560/315635451). I visited his home the weekend he brought the saw home. I helped him assemble it and check it out. I had brought along my dial indicator and when we checked blade to miter slot to fence alignment, I was impressed. It was within 0.004 right out of the box. We were quickly able to dial it in to 0.001 or less. The saw has plenty of power for most cutting needs, the fence is parallel to the miter slot and therefore the blade and locks in that way each time. The saw has a removable riving knife the works quite well. The guard is easy to remove and reinstall once you get the hang of it. After our initial alignments, we did a 5 cut test (https://www.instructables.com/The-5-Cut-Method-Made-Easy-a-Foolproof-Process-and/) and saw no need to make any adjustment.

I goofed and gave a link to the wrong Ridgid 10" saw. The saw I was thinking about and the one purchased by my son was this one (https://www.amazon.com/RIDGID-R4512-13-Amp-Cast-IronTable/dp/B0090LHEJA). A much better saw than the one I linked to above.
507696

[Warren Lake]

just used that same saw onsite at the customers place. It weighs as much as my electric razor. Cut poor so I took a few of my cabinet saw blades. Used a many tooth freud teflon blade and it worked better than I thought it would. Worst complaint customer no extension table and I cant deal with that, extension table is the most important safety device.

Would I have one in my shop no. As long as I could afford it the lowest Id want are the general 10 cabinet saws but now spoiled by the SCM. There simply is no comparison with the things better on the SCM to the general.

That ridgid did fine. I wear hearing protector ear muff things all the time. Before I took one of my own blades it cut like crap. It all depends what you cut, you cut small pieces fine if I cut a 4 x 8 im sure id have nothing positive to say.