New guy looking for advice

[Steve Jensen]

Hello, when I was a teenager I loved woodworking. I had a Craftsman radial arm saw, router and other tools, clamps etc. in the shop at my parents house. As I grew older, I gradually lost interest and gave all my tools away over the years. Now, I'm 44 and I am getting the woodworking fever again!

Over the past month, I've been researching the bench tools I'd like as I start putting my new shop together. Since this is a hobby, I don't want to buy the best, but I don't want to go completely cheap either.

For my table saw, I'm leaning towards the Ridgid TS3650. I don't think I've read one bad review and it is very reasonably priced. What do you guys think? Decent choice?

For a drill press, I've been looking at the Ridgid, Craftsman 15" and the Delta 950L. I'm leaning towards the Delta because it seems to offer the most features for the woodworker. It has the longest quill travel, the laser (which may just be a gimmick) and the slowest speed for forstner bits. Plus, it's on sale right now at Lowe's for $313 and in stock at my local Lowe's.

I've never owned a floor stand drill press before so I don't know a lot about them. I've heard you have to change belts to change speeds? Does anyone know if the Delta is like that? Which of the three DP's I've mentioned is the best for the value for the woodworker hobbiest?

I'm really glad I found this forum. I can see there are a lot of dedicated, smart people here willing to share their knowledge.

Thanks,

Steve

[glenn bradley]

For my table saw, I'm leaning towards the Ridgid TS3650.

Several folks here have it and speak highly of it.


I've heard you have to change belts to change speeds? Does anyone know if the Delta is like that?

All DP's except those with a built in variable speed require belt changes to change speeds. I don't have any of the models you mention so I'll let others respond to that. However, if the Delta is the one with the forward tilting table, I'd lean that way.

[Anthony Anderson]

Steve, The Craftsman zip code saw model 22124 (if I remember correctly). It gets very good reviews, and right now Sears is having a 20% off sale when you purchase online, just choose to have it delivered to the store and you don't pay shipping. With the 20% off the saw ends up being $820 (apprx).

The DeWalt DW218K is a nice router set. I really like mine. Plenty of power and variable speed.

The 20% sale at Sears.com makes the Sears drill press look pretty good too.

Good Luck, Bill

[Craig D Peltier]

I have the Ridgid TS. I like it alot. The fence is pretty good too. I used a powermatic fence which he said had a knockoff bisemeyer fence and i liked mine better. When you moved it stays straight so when you lock it it doesnt straighten out an make your measurement off.
I do wish it had 50" rails though, kind of limited on full sheets.
Take a while to put together. Pretty good directions though.

Today I was ripping 1.5 inch white oak it stopped the blade several times.Where grain converged or crossed the saw blade line. Not from knots.

[Brian Weick]

Steve,
I think Ridgid makes some pretty good tools for the money, not to mention the warranty. I have the dble compound 12" slide compound saw and I am extremely impressed with the accuracy and ease of operation. I have had it for 2-1/2 years and I have never had any problem with this saw what so ever. It cuts extremely accurate and very precise. I also have their 12V cordless drill,2 years old and it is very well built heavy duty and well constructed and pretty powerful-no problems either -great drill. I also have their planer (2 years old) and I must say that it does a very good job , smooth cut, I have no snip at the end when it passes through ;that's an adjustment issue that pertains to most of the 12/13" planners,as long as you keep the board ,,just slightly raised on the out feed side - you end up with a clean cut board all the way through. I actually use this planner for fine tunning and finishing small boards. 1x's thick , 2 at the most and up to 12" in width. With large stock it will do the job, however the motor is really straining and the blades will ware faster than usual-. 2 issues, the power feed does not have a separate motor to run the feed and the hp is not adequate for very large (wide thick) stock, It just doesn't have the write HP and the blade design for repeated use on large material, 5hp 3ph planners with a separate motor to feed material can do it all and then some and that may be something for you in the future but if it was me and you want to see where it goes, I would go with ridgid, they are very reliable, rugged construction,and very well priced for a well designed tool. I also have the orbital sander and it does a great job as well ~ all the way around, I am very impressed with some of ridgid's tools and the quality that goes into most of their tools. You have to start somewhere and sometimes you stick with what impresses you the most. I do very high end remodeling and I bought those portable stands that they sell RIDGID miter SAW STAND AND UTILITY VEHICLE AC9940. I have that very accurate 12 dual compound saw on one stand , the planer on another and my next project after my lathe is a portable router station on one of those utility stands.It is so easy to move the equipment around , not to mention saving space in my small shop. As far as the the Ridgid table saw, I don't know if that fence would do, if not ~ you can throw a Biesemeyer Fence on it -$360.00,well worth the money and it can travel over to your next upgrade saw. That is an impressive piece of equipment, incredibly accurate - just great! HP and the fence are my main concern when buying milling machinery you will probably feel the same way after a while- there are limitations.

[Steve Jensen]

Thanks for the replies everyone. It sounds like my choice the of the Ridgid table saw is solid.

I'm still undecided on the drill press though. Sears has their table saws on sale but the drill presses aren't for some reason. The Delta at Lowe's is on sale right now and $313 sounds too good to pass up since it has some bells and whistles for woodworkers like the removeable table insert, forward tilt table and laser guides. Does anyone here own the Delta DP? I'd like to move on it while the price is so low. But then, I think about the Ridgid DP for $279 without the extras but a lifetime warranty. What to do.....

[glenn bradley]

I'd search here for the Ridgid DP. Some have liked it and one guy took it back. What to do, indeed . . .

[Steve Jensen]

I'm thinking the Delta is the way to go. I'm not going to be rough on it so the lifetime warranty on a $300 dollar item is not that big of a deal. I'd rather have the bigger, forward tilting work surface with removable insert, and lasers. I'm going to Lowe's tomorrow to check it out.... checkbook will be in back pocket. I'll let you guys know how I make out. Thanks.

[Steve Jensen]

Thanks again for the help everyone. I went shopping Saturday. Stopped by Home Depot and looked at the Ridgid. Stopped by Sears and looked at their 15" DP. The Craftsmen really had a nice "beefy" feel to it. I didn't care for the table or the quill stop. It had a laser but it didn't work on the display and it was on sale for $324 I believe. Finally, I stopped by Lowes, the Delta didn't have the "beefy" feel like the Craftsman but I loved that table. The display at Lowes had the lasers working and calibrated correctly. That coupled with the awesome table sold the deal. Lowe's was the only place anyone even bothered to come over and talk to me. Home Depot and Sears all had sales people standing around, but they looked at me like I wasn't going to buy anything and seemed to avoided me.

After I decided on the Delta, I saw a cool looking air filtration system and work light also by Delta. Here's a link:

http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/P/B0000EI96M.01._AA280_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

The sales person told me they originally were $199 and they have one brand new left in the box for $56. The display was on a nice stand. I asked if they sold the stand. The manager of the department came over and said they didn't sell them, but they didn't need it any longer since that's the last one and I was welcome to "have" it. I asked several times, "are you sure it's cool if I have this?". "Absolutely" he said. On top of that, I got the 20% off the already discounted price so the light and stand ended up costing 40 something dollars. The Delta DP, AP100 filtration system and stand for less than $400 including tax.

I get everything home and the drill press assembled almost flawlessly. However, the crank handle that adjusts the table height would slip off everytime I tried to use it. Upon closer inspection, I could see the hole drilled for the small screw that bites down on the flat part of the steel rod was not machined correctly, the screw didn't get a good solid flush fit; therefore, it was slipping off. I took the handle back Sunday morning and compared it to the display. Sure enough, I could see the display was machined correctly and the handle would stay on when turned. Another sales person came over and I explained my situation. He said, "well just take that one, no big deal." I brought it home, attached it to my DP and voila! Everything works like a charm.

Man, I'll have to give this Lowe's store big time KUDOS! I will definitely go back. Everyone I dealt with was helpful, friendly and I felt like they truly cared about me. No hasseling and none of that macho intimidation crap I run into sometimes. They were just good folks! If you live in Oklahoma City, it's the Lowe's at Penn and Memorial.

I could go one about the drill press because there are some things I like and some things I don't like. I don't think it's possible to find the perfect tool but for the price I'm sure this unit will serve me well. If anyone is interested in this unit, I'll be happy to share my thoughts. Now it's time for that table saw....... :D

[Don Bullock]

I've noticed a difference in service lately at Lowes. My closest Lowes has really stepped service up a notch and they have hired some people who actually know the products they sell. I think it has something to do with the article about Home Depot.

As for Sears, it all depends on the tool department manager. I have three Sears stores within driving distance (15 minutes) of my home. The one that is the farthest from my home has a manager who really knows what they sell. She, and her employees, have gone out of their way to help me many times and they have a good supply in stock. Several times they have taken me back to the stock room to see if what I want is in stock and to examine the box before they make a sale. When I have had to return items they do it quickly with a smile. The other two Sears stores are a totally different story. They never have what I want and I can never find anyone who knows anything.

[Jason White]

I have the RIDGID TS3650 table saw. It's a wonderful value for the money. Nice, beefy cast-iron extension wings. Aluminum fence is solid and stays put. The arbor takes a full-size dado stack. A couple of gripes, however...

The dust-collection port is small (2-1/2") and hard to access.
It takes too many turns of the wheel to raise and lower the blade.
Not impressed with the built-in "herc-u-lift" mobile base (most people like it--just a personal thing).

I trashed the steel stand and built a mobile base to get it up a bit higher (I'm 6'4" tall). I also recently removed the left-side extenion wing and replaced it with a PROMAX cast-iron router table (from Bench Dog).

I like the saw and will probably always have it. Although I hope to replace with a cabinet saw someday when I gave a bigger shop.

JW



Hello, when I was a teenager I loved woodworking. I had a Craftsman radial arm saw, router and other tools, clamps etc. in the shop at my parents house. As I grew older, I gradually lost interest and gave all my tools away over the years. Now, I'm 44 and I am getting the woodworking fever again!

Over the past month, I've been researching the bench tools I'd like as I start putting my new shop together. Since this is a hobby, I don't want to buy the best, but I don't want to go completely cheap either.

For my table saw, I'm leaning towards the Ridgid TS3650. I don't think I've read one bad review and it is very reasonably priced. What do you guys think? Decent choice?

For a drill press, I've been looking at the Ridgid, Craftsman 15" and the Delta 950L. I'm leaning towards the Delta because it seems to offer the most features for the woodworker. It has the longest quill travel, the laser (which may just be a gimmick) and the slowest speed for forstner bits. Plus, it's on sale right now at Lowe's for $313 and in stock at my local Lowe's.

I've never owned a floor stand drill press before so I don't know a lot about them. I've heard you have to change belts to change speeds? Does anyone know if the Delta is like that? Which of the three DP's I've mentioned is the best for the value for the woodworker hobbiest?

I'm really glad I found this forum. I can see there are a lot of dedicated, smart people here willing to share their knowledge.

Thanks,

Steve

[scott spencer]

Hi Steve - With all the hybrid saws that are now available, I'd be leaning heavily towards a saw with an enclosed base and internal motor. You get better DC, a smallre footprint, and more mass. No need to deal with a motor hanging out the back.

[Andrew Williams]

I have one of the zipcode craftsman tablesaws. They are made by Orion (same people as Steel City). The choice was made because it was the only saw in my price range that was a real cabinet design with base mounted trunnions. It works reasonably well and I would not think of replacing it until I could afford a Sawstop or something in the same league.

[Steve Jensen]

Jason, I'm 6'4" too. I've just pretty much adjusted to the world being built for folks who are 5'8". I've read about the problem with taking too many turns too raise and lower the blade. The Home Depot I went to Saturday was the first one I've been to where the stand was assembled correctly. The lift actually worked and I think I will like it. I have a 22x12 foot area (1 side of a 3 car garage) dedicated to my new shop so being able to easy move things will be nice. Thanks for your input.

Scott, I'm new to the forum so it took me a second to figure out DC was Dust Collection. I can see how going with an enclosed base has it's benefits. Now I'm thinking I may need to spend a little more.... maybe.

Andrew, I've seen the table saws at Sears. I loved my radial arm saw from years ago. I just wish at my Sears they took more time to assemble the displays correctly because when I'm there they are always flimsy. I'm sure that's probably how it was assembled but it doesn't but me in a "buying" mood.