Ridgid Granite Top Table Saw (NEW PRICE)

That is certainly a good news. I bought mine during the sale little over a month ago. The price drop to 499.00 comes pretty close to the sale price. Now, if only I needed a second table saw ;)

So far, the saw has performed very well for me. Squaring the fence took the longest time in the assembly, largely because of the two-piece rail design. But now, it’s works pretty good.

do the instructions show you how to go through and make adjustments to square things up? or is it one of those manuals that assumes everything is “perfect”?!

-- Justin, STL Missouri

Does that include the Herc-u-lift?

How is compatibility with aftermarket fences and such? I have yet to see an aftermarket fence system on any Ridgid table saw come to think of it…

-- Trying to follow the example of the master.

that does include the Herc-u-lift i am not sure about aftermarket fences! i am sure most of them will work thought! anyone who has experience or photos? thanks Good point dbhost!

-- Justin, STL Missouri

Justin,
The instructions are terrible. Regarding the fence alignment, there isn’t a whole lot of info in the booklet that comes with the saw. This forum, along with the the forum on Ridgid’s website contain some very valuable info on it, as well as the overall set up. Feel free to send me a message if you have any questions. I just went thru it, so things are still fresh in my mind :)
The saw should come with the instruction booklet and a parts breakdown (6 or 7 pages). All the little pieces (screws and bolts) come in plastic bags. Each of these bag refer to a particular drawing on the parts breakdown. You will find that more helpful than the instruction booklet itself. My saw didn’t have the parts breakdown, but I found it on the forums.

dbhost,
Yes, it does include the Herc-u-lift. I can’t really speak for aftermarket fences, because I haven’t looked into it. The granite table top has threaded inserts on the front and back edges for mounting the fence rails. I would imagine those threaded inserts can be used to mount the rails for the aftermarket fences (may require drilling holes on the rails to match the location of the threaded inserts).

thanks for the input and feedback!
SH2005 i will keep you in mind if i have any questions! i have scanned the rigid forum several times… i was kind of impressed that there was so much info on thier website/ forum… most maufacturer websites that have forums have people who post to them and nobody replies or the manuf. just posts the most common questions lists! Ridgid seems to actually helpful and involved with thier customers!

-- Justin, STL Missouri

Justin,

The instructions are not that good at all, I will suggest you to follow PurpLev blog about the assembly and tune-up of the saw, it really help me to set up mine a few months ago

Also I will suggest R4511 fence alignment &
R4511 Table top alignment

I’m pretty sure it will be a lot easier after following those threads.

Enjoy your new saw.

ZCI

-- Norwalk, CA 90650

thanks Alonso for the Links!

-- Justin, STL Missouri

For the money seems like a great saw.

-- Jim from Heirloom Woodshop, custom furniture ,maker, woodworking school, heirloomwoodshop.com

well i just went at lunch and purchased the TS…. i know some people have gripes about stores like HD and Lowes but the customer service at the one near me is great! the problem i had purchasing the TS is how to get it home! they said delivery was going to be $60! i can almost see HD from my house and $60 dollars was not and option… next option was to rent thier Truck…problem with that was they can put it in the truck but when i get home i cant get a 450lbs skid out of a flatbed truck! so the guy at the Pro Counter said for $20 he would have them drop it off tomorrow morning on the way out for other deliveries! For $20 i cant beat that! i could borrow a truck from a friend and have 5 guys help lift it out then pay 100’s of dollars going to the chiropractor! Nah, i will pay the $20!

-- Justin, STL Missouri

Smart move on the $20. Smart move on the saw, too. I was really torn between that one and the Bosch, eventually buying the Bosch (coin toss).

I’m sure you’ll enjoy it, though!

-- -- Neil

Nice purchase. You will love the enclosed motor cabinet design as it really helps keep the dust under control.
Having the cabinet mounted trunnion, really makes aligning the miter to the blade a fairly easy task.

The others are right, I’ve put together two of them, and used Purp’s blog the first time which really really helped.

It does take a little time to get the fence just the way you like it, but at least there are adjustment screws for parallel both to the blade and the table top. Once I got mine parallel to the blade I put a couple drops of the blue loctite on the adjustment screw threads, and it has held perfect.

Let us know if you have any issues that we can help with.

FYI once you get the Herc-u-lift on you will need help tilting it upright or if by yourself, you can take off the top and tilt the cab body up without much difficulty. Just take note when removing the 4 bolts of any factory installed shims put in to level the top. These have to go back exactly in the same position so that your bevel cuts will be true.

$500 is tough to beat for that much saw. Since it has cabinet mounted trunnions, the alignment process shouldn’t be too bad at all….far easier than aligning table mounted trunnions. The alignment of that style of fence in general is pretty easy too, though getting the two piece front rail perfect might entail a bit more effort. It’s worth the effort to get the alignment spot on, as the end performance is only as good as the setup and blade choice (stock blades are notoriously poor, with only a few exceptions)....hope you do a good job with both! Good luck!

Congratulations on the new saw. As others have said, it’s good saw for $500. Taking the top off, as Purplev did, makes the installation easier, especially if you are putting it together by yourself. Once you put it back on, you will have to align it.

If you don’t have one already, buy a dial indicator. It helps a lot with the alignment set up. I have build few jigs around it to measure the parallelism and depth.

Congrats, enjoy the new saw. BTKS

even though i have gone completely magnetic with featherboards and what nots, $499 is to good a deal to pass on. the ridgid from what everyone says, is a quality saw, and $499 is just icing on the cake.

-- david roberts, houston area, "A little knowledge is a dangerous thing, but that has never been a problem for me."

thanks guys for all the advice! i have printed out all the pages and trick everyone has been posting and i think i am prepared!
i took delivery of the saw this morning at 7:30 am! i know what i will be doing today!!!
i will keep you posted!

-- Justin, STL Missouri