# Ridgid R4512 Table Saw --



## MarkDavisson (Apr 26, 2009)

Fred, thanks for the review! You should receive years of service from your new saw.

The fence in your pictures looks like the original fence provided with the saw. It looks substantial enough to my eye, but I've also read other comments that the original fence is a weakness. Would you comment a little more about what made you want to upgrade?


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## lumberjoe (Mar 30, 2012)

The fence itself is not a problem. Actually it is really nice. A good aluminum extrusion with T-slots everywhere and a nice positive lock that doesn't shift when clamped. The fence rails, however - suck. It is a two piece design which will develop a noticeable sag in the middle over time. When you are within 2 - 3 inches of the blade, it will change the geometry of the fence.

That's definitely the right miter gauge and fence for the saw. The miter gauge can be adjusted to take the slop out.

IMO, I would skipped the Ridgid fence and miter gauge upgrade. Unless you are replacing the fence rails too, you aren't getting anything better. Something like the Incra LS-TS system or the delta T2 would be an actual upgrade. Likewise with a miter gauge. I rarely use one in favor of sleds, but Incra and Osborne have good solid aftermarket options as well.

Also make sure you have aligned the blade to the miter slots. My saw was WAY off out of the box. Use a dial indicator. There is a great write up here. Following these steps made it pretty easy for me


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## whitebeast88 (May 27, 2012)

thanks for the review fred,i'm looking at purchasing the same saw maybe later on this year.glad to hear you're liking it.


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## don1960 (Jan 16, 2011)

You'll learn to love that saw. I've had mine for a little over a year, and it's one of the best investments I ever made.

The table on mine is flat to within .001" over about 28" corner to corner, and within .009" over the extensions which is about 36 inches or so corner to corner at the worst parts. That's something like .009° (9 thousandths of a degree). I'm a Tool & Die maker by trade, and let me tell you that is no mean feat for stamped steel wings, and damned impressive for the cast iron table part.

I was a little worried the first few times I moved the saw, seeing as how it seats itself pretty hard when you let it back down off the rollers, but in a year it hasn't gone out of alignment at all. Very solidly made piece.

Never had a problem with the fence, but the miter gage is, well, not nice to be kind. I replaced it with an Incra 1000HD.

If you're careful, you can cut 8/4 hard maple or purpleheart well enough that the edge is good enough to glue without having to do anything else to it. I'm sure a 5 horsepower Powermatic would cut thru wood easier, but I can't see how the cut edge would be much better.


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## fstellab (Sep 9, 2012)

Sorry folks,

My wording was a bit confusing, I meant that I had a problem with the fence attached to the miter gauge.

The main ripping fence is good for my level of skills and projects, how ever I do measure each side of the fence each time I make an important cuts.

I am putting on the new Ridgid Digital Miter system today, I will send some photos.


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## MarkDavisson (Apr 26, 2009)

Thanks, fstellab.

Are your fence rails in 2 pieces as lumberjoe said? (I'm sure lumberjoe is accurate in what he said, but there may have been a recent design change he didn't know about.) If yours are still in 2 pieces, does it look to you as though, over time, the rails might "sag" in the area close to the line of the blade?

That saw, it seems, has gone through a series of updated releases. I believe Ridgid is really trying to get it right. If the 2-part fence rail system is problematic, it wouldn't surprise me to see that change in the near future, if it hasn't already.


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## lumberjoe (Mar 30, 2012)

You can see the seam in the first picture. it's a horrible design to an otherwise awesome saw. You can upgrade the fence for not a lot of cash though. Many people have installed the Incra LS-TS, T2, and the Vega on this saw.

Another thing worth mentioning and my biggest complaint with this saw is height. It is REALLY tall for a table saw. If you are on the sorter side, reaching to the back of the saw can be a little problematic. I'm not really sure why this saw is so tall.


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## fstellab (Sep 9, 2012)

Hi Mark,

Yes my fence rail came in 2 parts, if look for it you can see the seam, but I have not had any issues with it.

I would like to a metric sale on the fence rail, I do most of my measurements in metric (centi meters)


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## MarkDavisson (Apr 26, 2009)

lumberjoe, I can see how a 2-part rail could be just as good as a 1-part if the 2-part rail was adequately braced where the two parts meet. Without adequate bracing, I can see how the rail would "sag" - in fact, I can see how a single rail would "sag" if the spacing between the braces was too wide.

Did the manufacturer not adequately support the rigidity of the split rails - especially where the two parts meet? And are both the front rail and back rail split?

I'm at a disadvantage on this, as the nearest Home Depot is an hour away (and I don't think they stock any table saw), and my local Sears store does not stock the contractor saw - or, at least, doesn't have a floor model. Same with the local Menards.


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## lumberjoe (Mar 30, 2012)

They aren't supported well at all. There is a retainer clip that fastens to each side with hex head set screws… that's it. The screws don't even thread into respective holes. It's only a pressure fit about as strong as a pair of zip ties. It is split front and back. They did this so the fence would fit in the small(ish) carton with the rest of the saw. 
The issue isn't necessarily the rails sagging on their own. If you have one part of the fence close to the seam and lock it down (between 2 and 3 inches from the blade), the force of the fence locking will cause deflection. Instead of your fence being a true (or really close to) 90 degrees to the table, it will move inward decreasing the angle. It's significant enough that before I knew what was going on, I thought I forgot to edge join my boards. 
As I also said, see one in person. It's significantly taller than your standard contractor or cabinet saw.
With that said, I don't think this is a dealbreaker. For 500$ and a 200$ delta T2, or a 250$ Vega pro you are still getting a great deal. Even better if you can get your Home Depot to take a 20% HF coupon.


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## Tennessee (Jul 8, 2011)

My Rigid R-4512, I was not so fortunate. Within five months, the E-clips that hold on the worm shaft for raising and lowering the blade fell off, (I found one in the dust chute), and it backed out of its bearing guide and jammed into the cast teeth of the moon gear attached to the blade/motor assembly. It took me two hours to get it free, and when I went to HD they told me I was past my 90 days, bring in the whole thing for shipment to Atlanta to be fixed. Only option offered, and me 63 year-old body wasn't gonna honk 267lbs back to my HD.
My fix was to replace the clips with better clips, and zinc lubricated spacers, not the open E-clips they use. Now it performs better than ever, I'm out less than 5.00 dollars, and totally dissapointed with HD. Check the clips, and watch dust buildup, the 4" on the bottom is not good enough to pull the sawdust off all the mechanisms. I keep just two screws on the back panel, and take that off about twice a month to clean out an amazing amount of sawdust that stays in the chamber, despite the exhaust system. Good luck with what is basically a great saw!


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## cutworm (Oct 2, 2010)

Thanks for posting. So you like Ridgid tools?
Me to: My miter saw is Ridgid but not pictured.


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## BRAVOGOLFTANGO (Nov 30, 2012)

Great review and I concur with it's quality, have had mine for a few months now and love it. Considering upgrading it with 3" 1/4" square tubing for the fence rails and using the t-square assembly from Alan Little @verysupercooltools.com. This RIDGID fence is not bad, it's square and stays but for a few $-sheckles more I could make it into a really high-end tool with a superb quality fence.


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## Bsmith (Feb 2, 2011)

Hi Fred, how are you liking you new saw. Just purchased one myself a week ago. I was very impressed with the instructions it all fit together nicely with no extra parts. I'm not too impressed with the dust collection though. Maybe if I have a zero clearance insert that will help. Thanks for the review.


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## fstellab (Sep 9, 2012)

Hi Really love the saw,

I am about to take on a closet organizer project with expensive hardwood. I am building the sleds, starting with the crosscut, then I plan to build a ripping sled with some sort mini fence, or a stop at a few key ripping widths I need for the project.

I also just purchased the Ridgid digital miter, very high on the "coolness scale" ... and for the few times I need a special angle. Here are some photos:


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## GeneR (Feb 3, 2013)

I have had this same saw for about 2 years and absolutely love it. Before I purchased it I did a lot of research and found very few if any bad reviews. For the money and even a few more expensive saws this one cannot be beat. I have not found a better saw for the money til you get to the $1,200.00 + price range, then the steele city is exceptional.

The only complaint is that I wish the base was better sealed to allow for better dust collection, but I am using an older Rigid shop vac with a dust right vortex attached to it. This set up works ok but I am sure a higher CFM extractor would improve the performance.

I have not seen the digital miter and must have one now. I am sure the wife will be happy about, so thanks in advance for having me banished to the couch.


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## MarkDavisson (Apr 26, 2009)

Gene, what about the split rail thing? Some guys are unloading their split-rail saws because they just "can't take it anymore," and others (like you) rave about the saw.

If you're not having frustrations with the fence alignment, what are you doing to prevent the split rail system from throwing the fence out of alignment?


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## GeneR (Feb 3, 2013)

I have had no problems with mine at all. The one complaint i hear from most is that the fence is not perfectle parallel to the blade at the front and back of the blade. This is a misconception that the fence needs to be that way. In fact you do want the fence to to kick away from the balde on the back end as this keeps the lumber from binding on the back of the blade creating damage to the piece and a potential danger for kick back. Also the blade cuts on the front rotation not the back. It may be that bolt holes have been reamed out from overtightening or the fence clamps are to tight and forcing the rails in thus creating metal fatigue and cuasing it to bow in towards the saw permanently.

Like i have said i have no problems that were not my fault.


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## lumberjoe (Mar 30, 2012)

After making a ton of cutting boards recently, pile me in the "I can't take it anymore" camp. The fence coming out of parallel when it is close to the blade is killing me. I am keeping the saw, but ditching the fence.

Gene, I disagree. Maybe a tiny bit of toe in or toe out at the end of the fence is ok, but I would never do that by design. If you are ripping a long board and riding the fence the way you should, it absolutely will affect cut quality. I can show you some examples. When my fence is greater than 3 inches away. my cuts are perfect. Closer than that, I have to be extra careful. This issue seems to get much worse over time. I am at the point where I am taking the rails off and remounting them.

In addition, when mine goes out of parallel, it gets closer to the blade - creating that very binding condition you talked about avoiding.


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## MarkDavisson (Apr 26, 2009)

Thanks, Gene, for your reply. I don't live near a Home Depot, so I have to rely on those who have first-hand experience.

It seems that a split rail would be a problem only if the two butt ends (at the seam), aren't secured/braced to the table. I understand there is a connector to align the two pieces with each other but that they are worthless when it comes to providing any kind of bracing against the force of the fence's clamp. Are the butt ends not secured to or braced against the table?


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## MarkDavisson (Apr 26, 2009)

lumberjoe, someone posted earlier in this thread (or maybe it was in another thread) that *raising* the blade to the desired height causes stresses that might cause the blade to lose parallel with the fence. Going too high then *lowering* the blade to the desired height eliminates those stresses and allows the blade to remain true. Have you experimented with that?

Regarding the split rail, is it possible that you have the clamping of your fence set too tight? Just askin'.


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## GeneR (Feb 3, 2013)

Lumberjoe you do actually want it to kick out a little and by a little I mean the work piece needs to clear the blade teeth as they reenter the table surface. If it is kicked out over about 1/ 8" max it is way to much. Usually a 1/16" or 1/ 32" is plenty. Like I said before the blade should be cutting on the down stroke of the teeth not the upstroke.

I actually learned this from a true master craftsman/ engineer that had been doing woodworking for 40+ years. I think you may have an alignment problem with your rails when you get within that 3" area.

To give you.a mental picture if there is a measuracle 3" from the edge of the saw blade teeth (on the fence side) the fence and your fence is firmly attached with no slop the entire cut will only be 3" for the entire length unless the board contacts the teeth of the blade elswhere on the diameter causing a secondary cut. It cod be that your blade is out of alignment and it is kicked out at the backside as well come to think of it. I have also seen old blades that got too hot and warped cause problems as well.

For dados I agree you want the fence as straight as possible otherwise you will cause the dado to be slightly wider then it should.


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## lumberjoe (Mar 30, 2012)

I still see problems, at least with the way I work because I keep the piece as flush to the fence as I can the entire trip through the saw. If you have a piece significantly longer than your fence, that kick out point becomes a fulcrum. If safety is the desired goal, then a shorty (European style) fence is ideal.

Like I mentioned though, mine kicks IN when I get to the seam. It was fine for about 6 months, but now it's getting to the point where I have to make fence adjustments frequently to avoid binding on thin rips.


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## NormG (Mar 5, 2010)

Congrats and it seems you are getting the way you want from the beginning


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## GeneR (Feb 3, 2013)

You might try a different technique for ripping thin strips. Use a zero clearnace Insert and I belive it is rockler that makes a device that attaches like a feather board for doing such cuts. This allows you to cut the strips on the outside of the blade and keeps the thickness consistent while allowing you to move the fence. I have not tried it but the engi eering behind it look like it should work.

If you get one let us know I really dont want to be the guinea pig for it.


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## lumberjoe (Mar 30, 2012)

GeneR, look through my projects, I made one 

It works good, but when ripping an entire board into 1 1/2" strips, you are going to get close to the blade at some point. I also wouldn't exactly call 1 1/2" a thin rip. I mostly use it for the small stuff - under 3/4". I have always used a ZCI unless I am using a sled.


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## MarkDavisson (Apr 26, 2009)

I was able to stop by a Menards yesterday, and they had this saw (Masterforce) in stock. This was my first opportunity to examine the split fence setup.

I couldn't see why it's a problem (I'm not doubting that it is, I just couldn't figure out why). The rails seem to be extrusions with a flat back that attach flush to the edge of the table. Where the split rails meet (roughly, maybe exactly, at the cut line) seemed to be as solid as at any other point.

I played with the fence for a while, and it did seem to be adjusted rather loosely. Because of this, it was easy to fix it in positions that were not parallel to the blade. And also because of this, it wasn't putting much pressure on the rail when clamped down, so that was probably not a good test of the rigidity of the rail. But the front rail, at least, sure didn't seem like there would be any "give" in it no matter how tightly the fence was adjusted.


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## lumberjoe (Mar 30, 2012)

Here is the issue that will develop over time. Sorry for my crappy pics:

Away from the seam - nice and flat, square fence









This is a 2 1/2" rip. Huge gap. Not only is the fence significantly (about 3/16") higher than the table, but the geometry of the fence changed The other side of the fence is level with the table. This took about 5 months to develop with my saw


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## MarkDavisson (Apr 26, 2009)

Yikes, lumberjoe! I'm sold (on not being sold on the saw, that is)!

But just as an academic curiosity, how did the split fence cause that (or allow that) to happen? Did the rail extrusions "crush" at the butt ends?


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## lumberjoe (Mar 30, 2012)

The worst part is the rise isn't even, so you get a nice accidental bevel on your piece. The butt on the rails still looks perfect, the fence sagged on one end. It's coming off this weekend anyway when I ditch one of the steel inserts for a larger router table.

Also of note - the fence was UNCLAMPED in these pictures. Clamping makes the angle more extreme


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## 9FINGERTIM (Feb 1, 2013)

sounds like a great saw! i have some misgivings about anything digital usually bot if it quits working on a miter guage the guage doesent stop working. on everything else its a different story i have had so many appliances die from digital distress syndrome(2 microwaves,two expensive deep fryers at least a dozen coffeepots, and the body count goes on. I try to avoid a digital control on anything because i cant mickey mouse it when it goes bad, but anything not digital seems to be the very bottom of the line product if it exists at all. everything digital has some kinda circuit board or something attatched to it and i cant just put a toggle switch in to replace it, i realize this is more of a martha stewart conversation than a roy underhill but im worrid that powertools may have to be programmed the night before to come on at a certain time in the morning and set for how many cuts to make,keep digitals out of my workshop IM in the wrong generation to love them, oops gotta go I just got a text message from my tablesaw.


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## fstellab (Sep 9, 2012)

Hi Folks,

Remember me ? The guy who originally wrote the review.

I have put a fair amount of time using the since the beginning of Jan. My recommendation is still a "Strong Buy"

The fence on this saw is not the best. And after use it has become worse. Now before I make any cut, or any time I unlock the fence, on the next use I have to measure to see if the fence is even. A few weeks ago, I noticed that the fence was pushing the into the blade, and I had to unlock the fence to finish the cut.

After that I started checking the fence on each cut.

Just an observation …

-Fred


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## GeneR (Feb 3, 2013)

My neighbor adam wells who is also on here bought this saw last weekend and I spent a full evening setting this up and fine tuning the saw. Like I have said the saw that I have was one of the first R4512's and I have had no problems. That being said is not the same with the new version as it appears the chinese have slacked or cheapened out on quality control. First issue was that the fence would not not fit in the track correctly. (The Fix: under the fence there are 2 white plastic tabs to keep a snug in the front rail, on these tabs there is a thin plastic piece in the middle with a manufacturing nub where it was connected to a larger piece use a sharp chisel or knife to remove this nub and the fence will drop in the slot and slide easily. This nub pushes the fence back about 1/16" causing it to not seat properly.)
Next problem was with the back rails not being perfectly flat and level to the table top. (Fix: take your time and use a combination square to level the rail with the table top, do not use a level to do this as the rail should be level with the saw top not the ground. Slightly Loosen the screws and adjust the rail height from the middle out not from one side to the other. This will take a little while be patient) check the front rail in the same manner.
3rd problem: One indicator marker was not straight on the fence window, it was at an angle from the factory. (Fix: this is really not an issue as it is a reference only and you should use a ruler to measure between the fence and the edge of the blade tooth forn accuracy when setting up each cut adjustment. Dont be lazy.)
4th problem: the blade angles in towards the fence on the back of the blade. At first we thought it was the fence due to everyone complaining, but when lined up with the miter slots the fence angled slightly out which for what we do is acceptable. (Fix: Remove the back panel on the saw, the motor has 4 screws loosen slightly and move the whole assembly to align the blade with the tables miter slot, use a long combination square for this if you do not have a magnetic long pin depth gauge. When you have the blade perfectly parallel with the miter slot the assembly is in correct position and you can retighten the screws, Be careful not to move the motor assembly when doing this, if the blade is not parallel nothing else you adjust will make a difference.)
One other observation on the fence is that the aluminium on the new fence was about 3/16" thinner then the fence on my saw and the casting on the fence front slide plate was rough and had not been properly ground smooth on the bottom (but is not an issue). 
Once everything was setup and tuned it works great but will be interesting to see any changes in the saw over time.
I hope this helps and I will keep everyone posted on any changes.
Sorry we did not take pictures while we were adjusting it.


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## Addicted (Feb 22, 2013)

I just stopped at HD an picked one of these up about an hour ago. Reviews on this site got me looking at it, so thanks! I was planning on getting the Grizzly hybrid G0715P, but decided to try the Ridgid. I have had a Grizzly contractors saw for about 15 years, and finally decided to sell it and get something that I could use more effectively with a dust collector. I'm excited about it, and I'll report back with my experience.


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## fstellab (Sep 9, 2012)

Hi Addicted,

Be carefull with what use use to clean and polish the cast Iron top (long horror story deleted-look for my thread on that.

The top will have some oily residue on it, clean it with mineral spirts only,as soon as possible. Then use a good polish made for metal. Renascence made in England is the best. Don't mix solvents when cleaning.

Trust me on this, look the photos of the stains on my new R4512.

-Fred


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## Addicted (Feb 22, 2013)

Thanks… I'll find your thread and read it. Luckily, I did a wipe down with mineral spirits, and so far I have a light coating of "Rem Oil" on it. So far, I'm impressed and thrilled with the saw overall, other than the fence. My quick response on the fence is that I'd give it a "B" grade at best. We'll see how long I can remain happy enough with it to put off an upgrade. I'll gather my experiences into a good review when I finish building my wing tables and when my dust collector arives (hopefully it's on my front porch right now).


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## fstellab (Sep 9, 2012)

Hi Addicted,

I can get the fence to work, it just takes some time between each cut. I set the fence where I want it, then lock it. I then take a good steel ruler and measure the distance from the rear of the to some reference point, usually the miter slot. I do the same for the front of then fence. If the measurements are different, I unlock, try move one of the ends of the fence, lock and measure again. Some times I have to do this a few times before I get a locked true fence.

I am designing a rip sled now, there are really only 2 sled designs I know of for ripping, but these designs are for specific purposes (remember I am fairly new at this so there is a lot I don't know). These ripping sled designs are for correcting crooked boards, and for tapering.

I am working on a general purpose design that will allow me to use the miter slot for accuracy, but allow me to rip a wide range of stock. It will need some sort of device to accurately set the width of the cut (yes, I know about Rockler's thin rip jig - but I want a sled).

I will keep this thread posted on my progress.

-Fred


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## Scootles (Feb 27, 2013)

fstellab, I'm interested in how the saw has held up for you over the years. Are you still using it? Any updates for us? I may pick this up.


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## Charlie75 (Mar 14, 2012)

Hey Fred, Does you saw have three casters or four? I just got that same saw. It is together and running great. I have noticed that most videos I see show that saw with four casters. Mine came with three. Also, the foot pedal can either be mounted on the right side of the saw or the left. Mine had to be on the right because my saw sits nearly up the wall on the left side and also that is where my dust collector hose (4') comes out. Being on the right side is a bit of a pain because it is hard to reach the pedal.
Other then that so far I love this saw.
Charlie


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