# So far..Great



## dustyal (Nov 19, 2008)

Nice job on the write up… thanks for taking the time… I like your dust collection modifications… I have been seriously thinking of getting this saw to replace a Rigid bench top saw.


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## cc3d (Feb 26, 2012)

I bought this saw about two months ago and it's been great. Bathe entire experience was A+


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## Cato (May 1, 2009)

congrats on your new saw.

While unfamiliar with this model I have had a R4511 for several years and it has been a great saw, so I hope yours will be too!!


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## CarpentersCorner (Nov 28, 2011)

This saw cuts like butter! i purchased this very same saw in the winter and have had very good results. And for the price tag its a steal. I believe it wont be long till ridgid realizes what there selling it for and will jack the price up. And to be able to move it around with ease to save space is a huge plus for me.


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## wmlaveck (Oct 10, 2009)

Foleyinmaine,
Be sure to register the saw with Ridgid. Ridgid power tools have a two year warranty. However, if you register the saw within 90 days, Ridgid will give you a free life time service agreement. Tools have to be purchased new at Home Depot, not reconditioned. The agreement includes wear and tear and on battery tools, batteries are covered for life.


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## lepelerin (Jan 13, 2012)

I have the same saw and very pleased with it. Accurate, and the price was right. I am sure you will love it too.


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## don1960 (Jan 16, 2011)

@wmlaveck,

Maybe I got lucky or something, but I bought my R4512 from an outlet near Pittsburgh that sells reconditioned and blemished tools. (mostly Ridgid) Anyway, I was able to get the Lifetime Service agreement for it. Just rechecked the website and My account with Ridgid shows the LSA as active.

and to foleyinmaine, I think you will like the saw more every time you use it. My only other experience was with a Craftsman 9" aluminum top TS bought when I was just out of HS back in the dark ages. The R4512 is just scary accurate and rock steady. Screw the nickel test. Mine passed the Penny test. Ha, my old craftsman would have vibrated a 2" square block of wood off the table.


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## cutworm (Oct 2, 2010)

I have the TS3660 and they look to be pretty much the same. You won't be sorry you bought it. Keep a good coat of Johnson's paste wax on the top. I wipe mine down with LPS from time to time. Lowes sells a PC for about the same money. The top is stamped metal…. Not near the saw that Ridgid is.


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## jmanleisure (Apr 5, 2011)

I have the same saw and really like it, very accurate right out of the box. Didn't install the dust shoot on mine yet, since i wanted to start using before i figured out what i want to do with dust collection. Post more pics if you can. Also does anybody spray the inside of the table saw with silicone to help prevent dust buildup? Read this somewhere but haven't tried it yet…

@cutworm, like the tip on using johnson paste wax on the top!


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## foleyinmaine (Jun 8, 2012)

jmanleisure: 
The reason people use Johnsons paste wax is because it contains no silicon; if the workpieces get silicon on them they will not finish correctly. I wonder if spraying silicon in the saw's interior wouldn't create a similar problem by migrating from the belt to the spindle to the saw blade. Sort of like a truck without mud flaps driving in the rain.


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## lab7654 (Mar 31, 2012)

This looks like a great saw. Currently, I'm looking for my first tablesaw and I'm torn between this one and the Porter Cable PCB270TS. Anyone have an opinion on which is better? The PC has a slightly bigger motor in it, but other than that is pretty much the same, only $100 more.


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## foleyinmaine (Jun 8, 2012)

HI, lab7654: The Ridgid R4512, PCB 270TS, Craftsman 21833 are essentially the same saw made in China by Tectronics. The only significant difference I found, and the reason why I chose Ridgid, is that the Ridgid-branded saw comes with a three year warrantee,and if you register it with them within 90 days of purchase you get a Lifetime Service Agreement that covers parts and labor for the life of the original owner. This is important because renewal parts for these saws are wickedly expensive. That motor from PC, for example, is $488.25. The motor is the only real problem with all of these Chinese saws, because they are Chinese motors that feature the mounting scheme as an integral part of the motor frame. In short, that forces you to buy a Chinese replacement motor at whatever price they want to charge.


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## lab7654 (Mar 31, 2012)

Thanks foleyinmaine, I was pretty much leaning towards the Ridgid anyway. I didn't know about the warranty/replacement deal though, so that's one more good reason for the choice. I try to steer away from Craftsman now, even though I don't have many tools from them. My router table is a Craftsman, but it hasn't seen much use, and I believe the reports of faulty tools.


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## scottb (Jul 21, 2006)

Thanks for that insight foleyinmaine. I'm pretty much in the same boat as lab7654… every time I save up for a "good" saw, the money seems to find another place/need… so I'm thinking about giving up on the $1k +/- saw for one of these (currently using a $70 Delta that is WAY past its prime…) so anything would be a step up.

There were some good reviews for a 1.5 HP Delta in here, but I can't even find it for sale online, and the closest thing to it is now going for over 3K - (that's quite a price hike for an upgraded fence and two legs for the side table!


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## thedude50 (Aug 13, 2011)

in would have liked to see the saw and the dust colection mods you made can you please add those photos


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## crank49 (Apr 7, 2010)

The PC 270TS has a plastic gear in the trunnion lift mechanism and a much less rigid fence. It is not the same as the Ridgid 4512 and the Craftsman 21833 at all.

Grizzly and Dayton both have other clones of the Ridgid 4512 in terms of the internal works. Actually, the first one of these saws on the market was the Craftsman. The Ridgid came over a year later.


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## foleyinmaine (Jun 8, 2012)

Thedude50: If you click on the pic showing the bottom of the saw the enlarged view shows almost all of the modification. The text identifies the parts used. I've also added a pic of the saw. Thanks for looking.


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## RobertsPlace (Aug 19, 2012)

Nice write up and mod! I enjoy reading them and yours is no exception. I've been looking for a table saw and since I own a bunch of Ridgid brand hand power tools with great success, I decided to purchase this saw. Well, that was three weeks ago. The short of that experience is I do not own the saw. The long of it is that I took a day of vacation on a Friday and after spending 20 hours over three days assembling/disassembling two different Ridgid R4512 saws, I finally gave up and took the second one back for a refund. On the first one the rail system came damaged. On the second, I assembled it completely only to discover that the table wings could not be leveled because the drilled and tapped holes on the cast iron top were not correct. I like Ridgid tools but decided to wait and purchase another saw due to the high frustration/work involved and the fact that I'm busy working on projects too. If I had not had these problems, I would own one today.

As others have said the saw is mostly cast iron and steel construction. It's heavy and feels solid. Also, it has a lot of nice features, including the built in retractable castors. Other than my "lemon" issues, the only thing that I do not like about the design is the two piece front and back rails of the fence system. Make them one piece and improve quality control a great saw it would be, especially at this price point.


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