# The Ridgid R4512



## BeeFarmer (Feb 20, 2014)

Just want to put it out there that there is a fix for those saws that have the alignment issue. I purchased the R4512 2/15/14 it had the problem. I emailed Ridgid and was sent a new main trunnion free. The new trunnion is a thicker casting and has roman numeral II on it. If you are going to buy this saw open the box and look for II on the trunnion at the back of the saw, or at least know it can be fixed. With the new trunnion you still must release the pressure on the raise/lower wheel but the blade stays dead on. Took about 4 hrs to swap out, you will need a press (mines 12 ton) to remove the big bolt the motor pivots on. This is not a hard job.


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## paxorion (Oct 19, 2012)

Very promising news indeed. I'd be curious to hear if there is in fact a resolution to the issues that will be rolling out for future purchases.


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## AaronKoch (Dec 17, 2013)

I called RIDGID to ask them if the new trunnion would be put on new saws from the factory. The guy I talked to said that if there is a revision in the casting then it should be on the new saws from the get go. He did not, however, have any kind of official word from RIDGID that there was in fact a redesign. He recommended trying to get a saw manufactured after June/July of 2013; I don't know if that was a hint as to when a change may have made or if that's his guess as to what the newest stock out there on the shelves would be.


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## lumbermeister (Dec 24, 2012)

Thanks for the post. What sort of a "12 ton press" was required to remove a bolt?


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## paxorion (Oct 19, 2012)

That little tidbit that RIDGID told AaronKoch regarding post June/July 2013 manufacturing dates can be confirmed.

BeeFarmer - When was your saw manufacturered? If it was after June/July 2013, then it would cast doubt on a date-based check.


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## WorksInTheory (Jan 5, 2014)

Hopefully there will be the same fix for the 21833… well actually I won't need it if I pick up this saw!


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## BeeFarmer (Feb 20, 2014)

My saw was made March of 2013, I should have taken pictures of the differences. I was checking thicknesses with digital calipers and it was evident that it was thicker. In an email to Ridgid (replied to by a Tim Beasly of One World Technologies) he said he asked their technician what part would be replaced concerning my issue and the tech replied only the trunnion. My press is just a 12 ton shop press, you'll need steel blocks to support it or short piece of 2" pipe. It doesn't take a lot of force but you won't do it with a hammer. Did a lot of work on it yesterday and still good.


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## BeeFarmer (Feb 20, 2014)

Here is a summary of what I did, You use this info at your own risk, I assume no liability if you do this swap.

Flip the saw over and remove the 4 bolts holding the base, remove the base.

Have the arbor all the way down (blade removed, riving knife should have been removed before flip).

Adjust angle to access big nut on motor pivot, first remove belt tension bolt, Remove big nut now raise the arbor some and the belt will loosen, slip belt off arbor pulley, the motor will now slide off the pivot bolt but you may have to turn the height wheel as it comes off.

Adjust back to 90 remove angle wheel and 2 bolts holding the plate, unscrew shaft.

Remove height wheel and pointer.

Remove rear trunnion cap.

Remove main trunnion, tipping and turning to get height shaft thru slot.

Remove parts from trunnion, once bare press big bolt out. The arbor does not come off till the bolt is out. I did it with the nut on but down past flush so if I messed up threads I could clean them up with the nut. Probably didn't need it. If you put nut on take it off after bolt starts to move.

Arbor pivot hole must be lined up when you put the bolt in new trunnion. Press bolt in. The metal plate that guides the arbor must be on before the arbor is installed. That plate guides the riving knife leave the bolts loose. The arbor will not move up and down that slot till reassembled.

Do not forget the part on the old trunnion that the angle shaft threaded in, easy on the retainer.

Put all parts on the new trunnion, reinstall trunnion and trunnion cap, snug bolts.

Install angle shaft and tilt to put motor on.

Have the height wheel on, place motor on bolt, get belt on as motor is installed, turning wheel to mesh gears, install big nut and tension bolt, if you get big nut too tight it will be hard to raise / lower blade. Crank motor down to tighten belt, might have to pry as in manual, double check belt alignment on both pulleys. Tighten tension bolt.

Reinstall base, flip saw upright, install blade and riving knife.

Everything needs to be adjusted;

Riving knife - adjust the slotted plate to keep knife away from blade when raising / lowering

Recessed screws on table top back out till blade is aligned.

Trunnion - I won't detail, we all know this but remember the angle shaft holds the trunnion from moving side to side, if you need to move the front cap, I had to 90 the blade, measure, turn the angle wheel in the direction I needed slack, tap cap, re-90 the blade then measure. I did have all 4 bolts loose.

Table top screws - facing the saw, right is 45 and left is 90

Adjust angle pointer.

I did turn mine on with the blade removed, just to be safe, but all was fine.


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## woodcox (Nov 21, 2012)

I'm in the market for a new saw.. Is there a date of manufacture on the box? If so, where?


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## WorksInTheory (Jan 5, 2014)

Sorry What I meant was

"Hopefully there will be the same fix for the 21833… well actually e*ven better, I hope I won't need the fix* if I pick up this saw!

Yeah it's confusing b/c scanning the parts manual there are more than one part w/ Trunnion in the name.


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## BeeFarmer (Feb 20, 2014)

Just got an email back from ridged - me swapping out the trunnion will NOT affect my LSA warranty. I have used this saw for the last two days building beehive equipment, checked the blade tonight and still within 0.001.5. When looking up the part it's the "main trunnion". All I can say is.. I would not buy this saw or the 21833 without opening the box and seeing II in the casting. Both saws are made by Dayton I would assume they use the same parts supplier.


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## carver1942 (Sep 25, 2013)

BeFarmer you had better luck than me. I just spoke to Ridgid on the phone about my R4512 saw with the blade shift. I purchased it on 10/11/13. It has the blade shift issue. The tech that I spoke to said that I would have to return it to HD and have them send it to a service center, or bring it to a service center myself. The nearest service center (an electrical service company) is 60 miles away, and the person I spoke to said they hadn't worked on one, but his guys could figure it out. For me to get this saw to a service center is extremely difficult, as it weighs 250 lbs and won't fit in my vehicle. I would have to rent a truck or trailer which is costly. When I explained that I had been a machinist for 50 years and was capable of doing the repair, he said they could not send me the part as it was a liability problem. When I explained that I knew others that have received the part under warranty he said it was not possible. By the internet chatter and U-Tube videos out there Ridgid has to know about the blade shift problem and should have done a recall or at least pulled the ones that were made before the design change off the store shelves. I've seen where others on the internet have attempted to make repairs to correct the blade shift. It a darn shame that a buyer has to "repair" a brand new item. It should be okay right out of the box. I am dead in the water as I need to build 18 kitchen cabinets next week. I will try my best to get the job done using this saw. I will then put an ad on Craigslist and sell it for what I can get and buy a better saw. As I've said before, other than the blade shift issue I like the saw, and I'm upset that I have to dump it.* No more Ridgid products for me.*


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## knotscott (Feb 27, 2009)

Carver1942 I feel for ya, and I agree with you….you shouldn't have to fix a new saw. I'd hate for you to sell the problem to someone else unless they're ok with it. Considering how long Ridgid/HD has had to remedy this issue and that they're obviously still dumping these things in consumer's laps, I'd be tempted to buy a new R4512, and return it with the current defective trunnion (assuming the new one is good). Being sure to explain that it has the alignment problem, so they won't restock it and sell it to someone else…..it's a dose of hardball for sure, but it puts the issue back where it belongs. Not everyone will think highly of this idea, and it isn't my typical "M.O.", but it's fair to you, and IMO it's the lesser of a couple of other potential evils here…


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## Craftsman70 (Jul 31, 2012)

I second that. Ridgid has to have known about the issues for years as it has been so well documented on the web and so many people have called their customer service number regarding the issue. Despite that, they have sold thousands of defective saws. Given that, I think buying a new one and returning the defective one is what you should do.


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## MT_Stringer (Jul 21, 2009)

Where are the pics? Inquiring minds want to see.


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## WorksInTheory (Jan 5, 2014)

Any option will be a pain as that sucker is heavy!


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## knotscott (Feb 27, 2009)

Ed - Do you suppose you could contact the service center (tell them you're a machinist), and have them contact Ridgid for the replacement trunnion, and either get it sent to you or pay some extra shipping to have the service center send you the part? Heck, it could work out so that they get paid for the repair that you perform!


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## BeeFarmer (Feb 20, 2014)

First off, don't call Ridgid. Send an email saying you have the R4512 and it has the defective trunnion and you want to know if they will send you a new main trunnion. You may want to say your mechanical ability is adequate for the repair. See if you get an email back from a Tim Beasely from One World Technologies (Ridgid's parent Co.) You will more than likely get your trunnion. If he agrees to send you the part, he will warn that if you fail the warranty does not cover a service center fixing it. Good Luck.


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## toolie (Mar 16, 2011)

OWT is not ridgid's parent. OWT is the company that manufactures the ridgid hand held and stationary power tools for HD under a license agreement that I believe HD has with the ridge tool company for the use of the ridgid name on HH and stationary power tools.


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## talex001 (Sep 9, 2013)

Bee, can you take a look at the other thread and tell me if the images I posted are accurate for what you are describing? I know I do not plan on buying a press to fix this, so it might not matter… $529 is cheap for that type of a saw but not cheap enough to make me want to wrench on the thing right off the bat.


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## skiler (Jan 17, 2013)

Well, I decided to find out if they would send me a trunnion. I sent the following email to their customer service.

"I own a rigid r4512 table saw that I bought last fall. It has the blade height alignment problem that a lot of folks are having. I understand that this has a fix now and that you folks will send a new trunnion. Is this correct?"

What I got back was :

"There is not any type of known problem affecting RIDGID table saw model R4512 as a whole, or parts sent out in some type of effort to provide a fix like you are describing. If you are experiencing a problem with your RIDGID R4512 table saw, the saw will need to be checked and properly serviced under saws warranty coverage guidelines through your nearest RIDGID authorized service center."

Tom C.
One World Technologies, Inc.

Appaently they do not even acknowledge the problem even though they have had to have gotten hundreds of email and calls. So therefore I am expected to move a 200 pound saw to their service center which is 56 miles away.


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## carver1942 (Sep 25, 2013)

*knotscott,* I don't intend to sell it to anyone without making them aware of the issue. 
I have been going round and round now with Ridgid and getting nowhere. Due to illness I was unable to get the saw together till now. If I had seen the problem then I would have returned it to Home Depot for a refund. My illness layup put me past HD's 90 day return policy. Seeing *skiler's *post tells me that the word has come down from corporate not to acknowledge there is a problem. A lifetime warranty with an item this size should come with onsite service. To expect costumers to bring an assembled machine to a service center many miles away just to replace a part is ridiculous. Then ad to the insult by refusing a customer that is willing to do their own repair the needed part is beyond my understanding. It is like selling someone a large furnace for their home and when it needs a part say to them, yes we will honor the warranty, bring it into our shop. Ridigid should not be issuing lifetime warranties on large items like this if they can not provide onsite repairs. It is good that *BeeKeeper* was able to get what he needed, but it's pretty sad that a repair of this nature has to be done in the first place, it should have been right from the factory. The purchase of this saw was made in good faith. Ridgid is not responding in good faith. The stress this purchase has caused me is not good for my heart condition and I will no longer post anything about it. I have sent my last email to Ridgid. The ball is in their court. 
regards 
Ed


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## GrizzlyBagWorks (Jan 16, 2014)

I received a replacement trunnion this afternoon. I was really looking forward to having this problem fixed with the new trunnion. I opened the box and the trunnion they sent me appears to be identical to the one that is already installed in my machine (and the one prior). I'm not seeing a "II" stamped anywhere on the assembly.

Beefarmer, can you confirm the location?

As far as I can tell they sent me the "old" trunnion.


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## AaronKoch (Dec 17, 2013)

Man that sucks.

I think the LSA is essentially useless on this saw. Unless you've got time and gas to waste hauling 250lbs around trying to get it fixed I think you're better off scouting Craigslist for a nice used saw.


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## carver1942 (Sep 25, 2013)

*knotscott,* I don't intend to sell it to anyone without making them aware of the issue. 
I have been going round and round now with Ridgid and getting nowhere. Due to illness I was unable to get the saw together till now. If I had seen the problem then I would have returned it to Home Depot for a refund. My illness layup put me past HD's 90 day return policy. Seeing *skiler's *post tells me that the word has come down from corporate not to acknowledge there is a problem. A lifetime warranty with an item this size should come with onsite service. To expect costumers to bring an assembled machine to a service center many miles away just to replace a part is ridiculous. Then ad to the insult by refusing a customer that is willing to do their own repair the needed part is beyond my understanding. It is like selling someone a large furnace for their home and when it needs a part say to them, yes we will honor the warranty, bring it into our shop. Ridigid should not be issuing lifetime warranties on large items like this if they can not provide onsite repairs. It is good that *BeeKeeper* was able to get what he needed, but it's pretty sad that a repair of this nature has to be done in the first place, it should have been right from the factory. The purchase of this saw was made in good faith. Ridgid is not responding in good faith. The stress this purchase has caused me is not good for my heart condition and I will no longer post anything about it. I have sent my last email to Ridgid. The ball is in their court. 
regards 
Ed


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## BeeFarmer (Feb 20, 2014)

Here are the roman II full of sawdust.


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## BeeFarmer (Feb 20, 2014)

This one shows how the casting is thicker under the machined curve that runs next to the lift gear. It tappers from thick to nothing under the thin end or left side. This is the new one.


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## BeeFarmer (Feb 20, 2014)

This is a picture of the old one for comparison. Notice no roman II and the casting curves right into the bottom of the machined piece.


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## BeeFarmer (Feb 20, 2014)

This is the hole for the big bolt that the motor hangs on, the bolt has a round top but is T shaped, this hole is beveled on the old style but is milled flat on the new II so it matches the T shape of the bolt.


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## BeeFarmer (Feb 20, 2014)

I hope those pictures will help some folks in getting the right parts.


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## toolie (Mar 16, 2011)

*A lifetime warranty with an item this size should come with onsite service. *

your table saws troubles are unfortunate. for the record, though, ridgid does not offer lifetime warranties on their HH and stationary power tools. they offer a 3 year new tool guaranty and offer a lifetime service agreement for newly purchased tools (upon proper enrollment of the tool by it's original owner). it's all right here:

https://www.ridgid.com/us/en/three-year-limited-lsa


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## BeeFarmer (Feb 20, 2014)

Toolie, My saw was a new purchase and was registered with Ridgid for the LSA and I have the email from Tim Beasley stating my changing of the part will "NOT" affect my warranty. I'm a little confused by your post. Yes I did check the link.


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## SamuraiSaw (Jan 8, 2013)

Why waste your time and money on anything with the rigid name on it?


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## NiteWalker (May 7, 2011)

Because not every ridgid tool is crap, just as not every powermatic, bosch or even festool tool is great.
My ridgid R2401 palm routers and drill press have been great performers in my shop.

EVERY manufacturer has good tools and bad tools.

Saying manufacturer x or y only makes good or bad tools is ignorance at its finest.


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## talex001 (Sep 9, 2013)

I am glad BeeFarmer posted these images and I really hope it helps others who have this saw and discover the issue, that said just sending a part out that requires a purchaser to own a shop press is not good customer service. If it was replacing a screw or something which takes about 5 minutes with common tools that would be one things and forgivable, but what Ridgid is doing here is not forgivable many of these units still with the problems are sitting in home depots all over the country waiting to be purchased by unsuspecting consumers - This model should be recalled period at this point - send out some techs and fix them in the boxes, offer a customer a new free blade to bring one in for service… do something - this is so well documented at this point and clearly they are now aware of it so the crap they are pulling on this is a crock, might as well buy stuff from Harbor freight.


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## SamuraiSaw (Jan 8, 2013)

Every rigid tool I've dealt with has been just that, crap. And threads like this are consistent with that. I doubt there will ever be another one in my shop.


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## JL7 (Apr 13, 2010)

Well stated Tom…..I agree….


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## BeeFarmer (Feb 20, 2014)

Sami, Now that the saw is fixed I love it. Did it suck having to fix it… yeah but I could have bought the Craftsman 81233 and had the same problem, and this would be "The Craftsman 81233" thread, seeing both saws are made by Dayton(In China). I've used a lot of Ridgid tools and many other brands (25 yr commercial carpenter) they all have defects. The reason I didn't return it was I had already added the extra cast iron table top and cast wing. Yes there should be a recall and a tech fixing them on site just like a furnace or appliance repair. I'm just trying to help guy's (and gal's) make the best out of a bad thing. I spoke to "GrizzlyBagWorks" and he was sent an old trunnion after calling a service center.


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## woodcox (Nov 21, 2012)

Thank you for the info Bee Tender. This saw has been a contender in my search. I am sure your diligence is much helpful for many. A time sensitive coupon from the Ursus horribilis has swayed my saw decision. I have till the end of the week to sweet talk/sell my soul for financial approval. Wish me luck for I may not survive this litigation.


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## JSB (Sep 16, 2012)

My R4512 was manufactured in October of 2013. I didn't have a dial indicator at that time to measure the blade shift but it was very noticeable. I returned it to HD. It was my first and last Ridgid product. The fact that this is such a known issue and its still on the shelves is horrible.

For the record, I purchased a Grizzly g0751P hybrid saw to replace it. The table mounted trunnion is nearly identical and has the exact same issue. This time I measured .015" of shift when raising and lowering the blade. Extremely noticeable. Going back to grizzly tomorrow. Moral of the story, stay far far away from table mounted trunnions.

For those who do not know what this looks like here's a clip showing the problem on my Grizzly which is exactly what my R4512 was doing.


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## woodcox (Nov 21, 2012)

Wow? Sorry to see.


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## BeeFarmer (Feb 20, 2014)

This issue is inherit of the design whether a Ridgid, Craftsman or Grizzly. With the motor hanging from one bolt to which the arbor pivots on also. When you deadhead the lift wheel a bind is created between the motor lift gear and the end of the lift rod where it attaches to the trunnion causing it to twist. The fix was add more beef to the trunnion. I looked at a "70 ish saw that I took the top off to put on my R4512, the motor hung on the back of the trunnion and the arbor was a shaft with the blade nut and a pulley. When deadheaded there was no bind or flex. So not all table mounted trunnions are bad, only this new design.


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## BeeFarmer (Feb 20, 2014)

Woodcox, If you buy, open the box either in the store or in the parking lot, I personally would not buy without a second generation trunnion in the saw. Print out the picture of II to show what you are looking for. Good luck, ain't it terrible to have to wish someone Good Luck to buy a saw.


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## BeeFarmer (Feb 20, 2014)

Here's a picture of my saw, I believe having the extra saw tabletop with the wing all the way out to the end of the fence will keep the fence rail straight. The holes on the front were the right height for the sliding T bolts but I had to drill for the back. It supports itself and does not tip even when lifted onto the wheels, but I do have a temporary leg under the end for safety. My plan is to make some steel adjustable ones. You can see my "shop" is less than desirable but it works for making beehives.


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## wreckingball (Mar 16, 2014)

Wow, I just joined the forums yesterday, talk about a timely thread! Thanks very much for the pics, btw 

I too have this saw and the blade does shift while raising and lowering.
On a side note: I watched and commented on GrizzlyBagWorks youtube vid about this, and have come to realize that only part of my comment was accurate.

Anyway, is my understanding correct BeeFarmer, that even with the new trunion, the blade still has 'play' in it while raising and lowering? I thought that* was *the alignment issue in and of itself, am I mistaken? What further issues am I looking for?

My situation was similar in that I bought the saw in Nov. of last year, tapped the left side to install a cast iron wing (during setup)..before I knew about these problems ..(silly me,, assuming a brand new saw was going to be alright)..haha.. At least I got HD to refund $100 of my purchase price for all the trouble I'm going to have to endure.

I'm going to follow this thread awhile longer before I contact them about getting a new trunion. 
Thanks for any replies..

cheers
-wreck


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## BeeFarmer (Feb 20, 2014)

With this design you have to relieve the pressure slightly even after the swap but my saw (checked yesterday) is staying at 0.001.5 inline with the miter slot. I should clarify that it must be relieved when deadheaded up or down I don't do it in between and it has been fine. Oh.. and to edit an earlier post it was a "MrStyle" I spoke to on the phone that had been sent an "old" trunnion from his service center not "GrizzlyBagWorks".


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## Ditchdoc1207 (May 17, 2014)

How / where does one look (or tell) when their saw was manufacored? TIA


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## Magnum (Feb 5, 2010)

*SS:* "Why waste your time and money on anything with the rigid name on it?" (Ri"D"gid)

*NiteWalker:* "Saying manufacturer x or y only makes good or bad tools is *ignorance at its finest*."

Totally Agree! My 3 Ridgid Power Tools including a Table Saw, now 5 years old work just Fine.


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## Magnum (Feb 5, 2010)

Get the felling we are all Flogging Another Dead Horse?

He Posted this 95 Days ago. Last time he was on here was 74 Days ago. (Everything He Posted Above)

"34 posts in 99 days
Location: Northern Michigan's Snowbelt" (His Profile)

ALL of those Posts have to do with this Same Saw.

Yet Another Newbie. "High, Bye".

*No Track record! No Reply! *


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## BeeFarmer (Feb 20, 2014)

Hey Rick, I believe I went above and beyond what I needed to do to help others out on this site. I am not a "Lumber Jock" that has nothing more to do than monitor a website. I am a beekeeper and the last 74 days are the busiest days of the year for me. On another thread concerning the R4512 I even posted my phone number to talk to guys personally. I had a bad saw, I came upon this site in my research, when I got it fixed I felt I could devote some time to help others, which I hope I did. But as to your attitude toward me Kiss My Ass. Your signature line applies to you more than anyone I met while using this site. I am done with this site, Good Luck to All that have a bad saw. All threads have an end and this is it.


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## Maximka (Jul 14, 2015)

Please help!!!
right out of the box, my blade was about 1.5 mm off to the left (measured several times repeatably with a digital dial indicator)... I had followed Ridgid manual page 36, trying to align blade to the miter slot,
When I loosened up 3 of the 4 trunnion bolt I was able to slighly move blade / motor assembly to the left, however not by 1.5 mm, but rather by 0.3 mm only, when I was tightening bolts up, the whole blade / motor aasembly moves out agan to the right, instead of staying in adjusted position…
(1) Do I need to lower the blade down before loosening up 3 trunnion bolts? Why? Ridgid instruction Manual say so, but I don't see a reason, since in down blade position I will not know if I moved blade enough to the left or too much… I would need to raise blade up and down again and again after each dead hammer blow just to check alighment…
(2) Where exactly on a trunnion do I need to hit / tap with dead blow hammer? There is not enough room under the table to tap onto trunnion… a litle sketch or picture wuold really help me! Thanks!
(3) The other problem is with trunnion design - hole diameter size is 3/8 inch (checked with calipers), and threaded bolt diameter is 29/64 inch (checked with calipers), so the bolt / hole fit clearance is only 3/8 - 29/64 = 0.078125 inches or 1.98 mm (or 0.99 mm if shifted linearly to one side in one hole)... however, trunnion needs to pivot around 4th bolt, so I am not sure if there is enough angular clearance to shift blade motor by 1.5 mm to the left… I wish trunnion holes were adjustable and had a bigger hole size clearance with bolt…
(4) I am thinking about removing rear trunnion (unfortunately front trunnion cannot be removed), and increasing both trunnion holes from 29/64" to 9/16". My main concern is about front trunnion - I cannot remove it and enlarge holes because it is very difficult to remove blade assembly, and get to it… I am worried about possible mis-alighment of trunion tilting tracks relative to blade assembly due to two enlarged 9/16" rear trunnion holes and two original 29/64" front trunnion holes…
Any comments and feedback are very welcome!!! Thank you very much!
Max


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## RobS888 (May 7, 2013)

I used a block of wood at first then a large clamp to squeeze it over. It was always a waste of time. I could get it aligned to where I was happy then, if I raised or lowered the blade it drifted away. Mine heeled on the far side toward the fence and would pinch the blade and burn the wood. I eventually donated it to the home store. I felt I couldn't sell a dangerous POS.

I think you should return it and try another if you are determined to have the R4512. I wish I had returned it.


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## Xavier (Oct 21, 2015)

Long, looong time reader of LJ as a lurking guest. Today I signed up, and I want to offer a quick update/warning to potential buyers of the R4512 as my first post.

I bought the saw from Home Depot a couple days ago. I confirmed it was stamped with the II on the trunnion, and was one of the recently manufactured models. After careful (and somewhat long) assembly, the blade had the same heeling alignment issue described by everyone else from long ago and more recently. My alignment issue wasn't affected by raising/lowering the blade as some others' saws are, my blade was just out of alignment all the time; about 1/16" to be exact. A sixteenth might not sound like much to some people, but test cuts caused some SERIOUS binding/kickback danger.

I read thru a couple hours worth of online discussions on LJ and elsewhere, then tried tinkering with it for 2-3 hours, with no luck. I called Rigid and described the problem. The rep immediately knew exactly what I was talking about, even with the new models apparently. He verified what I was seeing: the mounting holes for the rear trunnion were drilled ~1/16" out of alignment. Depending on machining tolerances for any certain batch of R4512 saws, he said some models can be fixed by just loosening the "Adjusting Bolts" (as named on p36 in the operator manual) on the trunnions and shifting the motor assembly left/right to tweak the alignment. Apparently, I wasn't one of the lucky ones with the shiftable motor assemblies. He was very polite but the bottom lines was that Ridgid couldn't help me and I was advised to return the saw to Home Depot.

I thought this would be helpful for people considering the R4512, thinking its problems may have been fixed. You heard it from a new purchaser, and if THAT wasn't good enough, you heard it straight from Ridgid's mouth: the "fixed" models with the II stamp still have alignment problems. My two cents: steer clear, folks. Think I'll grab the Delta 36-725 or save for a SawStop or Jet ProShop.


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## MrUnix (May 18, 2012)

> I thought this would be helpful for people considering the R4512, thinking its problems may have been fixed.


That doesn't sound like the same problem.. where the angle changed when raising/lowering the blade. What you describe sounds like nothing more than a standard alignment issue and, in your case, should be easily fixed by enlarging a couple of holes 1/16".

Cheers,
Brad


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## Xavier (Oct 21, 2015)

> That doesn t sound like the same problem.. where the angle changed when raising/lowering the blade. What you describe sounds like nothing more than a standard alignment issue and, in your case, should be easily fixed by enlarging a couple of holes 1/16


Pardon, I should have been more clear. The parts that are 1/16" offset aren't holes, they're threaded inserts for adjustable bolts. Widening some holes wouldn't fix the issue, you'd need to tap larger threads into a solid cast iron top and widen the mounting holes on the trunnion. For me (and most people probably), it's just not worth it.


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