# First impressions: Ridgid Compact Table Saw



## Tim848 (Dec 3, 2014)

Im actually in the same boat as you. wanted one, bought this one a few weeks ago. I put a Diablo 60t on it and it works nicely for what it is. the fence is definitely the weak point but workable. i have been working on a few picture frames for xmas with it and if it werent for my menards bought mahogany having a little warp to it, they would be perfect. a planer… someday.


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## eatsawdust (Mar 16, 2012)

The Ridgid fence is terrible I have used the bosch and dewalt saws and the dewalt is definitely the best of the three. I don't understand why the other companies don't change their designs.


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## ajw1978 (Jul 5, 2014)

That's EXACTLY what I have been doing with my saw so far. I think I'm jumping to the DeWalt tomorrow.


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## paxorion (Oct 19, 2012)

> The Ridgid fence is terrible I have used the bosch and dewalt saws and the dewalt is definitely the best of the three. I don t understand why the other companies don t change their designs.
> 
> - eatsawdust


I'm fairly sure Dewalt has their fence design patented in some way. It is a major selling point and the reason I went with a Dewalt saw for my jobsite saw.



> That s EXACTLY what I have been doing with my saw so far. I think I m jumping to the DeWalt tomorrow.
> 
> - ajw1978


I was at Home Depot tonight, and I'm fairly sure the Dewalt saw that's on sale for $230 is the older generation DW745.


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## ajw1978 (Jul 5, 2014)

I've seen plenty of them in the store over the last week, i just never see the actual model out on the floor. I'm sure it's an older-generation, in fact from what I understood from the ToolGuyd's write-up, it almost assuredly is, but in the limited window I have to work, I don't want to spend a big chunk of it aligning the fence each time. My woodworking consigliere is coming by in the morning; I'll check with him.


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## dhazelton (Feb 11, 2012)

I bought the DW745 last year when it was at that lower price and I love it. Cuts great and the fence seems pretty solid, none of that deflection you usually get when you lock a fence down. I ended up buying the Dewalt rolling stand for it too.


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## msurvilo (Feb 12, 2014)

I've had this saw for a few years now, and I LOVE it. All the work i've put up on lumberjocks I've done with this saw. I built a miter table insert to fit into the hole left by the extension, and it works perfectly with my fence. Just my 2c.


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## dhazelton (Feb 11, 2012)

As an FYI, the older DW745 has a rip limit of 24 inches - I think the newer version goes beyond that by and inch or so and I believe that's really the only difference. I'm never using my saw to rip a sheet of plywood so it's no issue to me and the older model at $230 is still a bargain.


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## ajw1978 (Jul 5, 2014)

I did some tweaking today and got a little better results, but it really is quite a pain to have to do that every single time I move the fence. Haven't had a chance to get to HD yet, but hopefully this weekend.


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## paxorion (Oct 19, 2012)

> As an FYI, the older DW745 has a rip limit of 24 inches - I think the newer version goes beyond that by and inch or so and I believe that s really the only difference. I m never using my saw to rip a sheet of plywood so it s no issue to me and the older model at $230 is still a bargain.
> 
> - dhazelton


The DWE7480 still has a rip capacity of 24 inches. It's bigger brother, the DWE7490X and DWE7491RS/DWE7499GD have a rip capacity of 28" and 32" respectively.


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## Wav (Dec 16, 2014)

That's a lot better than my first "table saw". Mine was a cheap off brand table top model with a 10 inch blade and the fence was bent sheet metal, try to get an accurate cut with one of those. As far as cutting any hardwood, forget it, you could make a cut quicker with a bicycle sprocket on a hand mixer from the kitchen. 
Now I have an older Delta Table saw, I got it second hand from a guy who was upgrading to a bigger model. Man, I never knew how a good a good working table saw could be. I have made some modifications to extend the table about 12" and since replacement inserts are no longer available along with most parts, I have to make do. I thought I had burned out the motor a couple years back and was able to find a new one, but discovered it was only the drive belt, oh well, I still have a new motor if this one ever goes out.
Anyway, the saw was 10 or 15 years old when I got it. I've been using it now for 15 or more. I forgot to replace the screws in the insert one day and the worst thing happened that can happen to an insert. The blade caught it and it was no longer usable, neither was the blade. So be sure you replace those screws when you change those blades. I made a new aluminum insert that allows me to change the inserts in the insert for dado cuts, now only use zero clearance inserts except when I am using the blade tilted.
Good luck with that saw, a friend of mine has one and he likes it.


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## ajw1978 (Jul 5, 2014)

I'm still using the Ridgid. None of the nearby Home Depots will accept the HF coupon, so I'm just making do. And slowly but surely, I'm getting the hang of adjusting on the fly. I'm sure I'll figure out a more permanent fix somewhere down the road.


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## Magnum (Feb 5, 2010)

I've had this saw for 2 years now. I'm very Pleased with it. My Fence is a bang on after I made a few adjustments. It locks straight all the time now.

It still has the same blade on it and will rip a 2"x whatever, full length without any problem.

Guess I'm an "Old School Carpenter" but I always measure the inside back saw blade tooth and the front inside tooth distance to the fence and 99.9% of the time it's dead on.

My suggestion to you would be to flip the fence over and play around with the adjustment under there. There are quite a few of them, Front & Back I think your back "Arm" (#28) that locks to the table is not lined up properly, that's why it's out of alignment. I cut that section out of my Manual. It's as below.

Also how I mounted it to my existing Steel Legs to make it Quieter, less vibration with isolators, and kept the "Portability" if needed.

" Sliding the extension table should be done with care. If the saw isn't "locked down," it'll slide." I'll assume you mean the table extension will slide if it's not locked back down? No! I won't ask how you found that out! Because if you didn't DUH!!...LOL..

My 2.5" shop vac also fits perfectly in the Dust Port that completely surrounds the blade, any tighter and I wouldn't be able to get it in. Unless you've got a long distance to go to plug it in why is the Cord to short? Mine's just fine or I'd use an extension cord if I needed more length.

I'm sure you'll get to like it after you've used it for a while and made a few adjustments.
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## emart (Mar 16, 2011)

> The Ridgid fence is terrible I have used the bosch and dewalt saws and the dewalt is definitely the best of the three. I don t understand why the other companies don t change their designs.
> 
> - eatsawdust
> 
> ...


I doubt it because my 1950s craftsman has a micro adjust fence as well and I have seen cabinet saws with a similar fence before


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## garriv777 (Jul 22, 2010)

I have the GTS1031 by Bosch and it is an awesome saw. Fence works great and, best of all, all the accessories store right on the saw. Plenty of power, and even the blade that came with the saw is pretty good. Couldn't be happier.

G-Man


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## OSU55 (Dec 14, 2012)

I evaluated all of these saws and ended up with the Bosch 4100. Superior in every way, including about double the price, but is the best portable saw out there imo.


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## Drjohn1963 (Dec 23, 2014)

I have a major issue with the Ridgid saws that I did not discover until recently. They use a little plastic "safety" key, which has to be in place to start the saw… if you lose it or it breaks, you cannot start your saw. Home Depot (the store that sells this brand) DOES NOT CARRY this key. You cannot buy a replacement. The several stores I contacted states that they cannot order the part and are aware that it is not available, as they remove the keys from their floor models, due to frequent theft of the key by people who need and cannot get a replacement. Having a $500 paperweight in my shop for lack of a 25¢ piece of plastic seems a major downside to buying Ridgid.


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## dhazelton (Feb 11, 2012)

Craftsman saws have the same key, as they are both made by Emerson. Look at Sears Parts Direct to see if you can get a spare.


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## ShipWreck (Feb 16, 2008)

I have owned the Ridgid 4510 for about 5 years now and it has been on 30-40 job sites with me. I also own the Bosch 4100. The 4100 sits in my sons garage while the Ridgid stays with me. They are both pretty nice saws, but I prefer the Ridgid over the Bosch. Both saws have their little quirks, but no major faults. As far as the switch key goes, you can use some a piece of 10 gauge wire bent in a horse shoe shape to keep it going until you find a replacement. I had a helper remove my key once and he ended up losing it. I bought a replacement from Sears…Craftsman. As far as the fence goes, mine is still spot on after 5 years. I give it a check every couple of weeks with a Groz square…..............*and let her rip.* The fence is adjustable also, regardless of what some folks say.

Dewalts table saws with the rack and pinion have their own issues as well. Decent saws overall and well liked by a lot of my contractor friends. The rack & pinions do mess up from time to time with sawdust if your not careful. They are a bit smaller than the Bosch and Ridgid….......which was a turn off for me.

You can't go wrong with any of these 3 portables as far as bang for the buck. They all last well in the knock around environment of construction.


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