# Basically a good saw but...



## WhereDidIPutThat (Sep 28, 2014)

I always felt that those table-saws were a bit over rated, then again i felt that way about my saw stop till I actually owned one lol. Glad to hear you're okay. Thanks for the review.


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## Rick Dennington (Aug 27, 2009)

Your saw, and many others, is the reason I have Delta Unisaw…...All I've ever owned was Delta machines, and have had no trouble from them in all the years I've had them….I own one Ridgid product….a shop vac, and it's been a good one….No complaints on it, but personally I would not own a Ridgid saw….Read and heard too many complaints on them…!! And….I'm glad you didn't sustain any injuries due to the kickback…..Be careful in your shop…..We all have to be careful in our shops…!!


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## Rick Dennington (Aug 27, 2009)

Your saw, and many others, is the reason I have Delta Unisaw…...All I've ever owned was Delta machines, and have had no trouble from them in all the years I've had them….I own one Ridgid product….a shop vac, and it's been a good one….No complaints on it, but personally I would not own a Ridgid saw….Read and heard too many complaints on them…!! And….I'm glad you didn't sustain any injuries due to the kickback…..Be careful in your shop…..We all have to be careful in our shops…!!


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## Rick Dennington (Aug 27, 2009)

Sorry about the double post..!


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## scottb22 (Apr 3, 2013)

Do you have a picture of the damage? I have the same saw, no issues like that, but I plan to pull the panel off now and take a look. I did replace the fence, works great after that. The factory fence is awful imo. Thanks for sharing your incident, I am glad you are ok.


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## RonHoof (Jun 16, 2018)

I didn't take pics but I'll be at my shop today. I'll let Ale pics and post later.


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## RonHoof (Jun 16, 2018)

Wow, I should have reviewed what I previously wrote before posting. 
I'll take pics and post later. 
The weird thing about this failure is, I rarely angle the blade so there should not have been any wear. You'd be surprised how much force it takes to push the screw back into position. I'm sure the constant heavy pressure behind the retaining plate fatigued the thin metal and the pivot ball just pushed through it.


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## mikeber (Jan 17, 2016)

The way these companies work, it may have been easier (and faster) to ask for a new saw rather than spare parts. I had similar experiences with other companies as well.


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## Jeff28078 (Aug 27, 2009)

I have 3650 version, one generation before the 4512. Have had it for 10+ years. Best saw I've ever had. Never any problems. They threw away their standards after the 3650.


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## RonHoof (Jun 16, 2018)

I just found out the parts I need are on backorder for a few months. Ridgid is providing a new saw. I'll pick it up at a local Home Depot today. I'm keeping the old mobile base. The new design is a 3 wheeler. Again, a lowering of quality. 
The back order tells me that this must be a frequent issue. I could be wrong but…


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## JohnMcClure (Aug 24, 2016)

Thanks for sharing this. I own the same saw, same complaints about the fence, but never have been bothered to upgrade.
Now for safety's sake I need to look at this. Do you think one could see the signs of fatigue before it's too late, with periodic inspection?


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## RonHoof (Jun 16, 2018)

I believe the signs would be visible. Check behind the retaining plate that seats the pivot ball, the ball itself and the retainer clip.


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## JAAune (Jan 22, 2012)

> The back order tells me that this must be a frequent issue. I could be wrong but…
> 
> - RonHoof


I suspect they just don't keep many spares on hand and probably produce them in small batches here and there. But new saws keep rolling off the assembly lines and are always available.


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## Kelelar (Jun 19, 2018)

nice!


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## Steadystate (Jun 24, 2018)

I just bought this saw (actually it was the R4513) and I am returning it this week. My two main complaints are that it is under powered, and the table is not level so it won't mate easily with an outfeed table. Ironically, I actually like the fence. I spoke with a close friend who loves his Ridgid saw, but it's 7-8 years old and we have determined they have gone down in quality since then. 
Any suggestions on what I buy in place if it? Right now I'm looking at the SawStop contractor, but I don't like the fence on the 30" model. I need to spend $200 more for the 36" model on an already expensive unit. Your thoughts?


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## RonHoof (Jun 16, 2018)

I am currently looking at replacing my Ridgid with a Laguna table saw. I have a few friends who own Laguna tools and I am impressed with the quality. I'd love to have a Sawstop but I just don't have the funds.

In response to a post above that found this saw hnderpowered. If you are running 110, yes it is a bit weak. I have mine on 220 single phase and it cannot be slowed down. This saw can easily be switched.


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## RonHoof (Jun 16, 2018)

This is the part that failed. The pivot ball seats on one side of this ring. The other side of the ring locates on the inside of the retainer plate. The ring split allowing the ball to push through.


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## EEngineer (Jul 4, 2008)

To me, this just looks like another case of cheapening up production costs to the point where it no longer works. That's a cheap cast part and I certainly wouldn't have trusted it there if I understand your description well enough. Nor would I trust the replacement. Stupid design!

I have an old Craftsman, which is the Emerson design, which is the equivalent of the Ridgid 3650… never a problem - it is the last table saw I will own. The fence I replaced with the Ridgid AC1036 design - almost the same as what you have on your 4512. But I have very little to no twist on the fence extrusion. That kind of twist comes from a forced extrusion rate on the aluminum extrusion without proper cooling - i.e. lower quality to meet better profit margins.

In response to a post above that found this saw underpowered. If you are running 110, yes it is a bit weak. I have mine on 220 single phase and it cannot be slowed down.

Oh, FFS! I hear this ll the time here and it is always bullcrap! It you have problems at 110V and it is cured by going to 220V - it is because of limited current capacity on the feeder! Check your wiring!


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## RonHoof (Jun 16, 2018)

Wiring is fine. When I'm ripping large pieces of Maple and using the full capacity of the blade, 110v isn't handling the job like it was a stick of butter. 220v with this saw makes a cut like this with no problem.


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## EEngineer (Jul 4, 2008)

Sorry, don't believe it! With proper wiring, the saw motor will perform the same at 110V as it does at 220V.

Proper wiring includes:
1. wiring to the saw outlet
2. switch
3. power cable to the saw.


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## RonHoof (Jun 16, 2018)

I didn't post my saw issue to argue with anybody. Good day.


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## Redoak49 (Dec 15, 2012)

I do not look at this as an argument but an important point.

If the wiring is all good, then there is should be no difference in performance. If there is a difference in performance, then something else is going on and it might be worth looking into it.


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## kkaucher (Jul 11, 2017)

> I do not look at this as an argument but an important point.
> 
> If the wiring is all good, then there is should be no difference in performance. If there is a difference in performance, then something else is going on and it might be worth looking into it.
> 
> - Redoak49


I agree with Redoak49 - it's worth investigating. I'd hate to see your equipment or, more importantly, you (!) damaged or injured because of faulty wiring, a bad electrical connection, or something else in the wiring. In a perfect world you should see no difference between running your motor on 110v or 220v. If there's an observable difference in performance, it's worth trying to figure out why that's occurring.

Not as a matter of argument, one-upsmanship, or anything else - a matter of safety and performance.

Best wishes.


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## scottb22 (Apr 3, 2013)

Ridgid should make a metal replacement part.


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## RonHoof (Jun 16, 2018)

The part that failed is metal. It appears to be a hardened ring resembling a flat finger ring. Perhaps too hard and it cracked rather than wear under the pressure.


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## scottb22 (Apr 3, 2013)

Thanks for the info on that part.


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## ColonelTravis (Mar 19, 2013)

> I agree with Redoak49 - it s worth investigating. I d hate to see your equipment or, more importantly, you (!) damaged or injured because of faulty wiring, a bad electrical connection, or something else in the wiring. In a perfect world you should see no difference between running your motor on 110v or 220v. If there s an observable difference in performance, it s worth trying to figure out why that s occurring.
> 
> Not as a matter of argument, one-upsmanship, or anything else - a matter of safety and performance.
> 
> ...


Ditto this and others above. Any difference between 110 and 220 equipment comes from things like features and parts quality. Voltage has little to do with it, other than 220 can be more friendly to your energy bill. This is something you need to address.


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## Ocelot (Mar 6, 2011)

Not to be nit-picking, but they quit calling it 110 and 220 a long time ago, and you should now for a long time routinely receive 120v and 240v from the mains.

On 120v, you will draw twice as much current as on 240v. If the wire is the same gauge, and the connectors (plug and outlet) are roughly the same, the voltage drop will double and the power loss will increase by a factor of 4 when you half the supply voltage. With reasonable wiring, the effect should be minor, but if you have very long or small wiring or bad connections, it could make a difference.

-Paul


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## Ocelot (Mar 6, 2011)

I can't remember the model number of my rigid saw. I'll check though.

OK, it's a TS-2424 - from about 1999, I think.

Just in case it's the same mechanism, I'll take a look at it.

Thanks for the heads-up.

-Paul


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## RonHoof (Jun 16, 2018)

Not to be nitpicking?? That's nitpicking. I posted to let ya'll know about a saw feature that failed, someone brought up something about voltage, I commented back something that you guys don't like and turned this post into something else. I'm really sorry I posted. 
I had more news about this saw but you can find out for yourself if you buy one or have one and it didn't happen yet. No more from me.


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## JohnMcClure (Aug 24, 2016)

Ron, I really appreciated you posting this. I think it's very important to share something like this - a failure mode that could hurt someone. I have the same saw, so I care a lot.
The conversation drifted toward the characteristics of different operating voltages, and that's immaterial to the subject matter you first brought up. I don't think anyone wanted to argue.
As an electrical engineer, I agree with Ocelot's comment 100%, but I don't believe he was trying to nitpick you or find fault with anything you said.
I'd ask you to reconsider your position, and continue sharing the news about this saw as well as anything else you'd like to share with this community. It's a lot of great folks, with pretty solid advice mostly, take it all with a little grain of salt and assume nobody means any offense.


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## Ocelot (Mar 6, 2011)

Ron,

I certainly did not intend to offend. Please accept my apology!

Text, emails and forums are unfortunately not for me the best opportunity to express myself.

I appreciate you posting about the machine failure that you experienced and since I own a Ridged brand saw, I'll be checking mine tonight as you recommended.

Please don't withdraw from the forum just because I made an unhelpful off-topic post.

-Paul


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## bigJohninvegas (May 25, 2014)

I have had a 4512 since 2013. Same fence issues. Last year I found an old Biesemeyer Fence, and a couple cast iron wings fairly cheap. So I did the upgrade. Night and day difference. Now my 4512 seems to be a really good saw. I dad 220v brought into my shop a couple years back, so I also rewired the saw at the same time I was upgrading the fence. 
Thanks for posting this issue. I will be giving my saw a good inspection in the morning.


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