UPDATED: Can't decide on contractor TS.....

Status
Not open for further replies.

Tracy

New User
Tracy
I have decided to move up from my old Craftsman 10" benchtop saw which has served me well for about 6 years. Would like to move up to a contractor TS, which needs to be mobile (working in a 2 car garage). Also would like to keep it in the $600 range if possible. I'm looking at the:

Delta 36-680
http://www.deltamachinery.com/index.asp?e=136&p=4921

RIDGID TS3650
http://www.ridgid.com/Tools/TS3650-Table-Saw/

I have seen these two TS's (in person) and have likes/dislikes about each and can't really decide. Can anyone assist me with their experiences with either of these saws or perhaps advantages/disadvantages based on what your experienced eye may see??

3/21 UPDATE: Looked at a few other recommendations online (JET, Griz, General,). Finally settled on the RIDGID TS3650 as I felt it had great reviews, good features and was probably the best bang for the buck as far as what I was looking for. Not going to go into a review here as there are plenty of professional ones already done. All I can say for now is....WOW!...:eusa_danc....what have I been missing with the benchtop TS? This thing is quiet and out of the box was cutting great with just a few minor adjustments. I'm thrilled with my choice and THANKS to all who provided input/suggestions/comments to assist me in this purchase. Oh, went $6 over budget...:roll:. Ran me $606 out the door at the local HD.
 
Last edited:

Ray Martin

New User
Ray
Re: Can't decide on contractor TS.....

Tracy,

Can't offer much help on their TS but I do have a Ridgid Jointer and Ridgid Planer. I like them both. I did have a problem with the jointer when I forst got it, and their service folks were VERY helpful.

I also seem to remember the Ridgid TS getting pretty good reviews in one of the woodworking mags.

Ray
 

DavidF

New User
David
Re: Can't decide on contractor TS.....

Can't help on the TS, but second the good report on Rigid - I have the jointer.

If you can run to the $800 range I would highly reccommend the Dewalt 746
 

Canuck

Wayne
Corporate Member
Re: Can't decide on contractor TS.....

Hi Tracy,

I know that are several members here with the Rigid TS3650 and seem to like it. Me? I went with the baby brother - Rigid TX2400LS. It has been a great saw for my personal use. I do need to rep lace the blade with something better than the OEM blade. I find the fence pretty good in terms of holding its alignment. I believe that the 3650 uses the same fence.

You may want to check out some of the comments of at the Rigid forum at:
http://www.ridgidforum.com/forum/index.php

A am sure that some Rigid owners will chime in later.

Wayne
 
M

McRabbet

Re: Can't decide on contractor TS.....

Sadly, you missed Insomniac's recent good deal on his Delta. He even tossed in a good quality dado blade and sold it for less than your budget. For the next few days, you can get the Delta at Amazon.com for $429.00 +$99.00 shipping charge (after $150.00 rebate).

I'll be truthful -- I believe comparison reviews and one saw that has gotten very good grades is the Grizzly G0444Z 2HP contractor's saw. It is a 220V saw so the power is real (Delta is 110V 1-1/2hp). I have Grizzly's 10" cabinet saw (G1023SLX) and love it. I can vouch that they make good quality/price-performance products. I believe it is superior to either of your choices.

Rob
 

PeteM

Pete
Corporate Member
Re: Can't decide on contractor TS.....

If you just need the mobility to move it around the garage you can always get a standard base saw and build or buy a mobile base for it. That gives you many more options and I it will also be less expensive. The dedicated mobile saws are designed to be hauled around a job site.

My .02
pete
 

Ray Martin

New User
Ray
Re: Can't decide on contractor TS.....

Dave,

I agree on the DeWalt TS... that's the one I have and I'd give it very high marks. I went a bit overboard when I got it though... I got the slider (very nice) and the long extension. :-DLOVE:-D this saw

Ray
 

DavidF

New User
David
Re: Can't decide on contractor TS.....

Me too - slider+52" rails, and bought a WW II blade - sweet.
 

DaveO

New User
DaveO
Re: Can't decide on contractor TS.....

I have to put my vote in for the Griz 0444Z, it one heck of a saw for little money. I have one and have been very pleased.
Dave:)
 

Steve D

Member
Steve DeWeese
Re: Can't decide on contractor TS.....

I've had the Grizzly "Z" series contractor saw for about 9 years without a single problem. All of the saws mentioned so far are excellent choices and I don't think you can go wrong with any of them.
 

Inflatable Screen Door

New User
David Maida
Re: Can't decide on contractor TS.....

from the first two I'd lean toward the delta because I like the fence design more. Like others have said grizzly saw are a great value and they also have a great bies clone fence design. IMHO the fence is the feature that seperates saws in this price range.

Somthing nobody has yet suggested is the sears hybrid saws. If you plan on using dustcollecton The sears saws are fully enclosed and would collect dust much better than a contractors saw with an open base.

Also don't rule out used. For around 600.00 you could get a used cabinet saw with plenty of horse power and a top notch fence. Even though they are not as shiny, old saws can cut wood just as good as new.
 

Travis Porter

Travis
Corporate Member
Re: Can't decide on contractor TS.....

I don't have either, but you might want to check out the Jet at Lowes if you haven't. No real opinion on it either, but I think they have been on sale for $400 or less.
 

stoneskippers

New User
John Skipper
Re: Can't decide on contractor TS.....

I got the TS3650 after owning a MT3000 and couldn't be happier with it. The mobility of it is great and the fence is excellent. I ripped some full sheets of 3/4" plywood last week and it was very easy except for picking the sheets up by myself. I also have the Ridgid 6" jointer, 14" bandsaw, and 12" miter saw and they all have preformed great and I really like their warranty. My 2c.
 

Grgramps

New User
Roy Hatch
Re: Can't decide on contractor TS.....

Tracy, I can sympathise with your dilemma. (Geez I wish this site offered spell check.) I go through the same agonizing process trying to be sure we get the most for our money and that we don't suffer buyers remorse.

I bought the Delta contractors saw 8 years ago when I started woodworking and have had no regrets. One of the first improvements I made was to add a WWII blade. Later a link belt was added (although that didn't make a great difference.) You will probably be satisfied with whatever you get, so don't lose too much sleep over it.

But keep in mind - you owe us a report on what you decide.

Roy
 

Tracy

New User
Tracy
Re: Can't decide on contractor TS.....

McRabbet said:
Sadly, you missed Insomniac's recent good deal on his Delta. He even tossed in a good quality dado blade and sold it for less than your budget.

Rob

Yes, I saw that in the FS threads. :crybaby2: What a beauty that was. I'm thinking I can maybe hold out for another deal like that, but I don't think those come along too often.

Tracy
 
M

McRabbet

Re: Can't decide on contractor TS.....

Grgramps said:
Tracy, I can sympathize with your dilemma. (Gee I wish this site offered spell check.) Roy
Roy, There is a spell checker available -- when you create a post (even a quick reply), you'll see a check mark and ABC near the upper right corner of the Message gray area. Click on it and you will be advised to download a spell checker. Download it and install it and from then on, clicking on that symbol will spell check your sympathise with sympathize! BTW*, it doesn't work with Firfox, only Internet Explorer. HTH*.

Rob

* BTW - By the way and HTH - Hope this helps.
 

Gofor

Mark
Corporate Member
Re: Can't decide on contractor TS.....

I bought the Ridgid TS3650 on 10 Jan 2006. I have put it thru its paces (dadoes, molding blade, resawing, cutting full sheets of 3/4” cabinet-grade ply, etc), and am very satisfied with its performance. It maximized my budget (I paid about $550) and also was as much as I could get without rewiring for 220v (TS360 draws 13 Amp@120, or 6.5 @ 220v)


Pros:
1.Cast Iron top and wings with 36” right rip capacity
2.Fence is excellent, true, repeatable measurements
3.Automotive-type belt runs quiet and smooth, no vibration, ( the fact that its quiet may be a moot point if you hook a shop-vac up to the dust collection. The shop vac is much noisier than the saw)
4.Roll around capability with the Herc-U-Lift (included) is excellent in a garage or on a cement driveway
  1. Splitter/blade guard is easily removed/installed without having to readjust
  2. more room in front of blade (for dado & crosscut work) than portable saws. Also quieter and more stable.
5. You get a Lifetime Service Agreement if you can decipher the code of getting it registered. This may not be all that great if you have to return the saw for repair (280 lbs) if you aren't near a repair center.


Cons:
  1. Assembly instructions are unclear. Go to www.ridgid.com and their forum and do a search for TS3650 Assembly. There is a wealth of info there from those who have gone before
  2. It comes in two boxes (make sure you get both). Box 1 weighs 280 bls. Thats the saw ) Box 2 weighs 8 lbs (thats the aluminum rails for the fence). Fun getting it out of the pick-up by yourself.

I am very happy with it, having upgraded from a 20 yr old 10” Craftsmen that would not hold the motor/blade true to the table, the fence was a rag, and it kept popping the overload every time I ripped a 2x4 (which meant I had to disassemble the overload to reset wafer).


It is fully capable of doing furniture-grade work, and has exceeded my expectations of what a table saw can do (and as a result, expanded my horizons on what I can do with a good tool like this)


Caveats: I have had this saw 2 months and have not used a Delta, so I cannot compare them.


Just my experience

GO
P.S. to webmaster: It sure is irritating to have to relog in to submit any post that is over 5 lines long. I have to log out, compose my posts on a word processor and copy them back after I log in. Could you extend your time-outs for longer than a minute?
 
M

McRabbet

Re: Can't decide on contractor TS.....

Gofor said:
It sure is irritating to have to relog in to submit any post that is over 5 lines long. I have to log out, compose my posts on a word processor and copy them back after I log in. Could you extend your time-outs for longer than a minute?
I believe that if you Check the "Remember Me" box when you login, then you should be fine. Never actually log out when you finish a session; just close your browser or move on to another site if that's what you're going to do. Next time you come back to the site, you'll already be logged in. You should have 30 minutes to post a message, so you should not encounter timeouts, but, you cannot go somewhere else to get a link or hit the back button or you will loose your "post in progress" (I just open a separate instance of my browser and switch back-and-forth.)

HTH. Rob
 

NCPete

New User
Pete Davio
Re: Can't decide on contractor TS.....

check out your local Lowes. they may still have deals like the one I got. you can check it out here.

persistence in your searching may get you a deal like that, too.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Premier Sponsor

Our Sponsors

LATEST FOR SALE LISTINGS

Top