Table saw

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donnalleyd

Member
Joined
May 2, 2014
Messages
53
Location
Greensboro, NC
Christmas was good to me this year. I got some money to get a table saw. I am looking at a couple models. First, I know used is the way to go but I have been watching CL for a year and never see any saws worth justifying an upgrade.

Ridgid R4512
  • Appealing price
  • No wiring needed in garage (only have 110V and no room to expand in box)
  • Easily mobile

Grizzly G0715P
  • More power
  • Better looking fence
  • Cast Iron wings

What is the opinion on the two machines. I want to stay under $1000 but anywhere I can save allows me to buy more goodies (blades, attachments, other workshop items). Also, any other suggestions on different saws are also welcome.

Thanks,
Ben
 
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Yeh I would say the Grizzly. It's got the Biesmier style fence which IMHO are the best. Plus you can always put wheels under it to make it portable.

Lin
 
Get the grizzly. I have the r4512 and great now that I've swapped out the fence and added two cast iron wings. All said I have much more in it then if I would have bought the grizzly. I would take the power out of the equation though, I've never had a power issue even on 10/4 hard maple with a thin kerf Forrest Woodworker II. I also thought being mobile was important, but haven't moved the TS in 3 years. Just spend due diligence on shop layout to begin with.
 
The biggest issue with the grizzly is it will require me to get some electrical done. I currently only have 110V 15 amp breakers and no room to expand in the current box. My garage (shop) is completely dry walled in and would require fishing through studs and new a new box. That just keeps adding to the cost.
 
donnalleyd said:
Christmas was good to me this year. I got some money to get a table saw. I am looking at a couple models. First, I know used is the way to go but I have been watching CL for a year and never see any saws worth justifying an upgrade.

Ridgid R4512
  • Appealing price
  • No wiring needed in garage (only have 110V and no room to expand in box)
  • Easily mobile

Grizzly G0715P
  • More power
  • Better looking fence
  • Cast Iron wings

What is the opinion on the two machines. I want to stay under $1000 but anywhere I can save allows me to buy more goodies (blades, attachments, other workshop items). Also, any other suggestions on different saws are also welcome.

Thanks,
Ben
Click to expand...

Either saw is 120volt but you need a dedicated circuit for it so what is the problem??? Needs a 20 amp dedicated circuit. So if your wire size is not suitable just changing a breaker will not do it. Did you look at the Jet models?? Are you looking for a Hybrid??? ( Loosly used term because that Grizzly is not a true Hybrid. It does not have cabinet mounted trunions) Are you looking for a contractors saw??? Did you ever do a search of google to get reviews on different saws?? That would be the first place to start. Do not lock yourself into price. You only buy a tablesaw of that size once or at least you hope so. Those are not tabletop saws. Cast iron wings only means it will dampen some of the vibration of the saw and make it heavier to move around. Today people break sheets of plywood down by many other means than a tablesaw. The advantage of cast iron wings was to avoid flex when doing this because of the weight of the sheets. Advantage, yes but not a deal maker. The one thing you never want is a saw that has those open weave or honeycomb wings. They are finger gotchas.
 
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[/QUOTE]Either saw is 120volt but you need a dedicated circuit for it so what is the problem??? Did you look at the Jet models?? Are you looking for a Hybrid??? Are you looking for a contractors saw??? Did you ever do a search of google to get reviews on different saws?? That would be the first place to start. Do not lock yourself into price. You only buy a tablesaw of that size once or at least you hope so. Those are not tabletop saws. Cast iron wings only means it will dampen some of the vibration of the saw and make it heavier to move around. Today people break sheets of plywood down by many other means than a tablesaw. The advantage of cast iron wings was to avoid flex when doing this because of the weight of the sheets. Advantage, yes but not a deal maker. The one thing you never want is a saw that has those open weave or honeycomb wings. They are finger gotchas.[/QUOTE]

Ridgid allows me to keep what I have as a dedicated circuit (120V 15 amp) while grizzly require some electrical to either move it to 120V 20 amp or 220V (? amp). I was looking at hybrid to help with dust collection as I don't want to roll the whole thing outside anytime I want to make some cuts. Yes, I have been researching extensively but wanted to see what the collective wisdom here said. I know which way I am leaning, and which way my wife is leaning :smile:. Unfortunately, I am locked into a price as this is a hobby if I wanted to make a career of it there would be no questions. I am currently using a POS Ryobi contractor that could not cut a straight line without completely gutting it. Thanks for the open weave suggestion had already ruled those out. Whoever thought that was a good idea?
 
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Either saw is 120volt but you need a dedicated circuit for it so what is the problem??? Did you look at the Jet models?? Are you looking for a Hybrid??? Are you looking for a contractors saw??? Did you ever do a search of google to get reviews on different saws?? That would be the first place to start. Do not lock yourself into price. You only buy a tablesaw of that size once or at least you hope so. Those are not tabletop saws. Cast iron wings only means it will dampen some of the vibration of the saw and make it heavier to move around. Today people break sheets of plywood down by many other means than a tablesaw. The advantage of cast iron wings was to avoid flex when doing this because of the weight of the sheets. Advantage, yes but not a deal maker. The one thing you never want is a saw that has those open weave or honeycomb wings. They are finger gotchas.[/quote]

Ridgid allows me to keep what I have as a dedicated circuit (120V 15 amp) while grizzly require some electrical to either move it to 120V 20 amp or 220V (? amp). I was looking at hybrid to help with dust collection as I don't want to roll the whole thing outside anytime I want to make some cuts. Yes, I have been researching extensively but wanted to see what the collective wisdom here said. I know which way I am leaning, and which way my wife is leaning :smile:. Unfortunately, I am locked into a price as this is a hobby if I wanted to make a career of it there would be no questions. I am currently using a POS Ryobi contractor that could not cut a straight line without completely gutting it. Thanks for the open weave suggestion had already ruled those out. Whoever thought that was a good idea?[/quote]


Rigid is a 13 amp saw as Grizzly is a 16 amp saw. Both saws a 15amp circuit is not large enough in my opinion. I am guessing you are locking yourself to the Rigid. If so and you do buy it make sure those table tops are flat and true. A tablesaw is a tough tool to collect dust at. Even though it is a closed cabinet as you are looking at, unless you collect dust at the blade on top then you will not stop dust. What the cabinet will do is help in collecting the larger dust. Heck I did that on my contractors saw. Anyway good luck and hopefully others will chime in.

If you are going to buy the Rigid here is an excellent link that helps with review and also assembly and how to tune it. Job well done on this review. http://lumberjocks.com/reviews/2020
 
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donnalleyd said:
Christmas was good to me this year. I got some money to get a table saw. I am looking at a couple models. First, I know used is the way to go but I have been watching CL for a year and never see any saws worth justifying an upgrade....
Click to expand...

I never looked at the Greensboro CL until today and there are a few saws on there which meet your criteria based on what you wrote.
I'll add that compared to a Ryobi contractor saw, an older Craftsman contractor saw with a decent motor and upgraded fence would be a sweet upgrade.
This is the best I've seen in your area today:

Jet Contractor Saw

IF it were me, I'd use one the of CL search engines and look for a good deal on a Unisaw or similar cabinet saw within driving distance of you. They're out there.
 
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I have the older craftsman contractor with the open weave cast wings and they work just fine never caught fingers in em yet. The down side is you cant lay tools on top as they fall through...LOL
 
GaryMGg said:
donnalleyd said:
Christmas was good to me this year. I got some money to get a table saw. I am looking at a couple models. First, I know used is the way to go but I have been watching CL for a year and never see any saws worth justifying an upgrade....
Click to expand...

I never looked at the Greensboro CL until today and there are a few saws on there which meet your criteria based on what you wrote.
I'll add that compared to a Ryobi contractor saw, an older Craftsman contractor saw with a decent motor and upgraded fence would be a sweet upgrade.
This is the best I've seen in your area today:

Jet Contractor Saw

IF it were me, I'd use one the of CL search engines and look for a good deal on a Unisaw or similar cabinet saw within driving distance of you. They're out there.
Click to expand...

Wow good catch I went right on by all I saw was contractor saw. Didn't even look at the picture. Maybe I can slip this one by my wife?
 
What are you ultimate long term plans for the saw's use? I used to build cabinets etc., I needed a good table saw. Now that I am retired and this is all a hobby my saw was way overkill, a small table top is more than sufficient for all of my needs. The big saw was taking up valuable space, finally it was donated to our son and I picked up a small table top off of Craigslist for $75.
 
wwneko said:
Get the grizzly....snip... I also thought being mobile was important, but haven't moved the TS in 3 years. Just spend due diligence on shop layout to begin with.
Click to expand...

Same here. I have a 10" Jet, left tilt, with a 52" wing on a mobile base. I only used it when we moved houses. All my stuff was on wheels. Being in a garage now (rather than a separate shop), I have no options to move stuff even though I can. However if you are cutting long stock (over 8-10 ft) and/or 4x8+ plywood, then being able to move your TS to cut bigger/longer stock might be necessary. I see setups (Not panel cutters) with angle pieces to mount a circular saw to to cut plywood. For me using the circular saw was easier than wrestling with sheets of plywood. YMMV. I have always been envious of guys who have large shops with tables around their table saws to handle large sheets (3/4" 5x10 mdf) though.

stan
 
dogcatcher said:
What are you ultimate long term plans for the saw's use? I used to build cabinets etc., I needed a good table saw. Now that I am retired and this is all a hobby my saw was way overkill, a small table top is more than sufficient for all of my needs. The big saw was taking up valuable space, finally it was donated to our son and I picked up a small table top off of Craigslist for $75.
Click to expand...

Goals are to continue to get better obviously but I wold like to venture in to making furniture for our house (maybe someone elses someday). First project it a kitchen table (farmhouse style). This style is a little more forgiving but someday would like to make higher quality furniture.
 
You speak of having a dedicated 15 amp 120 volt outlet now for the table saw. If this is correct, all you need to do is have an electrician change the receptacle and change the breaker to a double pole breaker instead of a single pole. That would give you a 15 amp 240 volt receptacle which would pretty much give you anything you need

If your panel is full and one of the more common brands, you could possible use a thin series of breakers to get the added space for this load. You are not really adding any significant load, just rearranging it basically.

Feel free to ask any electrical questions. I carry a Master Electrician's license and have been doing electrical work for 40+ years
 
wyone said:
If your panel is full and one of the more common brands, you could possible use a thin series of breakers to get the added space for this load. You are not really adding any significant load, just rearranging it basically.
Click to expand...

This is what I did at my old place to free up space for a dedicated 20 AMP breaker. Those slim line breakers are great and it's super easy to install them.
I'm no electrician, but running the new wire and installing the breakers and receptacles was a piece of cake.

I went from a crappy table top saw to an old Rockwell contractor's saw and it made a huge difference for me. I got really lucky as it has a 52" uni-saw fence. I think my initial output on CL was $400. Left me enough to add a mobile base, which I use a lot, an Incra miter fence and upgraded the actual fence part of the uni-saw fence with an extruded aluminum piece from Peachtree Woodworking.
 
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