I would like to replace my 40-yr-old 8″ Craftsman table saw with a 10″ inch contractor table saw. I’ve been very pleased with my Delta tools and I was naturally thinking of that brand for my purchase. However, I recently saw a Rigid saw at a home center. I don’t know anything about this brand, however was impressed by what I saw. The workmanship looks good. The movement of hand wheels seems precise with appropriate lash. However, the devil is in the details. I would like to know more about runout, vibration, noise, etc. The things that you can’t view in the store. If there are some Rigid owners out there let me know what you think.
Thanks,
Ken
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Replies
Hi,
I just went through the same thing and ended up with a Delta. I got one of the "special editions" which I thought were no longer offered but another one showed up where I bought it so there may still be some left.It came with the Biesmeyer 30" fence , cast iron extention table and a composite table for the right extention as well as an ok carbide sa blade. All for $849, basicaly the price of a used one plus the Bies. I looked at just about all of them and actually had to extend myself a bit to get to the $849 so the Dewalt was out of the question, The comparable Jet was just abit more and frankly the finish was a bit better, but the Bies won me over. That and the fact that I've previously owned 2 Delta CS's and was familiar with them as well as having been treated quite well by their customer service tipped the scales. Between the Jet and the Delta ( the only 2 I seriously considered) it's a crap shoot to see how flat any particular table will be or how well the rest is dialed in.
I looked quite closely at the Rigid and almost went for it. At the $500 price it may be the best. But 2 points kept me away. Aluminum trunion tracks and no height adjustment lock. The fence seemed ok ( Jet and Delta at this price are pretty bad) and you get casters included, Plus at the local HD it comes assembled. But doen't look cut out for heavy use.
I've heard good things about the Jet but experience with and having a friend who has "hot rodded" his with a beefier motor, turned instead of cast sheaves, link belt, Incra fence, metal routertable top in extension etc... set up with ial indicator..proved to me the Delta saws can handle very exacting work. I've been ripping 8/4 white oak with no problem as of late, and if you haven't been around a "real" TS, like a Unisaw, in while you can be quite happy with these saws.
Merry Christmas!
N
If you're considering all brands, I LOVE my Jet table saw...3 years old..and still stable and strong. When run on 220 I've NEVER bogged it down!
lp
Seems to me that there have been consistent complaints over the past 2 years or so of the Rigid lacking power. Personally, I'd go for the Jet or Delta in the contractor's saw area. Jet's customer service is second to none from my experience. Don't know personally about Delta.
forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
I've had the Ridgid 3612 for approximately two months now and am very pleased. Everything assembled out of the box easily. I didn't have to make any major adjustments to anything. In fact the blade and fence were dead on without any adjustments. The extensions were flat and lined up easy without any use of shims. I have not noticed any lack of power but then I don't cut anything thicker than 2". The Herculift system works great in my small shop. I did rewire the motor for 220 before I set it up so I don't know how it would run on 110. Just count me as a very happy owner of the 3612. If you get the 3612 make sure you get both boxes the saw comes in. The rails are in a long slender box.
Rigid lacking power..
Geeeee. Pickin' on me again ... LOL
All I can say is it cuts well.. Seems the same as any other saw I have used.
I have ripped 4X4 red oak (two passes cus of blade depth) and cut OK..
However I can't compare it to a 3 HP Cabinet saw cus I don't have one...
Jeez, this thread is old :-) I wrote that post in December of 2002!forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
I dont know your budget, but many here praise the Grizzly cabinet saw i think its the 1023 series. About the same price youd pay for a Jet or delta contractor saw, and its heavier, bigger motor, enclosed base. etc. Left or right tilt available.
But i doubt you could go wrong with either a Jet or Delta CTS. Jet is left tilt and i believe the Delta is right tilt.
Hi Bill,
The Jet Contractor saw is right tilt.
lp
Ken,
How can I say this politely?
Don't for one second buy that piece of craq Delta, if you want one check the second hand stores.. there are a lot of them there.
I bought a special edition about three years ago. The first month it was OK, if... I was patient. No real power! sharpened/replaced the blade several times looking for a magic one. Tried my hand at aligning the dang thing without success, had several "experts" attempt to make it work. Again no luck!
On long hardwood boards it wouldn't rip a 2 by eventually the thing tripped the breaker enough so that it wouldn't evan cut a 1 by.
now maybe if you use yours to make little stuff and never plan on ripping any hardwood, it might be OK.
I went without for the last 6 months (I gave it away since evan the second hand stores were getting snippy about giving me $300 bucks for mine). I can rip things very well using a skill saw and a straight edge. I have a compound miter saw for cross cuts and a jointer to straighten the edge of any thing I want.
I did buy a Grizzley 12 inch recently but I haven't had the time (or the need) to set it up and so I can't tell you anything except the other Grizzley stuff has made me happy....
Well...
Make sure you know what your getting. Delta sells several "consumer grade" CS's that look like the real deal but they are absolutly underpowered and a cheap vertion. If your not able to get $300 for a brand new one and had to give it away I'm wondering what model you actually got. Heck my "special model came with a Biesmeyer I could get $300 for! I've been ripping 8/4 white oak without effort since I got it. A Forrest WW2 gives a planed edge on this saw.
I'm pretty well convinced it's a coin toss between Jet and Delta. Both seem to run different specials so play one against the other.
I'll also reinterate that Delta has been more than great with me. 2nd day mailing manuals for equipment I bought used and the techs helped me with an adjustment I didn't understand, 15 minutes on the phone answering all my questions.
N
That post regarding the bad Delta is quite suspect....Id have to think there is more to it than that. Operator error is never discussed...and maintainence is avoided...Delta has set the standard for years and Jet is a close second. Grizzly is cheap, made cheap, and wont have the precision of a Delta.
Watch for a used Contractors Saw-Delta from a woodworker who is upgrading to a UniSaw. You will get a great saw from someone who does know something, and it will work great.Wine is God's way of capturing the sun.
I simply am not a fan of Delta.
OK maybe I'm not a world class expert but there have been enough people working on this saw that someone should have known what they are doing, for example my brother-in-law has made his living as a cabinet maker for the past thirty two years... He spent an afternoon aligning it and adjusting everything he could think of.. He evan brought his favorite blade with him.
About 11 at night he came up from the basement and suggested I sell it.
I bought a 12 1/2 inch delta portable planer. It came without handles in the box and it took over three weeks to get a set of handles for it. The only reason I got them, is I treatened to call Home Depot home office...
Aside from that, I am not a firm believer in the absolute need for a table saw. I think that many other tools have a priority over a worthless table saw. The only thing a table saw will do well is rip. Everything else can be done if you have the right jig, etc. A skil saw and a straight edge will do the same thing. I would think that a a jointer, maybe a band saw would be much more useful.
Frenchy it sounds to me like you got the proverbial lemon. It does happen. I had the same sort of prob with a bt3K
At Darkworks Customer satisfaction Job One..Yea yea were all over it , I got my best guys on it.........
Edited 12/29/2002 10:40:44 PM ET by RonT
Yeh, you are probably right. I'm certain that not everyone had my troubles....
Couple things I pick up, let me first start out with the customary "No Offense intended!!"
1) you dont like tablesaws anyways, so its gonna be hard to please you no matter what....
2) At my previous home(with copper wiring) I blew circuit breakers left and right, moved to my recent home(with aluminum wiring) and I have to work hard to blow a circuit breaker...
I will also say that I had some minor problems with my delta saw bogging down on ripping green 4/4 white oak.. but I took the oak over to my fathers place(who is wired for 220 and has better blades) and he had no problems with it....
Anyways, I work on computers for a living, there is a ton of times I just cant make people happy with the computer/machine they have.. THey have convinced themselves that a machine is junk, and any small thing that happens just gets blown all out of proportion... So maybe a tablesaw isnt for you..... and maybe the person you "gave" your troubled delta to is laughin all the way to the bank.... Personally, I love it when people have "junk" machines and just want to give them away....
PS - back to the point of this message, I own a delta tablesaw with the biesemeier(sp?) fence, and love it.... I paid about $800.00 for it brand new, I have been nothing but happy with the cut, fit, and finish... Now I just need to break down and buy myself a good set of blades and make a rolling base for it.....
I'm a flag waving American, and would really like to buy an American product over Imports. Just before my purchase I found out the Delta was made in Tiawan and while that slowed me down, I felt I had a real need for a table saw.
After-all isn't it the first real piece equipment most buy? Actually I had a ultra cheap off brand table saw that I think cost me $79 bucks new! It was marvilous. I trimmed out most of my house with it. Once that task was done I used to slide slab wood across it to cut it to length. I'd cut dozens of cords of firewood with it. Oak, cherry, black walnut, hickory, ash, etc.
Finally the cheap way the motor was attached, finally gave way. I used a big hose clamp and reattached it and used it for another 3 or 4 years... finally when there was no salvage I bought the Delta....
heck! my cheap asp off brand table saw worked better..
So far I haven't really needed the table saw as much as I thought! everything I would have used the table saw for, I've been able to use a skil saw and straight edge. I then run it over the jointer for a perfect edge! Much faster and far less struggle!
I do own a new 12 inch cabinet saw from Grizzley, but I'm too busy building my timber frame house to stop to set it up..
As for using aluminum wire VS copper wire, please talk to an electrician....
I've got a complete stack of blades and yes mine had a biesmeyer fence with it but it does no good if the blade assembly keeps twisting relative to the fence..
I understand your comment about unhappy customers.. Maybe I am.. maybe after I spent twenty hours trying to get the blade to stay at the same distance from the fence for one whole board, without success. I soured..
OK I'm a fool and an idiot! but too many experianced wood workers failed also for me to believe that it's just me....
I don't mean to wizz on a tool you are obviously happy with. Not everybody has my problems.... I just don't think a table saw is the greatest power tool everybody can buy!
and maybe you got a saw started late on a friday afternoon, finished early on a monday morning.. hehe
wasnt trying to be offensive, and I am definitely not a know it all.. hehe I am positive I dont know nothin... but as you state throughout even in this new message, you dont seem to have a need for a table saw... you havent even used your new grizzley..... welp, happy you are happy with your skil saw and straight edge... thats what I use in most cases to cut my 4x8 sheets...
Use the tool that makes you happy.....
PS - is there really such a thing as an american made tool anymore? just like american made cars they are getting fewer and far between..... seems like there is tons of stuff inside my "supposed" american made tools, that isnt american.... I have almost given up hope of buying american... now I just buy what I feel is the best product...
PPS - someone once told me there is a town in China or Japan that changed its name to USA(sounds like:oosa)... that way they could use the phrase "Made in USA"...
It's a little late in the conversation, and not especially relevant since you gave away the saw, but I had a similar problem with a Grizzly G1022ZF. It was impossible to align. I took it to a Jet repair facility and had the problem corrected for $60.00. It turned out the front trunnion was mis-cast. There was no way anyone other than a machinist could repair it.
It could have been a problem like that, I gave up.....
Found out how little I really needed a table saw...Like I said I bought a 12 inch cabinet saw from Grizzley and have yet to set it up.
Maybe it's me, but are table saws used that much by pro's? I had to wait today for some cabinets that were promised to my sister. In a shop filled with equipment, there were lots of duplicates. Shapers, bandsaws, compound miter saws etc. The guys used darn near every tool except the table saw. (there was only one) they cut the plywood with panels saws and feed it thru jointers etc. never did see 'em use the table saw. I've got a few books on tablesaws and laugh at all the jigs etc. that they have to make a table saw do something other than rip..
Frenchy,
Before I got my Grizzly I used to read the comment ' the table Saw is the heart of my shop' and think to myself what the hell is that all about...a router and a CMS can certainly do a lot of things and a TS plays a significant role...but the 'heart'...a little too dramatic ..
After two months it is certainly changing the way I do things and significantly impacting those other tools. The darn thing is so accurate and smooth it just makes want to think of it first. Maybe in another month I'll feel differently, but right now its impressing me.
right now my favorite tool is a groove cutter.. Kinda a skil saw with a dado head on steriods. followed closely by my chain morticer.. but then timber framing does kinda make you a wacko...
I wonder which model you have. I believe most if not all of the contractor saws with the Biessemeyer or the Unifence are still made in Tupelo, Mississippi. I had an older version and was well pleased with it.
Luckily I no longer own it, although I can call the guy I gave it to and see if he can look up the model number, not that I give a cra*!
(still P.O.'d about the operator who gave me such a hard time rather than help me out)
The fact that your unit was from Taiwan means it was one of the lower line models Delta sells under the "contractor's Saw" product name as their top models, which are still made in the US. This is not the same as the new "shopmate" and "industrial" breakdown. Even within the industrial category, there are mutliple levels of quality, so the exact model number is needed to identify the place of origin. The Delta website does not give this information, but their printed catalog does. Not all the saws use the same motors either, and the only way to check this with complete certainty is to read the nameplate on the motor of the specific saw you are considering. I think Delta is making a mistake - tarnishing the image of their much better American-made saws by lumping them together with the imported models.
I got a Delta 36-650 at Lowes about 3 months ago for $498 (plus tax). Amazon/Tool crib sells it for $600. The saw has been terrific so far. The guard and blade went into the trash before I even tried to use them since they were such junk. I have a dedicated Freud rip blade and another cross cut blade so ripping 8/4 hard maple was no problem. Everything is flat, true, square and heavy. Well woth the $498!!
I got the delta pltinum contractors saw, never had a prob with it. Just got done building a hickory kitchen,, Ive cut 8/4 oak with it I just built a alder vanity and I just got a job to build some cabs for a camper. Its a great saw does everything I want it to do, and then some.
At Darkworks Customer satisfaction Job One..Yea yea were all over it , I got my best guys on it.........
I have the Delta Limited Edition Contractor's Saw with the 30" Bies; I like it very much. It was easy to set up and tune and has maintained those settings well. Since i bought it, I've added a second cast iron extension wing, link belt, zero clearance insert, Forrest WWII, and an upgraded splitter and guard. I know it's not a Unisaw, but i'm really pleased with it.
One of the feet for the Bies table was missing, and Delta got it to me second day air. I believe the Jet version already comes with two extension wings. I chose the Delta because Highland Hardware had it in stock at the time and they would unload it for me.
Hope this helps.
kevin
My 2 cents...
I have a 1983 DELTA contractor saw (i bought new), STILL works great
FIRST...wired it for 220 after blowing fuse, 95% of my work is cutting hardwoods
Next...replace fence with Vega fence (much better than Old original, but i think the newer saws have a better fence.
Thirdly...GET A LINK BELT!!! what a differance in vibration loss!
one other consideration , aftermarket miter guage ( i got an INCRA 1000) MUCH better
only other upgrade for me is Cabinet saw (someday)
Hi, Ken. I noticed one reply to your query about the Delta 36-650. Let me add my praise for this saw. Here in Canada, it's called the Delta Professional Tablesaw, model 36-650c. The "c" means it has cast iron wings instead of the stamped steel that seems to be on the American versions. I paid $670 cdn. (about $450 usd) for mine, plus another $100 for a good blade and a link belt, and it works like a hot damn. Plenty of power, I've been cutting 8/4 maple, and it's very quiet and smooth. If you can afford more, the Grizzly 1023 sounds like a winner, but for the money, you won't beat the 36-650c. You didn't say what your budget is, but if it's tight, and if you're near the border, you should check this one out.
Actually, when I think about it, all you guys should check out Canadian tool sellers. I quite often see them selling tools for the same amount in Canadian dollars as you pay in American dollars. There are a number of good online sellers. Check 'em out.
Hi Jim,
Have you or any other Delta 36-650C users out there had any problems with the fence? The fence on the HD floor model was broken. Apparently it was yarded on too hard to get it to hold and it broke for that reaswn.
I've had my saw for 2? years now and the fence is fine. But then I don't cut a lot of big stuff like plywood, mdf, that would bang the fence around. Overall, I'm still very happy with the saw.
I used the Ridgid tablesaw to build about 25 cafe tables for the Tallahassee Little theater. It was solid and had plenty of power. The built-in lift makes it perfect for the garage woodworker.
I have had a Jet contractor's saw for the last few years and, while I think it is well worth the $549 I paid for it, to get it to the same level of performance found in the Ridgid saw you would have to spend a lot of money on upgrades. First among the upgrades is a link belt. That really smoothed things out. Next is a better fence. The one that comes with the saw is OK but....
Dick Durbin
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