table saw miter guage slot discrepency
Hi everybody, I have a question about the miter slots on my tablesaw. I have one of the rigid granite top saws, and the miter slots are 3/4″ wide at the back, and 49/64″ at the front, which is 1/64 of an inch wider then the 3/4″ at the back.. this difference has made it impossible to fit my miter guage (both the included one and an aftermarket incra miter guage I just got.)snuggly inside the slot. When its adjusted properly at the front, it is too tight and hangs up at the rear. When adjusted to the back of the slot, it is loose and sloppy at the front of the slot. So the question is: Is the 1/64″ difference from front to rear width of the miter guage slot a reasonable amount? or should I have it replaced? or if this is a common problem, is there anything I can do to deal with this problem? or should I just live with it? Any help at all would be much appreciated. thanks
Replies
Assuming the saw is a recent purchase, I'd call Rigid customer support.
TS miter guage slot not uniform (factory defect)
RalphBarker. Thank you for your suggestion. I called Ridgid technical support and was told that they would mail me a new section of table top (granite) to replace the defective one. Then 5 minutes later they called me back and said that they used to do this, but, theyve changed their policy and now require that I take the entire 500 lb saw to a service center (nearest one to me is an hour away). Removing the section of the top thats defective and replacing it is a big enough pain, but what theyre asking me to do is ridiculous. I offered to take the top section into the Home Depot for verification, and that they could send the replacement there, because they said that if they mailed it to me it could get broken in the mail, but they told me that it wasnt an option. that if I didn't bring the entire saw to the service center, I would just have to live with the defect. I tried to talk to the supervisor, but he wont talk to me. even though the guy was talking to him while i was on the phone, he let it go to his machine and wont return my call. I guess I dont know what I should do?. Anyway, thanks for your time,,,, George (woodshaverman)
I think I'd ask for written confirmation of their (ridiculous) defect policy. (A written request for the confirmation on the letterhead of an attorney to the company president would be effective here.) Then, I'd hire a crew with a fork lift to take the saw to their service center, and sue them in your local small claims court for the costs. That would require a company executive to be in your local court to respond.
Or, you could talk to HD about returning it for a refund and buy from a different vendor.
If you used a credit card for the purchase, additional options might be available.
Ralph,
A few years back I had a problem with an individual on the other side of the state. I brought it to Small Claims Court and was told I would have to sue in the defendants jurisdiction.
The date was set, I drove 120 miles for the 7:00 PM hearing. The defendant didn't show. I was elated that I would win by default - but the Judge set another date. So three weeks later, it was back across the state for the 7:00 PM hearing.
"Mr. Frost, what is your complaint?" I told the judge over a 5 minute period.
"Mr. Jones, what do you have to say?" After 30 seconds of talk, the Judge said, "I find for Mr. Frost." Then came the key element!
"Mr. Jones, I want a check in Mr. Frost's hands by next Tuesday. Mr. Frost, if that check has not cleared your account by the following Monday, call me and I will find Mr. Jones in Contempt of Court."
Moral of the story: You can't spend a judgement. You want the money. That's why the Judge held the 2nd hearing. It was worth the extra drive across the state.
Frosty
Ridgid owes you a new saw.
Not reasonable, Ridgid should replace it.
Thanks John WW for your reply ie ridgid TS miter slot defect
Mr. John WW. Thank You . Please refer to above comment about my dealings with Ridgid Technical Support. Would you please let me know how you would handle this situation? I appreciate your help George (woodshaverman)
Shouldn't you be returning the saw to Home Depot for refund or replacement? The basic common law warranty of merchantibility rests with the retailer not the manufacturer, though I think states vary in whether that warranty can be disclaimed. You have a saw with a manufacturing defect that was present the day you received it. Besides, Ridgid is fundamentally a house brand of HD even though manufactured by a company headquartered in China.
Well, the answer was as plain as the nose on my face! Thanks for all of your help everyone! Ridgid directs customers to deal with them directly, however, Steve at Ridgid Tech Support has still not returned my call. So I took SteveSchoene's advice and went to the Home Depot. When all efforts failed in an attempt to authorize a swap of just the defective part of the table top, they sent a 3 man crew and a truck to my house and lugged the almost 500 Lb saw almost 40 yards from my shop to the driveway with one of those forearm strap carriers, And hauled it away for repair. Home Depot definitley went the extra mile to do me right . Thanks again everyone.
Great News
Great news that Home Depot stepped up and did the right thing. Sorry that you had the run around.
Frank
Great News
Great news that Home Depot stepped up and did the right thing. Sorry that you had the run around.
Frank
Great
I'm glad HD stepped up for you.
Store management
I was going to suggest talking to the local store manager and get him to intercede on your behalf, but I see you beat me to it. Glad to hear they are taking care of this! I want to point out that not only does this defect make using your miter guage very difficult it also makes it impossible to properly align your blade to the table saw slot. It is a big deal.
Second thoughts.
After all this run around I will think twice about buying any Rigid product. Their rep has done more damage to his company's name than he knows. And HD has done more good for their reputation by doing the right thing than any advertising in the local paper.
The fact that you could not align the blade correctly to the slot might have been a big safety issue that could have led to a big lawsuit for Rigid after a bad kickback accident. That could have been used to pressure a response from the Rigid supervisor. Think SawStop. Glad it all worked out.
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