Replies

1. 
   JohnWW | Jul 06, 2006 01:29am | #1

   For furniture making I would choose one of the better portable saws over almost any of the contractor's saws, with one exception. 

   Contractor's saws, because of the way the motor is mounted, tend to have a lot of trouble with blade alignment, especially if the blade is tilted.  In addition, on contractor's saws the long "V" belt drives vibrate a lot, they are near impossible to tune up properly, and their dust collection is abysmal. 

   Having said all this ,there is one contractor's style saw, the Ridgid TS3650, which you are considering, that I would rate as equal to, or better than, the top of the line portable saws.  The Ridgid saw is engineered from the ground up to avoid the problems that plague the typical contractor's saw and the 3650 can do very nice, furniture grade work, at a good price.  In addition, the saw comes with a built in mobile base that works well.  I reviewed the Ridgid saw in issue #173 of Fine Woodworking.

   John White

1. 
   Buyer | Jul 06, 2006 07:48am | #2

   Thanks for the heads up!  I'm on the same page in regards to the Ridgid's quality!  Also, There do seem to be some top grade portable saws out there!  Since my earlier email, I have jumped into the hybrid vs. contractor chat.  It looks like there are some strong hybrid saws in the similar price range to the ridgid and top level portable saws.  I did not realize this at the time.  Specifically, Craftsman has just come out with three top grade saws - a couple of which are in the $450-$650 range.  The Taunton 2006 tool guide ranks the top version of these saws as the #1 midsize saw out there.  Its made me throw the hybrid into my equation...

    

   R

1. 
   JohnWW | Jul 06, 2006 04:06pm | #3

   The hybrid saws appear to be very similar in overall size and design to the Ridgid 3640, the main difference being the mounting of the motor below the arbor instead of off the back. 

   We haven't done a full scale review of the hybrid saws, and they seem to come out with a new one every few weeks.  A hybrid, if well made and properly designed, should be in the same class as the Ridgid 3640 or one of the portables but I don't have enough experience to say how good they really are.  The Ridgid saw and the Bosch saw have established reputations and would probably be a safer choice.

   John

1. 
   Buyer | Jul 07, 2006 07:46am | #4

   Thanks again!

   Defintely steered me away from contractor saws in general...... now I know I'm looking at either the ridgid, a good hybrid or where I originally starter - the Bosch portable saw.  Looks like you think the ridgid and the top grade protables are the same - meaning I would steer toward the portable because - all else being equal - the size considerations are a big advantage. 

   Not to beat a dead horse or bother you too much because you've been very helpful - but I have two final questions... the first is the power factor.  Am I going to miss the power a saw like the Ridgid can give with hardwoods vs. the Bosch or is this really a non factor..

   the second is humidity/weather.  I live in the north and there are definitely sub zero days in the dead of winter.  If I get a bigger saw (Ridgid), its staying in the garage... needless to say I would suspend woodworking activities for a couple of months.  I can live with that as a full blown basements shop is not an option right now.  However, do cold temperatures have a negative affect on power tools like tables saws, planers, etc.... or am I ok.  This too will help me decide as if its a factor, I will definitely select the portable shop that I can move inside and store for a couple of months.

    

   Thats it... thanks for your help.  Very excited about growing my woodworking skills - and doing more projects.  Definitely have the bug!

1. 
   JohnWW | Jul 09, 2006 05:49am | #5

   There isn't a lot of difference between the size of a set up portable machine and the Ridgid contractor's style saw, and any saw needs the same amount of space around it when it is in use, which is dictated by the length of the boards you are cutting. So, unless size is critically important, to leave room to park a car in a small garage for instance, I wouldn't get too hung up about the saw's dimensions. Also, a small table on a saw makes handling even moderate sized boards awkward and possibly dangerous.With a good sharp blade, and properly aligned fences, either type of saw should have adequate power for working with hardwoods. If you will be doing a lot of ripping, switching to a true rip blade is always a good idea and will require less power for the rip cuts compared to a combination blade, but for most operations a combination blade will work just fine.I have found, at least in New England, that cast iron tools stored in unheated buildings will usually develop a light coat of rust on table surfaces, unless you keep them waxed, and renew the wax fairly often, especially in the damper times of the year. Other than this I don't think that there is much difference in the way that portable saws and a heavier cast iron saw will be affected by being stored in an unheated area. By the way, the Bosch saw is an excellent tool, but I would rate the Ridgid portable saw as being about its equal, you should at least give it a look if you haven't considered it.John