Ridgid's new R4511 Granite Table Saw

It's interesting to me, that as I come in here to post this, Stephan is posting about his new 3HP Steel City Granite Saw - this is it's Little Brother.

There has been a lot of talk going around about this new saw - and I have been lusting after one almost since I heard about them.

With the downturn in the economy, they are not showing up at Home Depot stores as soon as previously thought, H.D. wants to burn through their back stock of R3660 contractor saws, first - which they have clearance priced at $399.

I have been bugging my local H.D. tools & hardware guy for the better part of 2 months, trying to get my hands on one - I have to give him props, he's been busting his butt trying to find somebody that can give him authorization to order one in for me. He let me know this past week that while he was not going to be able to get one for some time yet, the Ridgid booth at this past weekend's woodworking show here in Indy would definitely have some to sell.....

SO I GOT ONE!!!!!

It took 7 big dudes to pick it up & heave it into the van - but after rubbing a couple of brain cells together, I managed to get it OUT of the van all by my little lonesome, with the help of a 2x4 ramp & a cheapo Harbor Freight block & tackle.

Previously, I was stuck with a scrawny little Ryobi benchtop saw - that I had built a good sized cabinet for, seen here:


That little play toy is now "Surplus to Requirements" because the garage/shop is now featuring THIS:




Being at the WW show, I did get a little bit of a discount - not much, but some, but the good folks at the Ridgid booth did throw in this nifty jacket.



That big cabinet the old Ryobi was in? The cut out panel I removed to make room for the saw top is going back in, with a router & lift sunk in it, and that thing becomes my new (HUGE!) router table.

Pardon my long-windedness, but I am in full-on New Toy Mode - and it had better hurry up & get warmer, quick! The old garage just can't deal with serious cold - upper 30's & 40's I can manage, but some of this single digit & sub zero stuff we've been getting lately, it just ain't happening. C'mon, Spring!!!

-Kevin in Indy

He shoots! He scores! Congrats, Kevin. It looks like a sweet saw...a number of upgrades from the 3650.

Congrats Kevin! AFAIK, there are only a handful of these in the hands of consumers, so please post with some impressions of how it performs....pro and con.

The fence in particular has taken some heat because it "looks" a bit cheap without the faces. I'm not sure why they've omitted them, but add faces to it, and you have the functional equivalent of a Delta T2 or Jet Proshop fence. I'd be particularly interested in how the fence works out for you.

Have fun and be safe!

Yay for Kevin. Congrats!

don't you just love new toys!!!

Bravo!! Give us some feedback after you use it some. I'm in the new market for a new saw and am very interested in this saw. Ironically, the main turn-off for me is the granite top,(don't have a humidity problem here ia AZ) but I can live with it if the saw is good as it sounds otherwise. Happy Sawing!

scott spencer said:

Congrats Kevin! AFAIK, there are only a handful of these in the hands of consumers, so please post with some impressions of how it performs....pro and con.

The fence in particular has taken some heat because it "looks" a bit cheap without the faces. I'm not sure why they've omitted them, but add faces to it, and you have the functional equivalent of a Delta T2 or Jet Proshop fence. I'd be particularly interested in how the fence works out for you.

Have fun and be safe!

Click to expand...

Gee Scott it seems I can remember General contractors table saw & then a Sears saw now..... are you looking again?

Nice score Kevin! Haven't had a chance to look at the new granite tops much, but seen two here this week. Will have to get out and take a closer look at them.

Good for you Kevin!

I'm toying with the idea of getting a table saw myself and seeing yours it makes me turn green of envy.

So hurry up! Get this thing cutting and making great pieces! we want to see them all!!

Bart Leetch said:

Gee Scott it seems I can remember General contractors table saw & then a Sears saw now..... are you looking again?

Click to expand...

Not me, not now! ...Just curious...looks like a lot of saw for the money.

I did upgrade my 22124 to a Shop Fox 1677 cabinet saw last summer when the Microsoft Cashback coincided with a 10% Ebay coupon and free shipping from Utterguys. (I should be done now! )

Well done on the new saw, I have not seen one of these in person yet, I will when our woodworking show comes round this year but in the mean time can someone tell me how they deal with the T slots for the mitre gauge. I would have thought that granite being rather brittle would be open to chipping and cracking when a degree of pressure is exerted in these slots on the overhang to create the T.

Can anyone fill me in or post a picture of how they have resolved this aspect or is it not an issue?

ts 3660 HD

Well guys I'm an old fashion cast iron guy , so I purchased the 3660 for the $399.00 so its new to me I've heard pro's and cons on this one so I'm not sure as to keep it or not still in box . I was going to wait since I've been to my local Home depot store several times and talk to the tool guy there about when they might be getting one in clue less , but I figured I check with people on the forum to see there thoughts on the subject once somebody got there hands on one. I like cast iron since it's been around for forever, I would be worried about granite beacuse of cracking if something hit it to hard. Also the fence on the 3660 looked pretty stought and a 36" width cut for 400.00 smackers . the fence on the new model does it have any deflection Kevin????? Can you run yours and let me Know ????? Do a review on performance please asap. I'm trying to get the best one ridgid offers although I think you paid around 600.00 for yours but nice jacket ,, Please let all of us know your though'ts! Also I guess cab. is nice feature dust collection , motor in housed! What is the horse power ,is it the same as 3660?
Just looking for the scoupe ! Thanks DB Lookks great!!!!!!

Doug -

From what I have heard, it IS possible to chip out the T-slots if you TRY....pull the miter gauge almost all the way out & then slam down on it real hard. But then - why would that ever happen, unless you were TRYING to see if you could get it to chip?

Fence deflection? None - not when it's locked down, it's rock-solid.

Power - 1 1/2 HP TEFC motor pre-wired for 120v - re-wireable for 240v.

I do notice that lots of folks have list of things to say about the Granite - worried about it chipping or cracking, that Cast Iron won't do. It's all a trade-off. The granite won't Rust, or warp, as Cast Iron will, plus (BIG Bonus) it's a LOT heavier, for increased vibration resistance.
At 450+ pounds, this thing is ROCK STEADY!!

But, at 14 degrees outside, I ain't doin' much with it, yet.

-Kevin in Indy

Thanks for your thoughts on granite top saw1

Kevin thanks for getting back to me, I probably would have gone with the cabinet saw / granite top but it is new , and change sometimes is hard for me to deal with but I do like the price of mine, although the granite top price is very attractive too , fence sounds great too. The 450 lbs might be hard for me to get down the stairs to my basement shop although the ts3660 I bought is still in my truck I'll have to take it down in pieces though 300lbs. Do you think ridgids customer service will be there if you need them, I've heard good and bad on that, But like everything it's a matter of who you get on the phone! Is it guaranteed for life or lifetime service agreement as there other tools are? I'm still torn between the two though. Also I wish I could get my hands on one locally to compare hands on , you're pictures look great!!!! thxs again! later DB in cincy ,

Doug, I don't know if it'll make your decision any easier, but I really like my TS3650. For the price you paid for the 3660, I would be inclined to keep it. (But don't let me talk you out of upgrading, if that's what you decide to do.)

3660

Hello Vaughn , do you feel that it is an upgrade just because it is a cabinet saw, I feel that they both have there pluses and minuses from what I've read about both it seems like Kevin is very impressed with the new offering , but as I'm thinking the bugs by now have been worked out of 3650/3660's , and for what I paid for mine I am feeling like I got the deal of the century, but growing up in my dad's shop always having the best I got really spoiled and if there's anything I hate worse is to spend 3/4 of cost for a tool and then find out for a little more ,although 200.00 + tax is quite a bit more to me now, then it used to be. but a better saw might save me $ in the long run , but my bigest decision or factor will be how much more can I do with the granite top , also the extra money that I did save could go towards my jointer which I think I have narrowed down to about three choices! Ugh what a decision, I truly think I will lean toward keeping 3660. Also what is the trick to putting dado blade on 3660 , do you leave washer off , I thought I had heard that here on the forum. Well thanks again Vaughn it's great to have a place to go to help with research and to gain knowledge from others with experience. Well 3660 still in box at this point , to cold to go out in garage and open the box and carry it piece by piece to the basement for setup!!!!! Once I decide to keep it..Later!!!

Doug, on the dado blade question, yes, if you're using the full stack (or close to it), you can safely leave the outer washer off the arbor, as long as you get full thread engagement on the nut when you screw it on. If you have enough threads to use the washer, you still should, though.

On the "which saw to get" question, that's really gotta be your choice. The cabinet style design is a lot better for dust control, and it's a more substantial saw, but only you know if it's worth the extra money. I think both are good tools capable of making great stuff.

I bought the steel city granite top saw and I am very pleased with it. I know you will enjoy your saw as well. Granite tops will last a long time to, like you said yes the granite can chip if you are trying to break it, but if someone tries hard enough they can break or chip or fracture cast iron as well.

Stephan

Thanks everyone !

Thanks, Vaughn, Kevin, and everyone else for helping me in my decision , I know it is my decision alone as it is for everyone to which tools they buy, I am leaning toward keeping the 3660. and using additional saved to purchase my jointer at this time , I believe both are good saws, and a cabinet saw would be better for dust collection and probably the 450lbs add's stability to control vibration for the blade better , but overall both are a good purchase and would do what I need at this time! Vaughn 3650 has meet you're needs for sure and I believe Kevin will be very happy with his upgrade as well and I probably will be happy with my upgrade to the 3660, it beats the heck out of my contractor stand saw that I have now which is a Protech with steel stand , it is great for sight work and portabilty and believe it or not it's older and seems to have good power, with a decent blade its always done well for me. Fence is actually pretty good as well. So I will probably keep it as well. I look forward to using my new toy though. Thanks Vaughn for info about dado.
and the clarity is just what I needed, any recomendations for a excellent dado blade with reasonable cost??????? Thxs DB