Rigid table saw

David Johnson

Member
Messages
3,251
Location
Carthage,Mo
My Delta saw is going down on it's last kerf. Made a cutting board few weeks ago and had terrible time ripping the pieces. Hard maple and black walnut. Motor kept tripping out. Fairly new blade 40 tooth. Cleaned it throughly. To make sure it was ok.
Been thinking on the 10" Rigid hybrid at the orange Borg. Have a friend has one who likes it very well but doesn't use it that much so wondering what opinions are around here. The price is good also. Hate to spend big bucks and buy a sliding table saw at my age. As hot as it's been no big rush, can't work in shop nowadays anyway.
After seeing Vaughns lathe video don't figure for a lathe.

David
 
I sold my Ridgid 10" contractor saw 12 years ago to make room for a slider (MiniMax combo). It was a great saw, but quality could have changed in the Ridgid product line over the last 12 years.

I am only 74 so have had to cut Murphy Beds out of my menu of offerings - too heavy to work with, but I still do most other things. I am still a long way from giving up my slider, but when I do, I probably will buy a Saw Stop. I don't feel I need it now, but maybe when I get old, I will need the extra safety protection.
 
...ripping the pieces. Hard maple and black walnut. Motor kept tripping out. Fairly new blade 40 tooth. Cleaned it throughly. To make sure it was ok. ...
David

40 tooth blade sounds like a combo blade, which may struggle ripping hard maple. Try a new rip blade - cheaper than buying a new saw. Also be sure the blade is aligned with the rip fence... a slight misalignment could lead to binding the blade. Was your kerf burned at all where it bogged down? If so it is probably the blade or alignment. Or if the kerf squeezed closed, you have a bad piece of wood (use a wood wedge to keep the kerf open, then take a tiny amount off in a separate clean-up pass.
 
I have the Ridgid 3650 table saw, and I've been very happy with it. I've had it for about 12 years, and it's not had any problems that were not operator error. The factory fence system is good, although I replaced it with an Incra fence that I won in a drawing. But even before I replaced the fence, I was able to do rip cuts that could go straight from the saw to the glue-up bench. I don't know how much (if anything) has changed between m model and the current ones, but my experience has been positive with my saw.

I'll second Charlie's recommendation for a dedicated ripping blade. That can make a huge difference in the ease and quality of your rip cuts.
 
Also be sure the blade is aligned with the rip fence... a slight misalignment could lead to binding the blade.
Beat me to it, Charlie. The fence or, in my case, the splitter jammed the wood. Doesn't take much misalignment to cause problems. That side pressure stopped my 3 hp/220v motor dead. I hate running blades nekkid but have to on both my ts and cms. Finger eaters.:eek: Ask my ER doctor son, he sees several a month. Extra care called for fer certain, fer sure.
 
David,

Is your saw a Delta Contractors Saw? Are you running it on 240 volts or 120 volts?

The special motor in a Delta Contractor Saw will produce an extra 1/2 horsepower when it's hooked to 240 volts. They designed the motor to produce 1 1/2 hp on 120 volts so it could be used "on the job" where 240 volts isn't available and so it doesn't overload a 120 volt convenience outlet on the job site, but it will produce a full 2 hp if you change it over to 240 volts. Thist can bring new life to your saw if you are still running it on 120 volt power. Don't give up on it yet. Change it to 240 volts and install a 240 volt outlet and a new 240 volt plug for it. You will be amazed how much better it will run. I would not replace the Delta with any saw that uses a universal AC/DC motor. Stick to the Delta and it's brush less induction motor, or upgrade to a used Unisaw with a 3 or 5 hp motor. Don't down grade to a screaming universal motor.

Charley
 
I have the 10" Delta Contractors saw running on 240 volts. I bought the saw in the 90's. I have a 10" Forrest blade.

The saw has given me no problems. I would consider a new motor. I put one on a shaper one time with no problems.
 
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I bought one of those Hitachi 3 hp table saws from Lowe's more than 10 years ago. It runs either 110 or 220. I am running it on 220. The fence that came on it wasn't great but adequate. Constantly having to clean the lock down mechanisms. The saw, for my purposes has been absolutely great. But, I don't use one that much. Can't tell you about the Rigid as I don't go to that store no more as they really, really made me mad. Not quite to the point of blowing them up but danged close. Nothing against their tools; just them as a company. I have two old Rigid shop vacs that are still going strong. The newest one is 15 years at least. If it looks like it would suit your purposes, then give it a go.
 
Thanks for all the clues. My saw is running on 110 volt which is what I have available. The fence blade alignment was fine when checked earlier but will revisit the set up. It is an elderly saw such as it's operator but it could try harder. Will try a new rip blade and see what happens.
Still want a new saw but should try to justify the purchase. ( He who dies with the most tools wins). Or as my quilter wife says fabric.
Stay cool folks. Looks like it may rain here today. Whoopie that means more mowing.
David
 
David, I have heard good and bad on the Rigid saws, the older ones good, the newer ones not so much. The quality control is not good on them anymore and the last ones I read about guys getting, the table tops were warped. I have read good things about this Grizzly saw http://www.grizzly.com/products/10-Hybrid-Table-Saw-with-T-Shaped-Fence/G0771Z It's more that the Rigid but I think it's a better bang for your buck.
 
I sold my Ridgid 10" contractor saw 12 years ago to make room for a slider (MiniMax combo). It was a great saw, but quality could have changed in the Ridgid product line over the last 12 years.

I am only 74 so have had to cut Murphy Beds out of my menu of offerings - too heavy to work with, but I still do most other things. I am still a long way from giving up my slider, but when I do, I probably will buy a Saw Stop. I don't feel I need it now, but maybe when I get old, I will need the extra safety protection.


you are in an elite group.
there aren't that many woodworkers into their 70s that still tackle large projects.
your knowledge and expertise of woodworking are very appreciated by many of us here.
 
In 2011 my sister received a call from our Dad a retired builder saying guess what I've been doing the last few days, then age 89 living in a manufactured home with a gambrel roofed shed 6' from the house. Dad hated having to set up ramps to drive his lawn tractor in or out of the shed & when it was in the shed he couldn't get to anything else. He had built a 6'x12' roof between the house & shed enclosed the back & built cross-buck doors to match the shed with doubled treated 2x4 in the ground as a threshold that he could drive over with his lawn tractor.
 
Another thing to check on your saw before giving up on it is the bearings, both the motor bearings and the arbor bearings. It's easy to do on the Contractors saw. Unplug it from power, then remove the belt from the motor pulley. Try spinning the motor by hand. It should coast easily. If you spin it fast you will hear a click, and a second click as the motor slows back down. This is the centrifugal starting switch inside the motor and nothing to worry about. Now try the same thing with your blade, of course, being careful not to cut yourself on the blade teeth. Does it spin easily? If either the motor or the blade offer any significant resistance and don't coast when given a good spin you have bad bearings. The blade arbor bearings require quite a bit of dis-assembly to get to them. The motor is easier. Both are very easy to find replacements for. The cheapest source will be a bearing store in a city near you. The internet is another source. The tool manufacturer will be the highest price. Just buy the same bearings by using the complete bearing numbers etched or stamped on the bearings to get the exact replacement.

Removing the bearings from the arbor or motor shaft may require a bearing press. If they won;t come off easily most auto parts stores or an electric motor shop can do this for you at a very reasonable price. If they have to press off the old bearings, have them press on the new ones too, because they will be just as difficult to put on as the old ones were to get off. While you have the motor and/or arbor apart, take the time to clean things up.

Saw alignment and belt alignment is important too. Make sure the the motor pulley is in line with the pulley on the arbor. Move the motormounts or motor pulley to align them. Set the blade parallel with the miter slots and then set the fence parallel with the blade and the miter slots. A new blade might be a solution too, if the one that you have been using has been used a lot and needs sharpening or replacement. Just cleaning the blade with a pitch remover can make a difference in it's cutting, if it shows any pitch buildup

If you found anything wrong while doing the above, your saw should run much better now than it has. Adding a 240 volt receptacle and converting your saw to 340 volts is usually not that hard to do if your electric panel has 240 volt power and is relatively close to where your saw is located. I will be happy to help you with this, if you want to do it. I have a NY State Electrical Contractors License and I'm a retired EE.

Charley
 
The older Ridgid contractor saws has a better track record than the new R4512 from what I've witnessed. Many of the R4512s experienced an alignment problem for the first 2 or 3 years of it's introdcution...not all, but enough that it was well documented. Others have some issue with the fence not holding true. Others love the saw, so it's kind of hard to tell. Either way, I'd look real closely at that Delta before giving up on it!
 
After researching the hybrid saws, I am also looking at the grizzly go771z. A little more money but some features that sound good. Cabinet mounted trunnions, universal motor, 15amp motor. and other stuff. The reviews on both are here there and everywhere. Seems like the newer models '16_'17 years seem to mostly have bugs worked out. Now to make up mind before I loose my nerve.
David
 
After researching the hybrid saws, I am also looking at the grizzly go771z. A little more money but some features that sound good. Cabinet mounted trunnions, universal motor, 15amp motor. and other stuff. The reviews on both are here there and everywhere. Seems like the newer models '16_'17 years seem to mostly have bugs worked out. Now to make up mind before I loose my nerve.
David

Looks like a good saw. Minor correction, though...it doesn't look like it has a universal motor, but that's a good thing. It looks like a TEFC (Totally Enclosed Fan Cooled) motor instead, which is a better choice in this type of application. A universal motor doesn't do well in a dusty environment (like inside a saw cabinet), and it typically doesn't have the life expectancy of a TEFC motor.
 
After researching the hybrid saws, I am also looking at the grizzly go771z. A little more money but some features that sound good. Cabinet mounted trunnions, universal motor, 15amp motor. and other stuff. The reviews on both are here there and everywhere. Seems like the newer models '16_'17 years seem to mostly have bugs worked out. Now to make up mind before I loose my nerve.
David

A better choice IMO than the R4512 or the current Delta 36-725. More mass, full enclosure, solid cast wings, cab mounted trunnions, "induction" motor, more torque, more power, etc., than either of those. The "Z" suffix indicates the version with the improved fence from the original G0771...the better fence seems functional, but still not on par with something like Biesemeyer. If a Biese is what I see on your current Delta, I'd definitely swap the fences.
 
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... universal motor, 15amp motor. and other stuff. ...

Your comment on Universal motor set off my alarm in the mail summary I get each day. I see Vaughan has also spotted that. A Universal motor has brushes, is light weight, and cannot maintain full power and speed under continuous load. Most of your hand-held electrical tools have a universal motor. You should be looking for an induction motor which is heavier (not suitable for hand held tools), and great at maintaining full power when required. TEFC motors are generally (always?) induction motors.

My experience with Grizzly is that when they are good they are very very good, but when they are bad they are horrid. Therefore the key to buying Grizzly is not the specs (always good) but the reviews by actual users. I love my 14" Grizzly bandsaw (better than the Jet it copied, that the Grizzly replaced) but have not tried their spinny blade saws.
 
You will not be happy with yourself if you give up your Delta Contractor Saw for a saw with a universal motor. Trust me on this one. You will be way better off fixing the Contractor Saw, even if you hire someone to do it for you. Take the motor to an electric motor repair shop and have them replace the bearings and the capacitors, then test it to be sure its running perfect.
Changing the arbor bearings and aligning the saw is all that is left. Do it yourself or find someone to do it for you and you will have a new Contractor saw with a like new induction motor. Universal motors scream with no load, overheat easily, and the brushes wear out quickly. Induction motors have their speed controlled by the power line frequency, so their speed is close to the same all the time, except if under very heavy load. There are no brushes in an induction motor, only a capacitor or two which usually last 20 years or more, and a centrifugal starting switch that may need the contacts cleaned after 20 years of use.

Stay with the Contractor Saw or find a Unisaw, which will be a step up instead of down.

Charley
 
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