Ridgid's New Table Saw at Baltimore MD Woodworking Show

[geeoh]

This is the new Ridgid Table Saw with a Granite Top. They have/had 8 available for sale at the show when I asked around 1:30PM today. Home Depot is supposed to receive them in a week or so.

[sparkeyjames]

Does the price on that sign say 699 or 599??

[geeoh]

Price is $599.

[chopnhack]

So what did you think of it in person?

[herb fellows]

OK, it doesn't rust. What about weight? Any other +'s or -'s??

[Hellrazor]

OK, it doesn't rust. What about weight? Any other +'s or -'s??

TS3650 Tool Weight: 287 lb.

R4511 Tool Weight: 452 lbs.

Just a slight difference

[Knottscott]

Steel City and their Orion subsidiary is heavily involved with this saw. It's one of a just a handful of hybrid saws that offer cabinet mounted trunnions, and one of even a smaller group that offers them in conjuction with a one-piece cast arbor carriage instead of connecting rods. It also features a true riving knife, steel t-square fence similar to the Delta T2 (although lacks faces on the fence), plus it sports very large handwheels. The Herculift is included, and the 450# mass should make it incredibly stable. On paper, it looks like a heck of a lot of saw for $600....could be a world beater at that price, but time will tell.

Here are some good pics of an R4511 in the field that belongs to a woodworker known as "Ashman" around some forums.

[BigguyZ]

I wonder- any way to add a Beisemeyer to this? I love my 52" rip capacity...

[phrog]

Trying to remember when I was researching counter tops, I thought granite would crack and break easily. Has my memory gone haywire again? (Won't be the first time.) If it does crack easily, is this a good surface for a table saw?
Richard

[Knottscott]

Trying to remember when I was researching counter tops, I thought granite would crack and break easily. Has my memory gone haywire again? (Won't be the first time.) If it does crack easily, is this a good surface for a table saw?
Richard

I have to believe they've done some extensive field testing. Steel City/Orion consists of some seasoned veterans in the machinery business. The wings are also pretty well supported (see pic)

FWIW, I used a 2' x 4' x 3/4" piece of bullnosed granite as a tool bench surface for a couple of years without so much as a scratch on it.

[Hellrazor]

Trying to remember when I was researching counter tops, I thought granite would crack and break easily. Has my memory gone haywire again? (Won't be the first time.) If it does crack easily, is this a good surface for a table saw?
Richard

Is it granite or a composite granite?

[phrog]

Hellrazor, I think that it was genuine granite but I may have to reassess my opinion of granite after reading Knottscott's post.
Richard

[pecker]

I've never understood why the Balt WW show occurs the first week in Jan.

I NEVER have money to spend that close after the Holidays.

[dbhost]

I've never understood why the Balt WW show occurs the first week in Jan.

I NEVER have money to spend that close after the Holidays.

I think that is the idea behind the release date. I seriously doubt production / distribution on this saw is worked out quite yet. I figure the idea was to get steam going for it for Christmas 2009, not 2008...

I could be wrong though, it has been known to happen...

[BigguyZ]

I think a lot of Granite's strength depends on the type of granite. There's more than one kind, and it's not a homogenious material. For instance, a granite with a lot of veining would be prone to breaking along the vein, but something that's one solid section should be fine, I would imagine.