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I noticed that Ridgid is coming out with a new saw this fall: http://www.woodmagazine.com/blogs/wo...-half-of-2010/
However, it looks identical to the Craftsman 21833 saw that came out last year. Only the branding and paint have been changed. There have been lots of QC problems with the Craftsman and I'm wondering if Ridgid will have the same problems.
The new Ridgid and the Craftsman do bear many visual similarities. I also see some similarties to the older Ridgid saw that I use (i.e. fence and rails), which has been a great machine for me. The planer has also worked flawlessly for me.
I can't say that the new Ridgid saw will have QC problems simply because they look the same. I would not hesitate to buy other Ridgid tools if they are being used for something less demanding that professional, full time use.
Guess granite was not worth the trouble.
Mike
I love the R4511, but the granite has both advantages and disadvantages. The weight falling into both categories (bad for Ridgid in the sense that it is heavy to ship, bad for me setting it up, but good for vibration, etc). Not having a magnetic top is at times a negative, although not too often. Finally, the fear of cracking it is a negative as you could imagine someone dropping something heavy on it and causing problems. The smooth, super flat surface is nice for feeding wood across it. No rust is great. In the end I think I'd probably prefer cast iron, but it is close.
All in all, though, Ridgid sells great tools at a great price in my book.
Split fence rail =no no for me. I'll stick with the R4511 and wish it had the super smooth fence & rails of the TS3660.
It wasnt hard at all making replacement fence rails one piece, I even made them extra long to gain back (and add more) rip capacity that the 3660 had (30" on the 4511 vs 36" on the 3660)
I actually chipped the granite a little when I grabbed my miter gauge out too quickly. I had removed the t-bracket at the end of the gauge, but just the force from the adjustable washers caused a tiny chip. I was upset when I did it, but now I dont even worry about it. Im guessing Ill never make that mistake again!