Granite Tablesaw Tops

[Carl Hunsinger]

I was in the Borg the other day, looking at the granite-topped Ridgid tablesaw. First thing I noticed was that the granite was chipped at the edges of the miter slots in the table. Admittedly, these floor models get alot of abuse, but has anybody else noticed this? If I was HD, I'd get that saw with the chipped top off the floor before too many people notice it.

Carl

[Steven Satur]

How about that, I could not agree more. About a year ago I stopped in a Woodcraft, and noticed the Steel City line with all the granite tops. The salesman came over to me and remarked about how well these machines are built. I asked about the tops. He said that granite is more stable and it is ground dead flat. I said "What was wrong with cast iron"? He said "Well in China thy don't build things like we use to, they cut down on the ribs on the under side, which will cause the top to warp. I would like to know just how long these machine are going to last until something gets dropped on them.I know for a fact that granite has Fault Lines running through it. Sooner or later it is going to crack. The what. Find out that the company will not stand behind the warranty or better yet they are out of buisness. You know, we are building furniture, not swiss watches. People should stop buying nice shinny tools just so they have something better then others. All I am doing now is buying old machines, built like they should be, and will last forever.

[Chuck Schultz]

It's been a while since the granite vs. cast iron conversation. Glad to see it has made its resurgence.

+1 for granite.

[Denny Rice]

It's been a while since the granite vs. cast iron conversation. Glad to see it has made its resurgence.

+1 for granite.

+1 for cast iron........JMHO

[Paul Ryan]

Hold on fellas, let me get some popcorn. This usually gets as heated as Sawstop.


+1 for granite.

[Dennis McGarry]

+1 for what ever works and stays flat the longest...

[Denny Rice]

Granite is for countertops in a kitchen, not a work surface. Yea, it might look cool but as long as you stay on top of the maintenance of your saw tabletop and keep it clean and polished you should never have a problem with cast iron.

[JohnMorgan of Lititz]

... You know, we are building furniture, not swiss watches. People should stop buying nice shinny tools just so they have something better then others. All I am doing now is buying old machines, built like they should be, and will last forever.

I agree, we're making furniture...there has to be a point where we realize that some minor warping in cast iron isn't the end of the world in the woodworking realm.

However, we're all human and we are probably doing 1 of 2 things or both: 1) looking for a reason why our project wasn't as good as it could have been - must have been that dang warped table saw top or 2) Geez, I have a hankering to spend some money on a new saw - I'm about sick of this warped cast iron TS top, I'm gonna buy a new one!

On the flip side, America has been producing the same table saw setup for decades. I fully welcome an innovative idea like using granite. It will never rust, it won't warp, it is dead flat (even though we don't need it, nothing wrong with it either). How brittle it may or may not be is certainly a concern.

I'll say another thing - I am constantly reading on here about guys finding used equipment and its frustrating as heck...why? Because I never find anything in my area so i get jealous of you guys finding great deals! I am always scanning craigslist and the newspapers for used machinery. If i would have waited to find a used cabinet saw, I would have literally waited years before being able to buy a saw. Glad i bought my unisaw about 3 years ago. As dumb as it may sound, some of us just aren't fortunate enough to run into used equipment. I know I'd welcome finding a smoking deal on some heavy iron somewhere.

[Steven Satur]

How many time are you going to slide the miter guage back and forth th the graite slot until it get sloppy. then what. I don't care what anyone says, you can't peen the side of the miter guage and expect it to work the same in a granite top as a cast iron.

[Cary Falk]

[QUOTE=Steven Satur;1245339]How many time are you going to slide the miter guage back and forth th the graite slot until it get sloppy. then what. QUOTE]

Uh, rotate those little adjustable plastic disc in my 1000SE. I have no dog in this fight. Granite, CI, whatever makes you happy. I couldn't get granite though, my wife would expect me to install it in her kitchen then.

[Paul Steiner]

I love my granite topped tablesaw. Easy maintenance and it looks great next to my stove. My dishwasher conveniently fits under the auxillary table, makes washing my sawblades so easy.

+1 for cast iron.

[Dean Karavite]

I love my granite topped tablesaw. Easy maintenance and it looks great next to my stove. My dishwasher conveniently fits under the auxillary table, makes washing my sawblades so easy.

+1 for cast iron.

LOL! Paul, my Forrest WWII comes out of the DW with unstighltly spotting and mineral deposits. Can you recommend a good rinse agent? Rremember to never wear your oven mitts while using your table saw. Then again, with the Rigid you might need some kind of mitt to catch the ejected dado.

[Scott Hildenbrand]

+1 for no issues with granite.. In fact, I own that model..

The HD I was in to check it out, their display was FLAWLESS.. Smooth as can be.. No chips, cracks.. All the knobs worked..

Basically... It was not beat to death by customers who felt like "kicking the tires", which is ALWAYS harder than they would EVER kick their own tires.

Besides, if it does ever chip, just mix up some epoxy and fill it, then wet sand and buff it over with wax.

I'd say that due to the rising costs of iron, someone was looking for an alternative.. I've got no complains with what they chose as it works fine for me.

And besides, at $450 [during sale], there's not a cast iron topped table saw that I know of in the same class [yet] with a true riving knife or internal motor.

That said, had I had the money I'd have got the Grizzly G0661 instead while it was on sale..

Just my two cents..

[Peter Aeschliman]

I have a 15 yr old (or so) cast iron Jet contractor's saw. It is warped (although not horribly). It's low in the middle, which I assume is because of the fact that the trunnions hang on the underside of the table.

I wish I had never gotten that nice 4' Veritas straight edge. Otherwise I'd never know it was warped. But now it does have a psychological affect on me. lol.

So part of me is romanced by the idea of the granite. That does raise a question though- where do the trunnions attach on the Rigid model? To the cabinet like a cabinet saw or to the underside of the table?

[Brian Effinger]

I bought one of the first hybrid granite tablesaws from Steel City a year and a half ago, and love it. My reason - my shop is in the basement & I don't want to have to maintain a cast iron top. So far no chips in it, but there are a few scratches from a runaway ROS. Oops.


Peter - mine attach to the cabinet, and I think the ridgid does as well, but I'm not 100% sure.