need tool advice

[TexaRican]

Got totally frustrated with my cluttered garage the other day and set about correcting it. First I built some enclosed, lockable storage for my smaller power tools. Then I put up a prototype rod locker to keep the dust off my fishing poles. Ultimately, I'll want to set up another project in the garage. Probably will do a kayak build first but I'm keeping my eye out for an old CJ to restore. With that in mind and my wife wanting her parking spot back, I realized my full size table saw was not going to work. Sold it on craigslist as well as some other tools and set out to buy one of those portable jobsite models.

I'm pretty much narrowed down to 2 saws at vastly differnt price points. First is the Ridgid TLS2400LS which now goes for $500 at home depot. A buddy has it and swears by it. Second choice is Ryobi BTS21 which seems pretty nice at $249 but even better if you get the refurbe model for $189 at the tool outlet place here in Cypress. Obviously, the Ridgid is of much higher quality but I've had good experience with Ryobi tools when they are well cared for. My issue with the Ryobi is that it has this sliding miter table instead of a traditional miter slot like the Ridgid. Don't know how I'd ever use a panel cutting jig, tenoning jig, etc without a miter slot. (I know, don't need all that for boatbuilding but I'm doing other projects too)
If I buy the Ryobi, I could also get a 13" planer that I've really been wanting.

If anybody owns either of these, I'd appreciate any feedback.

BTW - I mentioned that outlet place. It is in the new outlet mall on 290. They have refurb Ryobi, Homelite and Ridgid tools pretty much at half price. Everything has a 1 year warranty. Finally got a gas leaf blower and it started up on the first pull. Lots of temptation in that store!

[nitecrawler]

One thing I would recommend before you buy anything is check your area for a place that has parts. Things like motor brushes will eventually wear out and it can suck to throw out a saw because you can't find little parts like that. I think brands like Bosch and DeWalt have a little better service for that aspect, that is they will generally have a factory owned or authorized service center somewhere close to you, just in case.

[gerald]

I wish I could help you with the saws but I've never used either. Many years ago when they first started coming out with direct drive saws I considered them to be crap--and they were. I've been lucky in my life to have good tools to work with. There was a time, however, that I was broke and working for another fly by night contractor. We had a lot of trim work to do, and since I was the only one who knew how to do the trimwork it was up to me. This contractor proudly showed me his tablesaw--a Makita 8 1/2" direct drive saw. Man--I was disgusted. I was going to have to do all the trim work with that crappy saw. It probably weighed 60 pounds--not the 200 that I was use to. Anyway...I used that saw. It was a great little saw! It was so good, in fact, that I bought one for myself and used it for many years after that even though I eventually acquired many newer, heavier, and supposedly better saws. Paid about $150 for it new. I wish I still had it. The motor eventually gave out because I used it very hard. Great little saw. Wish they still made it. I'd go buy one right now.
I'd give each of those saws another look. Ryobi is suppose to be pretty good. If they have Makita I'd take a look at that. Maybe it's still as good as it was. Sorry--I know I'm no help....

[larry long shadows]

Ok here we go I have had some great old tools in my life big cast iron walker turners table saws, old porter cable cross cut saw that would cut all the way across 4-8 ply wood..12in 440 volt jointer that i had to lay cement base to use...trim table saw forget the fancy name thing from europe with till table.. dont go there...but i love those lil dir drive saws the Ryobi is fine I did a job in Pack City Ut with one and just about burned it up so gave it to my brother he still useing it I now use a Hitachi c10ra3 like the way base and saw are not attached..I go for space now that I dont have a large shop. Plus I look at it this why if i get a nice job that pays well then so what if the lil saw goes out it made me money. Like you said also you can get two tools with cheaper saw. You can get a 19 dollar sears drill and a 199 dollar dewalt drill and they both hold the same drill bit..I would rather spend my money on the bits... How thats My Two Bit's

[TexaRican]

Gerald, those little Makita saws go for $329 now online but I can't find one locally and I'm really hesitant to buy one I can't touch and feel. The Hitachi saws looked good online but I went over to lowes yesterday and found them to be flimsy crap. Only own 1 Makita tool, a 4" angle grinder, and I love it.

Larry, that little Ryobi got the best buy from Consumer Reports. I never imagined a real contractor using one but like I said, all of my Ryobi tools have held up really well. I just can't get past that darn sliding miter table. Why could they not just go with a traditional mitre slot?

[Iamdamoder]

Find a real tool store and check out the Jet 10"contractor saw. Tough and a pretty good fence without buying a really good fence. Wire for 220 or 110. I am out of town but I think y'all have Texas Tool Traders . Not where I got mine but they are SA local.
I paid around $500 but that was more than a few years back.

[gerald]

I dont' know about the current Makita tablesaws but the one I bought (0k...it was--my god!...thirty years ago!). Oh NO! I'm an old man! Oh where has all the youth gone? Oh God...mirror, mirror on the wall. Who is the handsomest, most virile, boat builder of all....?

The answer better be me--it's my mirror....

Anyway--moving right along--it would be better if you could put your hands on the saws you're considering. My only point was that, even though most of the direct drive saws are far less than satisfying, I KNOW that some of them are pretty dad gummed good--with good prices. Just hard to tell which unless somebody with good tool knowledge has used them lately. A cheap bad one is very expensive.

[TexaRican]

Just wish I could hear, feel and cut with one. I had a mid-entry level Craftsman direct drive that was LOUD. Cruddy fence but great rip capacity, outfeed tables, lightweight and easy to move around. Downside of lightweight was I'd have to put sandbags on the base to rip a sheet of plywood without turning it over. Expect the same issue with these portables I'm considering but I'm ok with the tradeoff for the small storage footprint.
"Upgraded" to a mid seventies craftsman belt drive with cast iron top. Whisper quiet compared to the other one, much less vibration of the blade and excellent accuracy on mitre cuts. The fence was again cruddy. Thought I could upgrade the fence but found that aftermarket fences cost more than the saw did.
Now I KNOW the Ridgid cuts well cause a friend has one. Don't know about the Ryobi and HD does not let you turn them on

Also looking at Craigslist daily.

[larry long shadows]

check out craigs list today jet saw for 500.00 and a Ridgid..
your right the Hitachi is a lil pic crap but like I said the blade is what I spent my money on.. I never used the miter on Ryobi cut all miters on chop saw or old school /hand/miter box/back saw

[DarrellS]

Off topic but I love my Hitachi jigsaw. It is on it's second boat now and is wonderful.

[TexaRican]

Off topic but I love my Hitachi jigsaw. It is on it's second boat now and is wonderful.

To each his own Darrel. I meant no offense to Hitachi owners.

I've shopped all I'm going to shop now. There is a larger portable at Sears that I'd say is comparagle to the Ridgid but still does not feel as solid. The plus for that one is that it has a table extension with a router mount and router fence setup. But, I can whip out a good router table just about whenever I want one so that does not tip the scale.
I'm just stalling now to see if the Ridgid goes on sale.

[DarrellS]

No offense was taken. Just making a statement in case someone is needing a new jigsaw.
I don't think I own two of anything in the same brand. I tend to buy what is on sale.

[indy ag]

Pepperfool, I hope that saw at Sears isn't a Craftsman brand. I love their hand tools and the warranty they come with but their power tools are horrible. I had a compound miter. Poor tolerances, impossible to keep squared up and the insert didn't even match the saw! I had to take a rotary tool to the thing to use it. The SOB that got in my shop the other week and stole all my tools... ...can keep the Craftsman compound miter if he'll bring the rest of it back!

[TDD]

I am certainly no authority on these tools but I do have the Ridgid portable table saw. I won't lie ... it's a pain in the arse to cut a 4x8 sheet of plywood into a 4x4 by myself but I have done it many times with excellent success, just not easy by yourself ... I bought it also for it's smaller footprint and portability ... I am very happy with it so far .. I also bought the Ridgid lifetime blade for it so if you ever dull it (hit a nail or cut hardwood much) you just bring it to HD and exchange for a new one .. the Ridgid table saw also has a lifetime repair warranty at HD included. I bought a small Makita chop saw many years ago and love it also. If I ever felt securely stable I would want better tools but these low to simi mid-range tools work well for me now. On the life time blades .. I bought the finish blades (more teeth but don't remember how many) because I can exchange when they dull whenever I want.

[Pogo]

For my money Bosch makes the best jigsaw . . . . . unless someone else also makes one with a little blower that clears the cut path of sawdust for you. The 18-volt cordless version has the feature also. Makes cutting to a line one big you-know-what load easier.

When buying power tools I select whatever has the best parts availability and/or most aftermarket stuff offered for it; otherwise, they're all good. For table saws, it's Delta. Routers, it's Porter-Cable. Etc., etc. If I were after a folding contractor's saw I'd talk to a real living breathing contactor -- like Moder -- and go with whatever he recommends without a second thought.

Find a real tool store . . . . .

Always an excellent start.

[TexaRican]

Tim, you have more toys, tools, gadgets and kayaks than anybody I know What is that critter tail hanging down from the shelf there?

[TDD]

Tim, you have more toys, tools, gadgets and kayaks than anybody I know What is that critter tail hanging down from the shelf there?

Well I'm about to be moving into my tiny 19' 27 year old travel trailor here pretty soon .... anyone know of a good tree lined campground in the Houston area for a reasonable price? And a job would really help too I've been selling off the yaks .. only have 3 now and when I get another one I plan to build it from wood. I am going to have to start selling off a lot of stuff soon but hope to keep my tools. The tail is a red fox skin that I shot on the run with a 357 pistol .. lucky shot a long time ago .. I felt guilty that I actually hit him in the belly as he jumped up so had to keep the skin.

[Iamdamoder]

I did a little TI out in Monterey CA a few years ago and rented a saw like TD's. I was impressed with it for what it was ( direct drive portable).For my garage or pepperfool's the JET or a Delta or even an old Craftsman with some mass is going to blow this stuff away. You can get a lift from Rockler if you want to roll it around.

Order fluted columns my ear!


note The table saw

nice doors Recessed pivot closers


Ok no hijack intended but I found these shots under Monterey

[TexaRican]

My lucky day! Last week the manager at Direct Tools told me they don't see many refurbs of the Ridgid saw but that he'd have some of the Ryobi this week and would give me a call. Called this morning to tell me he had a Ridgid waiting with my name on it! Now I do give up the lifetime service agreement but I bought at $276 less than Home Depot price Well worth the risk to me and I still get a 1 year warranty.
I'll post some pics later showing why I needed a portable. This thing is sweet. Pulled it out of the box and push one lever - it's upright ready to go. No assembly and the wrenches, mitre guage, rip fence, blade guard and extra blades all store onboard. Even more luck - my heavy woodworking bench is just 1/8" lower than the saw height. I'll just add one more layer to the felt pads on the legs and I'll have a dandy outfeed table.

Almost - almost walked out of there with a 13" Ryobi planer that got good reviews from Wood magazine. Next month Can't beat the prices at that store.

Now, what kind of blade should I buy for cutting cedar strips? (Gerald? Pogo?)

[Pogo]

I use a 24-tooth 7.5" Freud Diablo carbide, about $11 at the local hardware. Smaller diameter blades like this run smoother, cost less, have a thinner kerf, what's not to love?

I also use blade stabilizers, which are basically outsized washers that go on either side of the blade, to further reduce vibration and promote silky-smooth running.

I also make my own zero-clearance insert, but that can be hard to manage with non-cast iron topped saws that take thin throat inserts. Highly recommend them in any case, well worth buying if you have to.



Congrats on the new toy!!

[TDD]

I use a 24-tooth 7.5" Freud Diablo carbide, about $11 at the local hardware. Smaller diameter blades like this run smoother, cost less, have a thinner kerf, what's not to love?

I also use blade stabilizers, which are basically outsized washers that go on either side of the blade, to further reduce vibration and promote silky-smooth running.

I also make my own zero-clearance insert, but that can be hard to manage with non-cast iron topped saws that take thin throat inserts. Highly recommend them in any case, well worth buying if you have to.

I think I may follow this advice also especially when it comes time to cuting strips. I've been meaning to make a z-c insert for a long time and still haven't .... always appreciate any helpful knowledge.

[TexaRican]

Another plus for the Ridgid saw on the insert. It was the only one of the portables I found that has a traditional looking insert so I think making my own zero clearance one will be no problem.

And your pic Pogo illustrates exactly why I was stuck on having a good ol' miter slot rather than those new sliding tables. I like to use gadgets like those little featherboards too. Wood magazine also has some great jigs like a board "straightener" for those of us who don't have a jointer. Things like that depend on that miter slot.

[TexaRican]

Got to use the new saw today for some honey-do's. Remounted some support framework for a cabinet/drawer under the oven that never closed square. (custom cabinets, yeah right )
I really like this saw. No, it does not have mass and you need to stabilize it if you want to run anything big through it but I already know I can just butt it up agains my workbench and I'm good to go. This is much more powerful than my old craftsman and the best part is that it is tucked away over in a corner now!

[Pogo]

Go to your local reloading supply emporium and get a couple 25-lb bags of bird shot, and drape 'em over the support structure. Voila! A rock-solid table saw. And once you get used to having them around, you'll find a million and one other uses for 'em.

[TexaRican]

Yeah Pogo, I saw a pic where you were using those shot bags and I wish I had some. Laminated some 1/4 ply pieces today and used a 50lb bag of quikcrete that I've had around the garage for the last year to weight it down. That bag is starting show some wear and I just know one of these day its going to bust and leave me with a big mess.