Ridgid TS3650 Opinions

[OpaDC]

Any pros and cons on the TS3650? I am looking to stay in the $500 range. Been reading lots of reviews on TS's and this one looks interesting. Any comments, positive or negative would be appreciated.

[Knottscott]

Pros: Well proven full size saw, good trunnion system, built in alignment system, Herculift, cast iron wings, on sale for $467, circuit friendly 13 amp motor, functional fence, available in many towns, lifetime service agreement.

Cons: Older design with outboard motor, open frame, DC limited to 2-1/2" port, aluminum fence with plastic handle, hand wheels have very fine thread requiring many turns, sold through HD only.

[goslin23]

What Dustmight said!

I have the 3650 and love it. Once aligned (easy to do), it has been quite accurate for me. The 2 1/2" dust port is fine for me as all I have is a Shop Vac. The fence has produced accrate cuts and holds firm when I've ripped 3/4" 4x8 ply. It's heavy (close to 300#) but super easy to move around with the Herc-U-Lift. Other than a few minor things, it's a great saw for the price.

-=gos=-

[rockybrown]

look for the up-graded ts3660 at your local hd. others have seen them at the same $467 price. buy it now before the price goes back up to $549. imho this is the best contractor saw for the money- cast iron wings, herculift, smooth motor, light but solid fence, smooth controls and an overall quality feel to it. with a 40 or 60 tooth blade for cross cuts and a 24 tooth ripper you will be able to cut anything you want to.

the only negative i can think of is the motor hanging out the back.

rb

[Knottscott]

look for the up-graded ts3660 at your local hd....
the only negative i can think of is the motor hanging out the back.

rb

Hi RB - I was really surprised that the 3660 wasn't a hybrid with the motor tucked inside. Ridgid is the only major player without one in it's lineup and I was really surprised that the 3660 still has an "outee". Members at the Ridgid site are saying the differences from the 3650 are very minor. Wonder why they even came up with a model change then?

[skipwill]

I think the 10% HF coupon will work at HD as well, bringing the cost down even more...

[pecker]

You know all the pro's, so I'll just give the con's, based on my experience. I own both a Ryobi BT3000 and a TS3650.

1)The Ridgid vibrates more than I would like. Cutoffs will walk across the tabletop and fall through the holes in the top.
2)It has holes in the top for things to fall through.
3)I had to enlarge the fence rail mounting holes, in the edge of the tables, so that the fence would sit at the proper height, and parallel to the table top.
4)Although it was easy to align the blade to the miter slot when the blade is at zero degrees, when it is tilted to 45, mine is out of parallel to the miter slot by about .01". This matters a lot to me, but maybe not so much to others.
5)The Herculift gives only about a quarter inch of lift. In my case, when I move the saw, the leveling feet get stuck on some of the lumps in my crappy workshop floor.
6)I don't like the power switch at all. It's small and I found myself fumbling for it many times. I eventually put on a large paddle switch like that used on the Steel City saws. I can bump it with my knee to turn off the machine, and keep my hands on the workpiece.
7)The miter slots are narrower at the ends of the table by a tiny amount. This causes my adjustable Incra Miter bars to bind at the ends of their travel. This is fixable with some sanding/grinding, but I haven't done so yet.
8) You will probably want to replace the miter gauge. Most contractor saws have this problem also. The stock blade is not very good either.

Having wrote all that, I use it regularly and can get pretty good results with it.

[rockybrown]

Hi RB - I was really surprised that the 3660 wasn't a hybrid with the motor tucked inside. Ridgid is the only major player without one in it's lineup and I was really surprised that the 3660 still has an "outee". Members at the Ridgid site are saying the differences from the 3650 are very minor. Wonder why they even came up with a model change then?

hey dustmight,

i haven't seen the 3660 yet but i was surprised that it wasn't a hybrid as well- maybe the changes are minor but they've made quality improvements? or maybe the "new" 3660 sounds better than the "old" 3650? marketing guys...

rb

[Andrew Benedetto]

I had a TS3650 , and it really was no better than my 70's sears saw, in fact cheaper made in many ways. I have a BT3000, a 22124(best for the money) sears, and a Unisaw. I just would never want a contractor saw again for the reasons already stated. The trunnions are also made of a lightweight zinc alloy, not CI, and the saw just feels cheap, light weight, even the fence too, that Al ,front rail if dented at all will cause problems that require replacing the rail and the plastic lock lever also gives the impression that it will break off if you push hard as many of the HD displays had them like that. In no area did they try to build it in a heavy duty manner.
The lift is also a strange design,overly complicated, loose bolts as pins for the holes in square tubing to ride on.
There are so many better hybrids out there to pick from now. I guess am overall down on Ridgid as of late with my poor CS experiences , sort of goes along with HD's CS in our area, they make a matched pair.
I know many like this saw as matter of preference, it can cut wood accurately, I just would look eleswhere. Service centers are also a concern, you should check your area because that is a bulky, heavy item to bring in for a problem as Ridgid will not send parts like they used to if you want to fix it yourself and they do not send techs out to your location like sears or delta does on table saws.
Here is a review of some hybrids, I think the 22124 with its commercial Biesmeyer fence is better than the Grizzly they picked though;
http://www.toolsofthetrade.net/indus...ticleID=501503

[agent511]

I moved up from a BTS15 to the TS3650, and absolutely love it. Perhaps the Sears 22124 is better in some way, but also almost 2x the price, so that is not a fair comparison - the Ridgid wins hands down for value - and there isn't much difference. It is a VERY solid saw with a built in lift that works fine (how many of us have huge lumps in our floors?). Like pecker, I also replaced the puny switch. And - this should be of interest to pecker - I upgraded my miter to an Incra and also found that mine got bound up at the far end. Only I explored further - it didn't bind till the entire Incra was within the slot. It wasn't the slot that was bad - it was the Incra that was warped, regardless of the built-in adjustments. I called Incra and they sent me a new bar free, and that fixed the problem!
I have no vibration at all. It passes the nickel test - you stand a nickel on its edge, then turn on the saw, and the nickel doesn't move.

[goslin23]

No vibration problems for me either, mine passed the dime test! Maybe your belt is worn or out of alignment? I haven't gotten an after market miter guage, but it's on my "list".

-=gos=-

[Knottscott]

...Perhaps the Sears 22124 is better in some way, but also almost 2x the price, so that is not a fair comparison - the Ridgid wins hands down for value - and there isn't much difference. ...

Hi agent - The price difference is clear enough, but can you expand on what you mean by the last part of the statement above? The mechanisms and features of the saws are very different, so I'm confused about what you meant...TIA.

[OpaDC]

I appreciate all the input. I realize that there are better saws but I have my budget limit. Have to take this in increments. I also realize one persons junk is another persons treasure. This is why I worded it as pro and con. Kind of like the old Ford vs Chevy arguments. Or why Favre is better than Peyton Manning. (yes I heard he retired) Anyway, thanks again. Now if HD will just take the HF 15% coupon I just got in the mail, makes the 3650 just over $400.

p.s. If I get good at this WW stuff, I'm hoping I can convince wife I need the Legacy Ornamental Mill 1200

[pecker]

I moved up from a BTS15 to the TS3650, and absolutely love it. Perhaps the Sears 22124 is better in some way, but also almost 2x the price, so that is not a fair comparison - the Ridgid wins hands down for value - and there isn't much difference. It is a VERY solid saw with a built in lift that works fine (how many of us have huge lumps in our floors?). Like pecker, I also replaced the puny switch. And - this should be of interest to pecker - I upgraded my miter to an Incra and also found that mine got bound up at the far end. Only I explored further - it didn't bind till the entire Incra was within the slot. It wasn't the slot that was bad - it was the Incra that was warped, regardless of the built-in adjustments. I called Incra and they sent me a new bar free, and that fixed the problem!
I have no vibration at all. It passes the nickel test - you stand a nickel on its edge, then turn on the saw, and the nickel doesn't move.

When I was investigating this saw for purchase, this reviewer mentioned some vibration, so I don't think mine is abnormal...just more than I'd like to have.
http://benchmark.20m.com/reviews/Rid...650Review.html

To check the miter slots, I used a 1" long piece of mdf, and sanded it for an exact fit in the slots near the blade. When I pushed it toward the ends of the table, it gets stuck about an inch from each end. When I mentioned this at the Rigid forum, a couple other folks chimed in, too.

None of my issues were deal killers, but if I'd known about them before hand, I might have saved up a few hundred bucks more for something a little higher-end.

[messmaker]

The Craftsman saw will be a ton better at dust control. That's a big deal with some. If you can live without this feature, You will like the Ridgid. Ridgid tools don't usually shine in the magazine shootouts but the 3650 has been near the top almost evey time. The mobile lift on the Ridgid saw is second to none.