Which to keep

[toolguy1000]

i have to decide which table saw to keep. i presently have a 10" ridgid 2412 upgraded with 36" fence and herc-u-lift.

http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/photo/2398262590104952478OBLyzv

i just bought a 4511 for well below the clearance price. which one do i CL as i don't have the room for 2 table saws? i've never encountered a cut that the 2412 couldn't handle. so what would you guys do?

[tommyt654]

R4511, Has the better potential IMO

[SARGE..g-47]

"i've never encountered a cut that the 2412 couldn't handle"... Toolguy

I think you answered your own question... Why trade "time tested" reliability for something at this point is nothing more than newer. There are advantages of having the motor inside the cabinet over hanging out the rear but.. you stated you have not encountered a cut you couldn't make yet.

There is an advantage of having a riving knife over a splitter be it not that great but.. you appear to have removed your splitter on your saw and you would probably remove the riving knife on the 4511? Just a guess but if so that negates the slight advantage.

Good luck...

[tommyt654]

So how olds the 2412, motor starting to wear I would think by now, Fresher motor in the R-4511 + riving knife is better and safer, granite top won,t rust, While motor is contained it still hangs,just not out the back as much and has a cover, better dust control I,d opt for a newer motor and the options available with the R-4511 anyday over an older saw even a good older saw, Tommy

[Larryl]

So how olds the 2412, motor starting to wear I would think by now, Fresher motor in the R-4511 + riving knife is better and safer, granite top won,t rust, While motor is contained it still hangs,just not out the back as much and has a cover, better dust control I,d opt for a newer motor and the options available with the R-4511 anyday over an older saw even a good older saw, Tommy

What tommy654 says. I bet when you get use to having a riving knife you will find that you leave it on the saw more and more because there simply is no good reason to remove it for 98%(my experience) of the cuts you will make.

[sweensdv]

Maybe keep a little of both. You could have the best of both worlds capacity wise if you swapped out the fence on the 2412 and mounted it on the 4511. Put the 4511's fence on the 2412 and CL it out.

[Charlie]

If it was me, I'd keep the table saw with the cast iron top.

[herb fellows]

I would keep the old one simply because you are happy with it, as Sarge said. The new one might be better, but if it isn't to your liking, you'll be kicking yourself until it hurts.

[dbhost]

The riving knife is awfully compelling, But the granite top on the R4511 is a concern. If you are not worried about the potential for a cracked granite top, I would keep the R4511...

[toolguy1000]

thanks to all for the comments. while the pic i posted didn't show the splitter, i never execute through cuts without it. yes, the riving knife is a nice advantage, but not overly compelling. and the older gray ridgids have a lifetime guaranty. if the motor fails, it gets replaced. i realize the motor on a properly registered 4511 that fails would also be repaired/replaced , but i guess there's just something about having the older saw that i find appealing. so i'm sticking with the 6 year old 2412. again, thanks to all who responded for fleshing out some of the issues to consider. now, anybody want to buy a new, unused and still packed in the steel frame 4511?

[SARGE..g-47]

I've been running a granite fence on my jointer for two years and absolutely love it. The granite would not pose a problem IMO as long as you don't do something stupid like pull the miter gauge back all the way fully loaded and press down. Poplar WW'ing magazine has been running a granite top saw in their shop for 3 years that came with a chip-out on one corner from a shipping mis-hap.

They chose to dis-regard in lieu of replace as a chip there is no concern about performance of the saw itself with a chip there. I don't need any more WW'ing machines at this point but if I did granite would not be an issue for me and I look farther than the top for true issues from my experience with granite.

I have to agree with the fact the fence on your Ridgid contractor is a step well beyond the 4511 as it is not a work of art. Other than that the saw is a good saw for the money IMO. I know the folks that designed it for Orion. To get a cabinet saw to that price point you have to take some short-cuts as somewhat smaller trunnions and castings.. less than top grade fences... motor size.. etc.. etc.. without sacrifice to safety or final function.

[eezlock]

which to keep..

From a personal perspective. it would be the 2412 with the cast iron top.
I can't see much of an advantage to a saw with any top, but a cast iron.
When that stone cracks...and it eventually will, whether or not you realize
it and live with it, is another thing to worry about. I know some people worry about a little rust on cast iron, but this something that is part of regular tool
usage and maintenance as far as I'm concerned.

I would rather clean a cast iron saw a few times a years than having to buy and replace a stone top on another one! It also make me wonder why has
Ridgid dropped the price on those saws as much as they have in a short
time since they appeared on the market. The cast iron saws held their prices and value for a long time until the newer saws came on the market, wonder if they would have held their price line without the new ones coming along.

[Charlie]

To get a cabinet saw to that price point ?

Lets not confuse people into thinking that the RIDGID 4511 is a Cabinet saw. It's a Hybrid table saw. When was the last time you ever heard of someone that chiped a cast iron top ? I never have. It just seems to me that in the relatively short time that the granite tops have been out, there seem to be quite a few incidents. Obviously the durablity of Granite is poor compared to cast iron. Also there must be a reason that Steel City, Craftsman, and RIDGID are all trying to blow the Granite top saws out the door at Clearance prices. Geeee, I wonder what it is ? I'm also not a big fan of the Hybrid table saws, I've seen in too many cases where someone bought a Hybrid table saw, used it for about a year and wished they had their old Contractor's table saw back, or they sold the Hybrid table saw and bought a Cabinet table saw.