Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion The Water Cooler Anyone familiar with Craftsman Table Saws

Well, you folks were just the incentive I needed. I picked up the Ridgid R4512 last night. The two Home Depot guys who helped me get it out to the truck both owned that model and gave it great praise and some tips on assembly.

One thing for sure, this beast is HEAVY. 287 pounds. When I got home my neighbor was not around to help me get it out of the truck so I simply opened the box on the truck and took out the pieces individually. Still, even the main saw casing containing the motor and the center section of the cast iron top was tricky on it's own so I decided to play it safe and when I got down to that piece, I pumped up my floor jack as high as it would go and slid the box onto that and used it to ease it down to the ground. It was liftable without it but I was afraid I'd get clumsy end up damaging it before I even got it together. Tools are what separate us from 'most' animals right?

Can't wait to get it together but it looks like it might take a good while.

Mark,
The floor display model had the zero mark on the measuring tape labeling on the fence rail about 8" right of the blade. I never saw one so far to the right before. I forgot to check my rails when pulling things out of the box but is yours like that?

I think HD owes SOMEBODY here a little something for pushing Andy over the edge.

Have fun. Be safe. Take pictures.

Congrats, Andrew Murphy! Good move!

As soon as it's set up, lemme know. I can really help with choosing all the right acce$$orie$.

I am a bit unfamiliar with your notion of "tool budget." What's that?

And are you sure you're not confusing "incentive" with "enabling."

I never look for the former here, and I never HAVE to look for the latter.

Have a blast in dustworld! After each task, remember to take inventory of your fingers.

Took about 7 hours Sunday to put this beast together if you count in my 'probably way too fussy' calibration time, a 30 minute lunch, a couple of beer breaks and about 20 minutes of staring at it once I rolled it from upside down to it's side in prep for the deadlift to right the thing for the rest of assembly.

Tom, I'll post pictures of my next project but I can't compete with that same SOMEBODY's saw pictures. It's identical anyways minus the adapter for the dust collector. However, I'm inspired to do the same to hook up my Shop Vac to it easier.

Bob, I blew my budget by two hundred dollars after taxes so you are right on all counts. My first upgrades will be cheap. I have to rebuild a bunch of my old jigs to fit the new saw.

However, I'll be back soon asking about upgraded miter gauges and whatever else I think I need but really don't. Actually, in the process of carrying over my good 80 tooth blade to hang it on the built-in blade holder, I dropped it and it rolled across my concrete floor. It looks OK but I'll need to do some test cuts to see if I ruined it. Maybe it's just time to sharpen it anyways.

PS, regarding my question earlier on the measurement marker on the fence rails.

Curiosity made me stop back in the store on the way to work this morning and I have concluded that the one in the store has it's measurement label way out of whack from the factory. The rail couldn't really be assembled wrong. Thankfully, mine was fine.

First accessory: Rubber interlocking floor mats. Your tools, work pieces, AND feet will thank you.

About $20 for 6-pack of 24 x 24" squares.

SMRT he is.

Edited:
(Before somebody jumps on it, it's not misspelled, it's Homerism.)

My wife got me a Pajama set with Homer's "I am so smart, I am so smart, S-M-R-T, I mean, S-M-A-R-T" as the theme.

I married well.