only ryobi table saw lovers,all 3 of us
alwaysoverbudget
| Posted in Tools for Home Building on
all you bosch and ridgid lovers,your at the wrong thread.lol
i’ve got the ryobi that has the built in stand about 4 years old now. gotta tell ya i’ll go against a ridgid any day with it and oh by the way i have 300.00 still in my pocket…
so they have come out with the new one,i want it but i’m afraid i’m pushing my luck by getting rid of a saw that works well for me and dropping off into the unknown.
has anybody bought one of these new ones with the sliding miter? looks like they stuck with the same stand,made the table extension easier to slide out and a few other improvements.
if you got one tell me about it. larry
if a man speaks in the forest,and there’s not a woman to hear him,is he still wrong?
Replies
I too like ryobi tools. and the table saw especially. and if you happen to want to make my shop the unknown you can drop it off there ;)
"I'd rather be a hammer than a nail"
I had a Ryobi table saw. It was the BT3100. It was/is a really great saw......until it breaks.
This saw had a problem with the lift mechanism which was fixed under warranty.
The warranty repair took ONE MONTH.
I dont care how good a saw is, if its in the shop its worth less.
Its been replaced by a Bosch.
andy, you got a lot to learn about tools if you think Ryobi is one of the good brands lol
They may make a decent table saw and maybe even a few other winners. On the whole they make plastic #### that is probably fine for most homeowners, if you're serious about carpentry in the long term I would suggest saving your money until you can afford the highest quality available of what ever tool it is you're after.
In the long term it will save you money and a lot of frustration..
I never said they were a good brand. they have a few good tools, but overall, they are more HO or ameture wood worker (or like me, someone who doesn't have much money to spend)
"I'd rather be a hammer than a nail"
(or like me, someone who doesn't have much money to spend)
Andy, if all you can afford is the Ryobi saw then get it!
why would you wait to buy something that you need now? Don't be fooled by this talk that you cant produce quality work with a Ryobi. Yea the saw may not last as long as my 30 year old Powermatic but some of these guys have Grizzly tools and they wont be around when my Powermatic is still going strong. I have the Powermatic for one reason, I got one hell of a deal on it. I don't use it nearly as much as I do the EZ rail system or my Bosch portable saw.
Yes its a good idea to buy the best tool that you can afford and sometimes that means a Ryobi saw. You can wait to buy the top of the line tool when you have the money or you can buy the best tool for the money that you have and start makings something with it. Which one of these thoughts are going to get you to where you want to be?
I have a friend down in Texas that uses mainly HF tools and Ryobi - his work is about as good as I've ever seen. The tool does not make the craftsman.
Doug
I bought my Ryobi in August or Sep. I found the saw to be quite handy and the sliding miter worked well. I needed a portable on a job that lasted around three months albeit mostly part time.
As I was standing in line with the saw, a guy came along and relatd how much good use his crew was getting out of that saw. He did caution me to keep an eye on the nut at the back of the fence. Seems that the nut came loose on his saw and the entension jambs started to get a bit wide.
I helped dad select and purchase one several years ago - BT3000, I think - it has the sliding miter, so I don't know if yours is older than that or a different model -
it's a fine machine for what it is - dad's saw is in my shop now that his eyesight has deteriorated beyond woodworking - I like the versatility - for me it's handy to set up to run rabbets and dados while leaving my main saw set up with the guard - might even mount a router on it someday -
just today I got a set of casters for it so it'll be easier to stow out of the way -
don't think I'd select it if I was working out of a truck - a big package with lots of relatively fragile levers and movable table parts -
good bang for the buck -
i think that that is the model before mine.after that one the did away with the slider ,but now they are going back to it. i never used the one you have but the newer one has a great built in stand that makes it very easy to move around.
just be sure when you load it in the truck that the 10' long cord is not hanging out as you back up over it with your tire.don't askme how i know that i just do.. larryif a man speaks in the forest,and there's not a woman to hear him,is he still wrong?
Make that four Ryobi fans!!
I've been using their tools for several years and have no complaints. A couple of years ago, I picked up their $99 table saw figuring to use it a couple of times then give it away. I still have it and it's still going strong! Mine doesn't have the sliding table and I've thought of upgrading but I don't like right tilt saws.
For Xmas, I got the new Ryobi 18v Li Ion "kit" and only have two minor complaints:
The new cordless drill only has a storage spot for one bit and I had really gotten used to keeping two bits on my 14.4v drills.@@@ Bit holders.McFeeley's has some stickdown bit holders. Have them on some of my drills. The best were velcro and elastic holders from Makita (can't find them anymore) that I hot glued to the impact driver and the hammer drill/combi. They carry five bits.That plus the super magnets to hold fasteners has worked out really well.The ToolBear
"Never met a man who couldn't teach me something." Anon.
Now I know why I woke up in the middle of the night.
Something is not right with the world!;)
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
piffin,whats a matter did the computer start makeing noise with all that talk about ryobi and wake you up?
when you close your eyes tonight i want you to picture ryobi blue,you'll sleep better than with that dewalt yellow........ larry if a man speaks in the forest,and there's not a woman to hear him,is he still wrong?
Grizzly green and Bosch blue are naturally complimentary
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
The Ryobi table saw has a cult following, web sites and all. Got a Best Value from FHB in their saw review a time back.I am watching the portable jobsite version at HD. On at $250 and I hope for a sale or something. I did a bunch of Due Diligence on this issue and decided on the Ryobi.Just chatted up a trim carpenter on a job last week who had that version and he was very pleased with it - after several years of use.The ToolBear
"Never met a man who couldn't teach me something." Anon.
I've had the BT3000 (actually the Sears version of the same thing) as a shop saw for about 4 years now. The adjustments are way too finicky to make it a good jobsite saw - I don't think it would take regular loading, unloading, bounching around, etc. But as a small, entry level shop saw it's been fine. The fence is really good, and the slider is OK - works fine and is easy to adjust once you get the hang of it, but gets out of alignment easily. With a quality blade and a slow feed rate it's cut 8/4 hard maple just fine, no burning, and the dust control is excellent. Ideally I'll have a cabinet saw one of these days, and the Ryobi is no substitute for a cabinet saw, but for the money it can't be beat.
That said, I don't buy Ryobi tools - I'd rather pay more and only cry once.
Redwood, I,ve got a delta RT-31 I'm looking to sell.
Thanks, but the economics of shipping across the country probably wouldn't work out (and all the "extra" money is going into the house right now).
Yeah, you're right, but had to ask...
I had a BT3000 for a few years and it was very tricky to keep it well ajusted. All those aluminium parts dilate and contract with temperature changes. I live in Montreal and the temperature in my garage varies from -10 in winter to 90+ in summer.
It should be noted that there are web sites devoted to the Ryobi tablesaws, but not to the $200 saws that folks here are saying make a good value.
The ones that have a following are the aforementioned Bt3000/3100 series saws and their current Craftsman clones.The BT3000 saws were manufactured starting in the early nineties and were made in the USA. (Switched over to China in early 2000's)I just picked up a 1996 model, 15amp/USA for $70 with a bunch of the accessories - have it set up for a 40" rip. Even for $300 or so it'd represent a helluva saw, but for $100 or less - can't be beat.The $200 craptastic models may be the ticket for the low-budget jobsites, but they don't have anything in common with the earlier BTxxxx series, and they don't have anything quality or accuracy wise over the Dewalt/Bosch/Ridgid $500 saws.You can drill holes with a $15 drill, and you can cut lines with a $20 jigsaw - there's a reason that we buy the $150 Bosch.It might also be the case that the earlier glowing reviews for the craptastic Ryobi $200 saws don't really relate to the current saws being sold for $200 - I'd bet the quality of manufacturing and of the parts has been cheapened and that the current $200 is probably of a lesser make than the one with the legendary "Great Value" reviews.You can get by with the bare minimum or you can buy good stuff and have it last longer, be more accurate and give you better efficiency. That's the question we ask when choosing any tool, right?Julian
By "sliding miter" do you mean the sled that has a miter gauge?
I have a Craftsman (built by Ryobi) that I inherited from my dad, he bought it in 2000.
It has that "sliding miter" I think it's a decent saw for being direct drive. The sliding miter works great on lighter material, but the locking cams do not secure it to the rails good enough IMHO.
I don't have it on the legs that came with at the moment.
I have it sitting on top of my 15yr old 10" Skil table saw (bench model with legs) that I can't kill--------NOISY, BLADE WOBBLING, POS------BUT IT WON'T DIE.
I have a diamond blade in that with a hose attachment so I could cut some large pieces of soapstone & granite---- still won't friggin die.
“We need to be a country of tall fences and wide gates.â€
The one item I don't like is the close proximity of the power switch to the table-top clamp (allows the top to expand). I have hit the powerswitch when reaching for the clamp.
I got one for the van after HD was sold out of the ridgid on Black Fri. I figured I drove that far, I wasn't leaving empty handed. I really want the 299.00 deal on the ridgid, but the ryobi was 249.00..so, I saved a few bucks.
I've not cut a lot on it yet, but I got the Bosch a month or so before for a job site only set up ( long term job).
So far, I prefer the Ryobi..
what I have learned of it is that you really, really want to make sure all the locks and such are snugged down for transit..I lost a winged nut or somethng from the miter slide into the morass of the van floor..hadda empty the whole damm van out to find it.
The OLD ones were advertised to be able to ripa 4x4..I have about 1/8'' less blade than that, but I'd not be doing that anyway.
I have a 20+ year old Planer/Jointer the AH-115..awesome good planer..and an ancient 3 HP plunge router..still going strong.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
"Success is not spontaneous combustion, you have to set yourself on Fire"
Yea,Ryobi used to be a name to respect back in the day. I didn't realize that most of all the older tools were made in the USA. I have an old flier from them showing their lineup and just about every tool was made here.Didn't they invent or at least introduce the very first lunch-box planer?Now they are a slight step up from B&D, but in general they sell the same cheapo pimped out tools like B&D and even Ridgid - cheap disposable tools for the masses.Julian
I think they did do the portable planers first.
I know my combo is a heavy bastid. The jointer extends with out feed roller to almost 7'..nice for a 6 9/16 wide jointer..or issit 6 5/16..shoot I forget.When I was travelling doing work in churches, that planer was out in the front yard of a church in Chicago, in FEB , right on the lake..man, all the snow was showered with planer shavings..quite a sight.
I think it clocks in at about 400lbs., or at least feels that way schlepping it around.They then went to the lunchbox style the AP10 I think..12" and under a Cweight..but may have had the resharpenable knives still..that alone is nice, I can not quite understand the cheap disposable knife idea..WTF, I get a better cut with a 'standard' knife, and they STAY sharper longer. One look at the chip breaker/clamping sys. in throwaway knife cutter heads and you can see that the chip load can't match the fixed knife set up, so a shallower cut has to suffer from that design..takes longer to plane, and the more passes it takes the more wear on the disposable knife..built in obsolescence.I had the first chop saw Ryobi made..geezeus..heavy as hell too..dumped it for Delta compound that weighed half as much..I kinda miss some of them old iron relics, until I have to tote them to a site..now that I am older, I can appreciate the new alum and plastic stuff a bit more..LOL
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
"Success is not spontaneous combustion, you have to set yourself on Fire"
"ntroduce the very first lunch-box planer?"I think it was a 10" and man would that thing hurt your ears with high pitched scrreaming - even if you were on the other side of the jobsite and wearing protection.
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
The ridgid 13" model I have isn't too bad on the ears, and with the dust shroud and a collector it doesn't make any mess really.Pretty cool to see ugly wood turn beautiful just like that.JT
I'm not afraid to say that I have a pretty old Ryobi BT 3000 table saw.
Would I bring it to a job site, nah.
Will it rip or cross cut a 4x4, yah.
The sliding table is darn handy for quick crosscuts, and you can even angle the sled bar for angled cuts.
For what I paid for it it and it's done a darn good job.
Let's not confuse the issue with facts!
Here's my setup:Picked it up for $100 and have sold $40-55 worth of the accessories that came with it, so it'll end up costing me between $45-60 total.have it setup for a 40" rip with an extension table.I have the Bosch 4000 saw, but it stays on the tool trailer, and I wanted something for my basement shop.Portability aside, it's actually a better saw than the Bosch - belt drive, 15amp, solid fence.Nice to have a table saw in the basement again - I have the Festool, but that doesn't totally take the place of a real table saw and the Bt3000 has excellent dust collection when hooked up to a dust collection system.Note: the two files are the same - choose the smaller one - the larger file was accidentally choosen.Regards, Julian
nice job on the extended table - what's the story on the long rails? - - are they available from Ryobi?"there's enough for everyone"
They're available all over - search for BT3000 on Ebay and a whole world of parts will pop up.Even better - as mentioned, there is a web forum sortof dedicated to BT3 stuff called BT3central.comI first came across it as it has the best tool bargains forum section out there and only just recently picked up one of the saws.They have a classified section too - there are always folks parting out their saws and selling the accessories.You can still buy the saw as a clone at Sears for $340 or so - just the colors have changed.The extended table kit comes with I think 44" rails and than I also have the table legs for it. I actually cut off 17" from the rails - so I could have had a close to 60" rip cut setup - pretty amazing for this little saw. I compromised by cutting them as it was a matter of space in my basement where I have every inch filled with tools - I need a garage!Regards,Julian
I was pretty enamored of that saw back in the mid to late nineties and actually made a trip for the purpose of buying one.At the store, the salesguy told me that if I were doing all my own work in one placce, it would do me well, but for a crew - multiple users who were non-owners - and on site, it would always be knoccked out of whack.Then later ( never bought one) I started hearing a lot about them urning up motors too
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I have a BT-3000 used for DIY projects. Believe I bought it in '99. Overall a good saw.
Have had the trouble with the lift - fixed myself with a good cleaning and a little disassembly. Time to do it again. I would like to have an insert with a standard T-slot for miter fence. The sliding fence is nice, but switching between it and the rip fence when you don't need accurate cuts seems like more work than it should be.
Overall, I would probably buy another if it continued to stay in my shop for my use and it had a T-slot. Wouldn't be my first pick if it had to travel or I had a crew.
Only other Ryobi tool I have is a mini biscuit joiner for picture frames. It's a nice tool, as well. But not as versatile since it only does tiny biscuits.
I just got finished using my Ryobi mini-biscuit joiner five minutes ago. I only use it about once or twice a year, but when I need it, there is no other comparable tool.
The job I was doing was basically a face-frame for a built-in set of shelves in a bathroom. The shelves were covered in tile on the top and the free-standing wall, but have pine face frames. For narrow rails and stiles, the Ryobi mini is great.
I used my most excellent DeWalt biscuit joiner for most of the work. It is at least ten years old and works like a dream. The dust extraction is as good as any Festool.
The Ryobi has no dust extraction port. I can live with that, since it makes very small biscuit cuts which result in very little dust.
My Ryobi question: Do you have a source for the biscuits? I still have a bunch, but am getting worried.
The only complaint I have about the Ryobi, other than no dust extraction, is that the blade they supplied is quite inferior. I would like to have a good source for a better blade.
Like the tables saw, after Ryobi stopped labeling them, Craftsman took over. Sears still sells the joiner and biscuits by Wolfcraft:http://www.sears.com/shc/s/search_10153_12605?vName=Tools&keyword=biscuit
Amazon also has some. It uses sizes R1, R2, and R3. http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_hi/102-3582550-7321740?url=search-alias%3Dtools&field-keywords=r1+biscuithttp://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_hi/102-3582550-7321740?url=search-alias%3Dtools&field-keywords=r2+biscuithttp://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_hi/102-3582550-7321740?url=search-alias%3Dtools&field-keywords=r3+biscuit
Found a thread on another forum saying you can search under "Ridgid 4600413" to find them, as well. This worked when I tried it. Some threads say Menards has them, if you have them locally. Ace may, as well, but at a premium over Sears.
Ryobi used to sell an optional carbide-tipped blade. The woodworking store I bought it from recommended it, but I didn't plan on using it that much when I bought it 9 years ago. I can't find any online now. I imagine Sears could get you another steel blade through their parts department, but they don't have them on their website.
Thanks a lot! I'll get right on it. Just knowing that someone offered a carbide blade once gives me confidence that there is one out there somewhere. I guess I'd better buy a few extra biscuits just to be safe. I know I would be motivated to use them in more applications if I had a smoother-cutting blade in the tool.
so who are the other two????
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their staying undecover so no one will know,someday we'll all be able to pull our ryobi's out and be proud. larryif a man speaks in the forest,and there's not a woman to hear him,is he still wrong?