Rip Capacity of Rigid TS3650

[c.demille]

I have been looking at the Rigid TS3650 and have noticed that the fence does not extend all the way to 36" as advertised. When extending the fence this far, the fence falls off the back rail and hangs part way off the front rail. Is this typical for this saw, or was it put together incorrectly at the store? I have seen the saw at two different stores and both had the same problem.

[Dagster]

That is pretty typical of tablesaws in general... they never cut to the capacity indicated by the tape on the fence. They may judge capacity by the actual length of the fence system rather than it's mechanical limitations.

[Terry Mac]

Dag could be right. But I do wonder if its not something thats not put together right, or is loose in some fashion. Maybe the micro-adjustment? Floor models at box stores, like lowes and HD, are notorious for having been "thrown" together for display, I would dig a little deeper. If this is true for all 3650's then that's a design flaw that I would think would be noticed by now. If its not a design flaw, then it could be considered a "bait and switch". After checking a few machinery opinion sites the Rigid 3650 so far has a good following with no mention of the problem you're seeing.

[Don]

Hey, c.demille and welcome to the forum. Having anything over 24" is about the minimum fence width offered by most "cabinet" saws. 48" is the optimum because you can then reach the center of a plywood panel. 36" or slightly less is a good compromise between the two. Most cabinet sides will be in the 30" to 34-1/2" range and you should be able to get that on this saw - I would think anyway.

Good luck on your decision and let us know how it turns out.

All the best, Don

[c.demille]

I have had a hard time deciding between the TS3650 and the Grizzly G0444Z. I think I'm going to get the Rigid after Christmas. I don't have a jointer in my garage and I was wondering what a good saw blade would be for ripping boards that would be good enough to glue together into something like a table top? I can't afford a real expensive blade, what type and brand would be best for the money for this type of work?

[Don]

Hey, c.demille. Just about any good brand carbide tipped combination or rip blade will do a good job these days. You should be able to get a pretty decent "10 blade in the $30.00 range. You'll find that in a few years you'll have several blades for different purposes. To start off though, something in the 40-60 tooth range will be a good compromise.

A jointer not only makes a good edge but it's first task is to make a straight edge. If you have straight lumber or use a backup board to straighten what you have, clamps and glue will usually yield good joints. I think a sawn edge offers better holding than a jointed edge anyway, they are a little harder to "flush" under pressure though.

dawjr

[JasonChildress]

I just bought the Rigid TS3650 yesterday and finished putting it together today. It DOES have a 36" rip capacity to the right, I measured it to make sure. The front and rear rails slide on bolt heads secured to the table. So you can, if you choose to, move the rails more to the right to increase the capacity, but the measurement markings on the front rail will not be accurate if you do. I still have to tune it up for accuracy, but right out of the box, it appears to be pretty accurate. And it's so quiet.

[jmarkt]

the price on the 3650

[bogydave]

$802.00 on Toolsdirect.com

[JasonChildress]

The standard price at any Home Depot is $550.