What's the best table saw for her husband ... the forums speak! from woodworking.com

Ahh! That perennial forum question ... which is the best table saw? With a budget limit around $500 for a birthday present, a once-in-a-while woodworker's wife had narrowed her choices to the Ryobi BT3000, Ridgid TS-2400, and DeWalt DW744. Due to space limitations, she thinks portability is a key element. She liked Ridgid's $499 price, but she also liked the Ryobi because it can incorporate a router table. (She doesn't say why she included the DeWalt.) Making the Ryobi and router table mobile only requires the purchase of one wheeled stand, while the Ridgid and separate router table would eventually require two stands. Also ... her husband is a lefty! Any suggestions?

Explaining that he'd just gone through a similar decision-making process, a poster proclaimed the BT3100 (the BT3000's successor) his final choice. Getting the saw and accessory kit -- casters, router mounting, etc. -- for less than the cost of the DeWalt or Ridgid was a side benefit. He provided a litany of pros and cons for each machine.

• Ridgid and DeWalt have only a 24" to 25" rip capacity. None of the three are suited for cutting up full sheets ... without additional table extensions, in-feed & out-feed support, etc. Therefore, you should consider the "accessory package" for all the saws ... how much can you add on when you're ready to expand capabilities.
• Ridgid and DeWalt are direct-drive saws ... so they vibrate more and have a limit on their cutting depth. Ryobi's belt drive reduces vibration.
• Though both are nice saws, Ridgid and DeWalt are still just benchtop saws.
  · Ridgid and DeWalt tilt right and have their largest rip capacity to the right of the blade (when facing the saw) ... but he's not sure if this is an issue with lefties.
• Ryobi comes with a two-year warranty & Home Depot has a 90-day money back guarantee.
• Some say Ryobi lacks power and loses its settings. And he agrees it's not as powerful as a 2-HP induction motor contractor's saw, but a little Loctite® cures any "setting issues", and it has plenty of power for the "weekend warrior".
• Ridgid and DeWalt are designed for heaving into the back of a truck and taking to a job site ... Ryobi is not. Ridgid and DeWalt won't mind having 4 x 4s tossed onto the table all day ... Ryobi will mind.
• Ryobi's optional router mounting kit may not be the greatest ... but offers space advantages.
• Though not designed for daily "production" type shops, Ryobi is more accurate then Ridgid or DeWalt and is ideal for the weekend woodworker.

For an even longer discussion of relative merits, the poster provided a link to another forum thread that covered similar ground and to a BT3000/BT3100 forum. And another woodworker shared a link to his website article on Buying a Tablesaw and to the Ryobi Power Tools Forum.

Another forum participant noted that any of the smaller job site table saws or lower-end contractor saws in question lacked the stability required to handle 4 x 8 sheet goods. Completely bypassing the original choices, he suggested that the Festool ATF 55E portable plunge saw was accurate, portable, robust, had good dust collection, and did a good job of handling large sheets!

Speaking of alternative choices, a correspondent waxed long about pursuing a used option. He'd been lucky enough to come across, variously, a pre-owned Craftsman 10" contractor's saw for $150 and a huge Rockwell contractor's saw for $400. To him, both offered a big step up from the original three choices, for less money. If he hadn't come across them, however, he admits he'd probably have opted for the BT3000 ... based on all the favorable comments that have been posted. Then, one supposes for fairness sake, he launched into the favorable qualities of the DeWalt:

• Heavy iron table, unlike the pressed aluminum found on most benchtop models.
• Good dust collection ... the blade is almost completely surrounded (under the table) with a dust port. Removable fence that stays in position.

Providing some long-term perspective, a BT3000 owner has used his every day for eight years with no trouble. Once it's aligned, it stays accurate. He knows its limitations, so he rough cuts sheet goods with a straightedge and a circular saw on saw horses. If he needs a cleaner edge, he re-cuts it on the Ryobi. As to the difference between the two generations of BT, a BT3100 owner explained that there were only minor improvements in the later model, but it cost about $150 less. Otherwise, 98% of what you read about the BT3000 also applied to the BT3100. The differences between the two were further explained at the BT forum. Another forum member declared his love for his BT3100 (coincidently a gift from his wife) ... especially the dust collection. But he was still mighty pleased when a long-time cabinet-maker friend helped him on a weekend project and declared his own approval for the Ryobi.

In response to her concern about bases, a BT3100 owner noted that it came with a stand. The optional $99 accessory kit included wheels, router mounting tackle, miter fence clamp, and a dust bag. Or they could either purchase an aftermarket mobile base or build one with 3/4" plywood and locking castors.

And regarding left-handedness, a fellow lefty declared that most equipment could be used safely with either hand, most lefties have long-ago adjusted to functioning ambidextrously in a right-hand world, and that most tools need to be worked from both sides at some point.

When pressed for her final decision, the woodworker's wife indicated she was leaning toward the Ryobi and was convinced that the newer 3100 model, along with its accessory package, sounded like just what she was looking for.