eekamouse wrote:
On Oct 9, 10:12 am, mac davis wrote:

On Mon, 08 Oct 2007 11:06:18 -0700, bookman wrote:

On Oct 7, 11:10 pm, mapdude wrote:

I was considering getting a Rigid bandsaw until I read some of the
reviews on the HD web site. I like the looks of the saw, like the price
and I already have a table saw and jointer, which I am very pleased
with. Is this saw really as bad as some have suggested?

I have the older version, all grey in color. My saw was exactly what I
could
afford at the time. The fact that I was to able purchase it for $275
on sale also
helped. I have upgraded mine same as mac davis with link belt & cool
blocks.
I honestly don't see any reason for trading it up on a better brand/
model. I
have built some boats and lots of furniture with it and as long as I
don't push
it too hard it performs well. I wouldn't want to resaw thick (4")
hardwood with it
though. Anyone built a cabinet base for their Rigid?
My Rigid jointer has also performed very well and I believe I have
gotten more
than I paid for with both tools.

Good points!
I realized after reading your post that until I got my BS, I shied away from
Ridgid tools and borg power tools in general..
Looking around my shop now, I realize that my latest 2 additions are a table saw
and planer, both Ridgid..

mac

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Ridgid is alright but if I wa not in a hurry or dire need I wuld look
for some good old american iron being sold from an out of business
shop or old wood workers estate. The biggest problems with the Ridgid
BS is the lightweight castings used onthe upper end, its easy to
spring out of shape by trying to tension the blade sufficiently, and
then the motor is working hard too as its over rated for what it
actually is in horsepower..........Put an amp meter on it when cutting
something like 1" pine and its maxing out the amperage draw rating of
the motor as its basically border line in its application. Even the
blade guides leave a lot to be desired. I would save or hold on to my $
$$$ and start looking for that long lost piece of american iron.
However if yur satisfied with a 1/4" wide blade and cutting thin
materials I suppose it will do just fine. At a minimum I wuld buy a
JET and even then its not really near as good as an old American made
piece that you may find. I picked up an Oliver 24" bandsaw w/3 phase
motor which I replaced with a single phase 220 motor, and had right at
$400 in it counting the motor I used and new tires ( i installed
polyurethane tires in place of rubber).............All 110% castiron
and made to run 24/7

I can't agree with the statement on 1" pine. I have used mine on 3 and
4 inch

red oak for furniture parts as well as cutting bowl disks from dry
blanks in various
woods.