Both these saws look pretty impressive to me. Sears had both the 22114
and the 22104 on good sales just before Christmas, and I have been
kicking myself for not getting one then. When you were doing your
comparative shopping, did you look at the new Hitachi saw at Lowes? At
$499, it looks to be in the same ballpark with the Ridgid. It comes
with a caster set, which may or may not be good enough. I've read lots
of comments about Craftsman fence deflection, so it is one thing I
always check on the floor models. These fences *appear* to only lock
at the front with little stabilization at the rear. This scares me as
well.

Kirk


Mike W. wrote:
OK WWing experts....

Let me first start off by saying I have been watching for a used saw
for
some time but nothing worth buying has shown up in the papers around
where I
live. Also, I don't really want to mail order something as big as a
saw. I
think there is too much risk involved with that for me so that rules
out
Grizzly and General International among others.

So, I've narrowed the saws in my price range down to the Ridgid
TS3650 and
the new Craftsman 22114. I know there are a ton of posts about both
of the
saws and I have read them for hours on end. But I still don't have a
clear
cut winner because the upsides/downsides are so different. I will
itemize
them and if you have a strong opinion about which issues are more
important
or fatal, please post a reply.

Thanks in advance.

Ridgid TS3650
Problem: Some models have arbor problems when using stacked dados.
Not a
fatal flaw, but causes uneven bottoms. (No such issue with the
Craftsman)
Notes: Ridgid is sending out replacements and I understand it's not
overly
difficult to fix. Still, having to 'fix' something out of the box is

dis-heartening.

Problem: Wobbly Table. (The Craftsman is solid as a rock)
Notes: Many say the wobble isn't that bad (and I concur based on
what I've
seen and the P.O.S. I currently have), but can easily add bracing to
virtually eliminate this flaw.

Craftsman 22114
Problem: Fence Deflection approaching 1/4 inch at rear on two models
I've
seen without applying too much force.
Notes: No fix that I know of. I'm not sure how much of an effect
this
would have on its use, but any other brand saw I've seen doesnt have
this
degree of deflection in the fence. The Ridgid locks down very tight
and
straight based on line of site over the miter track. (Some argue
that the
rear locking mechanism can be as bad or worse since it can 'lock' out
of
square)

General Notes about comparisons.
I like both saws. On one hand, I like the 3/4 cabinet style of the
22114,
but it weighs quite a bit more and doesn't come with a mobile base.
I would
HAVE to buy one at the time of buying the saw because my shop space
is
limited. The Herc-U-Lift on the TS3650 seems awesome.

The fence deflection on the 22114 scares me more than any of the
TS3650
issues because I don't have a 'fix' other than buy a Biesemeyer - out
of the
question because of the price. OTOH, I'm not sure that the
deflection is
that much of an issue. Does anyone have a thought of how bad that
will
affect performance?

The 22114 will end up costing nearly $200 more after getting the
mobile
base.

Finally, The TS3650 fences have a rip capacity that is offset giving
you
like 36" to the right and 12" to the left while the 22114 is almost
centered
giving you 24" to the right and 25" to the left. I havent sat down
to
ponder too deeply, but it seems that having it offset and getting a
greater
capacity to one side is better, but I could be wrong.

I'm leaning towards the TS3650 knowing I'll be doing more
tweaking/fixing
than I'd like... but everytime I get ready to go buy it I struggle to
go
through with it. Sears and Home Depot are within line of site so I
have
been back and forth giving them the 'once over' about 50 times and
still
cant decide.

Thanks for any info.