# Christmas Present - Ryobi BTS21



## daddy-o (Dec 27, 2007)

I am an electronics guy, but carpentry is in my blood and I consider myself an amateur, although I have built some nice tables with basic techniques and very few tools that seem make my wife happy. I don't have the budget for cabinet saws, and really only build a few things a year - but I have been whining to my wife who wants me to build shelving, basic storage boxes etc. that I need a table saw to rip stuff staright! Well, she went and bought me this Ryobi thing - and I have been panistakingly scouring the net to find the following:
1) These "sub $500" TS do not cut accutately according to reviews.
2) The lack of standard miter channels in this table is a bad thing because it pretty much limits my ability to build any custom sleds for crosscutting etc.
3) Once I read those things, I started looking for something in the price range of about $400 and it is a WASTELAND as far as all the reviewers say - seems like 90% of the saws that are under $1000 are reviewed as "Junk" or "unworthy"

My real question is: How Inaccurate are we talking here - 1/32" at 10'? Should I return this thing and buy something else for the amount I'll use it? Any ideas on a useful/accurate way to build sleds for this thing if I do keep it?


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## johnjf0622 (Feb 8, 2008)

Well Daddy-o I have the ryobi tablesaw sitting in the back of the garage collecting dust bunnies. I now have the Rigid 10 inch table saw. The stationary one not the one that folds up. I love it the fence is right on and it has plenty of power. I run dark walnut, cherry, and maple through it without a problem. Yes it is over 400.00 but for the money I feel it is a great saw.


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## Handyman (Jan 2, 2008)

Hey daddy o
Most all of my shop tools or 50 to 60 plus years old, and are made of cast iron. They cut right on the money and dont move around when pushing wood through them. If anything moves or vibarates, it is the building they are in. But i have a few portable table saws as well. Light weight and can be put on the back of my jimmy with ease. when you are going to be doing light duty and small work, buy a light weight saw. If you are going to be doing medium to heavy duty work like 4 x 8 plywood you will need to spend some money are get a better saw. I carry the small table saw in my truck to use triming out windows and ripping trim around doors. It is great for that. But I use my heavy shop tools to cut big wood like plywood or 2 x 6 and bigger. The tool you buy is directly related to the job you want it to do. Bottom line is you get what you pay for


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## firefighteremt153 (Jan 25, 2008)

Hey daddy-o, check this thread out from last week. http://www.woodworkingtalk.com/showthread.php?t=3479
It pretty much answers every pro and con with smaller bench top table saws. If you have 400.00 bucks to work with than personally I would suggest taking back the saw and finding one that has everything you are needing/wanting. There are some really good new saws out there for that amount of money and even better used saws for 400.00. I used to have an older skill TS and finally upgraded to a Ridgid TS2412 10" TS. I bought the saw used for 250.00 from a guy who never really used it. I love my saw and has provin itself worthy to my needs. I'm not try to influence you to purchase a ridgid saw, just telling you for your money there is a better saw out there. Let us know what you decide. Well thats my 2 cents...Jeremy


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## dbhost (Jan 28, 2008)

I have that same saw, and aside from the fact you need to properly suppor the work piece on both infeed, and outfeed, which you need with bigger materials on just about any saw anyway, it is not a terribly inaccurate saw. I ripped some siding for the house with it last night as a matter of fact, there is no measurable (with the framing square anyway) variation in width end, to middle, to end on a full 8' rip. If you read up in the owners manual there are some misc adjustments you need to make in building jigs, sleds, and the like, but they are all well documented. NO this is NOT a cabinet saw. It IS a good folding contractor saw. They are different animals. This Ryobi saw is a fine saw for what it is. Don't expect a pickup truck to handle like a Ferrari, and don't expect to haul 100 fence pickets in the back of that Testa Rossa and you'll be fine...


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## leftysawman (Sep 16, 2008)

*Ryobi Bts 21 Table Saw*

Just noticed this thread re: Ryobi BTS21. 

A word of advice from a former purchaser: DUMP IT -- this saw is a safety hazard! 

I owned one of these for six months and after a number of safety incidents (having to do with the design), took it back to the Big Box store for a trade-in, and picked up a Ridgid TS2410LS instead. (More $$$, but love this saw!)

The issues with this newer version of the Ryobi BTS21 (which was redesigned recently): 
1. The miter slots on either side of the blade were eliminated, substituting a cheesy sliding miter table instead, making the attachment of additional safety holddowns and featherboards much more difficult.
2. The flimsy support/spreader for the blade guard is too far back from the blade, and very unsteady. Even after careful manual alignment of the blade with the bladeguard, the unavoidable movement almost guarantees kickback with any larger workpiece of sheet good. (My proof: Three kickback injuries while owning this product.) 
3. A functional riving knife behind the blade might have helped, but the flimsy bladeguard support was a sour note.
4. The anti-kick pawls on the bladeguard are also poorly designed (too large and too straight), and tend to spear/jam smaller workpieces going past the blade. 

Just wanted all to know one sawman's experience with this product ...


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## aggreX (Aug 14, 2008)

daddy-o said:


> I don't have the budget for cabinet saws, and really only build a few things a year - but I have been whining to my wife who wants me to build shelving, basic storage boxes etc. that I need a table saw to rip stuff staright! Well, she went and bought me this Ryobi thing - and I have been panistakingly scouring the net to find the following:
> These "sub $500" TS do not cut accutately according to reviews.
> Once I read those things, I started looking for something in the price range of about $400 and it is a WASTELAND as far as all the reviewers say - seems like 90% of the saws that are under $1000 are reviewed as "Junk" or "unworthy


Nice gift from the wife! If you decide to move up to a better saw, space limitations can decide whether you invest in a full-size cast iron table saw or a portable table saw. Ridgid offers both table saws within your budget TS3660+TS2410. If I had the space I would have purchased the TS3660. I did not hesitate to buy the TS2400 portable table saw that has a large table, great fence, wheels and a folding frame that was extremely stable. I roll the saw out of the garage into the driveway for minimal cleanup. The saw is dead on accurate once set up right and that makes all the difference in producing fine work. Both saws have excellent reviews for accuracy and design features. These saws were on sale earlier this year (TS2400 $300-400 and TS3650 $480). Bosch also makes an excellent portable table saw (my friend has the Bosch 4000 model under $400


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## dbhost (Jan 28, 2008)

leftysawman said:


> Just noticed this thread re: Ryobi BTS21.
> 
> A word of advice from a former purchaser: DUMP IT -- this saw is a safety hazard!
> 
> ...


If you read my posts, you should come to the conclusion that I am NOT in love with this saw by any means, but I think your conclusions are a bit unfair...

Like my post says, you have to ADAPT to not having miter slots. If you can't adapt, this isn't the saw for you. In my case, regular featherboards from several vendors drop right and and work fine. Most of your jigs need to be redesigned to work from an auxiliary fence. There are accessory clamps and such to hold work pieces to the SMT available through Ryobi. I own one and like it a LOT...

The splitter on mine at least is fine. If you are having trouble with yours, perhaps you have a defective splitter, or operator error. I have yet to have kickback from my saw pertaining to anything OTHER than trying to cut thin strips without a jig... My splitter does NOT move during operation, I have to assume you either have your splitter / guard installed incorrectly, or like I said above, you have a dud... I do however tend to stand to the side when operating the saw just in case of kickback... Yes a true riving knife would be a HUGE bonus here. I totally agree there. That is where the higher end saws come into play though...

And lastly. The BTS-21 has ALWAYS had the SMT instead of miter slots. That is NOT a design change. The BTS-20 had slots. Ryobi changed the model entirely. The table, SMT, fences, stand, and wheels are all very different between the models, although I believe they share a common motor / arbor assembly and similar dimensions and price points. The BTS-20 is a discontinued model.

Now having said that, if a saw purchaser were looking for a good saw on the low end of the budget, I would be looking toward a NIB Ryobi BT3100 with it's true riving knife, and available accessory tables with miter slots... Of course the Ridgid TS3660 is an excellent saw as well. I wouldn't debate this at ALL if the Ridgid offered a riving knife...


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