# Opinions on Rigid R4513?



## bassadict69 (Jan 10, 2017)

Any opinions on this tablesaw? I am brand new to this and I do not have room to keep anything larger than this. Is this a decent saw for a beginner?


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## Kerrys (May 2, 2016)

I own this saw and it works well for me. That does not mean it is the saw for you. I assume it is in your budget so the cost isn't a part of the equation but can you afford more? This saw's footprint isn't much smaller if any than some cabinet saw of better quality. If you can afford a higher quality saw you might consider it. What type of project are you planning on building? Do you need something with rollers or can you place a saw in its own location. Do you have 220 volts or are you limited to 110. If only 110 is the circuit 20 amp? There are more questions to ask but these get the ball rolling.


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## bassadict69 (Jan 10, 2017)

Kerrys said:


> I own this saw and it works well for me. That does not mean it is the saw for you. I assume it is in your budget so the cost isn't a part of the equation but can you afford more? This saw's footprint isn't much smaller if any than some cabinet saw of better quality. If you can afford a higher quality saw you might consider it. What type of project are you planning on building? Do you need something with rollers or can you place a saw in its own location. Do you have 220 volts or are you limited to 110. If only 110 is the circuit 20 amp? There are more questions to ask but these get the ball rolling.


I am planning on learning to build some simple cabinets and work areas to redo my wifes craft room. She has limited me to $400 for the table saw and that seems to be the best I have come up with. I have a small shed it will be kept in but will have to move it outside to do the work. I have a buddy who is an electrician, so if I need 220, he can hook me up. Same with whatever amp requirement I would need. We have plenty of room to upgrade the electric if need be!


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## bassadict69 (Jan 10, 2017)

Something kind of along these lines...


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## notskot (Feb 22, 2015)

Buy a portable when you need to move the saw from site to site on a regular basis. Buy a good stationary saw, even used, if budget is the determining factor. In most cases a good full size cast iron saw with a belt drive induction motor will trump a small plastic and aluminum saw with a direct drive universal motor. There's much more upside with a full size saw, and potential for upgrades as you grow with it.

*The ABCs of Table Saws*


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## Kerrys (May 2, 2016)

Kerrys said:


> I own this saw and it works well for me. That does not mean it is the saw for you. I assume it is in your budget so the cost isn't a part of the equation but can you afford more? This saw's footprint isn't much smaller if any than some cabinet saw of better quality. If you can afford a higher quality saw you might consider it. What type of project are you planning on building? Do you need something with rollers or can you place a saw in its own location. Do you have 220 volts or are you limited to 110. If only 110 is the circuit 20 amp? There are more questions to ask but these get the ball rolling.


I was mistaken in this post. I actually own the 4512 saw. A much different saw than the 4513.


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*You are in a bind*



bassadict69 said:


> I am planning on learning to build some simple cabinets and work areas to redo my wifes craft room. She has limited me to $400 for the table saw and that seems to be the best I have come up with. I have a small shed it will be kept in but will have to move it outside to do the work. I have a buddy who is an electrician, so if I need 220, he can hook me up. Same with whatever amp requirement I would need. We have plenty of room to upgrade the electric if need be!


You are not going to easily move a full size contractor table saw in and out of a shed unless you have large casters. On the other hand, a smaller, lighter weight portable saw has a limited space in front of the blade for making cross cuts and won't have the lateral stability of a larger table when trying to cut plywood to size. That's the "bind". :frown2: In table saw land, the larger the table the safer it is, and the easier it is to manage larger panels. 

You may want to consider a "track saw" from Grizzly, Dewalt or Makita. They are great for sizing plywood, but not the good for cross cutting smaller pieces. A miter saw in combination with a track saw would make a great start for a small shop.

If it were me, I'd go for the bigger heavier saw and make a large wheel dolly for it. One solution I made was to put 2 - 8" wheels on an axle on the back legs and then lift the front around like a wheel barrow. That worked pretty well.

There are tons of ideas for making mobile bases for both portable and full size saws:
http://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images;_ylt=AwrB8pSU93dYVzoA9kCJzbkF;_ylu=X3oDMTBsZ29xY3ZzBHNlYwNzZWFyY2gEc2xrA2J1dHRvbg--;_ylc=X1MDOTYwNjI4NTcEX3IDMgRhY3RuA2NsawRiY2sDOGdlajdjcGJpaHBoaSUyNmIlM0QzJTI2cyUzRGQ1BGNzcmNwdmlkA0tYNldhRFk1TGpHSU9tZG1WeWptTWdld09UWXVNd0FBQUFDTmhJRUMEZnIDc2ZwBGZyMgNzYS1ncARncHJpZAN5VGouSV9DblRRbWFqWlNlRVQzOGRBBG10ZXN0aWQDVUkwMSUzREIzMDMzBG5fc3VnZwMwBG9yaWdpbgNpbWFnZXMuc2VhcmNoLnlhaG9vLmNvbQRwb3MDMARwcXN0cgMEcHFzdHJsAwRxc3RybAMyMQRxdWVyeQN0YWJsZSBzYXcgd29vZGVuIGJhc2UEdF9zdG1wAzE0ODQyNTczMTQEdnRlc3RpZANCMzAzMw--?gprid=yTj.I_CnTQmajZSeET38dA&pvid=KX6WaDY5LjGIOmdmVyjmMgewOTYuMwAAAACNhIEC&p=table+saw+wooden+base&fr=sfp&fr2=sb-top-images.search.yahoo.com&ei=UTF-8&n=60&x=wrt#id=39&iurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.woodworkingtalk.com%2Fattachments%2Ff12%2F9646d1246394444-roller-stand-12-tablesaw-100_0635.jpg&action=close


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## Nathan Parker (Jul 23, 2016)

If your main task right now is cutting plywood to size, you might consider foregoing the table saw and using a circular saw with a straightedge guide. You can buy these guides or make your own; search "DIY circular saw guide" to find several plans. You can pick up a decent circular saw, a 40- to 60-tooth blade, and a pre-made guide or the materials for a homemade one for less than half the price of that table saw, and save up towards a more substantial table saw when you're ready for it.

I have a portable saw similar to that Rigid; it was great when I was working as a handyman and needed the portability, but I'd really like to upgrade to a full-size saw now that I'm doing my sawing at home.


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## bassadict69 (Jan 10, 2017)

Hmmm! I will have to look into that! Thanks for the idea!


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## notskot (Feb 22, 2015)

Most sheet good suppliers will cut plywood and other sheet goods down to smaller sizes for free, or minimal cost. Then you can cut the smaller pieces accurately on a decent TS.


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## bassadict69 (Jan 10, 2017)

Would a Dewalt DWE7480 be a better saw? Of course, I would have to build a stand for it!


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## epicfail48 (Mar 27, 2014)

bassadict69 said:


> Would a Dewalt DWE7480 be a better saw? Of course, I would have to build a stand for it!


You still hit the problem of trying to break down a sheet of plywood on a very, very tiny table surface, it doesn't matter if it's any better than the Ridgid. The whole portable saw class has the same issue, it's not about the quality of the saw itself, the limiting factor is the table size. It's not fun trying to feed a 4x8' sheet across a 2' square table and still get accurate cuts. 

Really, for your budget you probably aren't going to find a new table saw that will do what you want. Used is an option, if you can find a good used contractor, cabinet or hybrid saw, but then you hit the issue of moving it in and out of a shed. Double, but a pain. A much much better option is one that wood things already suggested; a tracksaw. These are made with the express purpose of dealing with large sheet goods, and it's a lot easier to move the tool over the work when you're talking about this size. 

Grizzly makes a pretty good tracksaw kit, but for a $400 budget I'd be more inclined to shop around for one of the DeWalt kits


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## notskot (Feb 22, 2015)

bassadict69 said:


> Would a Dewalt DWE7480 be a better saw? Of course, I would have to build a stand for it!


The DW will basically have the same limitations as the R4513...they're both the same type of saw - portable jobsite saws. They're small, light, have limited operating space in front of the blade, and are made of plastics and aluminum. Their strength is the ability to easily move from site to site, but are not ideal for sheetgoods and fine furniture. Is price driving the consideration for a jobsite saw or is portability? 

Check out the difference in table space, especially the landing area from the front edge of the table to the blade, which is the amount of space you have to get a board or a sheet of plywood settled, level with the table, flush to the fence, and ready to cut before it contacts the blade. There's also the concern of having a very light table saw move while trying to adjust the load...as a beginner, these are things I would have never contemplated, but are the real world drawbacks of a small saw. Adding a workstation around a portable ends up taking up nearly as much space, if not more, than a stationary saw, so by then you have a larger area but have given up the advantages of the quieter induction motor and torque, as well as the wearability and larger landing area of the cast iron surface (plus the limitations of upgrades, feasibility of repair, accessories, etc - read the link I posted earlier if you want to understand the differences). The advantages of the stationary saw are significant, and are worth some consideration IMO if there's any way to fit it in. Sometimes a portable is simply more feasible, but the actual square footage of the footprints really isn't all that great in terms of real estate that gets consumed, but can make a huge difference for many woodworking tasks.


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## GFOviedo (Nov 3, 2016)

I had a jobsite table saw Dewalt DW745, and it was okay for small cuts. Anything longer than 18" you will not get accurate cuts since the fence moves when it is fully extended. I thought about buying the Dewalt DWE7491RS since the fence extends to 32 1/2" to the right, but again the fence isn't very accurate and it has a lot of play.

I ended up buying a used Craftsman 22124 table saw and bought the Grizzly mobile base to move it around my garage.


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## GFOviedo (Nov 3, 2016)

Almost forgot, I also bought the Rigid R4512 and a few hours later I returned it. The cast iron table was warped. The manager let me check two others at the store, and both had the same issue. So the manager said that pretty much all those table saws with the same lot number probably have the same issue.


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## canarywood1 (Jun 9, 2016)

I have the 4513 and if that's what you can afford for now go for it, i've been a woodworker for 60 years, and you really should not break down a 4x8 sheet of plywood on any table saw, unless it's set up for it, by that i mean like in a cabinet shop, where it's supported all the way around.

Everything on the Ridgid 4513 was dead on right out of the box, it has an excellent fence, miter gauge is also accurate, dust collection is 2 1/2 inches not 2" and the RPM's are 5000 not what's stated in the specs.


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## bassadict69 (Jan 10, 2017)

canarywood1 said:


> I have the 4513 and if that's what you can afford for now go for it, i've been a woodworker for 60 years, and you really should not break down a 4x8 sheet of plywood on any table saw, unless it's set up for it, by that i mean like in a cabinet shop, where it's supported all the way around.
> 
> Everything on the Ridgid 4513 was dead on right out of the box, it has an excellent fence, miter gauge is also accurate, dust collection is 2 1/2 inches not 2" and the RPM's are 5000 not what's stated in the specs.


Thank you! That is the kind of info I was looking for! I think for now, with my limited room, this will do everything I need it to do.


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## remydog (Oct 17, 2017)

*Side wing and outfeed table for Ridgid 4513*

I just bought this saw and find it to be very comfortable to use. However, with wide stock, especially if a bit floppy like thin mdf, the stock hits the side handle and binds. I think this would be solved nicely with a side wing. I also want to have an outfeed table. But each of these should break down flat so that they can be stored as this will be transported either from my basement or the garage out onto my driveway. 


So, has anyone made a side wing/outfeed table for this saw that might be simple and clever and break down for easy transport and storage?

Thanks.


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## some_guy_online (Jul 13, 2020)

Stay far, far away from this saw. I own it, it is bad, and unsafe. Here is my review: 

https://www.woodworkingtalk.com/f24/rigid-r4513-worst-tool-i-own-221189/


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## epicfail48 (Mar 27, 2014)

some_guy_online said:


> Stay far, far away from this saw. I own it, it is bad, and unsafe. Here is my review:
> 
> https://www.woodworkingtalk.com/f24/rigid-r4513-worst-tool-i-own-221189/


Dude, the thread is 3 years old. Was this really necessary?


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