nothandyman

Hmmm - didn't think of it that way; it sounds like a great idea, especially if you use a thick laminate. With the kind of cut I was doing (basically shaving the wood), the blade is so close to the fence that you really have to keep your eye on it, and every little bit would help. I stopped doing that kind of cut anymore, though, per the advice of carp. Ultimately, I decided to return the saw. Ryobi has a 30-day satisfaction guaranty. If it was only the rip fence (my fault), I would have kept it, but the saw didn't cut through 2-bys as easily as it should have (with the included blade), and really struggled with 4-bys. It also had a decent-feeling table, but it was pretty lightweight for its size, and the extensions weren't stiff. The miter gauge was wobbly. Basically, probably a fair saw for the price, but I've used so many other peoples' saws that were better that I decided to upgrade to a better saw myself. Now, if I mess up, I'll damage something expensive.

In this case, that probably wouldn't work. I think that you'd have to have an awfully strong laminate to protect against a blade that can slice through an aluminum fence. Good idea, though!

Amen to that! Thanks to you too, homer. I got my router used through an intermediary. It came with a table which I've been trying to figure out how to set up. I'll figure it out. I appreciate the tip about using quality bits - any suggestions on manufacturers? P.S. Re looking back and laughing - I've got enough already that I'll probably die of a heart attack!

Hey, thanks Carp! Fortunately, it's just a gouge in the fence that won't impact my future cutting. I appreciate all the advice, and I'll follow your suggestions. I don't have a planer or bandsaw, but I do have a router I've been meaning to learn how to use.... I really appreciate the time you took to explain all this to me.

I recently purchased a new Ryobi RTS20 table saw (see my recent post). When making a trimming cut - maybe 1/16 or 1/32 inch - I sliced into the rip fence (see attached photo). I'd like to know whether that reflects my carelessness or whether that shouldn't be possible. I didn't slice all the way through the fence, I just sort of trimmed part of it when I trimmed my wood. As far as I could tell (I checked), the blade was true, and I locked the fence where the rule said I should, and I checked it visually to make sure there was space between the blade and the fence before I started the cut. I'm thinking that a fence shouldn't be able to lock into a position directly over the blade, but I don't know. FWIW, my cut came out fine, so the blade couldn't have actually been touching the fence 100%. I'd appreciate any feedback, because if this shouldn't have happened because the saw isn't designed properly for this situation, I'm going to return it. If it was my fault, I'll probably keep it. It still works, but I don't like the gouge in the fence. Thanks.

UPDATE 9/5/2010 I can't tell whether this is the same saw as indicated by bradm90; it looks similar, but so do a lot of saws. It wasn't listed anywhere online because the saw is brand new. Just for people's info, the saw is easy to assemble, was well calibrated out of the box, and works pretty well. It doesn't have a heavy duty feel, but it doesn't slip and slide all over the place either. There is no play in the rip fence, but you have to place it by hand, as there's no fine adjustment knob. I did a couple tests and the measurement shown on the table was dead-on to the cut. It saws nicely through 2xs, and I was able to cut a 4x4 PT post in one pass, although it was pretty slow going. The rip fence is pretty lightweight, which brings me to a question. I tried doing some very thin cuts - 1/16" or so. The cuts came out pretty well, but I seem to have sliced into the rip fence in doing so. Is this because I wasn't careful enough, or should the saw be designed so that you can't lock the rip fence where it can be cut? I've attached a picture of the damage to the fence. If anyone has any questions about the saw, just shout. *********************** I just bought this yesterday from HD, but I wanted to check reviews before I opened it. I can't find it anywhere - it's not on Amazon, eBay, CPO or even HomeDepot's website (EVEN THOUGH IT BOUGHT IT AT HOME DEPOT)! Even googling it gets no hits for the right thing. Yes, it is "RTS", not "BTS". Does anyone know anything about this saw?? TIA. -Nothandyman

Thanks - I'm sold. And it's "cents," as opposed to "nothandyman would have no *sense* if he bought the Freud or the DeWalt saw." Hope you're right about my being a pro soon; every time I do a project it looks good to family and friends but I see all the mistakes. It would be great to be a pro on at least one tool!

Thanks, Carl73. I'll take your recommendation; I know I can't go wrong. How do you make really accurate angle cuts without detents? Just make test cuts and adjust?

I'm looking for a $100-$150 jigsaw. I had pretty much narrowed it down to two, but a building supply shop with contractor tools recommended another one. My thoughts: 1. DeWalt DW331K. What I like about this saw is: toolless blade change AND toolless shoe bevel, dust blower, detents for shoe angle, flush cut blade. 2. Bosch 1590EVSK. This has the same features except that the shoe angle settings don't have detents (I'm not sure how accurate the DeWalt's are, but that would be good to know) and it doesn't have a flush cut blade. The main thing that makes this more appealing to me is that most contractors I know use Bosch jigsaws. 3. Freud FJ85K. This doesn't have detents, tool-free shoe bevel, blower or flush cut. However, the building supply sales guy said it's the best built of the three, and I should forget about the extra features in this price range and get the better saw. Reviews I've read say it's a better value than the Bosch because it's $50 less, but they don't discuss the differences I mentioned. I'd appreciate comments on this. Even though it's not all that much money, I'd like to get a solid tool. Thanks.