: Hello all,

: My friend has the Ridgid stationary table saw with belt drive and
: it had trouble ripping strips out of mahogany and pine. Granted
: the blade wasn't the newest but it was a fairly good blade. The
: motor constantly got hot and shut down. The Home Depot on island
: appears to be getting rid of most of their large tools and
: focusing on the portable stuff. They're down to the Ryobi and
: the Ridgid direct-drive portable contractor saws. I may be able
: to also get a Dewalt contractor saw at another hardware store
: for way more than list. I prefer to go to HD because their
: prices are much better.

: I have no problem with a direct-drive saw- I would actually prefer
: the smaller portable saws except I'm wondering will it handle
: ripping lots of strips from mahogany? Most of the table saw cuts
: will be ripping, so I am just a bit worried about getting a
: contractor saw home and finding it won't do the job. I would
: actually prefer the portability due to the nature of my shop as
: mentioned in other posts. Everything has to roll out on the
: porch for use.

: Anyone out there got experience doing lots of ripping with a
: portable contractor style table saw?

I'm no expert on table saws, but I can say that a sharp saw blade makes a huge difference, even with a cheap saw. I've ripped plenty of hardwood with both dull and sharp blades, and the difference is phenomenal. That could easily have been the culprit with the table saw. Or there could be something else going on, as it should go through most pines like butter.

Again, not an expert, but I'd steer clear of Ryobi stuff, unless price is really an issue. If so, you should just consider them to be "disposable" tools. That's my experience with a couple of their power tools - your results may vary. Unless you just need a saw a few times, for not much work, I'd say buy the best you can afford. Along with some extra blades . . . .

Good luck!