Woodworking Tools Equipment and Machinery

Wood and Metalworking Machine Basics Editorial Product Review

New Ridgid Woodworking Machines

You may have noticed a new brand of woodworking machines, it is called Ridgid. The Ridgid name goes back a long time and is known for pipe wrenches and pipe threading tools. The Ridgid brand name was added to these machines by its parent company Emerson. Emerson supplied Sears woodworking machines under the Craftman label for many years until Sears and Emerson disolved this relationship in 1998.

I compared some basic features and specifications on these Ridgid woodworking products against the market leaders like Delta, JET, and Powermatic.

Ridgid Bandsaw

BS 1400
Ridgid 14" BS 1400 Bandsaw

This is a basic 14" open stand model with a 14" x 14" square table like Detla. The JET 14" bandsaw has a larger 15" x 15" table. The Ridgid bandsaw motor is an open design like Delta; open motors can over heat because sawdust could collect in side the motor. JET offers a TEFC Totally Enclosed Fan Cooled motor as standard on their 14" bandsaws which helps seal out saw dust.

Ridgid Tablesaws

TS2412 TS2424

Ridgid TS2412 and TS2424 Contractor Style Table Saws

These two Ridgid contractor style tablesaw models are similar. The TS2412 is the basic model and TS2424 is the deluxe model. The deluxe model's upgrades are cast iron open grid (possible finger catching) extension wings, micro adjustment fence dial, storage hooks and brackets for the miter and the fence, and a caster platform for movability. Surprising neither Ridgid saw includes a T-slotted mitre gauge slot for large crosscuts that hang off the table like the Delta, JET and Powermatic contractor style saws do.

The Ridgid/Emerson 1-1/2 HP, 13 amp rating motor is an open design like the Delta. Open motors can draw in shop sawdust, which can cause overheating and significantly shorten the life* of a motor**. The JET and Powermatic contractor saws have TEFC Totally Enclosed Fan Cooled Motors that help to seal out the dust. Delta's motor is 12.8 amps. JET has a stronger 18 amp motor.

The Ridgid fence system does not always lock square or align itself square to the blade (a major draw back) unless it is pushed tightly to the front of the saw at the same time the handle is pushed down, (see the alignment instruction decal on the Ridgid fence). While the Ridgid fence looks different than the Sears Exact I Ripfence it seems similar in basic design. This Sears Craftsman Exact I Ripfence was tested by Fine Woodworking Magazine in the December 1998 issue. The magazine said the finish quality is excellent but the fence system has a major flaw. "If the fence is not pushed tightly to the front of the saw and is skewed on the front rail when the locking lever is pushed down, the fence can lock out of parallel to the saw blade. Worse yet, locking the skewed fence twists it permanently out of line by 1/4" or more" (Fine Woodworking Magazine).

This is the only fence system that Ridgid offers on it's tablesaws, so you be the judge. Try it out for yourself.

* Fine Woodworking Magazine, April 1999, "Making Sense of a Motor" page 74

** Open motor info Shop Notes magazine #21

Ridgid Drill Press

DP-1500
Ridgid 15" Drill Press DP-1500

Ridgid offers a basic floor model drill press made in China. Open design motor has more vent holes than I have seen in most wood shop machine motors. In my opinion dust could accumulate inside and cause motor to overheat. Overheating can reduce the life of a motor.

The Ridgid DP-1500 has a very short spindle travel only 3-1/4" which means it can not drill a hole through the wide part (3-5/8") of a 2" x 4" in one pass. The depth stop is the round style on downfeed handle shaft like Delta's. After use it can sometimes be pulled passed the desired stop point. JET and Powermatic have American style threaded external positive dept stops on most woodworking floor model drill presses. This threaded external stop on JET's and Powermatic drill presses is by far better.

Ridgid Jointer

JPO-600
Ridgid 6" Jointer JPO-600

Ridgid 6" Jointer offers two hand wheels one for infeed table adjustment and one for outfeed table adjustment. This hand wheel design offers the same excellent fine adjustment feature as the JET JJ-6CSX and the Powermatic # 54 6" jointers. My opinion is a in-feed hand wheel is far superior than a lever handle on the infeed table such as the Delta 6" jointers. A lever handle in-feed adjustment like Delta's makes it hard if not almost impossible to get fine adjustment for light cuts (a few thousands of an inch) that is required on some wood projects.

What is surprising is that the Ridgid jointer's fence only tilts one way (backward tilt) and is not two way tilting. All Delta's 6", JET's JJ-6CSX and the Powermatic #54 closed stand jointers offer more modern 2 way tilting jointer fences (forward and backward tilt).

This is the only Ridgid woodworking tool out of this whole group of Ridgid stationary woodworking tools that offers a TEFC motor, similar to it's main competitors like Delta, JET and Powermatic. Why is their jointer different than their other stationary woodworking tools? I wonder if Ridgid engineers think saw dust may be a problem in the wood shop?

Ridgid Lathe

WL1200
Ridgid Lathe WL1200

The Ridgid 12" swing 36" center wood lathe round tube bed design. Delta and JET's lathes have center slot flat cast iron bed design. The Ridgid lathe also has a slow speed of 875 which is more than 300 RPM faster than Delta's or JET's slowest speed. This means large diameter work has to spin faster on a Ridgid lathe. The Ridgid web site under features and benefits for this lathe states it handles up to 12" diameter bowls, some woodworking experts believe 875 spindle RPM (the slowest speed this machine has) is too fast and they would not recommed it for large diameter bowl turning. The Ridgid lathe has smaller MT-1, with a 3/4" x 16 TPI spindle thread. Delta and JET have larger and more popular MT-2, 1" x 8 TPI spindle thread. The Ridgid motor is an open design, which could accumulate dust and over heat. See Ridgid's lathe manual trouble shooting section were they discuss this potential overheating problem of open motors.