Ryobi Table Saws

Just about anyone who has ever cut a piece of wood will agree that a table saw is one of the best investments a craftsperson can make. Whether you’re a “do-it-yourselfer” fixing up your own home or a contractor working on other people’s homes, a table saw is a must. But how much table saw do you need? If you’ve grown up in a “woodworking” home perhaps you’ve always dreamed of owning a Bosch or a Delta. Well, how about Ryobi?

If you’ve searched the Internet a bit you probably already realize you can get a comparable Ryobi Table Saw for about half the cost of a Bosch. Is the Bosch twice as good as the Ryobi? First, a word about Ryobi power tools in general.

Just about anyone who has ever cut a piece of wood will agree that a table saw is one of the best investments a craftsperson can make. Whether you’re a “do-it-yourselfer” fixing up your own home or a contractor working on other people’s homes, a table saw is a must. But how much table saw do you need? If you’ve grown up in a “woodworking” home perhaps you’ve always dreamed of owning a Bosch or a Delta. Well, how about Ryobi?

Ryobi has been in business since 1943, focusing on offering high quality tools for the consumer market. The idea is simple. A consumer who uses a Ryobi power tool occasionally does not need the overall durability of a contractor who uses the tool everyday. In line with their consumer oriented manufacturing philosophy, the Home Depot is now the only Ryobi authorized dealer anywhere. As the world’s largest home improvement retailer Home Depot is legendary for its money back guarantee on everything it sells. As a further testimony to the quality of Ryobi table saws you can find used and reconditioned models for sale on Ebay and Amazon. Let’s look at three of the most popular Ryobi table saws and see what they can do for you.

Ryobi BTS10 Portable Table Saw

This model can usually be found at your local Home Depot and on Amazon.com. Is this the right saw for you? That depends on how you will use it.

The basic function of any table saw is to cut wood, pure and simple. The variations that lead to different design features in table saws have to do with the types of cuts you need to make, the size of the wood you’re cutting, and where you will use the cut wood, and your personal tolerance for noise and dust. All lower end table saws use Universal Motors as opposed to the Induction Motors found in high end saws. Universal motors can be so noisy that some communities restrict the use of power tools after certain times of the day. The Ryobi BTS10 Table Saw comes with a 13 amp universal motor, which is powerful enough to cut through most wood but it will be noisy. And it has no dust collection system. On the upside, it is extremely light. It comes with an inexpensive table stand for use as an upright saw but the saw itself can be easily removed from the stand for ease of portability. Without the stand, the saw weighs less than 50 pounds. Critics point out that the lightweight design leads to frequent readjustments of the included rip fence and miter gauge when cutting heavier woods. And you’re going to be limited in the size of the wood you can cut with this saw. But if you’re building a deck it’s nice to be able to bring the saw to the wood instead of bringing the wood to the saw as you have to do with heavier table saw models.

Ryobi BTS21 Portable Table Saw

For more functionality, consider moving up to the Ryobi BTS21 for around $250. This model comes with a collapsible stand that allows you to haul this saw anywhere. It even features rolling wheels so you can transport it with minimal lifting. If you’re tight on space in your garage or basement, the collapsible feature has the added benefit of easy storage. The brilliant design feature of the BTS21 is the inclusion of both a sliding extension and a sliding miter table. This allows you to cut bigger pieces of wood and with a 15 amp motor you’ll get through them more quickly. While it has a dust collection system, most consumer reviews are not very favorable when it comes to the system. Perhaps the most frequently mentioned advantage is the fact that it is ready to use, right out of the box. All you have to do is install the blade guard and rip fence, a few control knobs, and then align a few guides.

Ryobi BT3100 Table Saw

This is Ryobi’s top of the line table saw and you can get one for around $300. Like other Ryobi models, the BTS3100 will be a little less stable than a heavier cast iron counterpart, you will have to make more frequent adjustments, and the motor will not last as long. But yet another testimony to the quality of Ryobi Table Saws is the number of used models of the older version of this saw – the BT3000 – available for sale on Ebay and elsewhere. The most unique feature of the new Ryobi BT3100 is the Sliding Miter Table (SMT). These saws don’t feature miter gauge slots but use the sliding table instead, so they take some getting used to. Finally, the dust collection system on this model has been significantly improved.

Ryobi table saws are generally recognized as the “best of breed” when it comes to consumer use. You’ll get features similar to those offered by their high end cousins, at half the price. Some say that’s a good trade-off for a little more noise and a little less durability.