Don't want to flog the dead horse but...

[FreddiePhuzz]

I bought a TS3650 and it was a nightmare to assemble. I posted in the assembly tips thread about it. The major issue I had with the assembly is there is no step to tighten the motor mounts. I am aware enough to go back and snug the bolts but I worry someone will not catch that and have problems. The motor vibrates and comes loose... the belt slips... the blade slows and stops cutting and starts catching and... KICKBACK.

I called Ridgid and the gal on the phone was more concerned about me sending in the right info to register my saw. I called and stopped in at Home depot and talked with 2 different managers who both told me they passed on info to their rep and he would call me. No call.

I had major issues with the assembly and to be honest if this saw did not perform as well as it has it would have been on Home Depot's stoop in a heartbeat. It does perform VERY well. I really like this saw. I just get concerned when companies don't seem to stand behind what they make/sell. ESPECIALLY when there are safety issues involved.

My 2 cents... GREAT SAW... AWEFUL Support.

Freddie

[BadgerDave]

If you had major issues with the assembly of this table saw then I fear you should return it immediately before you hurt yourself.

[FreddiePhuzz]

check the post I made originally. Issue is with the fact that the instructions are poor and the hardware is irregular. MANY MANY people have posted about this.

http://www.ridgidforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=7585&page=12

[Woussko]

http://www.ridgid.com/Tools/TS3650-Table-Saw/EN/index.htm

In the upper right look for the two pages side by side. If you click that icon you can download a better manual than what normally comes with this saw. It's not perfect but is may help. Please remember that many companies put out poor manuals. The problem is both of the person(s) not knowing English that well and also not having to assemble or use the item him or her self. If they let owners that had to figure it out the hard way work on manuals they would be much better.

[CWSmith]

The problem with a lot of Technical Publications writers is that they never actually go to the shop or have any 'first-hand' experience with the product that they are writing for.

I recall taking a compressor service class many years ago. It was 40 hours of lecture and hands-on training, culminating in a three-hour 'open-book' exam. I just happened to be one of several writers of that particular manual.

I did pretty well on the exam, considering I wasn't a field technician, but when I left the test room I was met by several of my classmates who wanted to know how it felt to go to the manual and NOT find the answers! Lesson learned!

After that you could darn well bet that every machine I wrote and illustrated instructions for, was one with which I had in-depth experience with. My ex-boss could never understand the importance of spending time in the shop with the equipment and discussing the details with the guys who were actually building these things. It's also amazing how many instructions I've read that were way off course when it came to the actual workings of a product.

CWS

[FreddiePhuzz]

I realize the issue with manual writers is common. What surprises me is that no one really seems all that interested in hearing me as a customer give feedback. I did get the saw together, it was just harder than I expected. I do like the performance of the saw... its really great. I just think they would be more interested in making the customers experience with the saw easier. Its not like I am demanding they re-design the saw fromt he ground up, just a few manual edits that will make assembly easier and safer. I know I was kind of irritated when I rounded the first bolt on one of the cast iron wings not because I horsed on it but rather the manual told me to use a 1/2 inch wrench on a 12 mm bolt. I don't like damaging my new toys right out of the box and when it happens because of a manufacturers mistake its just frustrating. I work on machinery enough to know to stop and re-look at what was going on there but does the average woodworker have macherery knowledge? I don't know if every guy that can use a plane or saw knows how to use a wrench.

Anyway.. I do really like the saw. it performs as well as as I have heard. I am planning on keeping it. I just like to think my tool manufacturer wants to keep up with their products and issues their customers might have.

[res057]

"I don't know if every guy that can use a plane or saw knows how to use a wrench."

Not trying to insult anyone here, but my opinion is that if you can't run a wrench, you have NO business running a power tool!:eek:

[Gofor]

Freddie: Your intentions seem noble enough (i.e. The manual sucks and has bad info in it). The problem is that on this forum you are preaching to the choir. One of the reasons this forum has so many looking at it is because the the company (Ridgid) has good products (not all by any means, but a good number) for a good price, but the support in the venue of manuals, marketing (i.e. their "exclusive" HD distributorship, when HD does everything it can to discourage customers), and availability of accessories really is among the poorest in the business.
Many here have voiced these concerns/complaints already, and it is beginning to be a sore subject when it seems no one at Ridgid is listening. However, they did establish this forum, so those of us that have purchased some of their better tools can help each other. I think this forum is the total extent of their response, as the bean-counters seem to be in the decision making majority with the exception of their bread & butter line of plumbing tools.
Be thankful you got one of the gems before they cheapen it to another piece of cr&p like is happening with ALL the tool manufacturers. Let us know if you find another, and feel welcome here with any suggestions for other users, as well as questions. However, griping about the company's actions has not shown any improvement, as it has been going on for years (literally), so please save yourself the stress of trying to change the company.
THEY DON'T CARE.
The rest of us just try to make it better for each other, and we are not Ridgid employees, so altho we can feel your pain, there ain't a dam& thing we can do about it.

JMTCW

Go

PS. Based on some of the posts here, I agree res057 that some people would be better served NOT buying power tools!! But, if they survived into their 20's, 30's, and 40's not concerned enough to learn the basics about how the machines they depend on for life work, they deserve a chance to mangle themselves however they want to. Hopefully Darwin's law will kick in before they procreate.

[FINER9998]

I have a ts2412 which predated the ts3650 and is one of the older gray saws. I followed the instructions that came with the saw and, luckily, the only probles I experienced were the ones where I didn't read the instructions carefully. a re-reading usually provided the nesessary info.

[artmann]

I didn't encounter any problems assembling my 3650. I thought the owners manual was fine, with the exception of the Herculift part. I figured that out on my own.

[9.5 fingers to go]

I never had any issues myself.

[AngryBeaver]

I didn't encounter any problems assembling my 3650. I thought the owners manual was fine, with the exception of the Herculift part. I figured that out on my own.

x2...

[Bob D.]

The fact that owners requests to RIDGID for manual edits and changes go unanswered is one of the reasons I started the 3650 Assembly Tips thread.

I am kinda surprised that none of the BS1400 or other tool owners has started a similar thread to help people with the growing pains of those tools.

[Pez]

The fact that owners requests to RIDGID for manual edits and changes go unanswered is one of the reasons I started the 3650 Assembly Tips thread.

I am kinda surprised that none of the BS1400 or other tool owners has started a similar thread to help people with the growing pains of those tools.

I for one found that assembly tips thread a big help. Had I paid closer attention and read all the posts I probably wouldnt have royally screwed up the first 3650 I got.

[bosco]

I just put my new 3650 together last week and everything was easy except the herculift. It didn't say which size bolts go where.

[Cephus]

x2...

X3. Twice. Assembled two 3650s, didn't have a moment's trouble with either.

[dbray45]

I just finished assembling mine in about 3 hours. The instructions were fine for me, the oder of assemblies could be improved.

The moter issue, from what I can see is simple. They do not want the motor anchored down, the weight of the motor plus spring should be enough to keep from slipping. If the belt is slipping then I would suggest that you have something binding or you are cutting material beyond the capacity of the saw. Either way, you may want to pay to have a service center take a look at it. With this kind of equipment it is far better to be a little shorter in the pocket than have shorter fingers or worse. I had a saw lock up once and it is a serious and potentially dangerous event. If you have doubts that the equipment is not perfect, there aren't any 'do overs'. Either get it fixed or replaced. Just a thought!

[ChongoBeast]

Just assembled a 3660 the other day, simple process, dad and I assembled and running in less than 2 hours.

Instructions are okay, you can look at the diagram and everything is straight foward. Even the lift system, just look at it, it can only go one way. If you have ever used a table saw before you can just look at it and know where 95% of the bolts go. If they are too big, or too short they probably dont fit.

Maybe someone could suggest they give torque values so a torque wrench could be used to prevent broken bolts.

Maybe they should come with an automatic feed to keep the operator at least 4 feet away from the moving blade and belt at all times.

Maybe they should just ship it assembled on a pallet and just add another 300 dollars the the price.

So many options. I read it somewhere here to this effect. Great thought.

NOTHING IS IDIOT PROOF! BECAUSE IDIOTS WILL ADAPT, ADJUST, OR JUST TRY HARDER TO SCREW UP!

Sorry i messed up that idea and wording but for safetys sake i hope that people who dont have the common sense or basic skills realize their limited abilities and dont hurt themselves with a power tools.

I wonder why hammer's don't come with instructions? Dont hit hand, etc...

If a person lacks the common sense to assemble a power saw I hope they sick to working with white glue, craftsticks, and a stapler! This may help them keep their fingers a little longer.

Now i'm really worried. I just realized some of these people drive, imagine a SUV going down the road 70 mph, with someone eating, talking on the phone, late for work, and worried about the assembly instructions to the a saw... An accident waiting to happen.

RIDGID makes good products, take your time, be careful, use common sense, and ask for help when you need it. Your projects will turn out fine and you wont get hurt.

[ironhat]

I diidn't find this forum until long after I had assembled the saw. Likewise, I got ahead of myself and had to disassemble a couple of times but that's not Rigid's fault. My biggest complaint was the odd bolt and nut head sizes. Neither ASE or metric quite fit them without a little slop which sometimes allowed round-over when tightening. Maybe *that's* a built in torque wrench!?! LOL!

[Raziel]

[quote=ChongoBeast;125449]
NOTHING IS IDIOT PROOF! BECAUSE IDIOTS WILL ADAPT, ADJUST, OR JUST TRY HARDER TO SCREW UP!

Sorry i messed up that idea and wording but for safetys sake i hope that people who dont have the common sense or basic skills realize their limited abilities and dont hurt themselves with a power tools.

I wonder why hammer's don't come with instructions? Dont hit hand, etc...

If a person lacks the common sense to assemble a power saw I hope they sick to working with white glue, craftsticks, and a stapler! This may help them keep their fingers a little longer.""""""

****************************************

A Big + 1
You mentioned just the right words --- common sense----. If you are dealing with this kind of equipment you should at least have a basic understanding of tools and assembly methods . You should read the assembly manual and watch the figures/pictures all the times that are necessary untill you understand what you are going to accomplish in each assembly step. If you cant do this simple steps and cant follow instructions or you dont have the common sense of not forcing a 1/2 socket in a 12 mm head , then you should look for an experienced person to do the assembly for you. Independently from the mistakes the manual could have, if theres common sense you can look for further info( like this website), look at the pictures, or simply find a reasonable way of putting up things without breaking or damaging them. I had no problem up to now putting up my TS 3660 . I am an A/P mechanic by trade and apply the same cautious assembly procedures that I use for my trade dealing with a lot of different specialized tools, to the assembly of my TS and up to now I have had no issues that cant be solved by analyzing or looking for help in the manual or forum. Some people cant just accept that they are doing something wrong and its always easier to blame others. The reason this thing comes dissasembled its because to have a dedicated team of factory people to assemble/inspect/QA this equipment will put the cost maybe in the thousand dollars range , because it would have to be assembled to a tuning level that satisfies the masses and avoid costly lawsuits in case something goes wrong. For me its been very entertaining to assemble my TS and a stress reliever. Once its rightly done , the accomplishment sense its just another reason to enjoy this machine.

[johneel]

It amazes me the dolts like the wacko and his daddy in Texas and the previous post who have to engage in some long-winded diatribe because some guy asked a question about a missing instruction in a poorly worded manual. I didn't have great problems with the assembly of the TS3650 but the part about attaching the motor was flawed. It specified NOT tightening the bolts initially but was missing the part about the eventual NEED to tighten the bolts. That's not the purchaser's fault; it's Rigid's and why these assembly forums are a good idea. So back off.

[cpw]

What would be an even better idea than the long assembly tips forum would be a Wiki with a FAQ. A forum, which is inherently linearly structured, is really the wrong medium for this kind of stuff which deserves much better organization.

Josh could even pre-populate it with the manual, so that intrepid members could fix an online clone of the manual. :)