“On any table saw, the heart of the saw is the fence,” says Dave Hazelwood, director of marketing for RIDGID Power Tools . That’s why the rip fence on RIDGID’s new table saw has a capacity of 36″ to the right of the blade and 12″ to the left. The 10″ contractor style table saw, Model TS3612, Dave said, is also the only saw in its market with micro-adjust trunnion capability.
It’s the new fence design that woodworkers have been commenting on at the shows, Dave said. “Folks have been quite pleased.” The seamless front rail is bigger than before, with a new profile that captures the underside of the fence head for smooth travel along the rails. The fence head is also wider, to improve front to back T-square type accuracy. Under the head are two redesigned plastic glides that keep the rip fence from lifting away from the fence rail and getting stuck in a sideways position. A magnifier lens on each side of the fence-head, to make it easier to read the newly simplified rip scales, has also been a popular feature.
As for the micro-trunnion feature, instead of the frustrating process of tip-tap-tapping the blade parallel to the miter gauge with a block of wood or a hammer — and then readjusting it because it moves out of position when you tighten the bolts — the TS3612 has a cam-actuated lever incorporated into the rear trunnion. RIDGID has a patent pending on this setup, which lets you loosen the trunnion bolts, rotate the lever to position the trunnion, and then tighten the bolts to keep it in place. It’s easy to adjust the front fence rail, too: a knurled, spring-loaded metal roller presses against it, and you rotate the roller with thumb or finger pressure to move the fence incrementally.
Of course, the TS3612 keeps some of the features of RIDGID’s previous 10″ table saw, like a rip fence that locks at front and rear; the Ind-I-Cut” in the table surface that lets you align the blade with the cut line for precise crosscuts; and a blade guard that automatically realigns itself with the blade. Power comes from a 1 1/2 HP induction motor, with 120/240 dual voltage capability.
