I don't write many reviews, but this table saw deserves one. If for nothing more than the fact that it doesn't have enough as is. So before I begin, I must preface this review letting you know that I'm upgrading from a $100 Craftsman that I've been using for about 12 years. I am a DIY, weekend warrior type, so not a professional by any means. My budget was also not large enough to spend on a cabinet saw, so that left me in the "contractor" arena of table saws. So onto the review...
The table setup was super simple. Lifted it out of the box, flipped it on end, lowered the legs, and set it upright. The knobs that lock the legs in place, just take a half twist to unlock, and then when you begin opening the legs, you give them another half twist to allow them to lock into place once the legs are open.
The first thing that you will notice is that with the exception of the manual and dust bag, there is nothing left to pull out of the box. That's because everything is attached to the saw in its own place, including a spot for blades, tools, fence, push stick, shield, and miter.
Next was opening the extension. Just press the little spring loaded clip and open the extension. I saw one mention in my research where someone questioned the extension hinge. This was a point of question for me, but not anymore. One, the hinge seems decent, especially knowing that you won't put hardly any weight on that area. Here's the thing. The extension table sits almost 1/2" lower than the main table, and this is by design. For most materials, they are thick enough that the extension is not needed for support. It's mainly there for the fence. However, if you are running something thin through and want a bit of support, then there is a support bar that you can attach to the fence that would give you this extra bit of support. What else is nice about the extension being lower is that it will reduce drag on any material that you are running through the saw. So for these reasons, I'm not concerned about the hinge at all at this point.
Blade installation was next. The throat plate is a tool free plate that just pops out and back in. This is good and bad, in my opinion. The good is that it's really easy to pull out to replace the blade and to install/remove the riving knife or shield. The bad, in my opinion, is that I was hoping to build/buy a zero clearance insert. With this design, I'm not sure yet how or if that will be possible.
So after I got the plate removed I just used the 2 wrenches that came with the saw to install the blade. Not much to say here, other than it was nice and easy, especially compared to my old Craftsman. While I had it open, I also installed the riving knife. There is a lever behind the blade that you just flip to loosen the clamp-style mount for the knife or shield. Just slip in the one you want and lock the lever. After that, I popped in the throat plate and was ready to go.
I then set up the fence. When I received it, the fence was not perfectly parallel to the blade. In fact, it was about 1/16" tighter at the back. The nice thing is that this is completely adjustable. I made my adjustments, and it's perfect now. The fence slides reasonably well along the rail, clamps tight, and holds solid. You can also adjust the "window" that shows you your measurement to make it as accurate as possible. There is also the ability to adjust the tightness of the clamp. Neither was necessary to adjust.
The laser was next to be set up. I installed the included batteries, and that was that. The switch is just to the left of the main power, so it's easy to flip on when you flip the other. I am kind of surprised that the laser requires batteries when it could have been just as easy to tie it into the table power. Either way, it's easy to flip on and off. As for the function of the laser, the jury is still out. Basically it shines a laser line on the surface of the table, and not the wood itself. This may be ok, but it appears to me that the line is just too close to the front of the table so it may be a trick to use for larger pieces. One other thing to note is that the laser is not adjustable. I did not test to see how perfectly aligned it was, but it did appear pretty accurate. All in all, it's something to advertise, but I doubt that I will ever use it much at all.
The out feed support is a really nice addition for me. Always used rollers or saw horses in the past to accomplish this, and now those aren't required. Not much else to say about it, other than it just pulls out from the back of the table, and provides nice support for anything up to about 2 feet in length without teetering.
Haven't played with the bevel much yet, but appears to be quick and easy to adjust. Just unlock, slide to the desired position, and lock. Not sure how easy it is to fine tune, but initial tests didn't seem too bad.
Dust bag seems decent, but definitely didn't catch everything. It was able to catch a majority of the dust and debris, but not all of it. Sadly there isn't a connection for a shop vac, but I believe that this could be built on with a little bit of ingenuity. That will probably be my primary tweak when I have the time.
Last thing to review is the miter. It is plastic, but I suppose that that's to be expected from this price range. It slid through the slot nicely, and when there was lumber on top of the guide rail to hold it flat, there wasn't hardly any play from right to left. If you do not have anything sitting on top of it, you can wriggle it from right to left, but that's because it's lifting a bit in the t-slot. When held flat, it's a nice tight fit, with very little play. Other than that, it slides smooth, and will do the job. Oh, and there is a hole on either side of the handle that could be used to mount a wider support for better control if desired.
All-in-all, this is a very worthwhile upgrade in my opinion, and I am very happy with my purchase.
| Brand | Rockwell |
|---|---|
| Color | Grey |
| Blade Material | High Speed Steel |
| Surface Recommendation | Wood |
| Power Source | No |
| Special Feature | Brake |
| Included Components | stand |
| Voltage | 120 Volts |
| Item Weight | 40 Kilograms |
| Speed | 4800 RPM |
| Blade Length | 4 Inches |
| Number of Teeth | 50 |
| Manufacturer | Rockwell |
| Part Number | RK7241S |
| Item Weight | 88 pounds |
| Item model number | RK7241S |
| Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
| Item Package Quantity | 1 |
| Special Features | Brake |
| Batteries Included? | No |
| Batteries Required? | No |
| Warranty Description | Limited 2-year |
