Not sure if this is in the comments, but if you just unscrew that Philips head screw for the guard enough … you can in fact get access to the blade without having to do all the other stuff
Yours is the absolute best video at describing and instructing the installation of the blade and the problem encountered accessing and removing the blade bolt. Thank you!
Got this one last weekend, 289.00 on sale at Home Depot. I've been a fan of Ridgid for years, especially with their amazing warranty on their full line. Impressed with this saw. I put it through it's paces this weekend. I see you commented on the clearance of the protective shield when installing the blade, I found no issue with that on my end. I simply raised the plate cover a little higher and the bolt had ample clearance to be removed. I do appreciate the video and your very detailed set up explanations. Thank You
it's tricky but the instruction says to loosen the cover bolt so that the blade cover can slide back enough and the bolt can clear. this is why the single tool provided is all is needed. i did exactly what you did, i got a wrench and the blade cover was in the way and i was getting pretty frustrated until i re-read the instructions 2 more times
Aloha Todd, According to George Thomas the blade shield holds itself up if it is moved up far enough (See Georges comment for details).... But, I did have to take part of the blade guard off to get the blade retaining bolt out. I also made an error when speaking about the work hold down clamp. It DOES CLAMP when the sliding fence is installed. It was an operator error on my part the first time I tried to use it. Thanks for the great comment. Mahalo, Maverick Mike.
I don't know if you know, but with the blade guard, you can loosen the philip screw and slide it backward, then you can have access to unscrew the blade without actually taking the guard out. Great explanation throughout the video! Thanks!
You made a nice and thorough video on setting up the saw! Thank you Three comments: -the sliding fence pieces on my saw are not square with the table. They tilt back about 1/32" from table to top. For 90° cuts that won't matter, but for anything else it will. -the table on my saw is not level outside of the semi-circular rotating portion. The 'extended' portion which is part of the bed/frame of the saw slopes a good 1/32" down on each side. That is something to check and be aware of. That means material cannot be clamped outside of the rotating bed or else angles will not be true. An extension to the bed can also overcome that if its levelled with the rotating bed. -one does not check the accuracy of a square against another square. You would be assuming the second square is accurate. To check the accuracy of a square, start with a nice cut edge (of steel if possible). Place the head of the square against the edge and draw a 90° line. Then turn the square over and draw another 90° line over or very close beside the first line. If the lines are parallel the square is accurate. If not, and you have a machinists square as you were using, throw it out and buy a Starrett. If you are checking a carpenters/framing square and its off get out your ball pein hammer. Lay the square down on a hard surface and at the corner of the square tap the face of the outside corner with the ball end to close the square or tap the face of the inside corner to open the square. These issues can be overcome, but do yourselves a favour and check everthing before making any critical cuts.
I guess my question is why when you pay this much for a miter saw why should I should I have to cut the slot in the throat plate? Is there any advantage to me cutting the slot over the manufacturer suppling a precut throat plate? I purchased this same saw two weeks ago and it came with a factory cut throat plate. Seems to me this is a cost saving to Ridgid rather than a advantage to the precision of the miter saw.
When you were adding the blade and you loosened the phillips screw you did not push the blade guards up and out of the way enough or you would not have had the issue with the blade bolt.
Aloha David, Thanks for the information. It is a new toy and I will remember that the next time I change a blade. Great comment, great information! Mahalo, Maverick Mike.
@@maverickmikekauai3515 Note it may have been you didn't loosen the blade bolt cover screw enough. I ran into the same issue, but luckily kept loosening it and then the cover hinge popped off that screw and the cover (and attached parts) moved higher up out of the way to be able to unscrew the blade bolt. The nose of the cover actually sat itself nicely on top of the LED out of the way so I didn't even need to hold it up while working on inserting the blade. Mahalo!
Aloha El Chef, Yup, messed up on the shield thing. We move forward HOPEFULLY learning from past errors! You paid a great price! Glad you enjoyed the video. Mahalo for the kind words. Mike
The fence has a phillips head screw and a screw with a molded handle. Does anyone know if they are both required during operation? One of mine with the phillips head was in so tight I striped the head and had to take it out with vise grips. If I don't need to replace it I will not. Thanks
Aloha Richard, Sorry sir I'm not sure which one you are talking about. If possible maybe you could make a short video with your phone (or whatever you have) and post it to your channel so we can see what you are referring to. Then send me another comment with the link to your video. Thanks Mike.
I'm trying to get this new R4123 going. First of all, as per the instructions, I rotated the blade bolt until I could push the spindle bolt in but it will not lock. Also, I have a problem with loosening the blade bolt. It's incredibly tight. It's just about impossible (for me, anyway) to hold that spindle pin in and with the other hand apply enough pressure to force a turn with the wrench. It just shouldn't be this hard. Any suggestions?
@@speedforhire Thank you. I ended up taking the unit into Home Depot - they have experts on hand to help. This guy was unaware of the issue as described by Maverick Mike and which applies to my saw. He also had trouble getting the blade off but its done, he showed me how and I can do it on my own but it does take a longer wrench than I currently have to apply enough torque. After periods of use I check the bolt to se if it needs retightening.
Aloha Patrick, I agree that the setup was a bit complicated (detailed) but I wanted my saw to be as precise as possible so I followed all the steps in the owners manual. Mahalo for the kind words and hoped that the video was helpful to you. Aloha, Mike.
I was going to go with the rigid but i ended going with the Dewalt DSW779 i got in on sale at the local lumber yard. I love rigid tools but the this sw seemed kind of flimsy and cheaper quality than the Dewalt. Really would love to get a Festool but who has $1600 laying around .
Why are you fading to black to so much on this video. When you reviewed the Rigid table saw, you didn’t fade to black nearly as much, why are you fading to black so much??
Aloha George, Yes you are correct, the shield does hold itself up but I did have to remove part of the mechanism that holds the shield in place to get the blade retaining bolt out. I also made an error with the work hold down clamp which does work with the upper sliding fence installed. I just did not angle it correctly the first time I attempted to use it. Thanks for the great comment! Mahalo, Maverick Mike.
Yea but try and change the bearings.. just try to do it.. just take out the armiture of the gear assembly.. sons of bitches put steel bearings against an aluminum housing and used water based grease in the little reversing gearbox.. i broke damn near the entire housing trying to press out the armiture.. plus those 6 phillips screws that hold on the plastic guard or relief thats on the table.. every last one of those screws were seized due to galvanic corrosion as wel and had to all be drilled back out and rethreaded.. just ignorant decisions on some critical areas..
Aloha Videos and Rainbows, Mahalo for the feedback, will try to increase the quality of any videos in the future. Hope you find a video that is more helpful to you. Thanks, Mike
Not sure if this is in the comments, but if you just unscrew that Philips head screw for the guard enough … you can in fact get access to the blade without having to do all the other stuff
This should be pinned to the top.
Best video I found on this saw .. first time owner here .. this was super helpful thank you
Thank you! I couldn't figure out the lock pin, and your video saved the day!
Yours is the absolute best video at describing and instructing the installation of the blade and the problem encountered accessing and removing the blade bolt. Thank you!
Got this one last weekend, 289.00 on sale at Home Depot. I've been a fan of Ridgid for years, especially with their amazing warranty on their full line. Impressed with this saw. I put it through it's paces this weekend. I see you commented on the clearance of the protective shield when installing the blade, I found no issue with that on my end. I simply raised the plate cover a little higher and the bolt had ample clearance to be removed. I do appreciate the video and your very detailed set up explanations. Thank You
Aloha T.O.
The protective shield was operator error!😂
The saw has been giving me good service.
Glad you found the video useful.
Mahalo,
Mike
😊
it's tricky but the instruction says to loosen the cover bolt so that the blade cover can slide back enough and the bolt can clear. this is why the single tool provided is all is needed. i did exactly what you did, i got a wrench and the blade cover was in the way and i was getting pretty frustrated until i re-read the instructions 2 more times
Great overview of the Ridgid R4123! Mine is still in the box. Glad I watched your review before getting started. Thank you!!
Aloha Todd,
According to George Thomas the blade shield holds itself up if it is moved up far enough (See Georges comment for details)....
But, I did have to take part of the blade guard off to get the blade retaining bolt out.
I also made an error when speaking about the work hold down clamp. It DOES CLAMP when the sliding fence is installed. It was an operator error on my part the first time I tried to use it.
Thanks for the great comment.
Mahalo,
Maverick Mike.
I don't know if you know, but with the blade guard, you can loosen the philip screw and slide it backward, then you can have access to unscrew the blade without actually taking the guard out. Great explanation throughout the video! Thanks!
Aloha David,
Great comment, will try it out next time I swap out the blade.
Mahalo,
Mike
You made a nice and thorough video on setting up the saw! Thank you
Three comments:
-the sliding fence pieces on my saw are not square with the table. They tilt back about 1/32" from table to top. For 90° cuts that won't matter, but for anything else it will.
-the table on my saw is not level outside of the semi-circular rotating portion. The 'extended' portion which is part of the bed/frame of the saw slopes a good 1/32" down on each side. That is something to check and be aware of. That means material cannot be clamped outside of the rotating bed or else angles will not be true. An extension to the bed can also overcome that if its levelled with the rotating bed.
-one does not check the accuracy of a square against another square. You would be assuming the second square is accurate. To check the accuracy of a square, start with a nice cut edge (of steel if possible). Place the head of the square against the edge and draw a 90° line. Then turn the square over and draw another 90° line over or very close beside the first line. If the lines are parallel the square is accurate. If not, and you have a machinists square as you were using, throw it out and buy a Starrett. If you are checking a carpenters/framing square and its off get out your ball pein hammer. Lay the square down on a hard surface and at the corner of the square tap the face of the outside corner with the ball end to close the square or tap the face of the inside corner to open the square.
These issues can be overcome, but do yourselves a favour and check everthing before making any critical cuts.
I guess my question is why when you pay this much for a miter saw why should I should I have to cut the slot in the throat plate?
Is there any advantage to me cutting the slot over the manufacturer suppling a precut throat plate?
I purchased this same saw two weeks ago and it came with a factory cut throat plate.
Seems to me this is a cost saving to Ridgid rather than a advantage to the precision of the miter saw.
When you were adding the blade and you loosened the phillips screw you did not push the blade guards up and out of the way enough or you would not have had the issue with the blade bolt.
Aloha David,
Thanks for the information. It is a new toy and I will remember that the next time I change a blade.
Great comment, great information!
Mahalo,
Maverick Mike.
@@maverickmikekauai3515 Note it may have been you didn't loosen the blade bolt cover screw enough. I ran into the same issue, but luckily kept loosening it and then the cover hinge popped off that screw and the cover (and attached parts) moved higher up out of the way to be able to unscrew the blade bolt. The nose of the cover actually sat itself nicely on top of the LED out of the way so I didn't even need to hold it up while working on inserting the blade. Mahalo!
@@jondeagro2635 Great comment! I learned that one the hard way.
Thanks,
Mike.
Bought mine yesterday at an outlet paid 127 bucks tax included , will set it up according to this well made video ,except for the shield thing ..
Aloha El Chef,
Yup, messed up on the shield thing.
We move forward HOPEFULLY learning from past errors! You paid a great price!
Glad you enjoyed the video.
Mahalo for the kind words.
Mike
The fence has a phillips head screw and a screw with a molded handle. Does anyone know if they are both required during operation? One of mine with the phillips head was in so tight I striped the head and had to take it out with vise grips. If I don't need to replace it I will not. Thanks
Aloha Richard,
Sorry sir I'm not sure which one you are talking about. If possible maybe you could make a short video with your phone (or whatever you have) and post it to your channel so we can see what you are referring to. Then send me another comment with the link to your video.
Thanks
Mike.
I'm trying to get this new R4123 going. First of all, as per the instructions, I rotated the blade bolt until I could push the spindle bolt in but it will not lock. Also, I have a problem with loosening the blade bolt. It's incredibly tight. It's just about impossible (for me, anyway) to hold that spindle pin in and with the other hand apply enough pressure to force a turn with the wrench. It just shouldn't be this hard. Any suggestions?
@@speedforhire Thank you. I ended up taking the unit into Home Depot - they have experts on hand to help. This guy was unaware of the issue as described by Maverick Mike and which applies to my saw. He also had trouble getting the blade off but its done, he showed me how and I can do it on my own but it does take a longer wrench than I currently have to apply enough torque. After periods of use I check the bolt to se if it needs retightening.
Good video. When it gets to the squaring up the blade and cutting slot it gets complicated for the inexperienced.
Aloha Patrick,
I agree that the setup was a bit complicated (detailed) but I wanted my saw to be as precise as possible so I followed all the steps in the owners manual.
Mahalo for the kind words and hoped that the video was helpful to you.
Aloha,
Mike.
Why didn’t you mention what you paid?
You didn't move the blade guard far back enough
Aloha Adrian,
Yup that is correct, my mistake with my new toy!
Thanks for the cool comment!
Mahalo,
Mike
thank you for this vid
I was going to go with the rigid but i ended going with the Dewalt DSW779 i got in on sale at the local lumber yard. I love rigid tools but the this sw seemed kind of flimsy and cheaper quality than the Dewalt. Really would love to get a Festool but who has $1600 laying around .
Aloha Sean,
Yup, we get what we pay for...sometimes...
hopefully...
Mahalo,
Mike
Wth, there is no laser?
Why are you fading to black to so much on this video. When you reviewed the Rigid table saw, you didn’t fade to black nearly as much, why are you fading to black so much??
nothing wrong with design you didnt slide the shield up far enough it holds itself up
Aloha George,
Yes you are correct, the shield does hold itself up but I did have to remove part of the mechanism that holds the shield in place to get the blade retaining bolt out.
I also made an error with the work hold down clamp which does work with the upper sliding fence installed. I just did not angle it correctly the first time I attempted to use it.
Thanks for the great comment!
Mahalo,
Maverick Mike.
Yea but try and change the bearings.. just try to do it.. just take out the armiture of the gear assembly.. sons of bitches put steel bearings against an aluminum housing and used water based grease in the little reversing gearbox.. i broke damn near the entire housing trying to press out the armiture.. plus those 6 phillips screws that hold on the plastic guard or relief thats on the table.. every last one of those screws were seized due to galvanic corrosion as wel and had to all be drilled back out and rethreaded.. just ignorant decisions on some critical areas..
Wow! That sounds completely WRETCHED!
I hate planned obsolescence.....
Don't cut the video, worst instructions ever
Aloha Videos and Rainbows,
Mahalo for the feedback, will try to increase the quality of any videos in the future.
Hope you find a video that is more helpful to you.
Thanks,
Mike
@avatar36 Aloha Sir, Thank you for the kind words of encouragement and for the positive input.