[TWheels]

I received an email from CPO that they have the Bosch REAXX table saw, with job site Wheeled stand available. I have or will soon have two router tables with 4 routers, a compound sliding miter saw and a benchtop radial drill press. I am trying to greatly expand my woodworking activities (only partly to shed my "Forum Freeloader status:grin
Quick opinion: is this table saw a worthwhile addition?

 

[TWheels]

Thanks Very Much @DesertRatTom for your very thoughtful and thorough response. I am taking nyour advice very seriously.
(I tried multiquote but somehow I did not get it to work)

 

[TWheels]

I have the Bosch 4100 contractors saw as a second TS , and it is a very well built saw. Mine also came with the mobile base, which I didn't use. It took up too much space in the shop,and I don't transport the saw , so I built a cabinet to set it on top, the cabinet has castors so I can move it around easily.

To answer your question...YES...GO FOR IT.
Be sure to post a review so we can all drool.

Herb

Thanks very much @Herb Stoops. Gone for it!

 

[TWheels]

It arrived but the person I was counting on to be around to help unpack and assemble it disappeared. I will say that my thinking about how I approach my projects has changed greatly.
Stay tuned!

 

[TWheels]

I got home a week ago and the person I was counting on, my older son, was there, and he had unpacked it and assembled the stand. Unfortunately he had not checked that all parts were present, but he was very suspicious of the way the motor/blade assembly was dangling. We nonetheless attached it to the stand, and nothing we tried put the motor/blade assembly in position. Also the table insert was nowhere to be found, and further inspection showed bolts that attach the motor/blade assembly to the top, and are used to adjust alignment of the blade, were missing. On Monday I called CPO and they had me call Bosch tech support. Tech support was out of the officer until Wed. I called on Wed and the CS person could not understand what I meant by "dangling" and wanted me to call CPO. Finally we worked out that a service tech was going to try to schedule a visit but he works out of St. Louis, a 3+ hour drive. In addition it would take some time for him to schedule a trip to me. We finally settled on the missing parts would be sent and we would see if I, with help from my son and maybe his friend, a guy his age who has great mechanical (but not academic) sense, could get everything right. If we get the saw right we will move it to a permanent stand because the 38 inch (97 cm) high table height is about 8 inches (20 cm) higher than my optimal work height.

@DesertRatTom, When I received it I began to think how I could use it and quickly realized that cuts I had made with a router or circular saw would be so much easier and quicker with the table saw, but it is unlikely to affect how I use my compound sliding miter saw. I will be able to work much more quickly and the range of projects I cold realistically undertake is expanded. Stay tuned.

 

[TWheels]

@TWheels Must have been a disappointment that it didn't go together right off the bat. I imagine it's a repack of a returned saw. CPO has a pretty good reputation with these things, so I imagine it will be taken care of. If not, this Forum will need an explanaton. That kind of thing is a reputation killer.

You may be surprised at how often you'll prefer using the table saw rather than the sliding miter. When you get up and running, get a blade or two, they will really affect your work. I particularly love the Freud Glue Line rip blade, although I use it for crosscuts too. Buttery smooth cuts every time.

I have also switched (almost all) narrow kerf blades for full kerf (1/8th thick) blades. They don't deflect as some of the narrow ones have when cutting mitered ends, as in picture frames.

If CPO won't fix the saw, don't be afraid to return it. I was never able to get my first small table saw to cut right, but waited too long to return it. The blade stop is really nice, but you aren't married to it. Safety on a table saw is far more about how you behave and move around the saw and handle your material. I still think-through every cut I make on my saw, anticipating every move, and planning. Saws are not what chops fingers off, careless woodworkers do.

That is a bit disappointing Tom but Ilm sure between CPO and Bosch they'll get it worked out. Like Desert Rat Tom I also like the glue line Freud blade. There are 2 of them, one is for only about 1" thick cuts and the other is for 3" cuts. It does take a bit of power to bury that full kerf blade 3" deep in a dense wood. In those cases for an underpowered saw I recommend the D24 Freud thin kerf rip blade. It also does a fine job and can be had for $38 I've seen. I also often just leave it on for cross cuts unless it is something that needs a finish cut.

I also agree that it is the user that makes a saw dangerous but considering that you are forced to operate it sitting down the safety feature is a smart back up plan.

First thanks very much for the advice on blades, @Cherryville Chuck and @DesertRatTom. I currently own a Timberline blade for plastics. I am looking into the Freud blades. I had not previously
considered the glue line blade. I had considered the Freud 10 In. 50 Tooth Combination Saw Blade with 5/8 In. Arbor (LU84R011) blade and maybe a finish blade along the lines of Freud D1080X Diablo 10" 80-tooth ATB Finish Saw Blade w/ 5/8" Arbor & PermaShield Coating.

Update on my Bosch REAXX: After lengthy discussion and submission of photographs, CPO authorized a return of the one I have and have agreed to ship a new one. The one I have has been packed in the original shipping box (enormous thanks to my older son and his friend) and will be picked up by UPS who has a return ticket. The best news of all is that a new one should have been shipped by now. I have already enlisted my son and his friend to mount it on a permanent stand that will put the table top at about 30 inches (75 cm) high table, my best working height.

@Cherryville Chuck, what you said that I have made bold expresses my thoughts exactly and eloquently.

 

[TWheels]

Pardon my ignorance or stupidity. I was under the
impression that SawStop sued Bosch for patent infringements and won the case. If that is so, then how can CPO or anybody for that matter, sell the Reaxx here in the States.

Steve, SawStop won the case but it is under another appeal or something. Remember when SawStop tried to force all saw manufacturers to pay for and include their device on all table saws? That got shot down. They profess that they are all about safety but all they really care about is the money. I hope that in the end Bosch wins; their design is different and doesn't destroy your blade. It is also much faster to reset.

@Knot2square, you are correct, the Federal Trade Commission ruled that Bosch infringed on some patent or another owned by Saw$top, and is currently forbidden to import any new units into the US, (but not Canada or anywhere else for that matter). they are however allowed to support , i.e. sell cartridges to current owners. And, vendors are allowed to sell off existing stock. That is how I bought one from CPO. Amazon also has a few.

As @Mike said, Bosch has appealed the FTC ruling to a Federal Appeals Court. I am not a lawyer and sometimes agree with Shakespeare about lawyers, but I don't understand how Bosch won't in the end win. That Saw$top sold to a new owner might mean the inventor knows he got away with one for a while but cannot ultimately prevail. I fully agree with everything else @Mike said.

 

[TWheels]

An update in my adventures in tablesaws: CPO shipped a new one and as I was beginning to write this post the UPS truck arrived and the driver brought it in. Having a wheelchair accessible front door has it advantages! There was about 1/2 inch (1 cm) clearance on each side as he wheeled it in on his dolly. This box is is in much better shape than the first box. Now I just need my son and his friend to help unpack it and I need to get a permanent mount built for it that makes the table about 30 inches above the floor.

There were suggestions from @Cherryville Chuck and @DesertRatTom regarding blades that seems to have gotten lost so I repeat what I had said before, and hope to get comments and further suggestions:

"I currently own a Timberline blade for plastics. I am looking into the Freud blades. I had not previously considered the glue line blade. I had considered the Freud 10 In. 50 Tooth Combination Saw Blade with 5/8 In. Arbor (LU84R011) blade and maybe a finish blade along the lines of Freud D1080X Diablo 10" 80-tooth ATB Finish Saw Blade w/ 5/8" Arbor & PermaShield Coating".

 

[TWheels]

I think what I have to say here deserves its own post.
Everyone makes mistakes, so the criteria for judging a company, person's performance etc cannot be do they make mistakes, it must be how do they deal with mistakes; what do they do to remediate mistakes.

I am impressed more than I can say that once CPO authorized the return, and the process that led to the return authorization, that CPO Bosch not only paid for the return shipping, they sent the replacement before they received the defective one. So CPO Bosch has a very high reputation with me.