Peter - I have a Rigid tablesaw and I like mine - so I think they can build a decent saw.  There are others that are better, but my Rigid does the job needed for accurate puzzles.  However, I have the stand-up contractor model TS3660 with (I assume) a much heavier table and a belt driven arbor.  The TS3650 should be around $550 USD, and there is another similar model ZRTS3650 for about $450 USD - I'm not sure what the differences are between the models.

The portable saws are nice for space limitations, but the belt driven arbor will probably avoid some motor vibration going straight to the blade as may be the case with a shaft driven arbor/blade.  The heavy table will also dampen some vibrations. 

There are other brands out there with good saws and competitive pricing with Rigid.  Jet, Delta, Grizzly, Powermatic (usually more $$), and others... 

The table saw will be your main machine - you might be able to find something in your $400 CAN range, but don't go too cheap on this purchase.  Don't go cheap on a blade either, but this is another topic...

Hope that helps...

Sweet looking box, Peter!  How big is yours?  The one on Bruce's website is really small.  I like your cube version better.

What is even more amazing is that you made the puzzle in just 12 hours form star to finish!

Happy New Year!

But after the crash, there was something larger
A bigger 40 birthday bash for Mr Yarger!

His brains he was then racking
Over a box made for packing

Calling a friend on the Canadian coast
Much needed help from Mr John Devost

To generate funds, he started a creation
To begin, it was a rhombic first stellation

...eating week old pizza.  Last time this happened, I woke up...

I agree!  WTF?!?  Kind of sad though - I have wondered what was coming everytime I hear of another toy recall...  I see handmade toys now and then and think to myself - man am I glad I didn't pick that for a hobby!

Maybe we could just stop importing crap with lead paint?  I guess that would be too easy!

Wow - that is a lot of space, Eric!  Congrats on the warehouse!

Robert, as hard as it is to look at those - I have to say I'm really sharing cluttered space to even have a shop in the house we are renting. 

My newest tool is a headlamp!  I need it when I kill the circuit breaker at night in the garage...it gets really dark fast!  My technique is pretty easy - hold really still until all the tools stop moving, then turn on the headlamp and go to the circuit box...   I rewired the garage in Seattle, and now I miss that and many other things.  But, this works for now...

I was in the garage last night, in a T-shirt and shorts, and I felt too warm!

Guess I'm still new to CA...  I actually miss the snow -  palm trees on Christmas day will always be strange to me. 

Thanks for the photo, John!

I used our digital camera and got them all right, but I don't remember anymore how old it told me my brain is...   

Good call on the similarity between Verawood and Lignum Vitae, John.  Thanks for connecting those for us.

Robert reminded me that a "good smell" is indeed a matter of taste - so to speak.  Also, smell and taste are closely connected too, literally.  Remember the taste tests on kids' science shows when you plug your nose and taste various things without seeing them?  Personally, I think Red Oak smells a little like vomit!  Maybe I should try tasting it with my nose plugged? 

that was a really sweet smoke ring! 

Book recommendation:  Backyard Ballistics

I think I'm coming late to this post - but have a favorite smelly wood to add, and a good smell too...

I savor the aroma of Lignum Vitae long after I cut it in the shop.  It has kind of a spicy sweet smell also.  Plus, this is one of the few green colored woods I have found too.

If I remember correctly, there was one cube in the stacking diagram for the Mosaic that was un-numbered in AP-ART.  I remember asking Stewart about which piece the un-numbered cube belonged to and eventually figured it out.  At least, I think I have the correct puzzle in mind...  If this be the case, I can possibly dig out my copy of AP-ART sometime around the 20th of Sept (I marked it in my copy).

Let me know...

Robert:  Did I see 2 widowmakers in your photos?  I thought you only had one radial cut-your-arm-off saw?!?!?