Today we have a very special post for you from my dad!!! It’s a review of some of the tools we used to build my new deck. Ryobi provided the tools reviewed in this post, but all opinions are those of Jessie Rayot and her father. Enjoy!
Hello Jessie At Home fans, Jessie’s dad, Chris Anest here, and today I’m getting to step out from behind the curtain and make my blogland debut as a contributing writer. It is my pleasure to have the opportunity to tell you about the fine woodworking power tools that the Ryobi Company makes. Specifically their excellent TSS120L 12” sliding miter saw and Universal Miter Saw Quickstand. I will not be going into technical details but will focus on the practical aspects of what makes these two tools and all Ryobi tools an excellent value and a joy to use.
For the technical bits please refer to the links at the bottom of this review. If you buy your Ryobi tools online you can be reasonably sure they will arrive without damage as Ryobi does a superior job of packaging their tools. Our saw and stand arrived via Fedex at our door in perfect condition. If you buy them at a store and see a bashed corner or torn side it is very likely the actual tool will be fine.
The saw is surprisingly light considering it’s robust construction and can be carried by one person, but if you have a helper, two people are better from a safety and potential sore back standpoint. You can move the saw while attached to the stand but that is definitely a two person operation. Unless your name is Douglas Rayot aka The strongest dad in the world who can lift anything by himself.
The saw comes with the blade installed and ready to use. If you plan to cut trim, you will need to purchase an 80 tooth fine finish blade, but the provided blade is perfect for cutting dimensional lumber (2 x4’s, 4 x 4’s, 2 x 12’s etc. i.e. building a deck!) Attaching the provided support arms is very easy but unnecessary if you have the Ryobi stand. Get the stand! And oh what a stand, of all the stands I have owned and used, this is among the best. Lightweight yet exceptionally sturdy. More on the stand below! This saw has everything you could need or want in the way of adjustments, angle stops, and it even has a laser for cutting alignment. Need to connect it to a shop vac?, no problem it has a 1-1/2” dust port, no adapters needed. Power? We cut up to 2 x 12s & 4 x4s (even at a 45 bevel) with ease. Out of the box the angle stops were in perfect alignment and required no adjustment. I recommend this tool without hesitation or reservation.
The setup was very easy with only minor assembly, requiring no tools and well explained in the instructions. Yes I’m a guy, but I still read the instructions and so should you! Attach the quick release brackets to your saw and you’re ready to go. The height adjustment brackets on the end of the support arms allow for vertical adjustment to match them to the height of your miter saw table. Ryobi also includes a stop bracket on the support arms to so you can set up for multiple cuts of the same length. Setting, securing and removing the saw to/from the stand is very easy and the locking handles keep the saw in place with zero movement. There are rubber feet on the quick release brackets which will keep the saw from sliding about when not attached to the stand.
We used the saw and stand while building a new deck, the ease of use and superior results achieved were excellent, and indicative of all the tools across the Ryobi line. While Ryobi was kind enough to supply the saw & stand for this review, I wish to point out that as a profession master craftsman woodworker of 47 years that I have had Ryobi power tools in my stable of tools since 1984 and have never been disappointed with the performance and quality of Ryobi tools. Over the years Jessie has bought, at my recommendation, many Ryobi tools. In addition to the 12” miter saw and stand, we used her Ryobi 7-1/4” circular saw, 10” table saw, 1 HP router, 18V drill, orbital sander, power hand planer, & 18V jig saw. When downsizing my tool compliment in 2003 due to a move overseas I gave the 10” Ryobi miter saw I bought in 1986 to a friend who still uses it to this day. This is one of the many reasons I recommend Ryobi tools to my children & friends. You can spend more and you can spend less but in my opinion Ryobi tools occupy that rare sweet spot of quality and price.
For the homeowner and yes even we master craftsmen, Ryobi will usually have the tool you need, at an exceptional value with quality you can trust.
And for all you Aunt Matilda fans, yes, Aunt Matilda approves of, and uses Ryobi tools!
For all the technical specs, see these links:
Miter Saw
Saw Stand
Thanks Dad!!!
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Building that deck was one of the highlights of our summer!