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Thread: Salvaged table saw.... Worth it?

  1. #1
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    Helping my mother-in-law clean up her property before selling, I just couldn't stand to watch an old, 10 inch, Craftsman, belt driven table saw get hauled away to the dump. I'm beginning to think I might have made a mistake, however. Upon closer inspection, in addition to it's more obvious flaws, it appears the blade is "pigeon toed". You'll have to forgive me, I have no more than a passing "acquaintance" with these beasts, and don't know the proper terminology. I just got it set up and plugged in this evening. When I slid the fence down to see how it worked, I realized the funny angle the blade was in wasn't just an "adjustment" as I had assumed. It's just "cockeyed". It appears the only adjustments are the blade height, angle/bevel and one more knob that doesn't appear to do anything anymore, but I suspect is supposed to be a "lock" of some sort?

    Anyway... I moved the fence away and fired it up just to see if it ran and even ran a thin piece of scrap through it. When I adjusted the blade up to see how high it would go, it became obvious that the belt drive isn't "quite right"... It twisted the motor on it's bracket as it tensioned, (which was loose I discovered!) and seemed to torque the blade even worse that it already was. I'm thinking this is probably an "aftermarket" motor my late father-in-law slapped on there and "made fit" at some point long after he bought this thing. I haven't had much time to tear things apart, or even really look at it closely, but it appears at first glance that the saw arbor(?) (is that the right term?) is attached by four bolts to the underside of the table into simple, matched, threaded holes. No "wiggle room". The deviation of the blade seems to be caused by the arbor(?) itself having been torqued. Or perhaps just the "axle" the blade rides on was bent? Sound reasonable? Or is this a common "adjustment" that all table saws might need someday? I know this thing probably isn't worth a lot of time or expense, but I doubt I'm gonna spring for a "real" one any time before the Dark Harbor project is done and paid for, and it sure would be nice to have this old puppy available for simple, rough work in the meantime. Any thoughts? Secret set screw under there I missed maybe, or just another run to the dump in my future?



    [ 03-08-2003, 01:50 AM: Message edited by: Art Read ]

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    Helping my mother-in-law clean up her property before selling, I just couldn't stand to watch an old, 10 inch, Craftsman, belt driven table saw get hauled away to the dump. I'm beginning to think I might have made a mistake, however. Upon closer inspection, in addition to it's more obvious flaws, it appears the blade is "pigeon toed". You'll have to forgive me, I have no more than a passing "acquaintance" with these beasts, and don't know the proper terminology. I just got it set up and plugged in this evening. When I slid the fence down to see how it worked, I realized the funny angle the blade was in wasn't just an "adjustment" as I had assumed. It's just "cockeyed". It appears the only adjustments are the blade height, angle/bevel and one more knob that doesn't appear to do anything anymore, but I suspect is supposed to be a "lock" of some sort?

    Anyway... I moved the fence away and fired it up just to see if it ran and even ran a thin piece of scrap through it. When I adjusted the blade up to see how high it would go, it became obvious that the belt drive isn't "quite right"... It twisted the motor on it's bracket as it tensioned, (which was loose I discovered!) and seemed to torque the blade even worse that it already was. I'm thinking this is probably an "aftermarket" motor my late father-in-law slapped on there and "made fit" at some point long after he bought this thing. I haven't had much time to tear things apart, or even really look at it closely, but it appears at first glance that the saw arbor(?) (is that the right term?) is attached by four bolts to the underside of the table into simple, matched, threaded holes. No "wiggle room". The deviation of the blade seems to be caused by the arbor(?) itself having been torqued. Or perhaps just the "axle" the blade rides on was bent? Sound reasonable? Or is this a common "adjustment" that all table saws might need someday? I know this thing probably isn't worth a lot of time or expense, but I doubt I'm gonna spring for a "real" one any time before the Dark Harbor project is done and paid for, and it sure would be nice to have this old puppy available for simple, rough work in the meantime. Any thoughts? Secret set screw under there I missed maybe, or just another run to the dump in my future?



    [ 03-08-2003, 01:50 AM: Message edited by: Art Read ]

  3. #3
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    Helping my mother-in-law clean up her property before selling, I just couldn't stand to watch an old, 10 inch, Craftsman, belt driven table saw get hauled away to the dump. I'm beginning to think I might have made a mistake, however. Upon closer inspection, in addition to it's more obvious flaws, it appears the blade is "pigeon toed". You'll have to forgive me, I have no more than a passing "acquaintance" with these beasts, and don't know the proper terminology. I just got it set up and plugged in this evening. When I slid the fence down to see how it worked, I realized the funny angle the blade was in wasn't just an "adjustment" as I had assumed. It's just "cockeyed". It appears the only adjustments are the blade height, angle/bevel and one more knob that doesn't appear to do anything anymore, but I suspect is supposed to be a "lock" of some sort?

    Anyway... I moved the fence away and fired it up just to see if it ran and even ran a thin piece of scrap through it. When I adjusted the blade up to see how high it would go, it became obvious that the belt drive isn't "quite right"... It twisted the motor on it's bracket as it tensioned, (which was loose I discovered!) and seemed to torque the blade even worse that it already was. I'm thinking this is probably an "aftermarket" motor my late father-in-law slapped on there and "made fit" at some point long after he bought this thing. I haven't had much time to tear things apart, or even really look at it closely, but it appears at first glance that the saw arbor(?) (is that the right term?) is attached by four bolts to the underside of the table into simple, matched, threaded holes. No "wiggle room". The deviation of the blade seems to be caused by the arbor(?) itself having been torqued. Or perhaps just the "axle" the blade rides on was bent? Sound reasonable? Or is this a common "adjustment" that all table saws might need someday? I know this thing probably isn't worth a lot of time or expense, but I doubt I'm gonna spring for a "real" one any time before the Dark Harbor project is done and paid for, and it sure would be nice to have this old puppy available for simple, rough work in the meantime. Any thoughts? Secret set screw under there I missed maybe, or just another run to the dump in my future?



    [ 03-08-2003, 01:50 AM: Message edited by: Art Read ]

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    I'm sure you can adjust it out, but the "how" might not be obvious. I know some saws have you move the table relative to the stand/arbor, an adjustment likely to shift if the saw was ever knocked over, etc. Take a careful look underneath. Worst case, set the fence so it works with the blade in its current orientation, especially if it will only be used on an occassional basis. Hey, it was free for the labor, right?!

  5. #5
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    I'm sure you can adjust it out, but the "how" might not be obvious. I know some saws have you move the table relative to the stand/arbor, an adjustment likely to shift if the saw was ever knocked over, etc. Take a careful look underneath. Worst case, set the fence so it works with the blade in its current orientation, especially if it will only be used on an occassional basis. Hey, it was free for the labor, right?!

  6. #6
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    I'm sure you can adjust it out, but the "how" might not be obvious. I know some saws have you move the table relative to the stand/arbor, an adjustment likely to shift if the saw was ever knocked over, etc. Take a careful look underneath. Worst case, set the fence so it works with the blade in its current orientation, especially if it will only be used on an occassional basis. Hey, it was free for the labor, right?!

  7. #7
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    Art, dig around the library for some books on tuning the table saw. Crapsman tools are not known to be the most user friendly when it comes to 'tweaking'. I read somewhere that the weight of the motor on the plate hanging off the rear on those saws causes the plate to twist and distort the angle of the belt forward to the arbor pulley.

    The easiest way to check the parallelism of the blade is to measure the same tooth of the blade at the front of the blade to the mitre slot to the left and rotate the blade so that that very same tooth is now just appearing at the rear of the saw slot. This will show what the deviation is. Now to get it right on, you have to loosen the fasteners that hold the table to the saw base and gently nudge the table till the measurement is the same at both front and rear of same tooth to left mitre slot. I would recommend removing the wings and just work with the main top. Usually in a bench type saw like that one or a Delta or General, the wings are grid type unless it was the top of the line model and then the top would be all solid cast iron or gag, sheet metal wings.
    My second table saw was a Delta bench model but the top of the line (no not bragging!!)with solid CI top and wings but it still had that funky hanging motor deal.
    I went to my friendly neighborhood machine shop and we designed a solid boiler plate base for the motor instead of the sheet metal one. I also had flat slightly crowned pulleys turned out of 7000 series Aluminum and ran a flat dacron neoprene belt which increased the power to the blade and also the height above table of the blade but, that is me. For you, just beefing up the saw motor mount, upgrading the pulleys and adding a link belt* plus stiffening the sheet metal base and legs should do quite a lot to make it a user instead of a boat anchor.

    *check the tool catalogs of Woodcraft and others, IIRC, somebody makes a kit containing both pulleys and a link belt.
    "Lord, grant that I may always desire more than I can accomplish"
    Michelangelo

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    Art, dig around the library for some books on tuning the table saw. Crapsman tools are not known to be the most user friendly when it comes to 'tweaking'. I read somewhere that the weight of the motor on the plate hanging off the rear on those saws causes the plate to twist and distort the angle of the belt forward to the arbor pulley.

    The easiest way to check the parallelism of the blade is to measure the same tooth of the blade at the front of the blade to the mitre slot to the left and rotate the blade so that that very same tooth is now just appearing at the rear of the saw slot. This will show what the deviation is. Now to get it right on, you have to loosen the fasteners that hold the table to the saw base and gently nudge the table till the measurement is the same at both front and rear of same tooth to left mitre slot. I would recommend removing the wings and just work with the main top. Usually in a bench type saw like that one or a Delta or General, the wings are grid type unless it was the top of the line model and then the top would be all solid cast iron or gag, sheet metal wings.
    My second table saw was a Delta bench model but the top of the line (no not bragging!!)with solid CI top and wings but it still had that funky hanging motor deal.
    I went to my friendly neighborhood machine shop and we designed a solid boiler plate base for the motor instead of the sheet metal one. I also had flat slightly crowned pulleys turned out of 7000 series Aluminum and ran a flat dacron neoprene belt which increased the power to the blade and also the height above table of the blade but, that is me. For you, just beefing up the saw motor mount, upgrading the pulleys and adding a link belt* plus stiffening the sheet metal base and legs should do quite a lot to make it a user instead of a boat anchor.

    *check the tool catalogs of Woodcraft and others, IIRC, somebody makes a kit containing both pulleys and a link belt.
    "Lord, grant that I may always desire more than I can accomplish"
    Michelangelo

  9. #9
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    Art, dig around the library for some books on tuning the table saw. Crapsman tools are not known to be the most user friendly when it comes to 'tweaking'. I read somewhere that the weight of the motor on the plate hanging off the rear on those saws causes the plate to twist and distort the angle of the belt forward to the arbor pulley.

    The easiest way to check the parallelism of the blade is to measure the same tooth of the blade at the front of the blade to the mitre slot to the left and rotate the blade so that that very same tooth is now just appearing at the rear of the saw slot. This will show what the deviation is. Now to get it right on, you have to loosen the fasteners that hold the table to the saw base and gently nudge the table till the measurement is the same at both front and rear of same tooth to left mitre slot. I would recommend removing the wings and just work with the main top. Usually in a bench type saw like that one or a Delta or General, the wings are grid type unless it was the top of the line model and then the top would be all solid cast iron or gag, sheet metal wings.
    My second table saw was a Delta bench model but the top of the line (no not bragging!!)with solid CI top and wings but it still had that funky hanging motor deal.
    I went to my friendly neighborhood machine shop and we designed a solid boiler plate base for the motor instead of the sheet metal one. I also had flat slightly crowned pulleys turned out of 7000 series Aluminum and ran a flat dacron neoprene belt which increased the power to the blade and also the height above table of the blade but, that is me. For you, just beefing up the saw motor mount, upgrading the pulleys and adding a link belt* plus stiffening the sheet metal base and legs should do quite a lot to make it a user instead of a boat anchor.

    *check the tool catalogs of Woodcraft and others, IIRC, somebody makes a kit containing both pulleys and a link belt.
    "Lord, grant that I may always desire more than I can accomplish"
    Michelangelo

  10. #10
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    "...I read somewhere that the weight of the motor on the plate hanging off the rear on those saws causes the plate to twist and distort the angle of the belt forward to the arbor pulley..."

    Yup. That sounds about like what a quick look made me suspect is the problem. I'm still a little confused though... This thing "appears" to be a simple flat CI table with wings, the arbor suspended below the table by the above mentioned bolts and a simple, sheet metal "box" as a housing, with the controls protruding, below. No obvious way to "tweek" the alignment of the arbor to the table unless those bolts I saw have more to 'em than I saw at first. Guess I'll go look again. Thanks guys!

    (There's also some more going on back by that motor bracket that doesn't quite make sense to me yet either, but it's late, and I can't explain it properly right now. I'll try to get some more pictures tommorow...)

    [ 03-08-2003, 01:59 AM: Message edited by: Art Read ]

  11. #11
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    "...I read somewhere that the weight of the motor on the plate hanging off the rear on those saws causes the plate to twist and distort the angle of the belt forward to the arbor pulley..."

    Yup. That sounds about like what a quick look made me suspect is the problem. I'm still a little confused though... This thing "appears" to be a simple flat CI table with wings, the arbor suspended below the table by the above mentioned bolts and a simple, sheet metal "box" as a housing, with the controls protruding, below. No obvious way to "tweek" the alignment of the arbor to the table unless those bolts I saw have more to 'em than I saw at first. Guess I'll go look again. Thanks guys!

    (There's also some more going on back by that motor bracket that doesn't quite make sense to me yet either, but it's late, and I can't explain it properly right now. I'll try to get some more pictures tommorow...)

    [ 03-08-2003, 01:59 AM: Message edited by: Art Read ]

  12. #12
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    "...I read somewhere that the weight of the motor on the plate hanging off the rear on those saws causes the plate to twist and distort the angle of the belt forward to the arbor pulley..."

    Yup. That sounds about like what a quick look made me suspect is the problem. I'm still a little confused though... This thing "appears" to be a simple flat CI table with wings, the arbor suspended below the table by the above mentioned bolts and a simple, sheet metal "box" as a housing, with the controls protruding, below. No obvious way to "tweek" the alignment of the arbor to the table unless those bolts I saw have more to 'em than I saw at first. Guess I'll go look again. Thanks guys!

    (There's also some more going on back by that motor bracket that doesn't quite make sense to me yet either, but it's late, and I can't explain it properly right now. I'll try to get some more pictures tommorow...)

    [ 03-08-2003, 01:59 AM: Message edited by: Art Read ]

  13. #13
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    Art, the less expensive saws don't have the same undercarriage as the more costly ones do.
    Instead of a trunnion to carry the tilting arbor they have a simpler mechanism.
    You may have to flip the saw on its top upside down to get a good look at how it is constructed.
    I would in an idle moment,ahem, go over to the big Sears ( if it is still there) just south of the Dome and see if they can get a users manual of the saw. Be sure to get all the info off the model plate.
    "Lord, grant that I may always desire more than I can accomplish"
    Michelangelo

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    Art, the less expensive saws don't have the same undercarriage as the more costly ones do.
    Instead of a trunnion to carry the tilting arbor they have a simpler mechanism.
    You may have to flip the saw on its top upside down to get a good look at how it is constructed.
    I would in an idle moment,ahem, go over to the big Sears ( if it is still there) just south of the Dome and see if they can get a users manual of the saw. Be sure to get all the info off the model plate.
    "Lord, grant that I may always desire more than I can accomplish"
    Michelangelo

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    Art, the less expensive saws don't have the same undercarriage as the more costly ones do.
    Instead of a trunnion to carry the tilting arbor they have a simpler mechanism.
    You may have to flip the saw on its top upside down to get a good look at how it is constructed.
    I would in an idle moment,ahem, go over to the big Sears ( if it is still there) just south of the Dome and see if they can get a users manual of the saw. Be sure to get all the info off the model plate.
    "Lord, grant that I may always desire more than I can accomplish"
    Michelangelo

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    Sears might be there, Dave... (Not sure) But the Dome sure as hell ain't! It HAS been awhile since you were up here, eh?

    (Good idea, by the way!)

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    Sears might be there, Dave... (Not sure) But the Dome sure as hell ain't! It HAS been awhile since you were up here, eh?

    (Good idea, by the way!)

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    Sears might be there, Dave... (Not sure) But the Dome sure as hell ain't! It HAS been awhile since you were up here, eh?

    (Good idea, by the way!)

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    1995 Art, and then it was I-5 at nigth to the Ferry Terminal and over to Bainbridge Island to see Tugboat Dave and then west to Port Towsend and then the ferry to Anacortes and back to 'insane Diego', whew!
    "Lord, grant that I may always desire more than I can accomplish"
    Michelangelo

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    1995 Art, and then it was I-5 at nigth to the Ferry Terminal and over to Bainbridge Island to see Tugboat Dave and then west to Port Towsend and then the ferry to Anacortes and back to 'insane Diego', whew!
    "Lord, grant that I may always desire more than I can accomplish"
    Michelangelo

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    1995 Art, and then it was I-5 at nigth to the Ferry Terminal and over to Bainbridge Island to see Tugboat Dave and then west to Port Towsend and then the ferry to Anacortes and back to 'insane Diego', whew!
    "Lord, grant that I may always desire more than I can accomplish"
    Michelangelo

  22. #22
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    We just missed each other... I moved out here in '96. (Yet even I still ask folks, "Oh, is that near the Kingdome?")

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    We just missed each other... I moved out here in '96. (Yet even I still ask folks, "Oh, is that near the Kingdome?")

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    We just missed each other... I moved out here in '96. (Yet even I still ask folks, "Oh, is that near the Kingdome?")

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    Seems to me that the worst case would be that you have to re-mount the arbor to get it to align with the table top. A local machine shop could probably help you with that for only a few bucks. If the arbor itself is good and the table top is flat (the machine shop may also be able to help with that if it's not) the few bucks you'd spend would be worth it.

    The true measure of the worth of any table saw is whether you can get the blade parallel to the slots in the top and to the fence. If it is, all you need is a good fence, a good mitre/crosscut jig and a good blade and you can make just about anything that's got square edges.

    With a 10" model, you'll be limited on the size of pieces you can work with, but for most general cabinetry stuff it would work fine.

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    Seems to me that the worst case would be that you have to re-mount the arbor to get it to align with the table top. A local machine shop could probably help you with that for only a few bucks. If the arbor itself is good and the table top is flat (the machine shop may also be able to help with that if it's not) the few bucks you'd spend would be worth it.

    The true measure of the worth of any table saw is whether you can get the blade parallel to the slots in the top and to the fence. If it is, all you need is a good fence, a good mitre/crosscut jig and a good blade and you can make just about anything that's got square edges.

    With a 10" model, you'll be limited on the size of pieces you can work with, but for most general cabinetry stuff it would work fine.

  27. #27
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    Seems to me that the worst case would be that you have to re-mount the arbor to get it to align with the table top. A local machine shop could probably help you with that for only a few bucks. If the arbor itself is good and the table top is flat (the machine shop may also be able to help with that if it's not) the few bucks you'd spend would be worth it.

    The true measure of the worth of any table saw is whether you can get the blade parallel to the slots in the top and to the fence. If it is, all you need is a good fence, a good mitre/crosscut jig and a good blade and you can make just about anything that's got square edges.

    With a 10" model, you'll be limited on the size of pieces you can work with, but for most general cabinetry stuff it would work fine.

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    Are you SURE that it's a Craftsman? It looks like a Delta unisaw throat in the picture... And I never heard of Craftsman using CI wings.... I bet if you loosen the 4 bolts that hold the table to the base, you'll be able to nudge it parralel to the blade.
    Never trust a man with a clean workshop.

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    Are you SURE that it's a Craftsman? It looks like a Delta unisaw throat in the picture... And I never heard of Craftsman using CI wings.... I bet if you loosen the 4 bolts that hold the table to the base, you'll be able to nudge it parralel to the blade.
    Never trust a man with a clean workshop.

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    Are you SURE that it's a Craftsman? It looks like a Delta unisaw throat in the picture... And I never heard of Craftsman using CI wings.... I bet if you loosen the 4 bolts that hold the table to the base, you'll be able to nudge it parralel to the blade.
    Never trust a man with a clean workshop.

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    Thanks again folks. I've got it upside down on the floor now, and am going to start taking it apart/cleaning it up in between all the other little tasks I've already got on my plate... A fellow forumite has kindly forwarded me a "Fine Woodworking" article on the care and feeding of table saws which has already cleared up a lot of my confusion. (Thanks, Barry!)

    I wasn't very clear above, it has a CI table but the wings are simply "bolted on" sheet metal. It also looks like the front rail for the fence was taken off at some point to add an aftermarket power switch and put back on with a bit of "sckew" in it. At least I assume so. It IS "supposed" to be parrallel to the table, correct?

    Can't say who actually manufactured this thing, but the front cover plate clearly says "Sears/Craftsman 10 Inch". I'll look for a model/part number when I start to get into it later today.

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    Thanks again folks. I've got it upside down on the floor now, and am going to start taking it apart/cleaning it up in between all the other little tasks I've already got on my plate... A fellow forumite has kindly forwarded me a "Fine Woodworking" article on the care and feeding of table saws which has already cleared up a lot of my confusion. (Thanks, Barry!)

    I wasn't very clear above, it has a CI table but the wings are simply "bolted on" sheet metal. It also looks like the front rail for the fence was taken off at some point to add an aftermarket power switch and put back on with a bit of "sckew" in it. At least I assume so. It IS "supposed" to be parrallel to the table, correct?

    Can't say who actually manufactured this thing, but the front cover plate clearly says "Sears/Craftsman 10 Inch". I'll look for a model/part number when I start to get into it later today.

  33. #33
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    Thanks again folks. I've got it upside down on the floor now, and am going to start taking it apart/cleaning it up in between all the other little tasks I've already got on my plate... A fellow forumite has kindly forwarded me a "Fine Woodworking" article on the care and feeding of table saws which has already cleared up a lot of my confusion. (Thanks, Barry!)

    I wasn't very clear above, it has a CI table but the wings are simply "bolted on" sheet metal. It also looks like the front rail for the fence was taken off at some point to add an aftermarket power switch and put back on with a bit of "sckew" in it. At least I assume so. It IS "supposed" to be parrallel to the table, correct?

    Can't say who actually manufactured this thing, but the front cover plate clearly says "Sears/Craftsman 10 Inch". I'll look for a model/part number when I start to get into it later today.

  34. #34
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    Yes the fence rails should parallel the front edge of the top but more important is that the fence itself is parallel with the blade.
    NOTE:the after or rear end of the fence should be approximately the thickness of a playing card further away from the line of the blade. This is to prevent binding on cuts.
    Sheet metal wings as I noted are not unusual for that class of machine.
    Again I make mention of the many articles in magazines such as Fine Woodworking showing very good examples of adding homemade extensions and other improvements to that type of machine.
    After market companies, HTC comes to mind, make roll around stands, extension tables etc., for many different types of wood working machinery. If price is a concern their catalog is yet another source of ideas for making your own.

    To reiterate, align the top to the blade, fix the skew on the fence rails, beef up the motor mount, look into that kit containing a set of matched pulleys and a link belt, beef up the stand or make a nice homebuilt one, buff the top, get a good blade and you should be in good shape. Many a cabinet shop has 10 inch machines and function quite well with them. At MARCO up in the mill all I had was a 10 inch Delta Unisaw and I pumped out, along with several other folks, literally miles of Sea Rail, T mouldings, Soft Ceiling Battens, Door Jamb sets, all sorts of Joiner Trim, Stairway sets etc.. Plus the cabinet maker made all the cabinetry for the one crabber per 7 weeks we turned out at that time all on that one Unisaw!

    [ 03-08-2003, 12:04 PM: Message edited by: Dave Fleming ]
    "Lord, grant that I may always desire more than I can accomplish"
    Michelangelo

  35. #35
    Join Date
    Sep 1999
    Location
    Left Coast
    Posts
    6,154

    Post

    Yes the fence rails should parallel the front edge of the top but more important is that the fence itself is parallel with the blade.
    NOTE:the after or rear end of the fence should be approximately the thickness of a playing card further away from the line of the blade. This is to prevent binding on cuts.
    Sheet metal wings as I noted are not unusual for that class of machine.
    Again I make mention of the many articles in magazines such as Fine Woodworking showing very good examples of adding homemade extensions and other improvements to that type of machine.
    After market companies, HTC comes to mind, make roll around stands, extension tables etc., for many different types of wood working machinery. If price is a concern their catalog is yet another source of ideas for making your own.

    To reiterate, align the top to the blade, fix the skew on the fence rails, beef up the motor mount, look into that kit containing a set of matched pulleys and a link belt, beef up the stand or make a nice homebuilt one, buff the top, get a good blade and you should be in good shape. Many a cabinet shop has 10 inch machines and function quite well with them. At MARCO up in the mill all I had was a 10 inch Delta Unisaw and I pumped out, along with several other folks, literally miles of Sea Rail, T mouldings, Soft Ceiling Battens, Door Jamb sets, all sorts of Joiner Trim, Stairway sets etc.. Plus the cabinet maker made all the cabinetry for the one crabber per 7 weeks we turned out at that time all on that one Unisaw!

    [ 03-08-2003, 12:04 PM: Message edited by: Dave Fleming ]
    "Lord, grant that I may always desire more than I can accomplish"
    Michelangelo

  36. #36
    Join Date
    Sep 1999
    Location
    Left Coast
    Posts
    6,154

    Post

    Yes the fence rails should parallel the front edge of the top but more important is that the fence itself is parallel with the blade.
    NOTE:the after or rear end of the fence should be approximately the thickness of a playing card further away from the line of the blade. This is to prevent binding on cuts.
    Sheet metal wings as I noted are not unusual for that class of machine.
    Again I make mention of the many articles in magazines such as Fine Woodworking showing very good examples of adding homemade extensions and other improvements to that type of machine.
    After market companies, HTC comes to mind, make roll around stands, extension tables etc., for many different types of wood working machinery. If price is a concern their catalog is yet another source of ideas for making your own.

    To reiterate, align the top to the blade, fix the skew on the fence rails, beef up the motor mount, look into that kit containing a set of matched pulleys and a link belt, beef up the stand or make a nice homebuilt one, buff the top, get a good blade and you should be in good shape. Many a cabinet shop has 10 inch machines and function quite well with them. At MARCO up in the mill all I had was a 10 inch Delta Unisaw and I pumped out, along with several other folks, literally miles of Sea Rail, T mouldings, Soft Ceiling Battens, Door Jamb sets, all sorts of Joiner Trim, Stairway sets etc.. Plus the cabinet maker made all the cabinetry for the one crabber per 7 weeks we turned out at that time all on that one Unisaw!

    [ 03-08-2003, 12:04 PM: Message edited by: Dave Fleming ]
    "Lord, grant that I may always desire more than I can accomplish"
    Michelangelo

  37. #37
    Join Date
    Nov 2001
    Location
    Gabriola, BC
    Posts
    735

    Post

    "Can't say who actually manufactured this thing, but the front cover plate clearly says "Sears/Craftsman 10 Inch". I'll look for a model/part number when I start to get into it later today.[/QB][/QUOTE]

    Art the older Sears/Craftsman Table saws were manufactured by Emerson Electric(Rigid Tools).
    They are now manufactured by Ryobi I believe under the Craftsman Name. The older saws from what I understand were much better made.If need be I believe you can get a replacement arbor from
    Rigid Tools.http://www.ridgidparts.com/

    Barry

    [ 03-08-2003, 01:50 PM: Message edited by: Barry ]

  38. #38
    Join Date
    Nov 2001
    Location
    Gabriola, BC
    Posts
    735

    Post

    "Can't say who actually manufactured this thing, but the front cover plate clearly says "Sears/Craftsman 10 Inch". I'll look for a model/part number when I start to get into it later today.[/QB][/QUOTE]

    Art the older Sears/Craftsman Table saws were manufactured by Emerson Electric(Rigid Tools).
    They are now manufactured by Ryobi I believe under the Craftsman Name. The older saws from what I understand were much better made.If need be I believe you can get a replacement arbor from
    Rigid Tools.http://www.ridgidparts.com/

    Barry

    [ 03-08-2003, 01:50 PM: Message edited by: Barry ]

  39. #39
    Join Date
    Nov 2001
    Location
    Gabriola, BC
    Posts
    735

    Post

    "Can't say who actually manufactured this thing, but the front cover plate clearly says "Sears/Craftsman 10 Inch". I'll look for a model/part number when I start to get into it later today.[/QB][/QUOTE]

    Art the older Sears/Craftsman Table saws were manufactured by Emerson Electric(Rigid Tools).
    They are now manufactured by Ryobi I believe under the Craftsman Name. The older saws from what I understand were much better made.If need be I believe you can get a replacement arbor from
    Rigid Tools.http://www.ridgidparts.com/

    Barry

    [ 03-08-2003, 01:50 PM: Message edited by: Barry ]

  40. #40
    Join Date
    Jun 2000
    Location
    Bangor, ME
    Posts
    24,450

    Post

    Sell it, quick, before ya get attached, to some dumb bastard.
    So many questions, so little time.

  41. #41
    Join Date
    Jun 2000
    Location
    Bangor, ME
    Posts
    24,450

    Post

    Sell it, quick, before ya get attached, to some dumb bastard.
    So many questions, so little time.

  42. #42
    Join Date
    Jun 2000
    Location
    Bangor, ME
    Posts
    24,450

    Post

    Sell it, quick, before ya get attached, to some dumb bastard.
    So many questions, so little time.

  43. #43
    Join Date
    Sep 1999
    Location
    Left Coast
    Posts
    6,154

    Cool

    Jack its too far away from you so stop trying for it.

    As soon as spring hits all the garage and jumble sales should start back there so save your pennies and beat the drunks to the aluminum cans.

    <insert big grin here>
    "Lord, grant that I may always desire more than I can accomplish"
    Michelangelo

  44. #44
    Join Date
    Sep 1999
    Location
    Left Coast
    Posts
    6,154

    Cool

    Jack its too far away from you so stop trying for it.

    As soon as spring hits all the garage and jumble sales should start back there so save your pennies and beat the drunks to the aluminum cans.

    <insert big grin here>
    "Lord, grant that I may always desire more than I can accomplish"
    Michelangelo

  45. #45
    Join Date
    Sep 1999
    Location
    Left Coast
    Posts
    6,154

    Cool

    Jack its too far away from you so stop trying for it.

    As soon as spring hits all the garage and jumble sales should start back there so save your pennies and beat the drunks to the aluminum cans.

    <insert big grin here>
    "Lord, grant that I may always desire more than I can accomplish"
    Michelangelo

  46. #46
    Join Date
    Jan 2002
    Location
    Portland, Maine
    Posts
    2,530

    Post

    Art, have you looked here?

    Old craftsman tools

    I found a picture that looks really similar to the one I found at the dump last year. It's a model 103.0203 with the narrow blue enameled cast iron base and a cast iron top and cast iron extension wings, too. I'll post a picture tomorrow.
    Steven

  47. #47
    Join Date
    Jan 2002
    Location
    Portland, Maine
    Posts
    2,530

    Post

    Art, have you looked here?

    Old craftsman tools

    I found a picture that looks really similar to the one I found at the dump last year. It's a model 103.0203 with the narrow blue enameled cast iron base and a cast iron top and cast iron extension wings, too. I'll post a picture tomorrow.
    Steven

  48. #48
    Join Date
    Jan 2002
    Location
    Portland, Maine
    Posts
    2,530

    Post

    Art, have you looked here?

    Old craftsman tools

    I found a picture that looks really similar to the one I found at the dump last year. It's a model 103.0203 with the narrow blue enameled cast iron base and a cast iron top and cast iron extension wings, too. I'll post a picture tomorrow.
    Steven

  49. #49
    Join Date
    Jan 2002
    Location
    Portland, Maine
    Posts
    2,530

    Post

    OK, here's the scoop with the old Sears numbers: the three digits before the 'dot' are the code for the original manufacturer. Sears makes nothing, everything is made by someone else. My old table saw looks in the catalog to be made by Dunlap but according to this list of prefixes it's made by one of these companys:

    103 King Seeley
    103 Roper
    103 Sarlo Power Mower Inc

    Dave Fleming look at the supplier for tools with a prefix of 102.xxxx - your buddy Walker Turner!

    Steven

  50. #50
    Join Date
    Jan 2002
    Location
    Portland, Maine
    Posts
    2,530

    Post

    OK, here's the scoop with the old Sears numbers: the three digits before the 'dot' are the code for the original manufacturer. Sears makes nothing, everything is made by someone else. My old table saw looks in the catalog to be made by Dunlap but according to this list of prefixes it's made by one of these companys:

    103 King Seeley
    103 Roper
    103 Sarlo Power Mower Inc

    Dave Fleming look at the supplier for tools with a prefix of 102.xxxx - your buddy Walker Turner!

    Steven

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