How Many Own More Than 1 Table Saw

[Greg Johnson]

I have a dilemma. Currently I have my dad's 8" Craftsman table saw (1950 vintage) in a corner in my shop. He passed away in 1980 and it's been sitting there ever since. Last weekend my 1977 vintage Craftsman table saw motor died and I decided to upgrade. I picked up a Grizzly 1023SL this week . So I now have 2 saws that I probably won't be using. One in need of a motor replacement.

Here is my problem..... The Sentimental Factor..... The 8" Craftsman was my father's and also the first saw that I ever used. The 1977 Craftsman was a wedding gift from my wife... I built our home, all the cabinets, plus a lot of side jobs with this saw and it's been a BIG part of my life.... (It's been a real love/hate relationship though). On top of that, I remember my Grandfather's shop and he had 2 tablesaws. One set up for ripping and the other for crosscutting. But... things have changed since the '60s. They didn't have compound miter saws back then.

I am strapped for space and I don't want to just keep on storing these machines. Unless I can find some compelling reason to keep them, I'd like to find a good home for them.

So, this is basically a 2 part question.

1. Does anybody have a strong argument for keeping more than one table saw in a shop?

2. If not, what have people done to donate equipment like this? I read in a previous post that someone donated his saw to Habitat for Humanity. I would just like this equipment to find a good home. It still has a little life left in it and could do some great things in the right hands.

Thanks for any insight,

Greg

[Michael Ballent]

I only have one tablesaw, but one option would be to install a dado blade on one of the tablesaws. Put a good combo blade on the new saw and keep the old saw (the one that you want to keep) ready with a dado blade to the width you mostly use. Sorta like the crosscut/rip setup your dad had. For sentimental reasons I would be inclined to keep my dad's saw, but discuss it with your wife before you go and get rid of the one she gave you.

As far as donating it, I would be inclined to believe that unless you have the guard you may not be able to donate to Habitat for Humanity... They have to follow the same safety regulations as any job site, I would think. You could sell it in the classifieds, you may be surprised how much you could get or you could go the EBay route to sell it off.

Just some thoughts for you to ponder . BTW where are the pics of the new saw Gotta work with the Pic Police.

[Steve Stube]

The Sentimental Factor - may be satisfied with some very good photos but a word of caution - you wife may have some sentimental ideas about the gift she gave you. Perhaps framed with a perpetual candle will be adequate.

Steve (owner of no more than 15 table saws at one time now down to 5 with 5 RAS's and way to many bench mount jig/scroll saws)

[Wes Bischel]

Greg,

I think I would keep my Dad's old saw. But that's just me.

As for the Habitat donation, if you donate it to the local Habitat Restore, they will sell it versus use it on a job site. As Michael said, they won't use it on a build.

Wes

[Stephen Dixon]

I also have an 8" Craftsman saw from the 50's, it was my dad's who passed in the eighties and is my only keepsake from him. I have a 10" Craftsman from the 80's that my wife gave me for Christmas one year. I just bought a Grizzly 1023SL this year, and am struggling with what to do with all these table saws. I hope you get some good answers because I'll be watching this post.

Steve

BTW I've decided to keep my dads saw, I have a sanding disk on it and use it as a stationary disk sander. I keep a dado blade on my 10" Craftsman and it has a Vega Fence on it, but I'm trying to sell it or give it away. My daughter just got married last fall and is talking about building a house this year, perhaps it will find work this summer.

[Andy London]

I have three tablesaws in the shop, one cabinet, one contractors and a bench top...however I do a lot of production type work and having saws set up for specific things saves lot of time.

That being said I would still keep the craftsman saw, you never know when you might need it.

Andy

[Steve Ash]

I did have two, I had a older craftsman that also was my dad's (sound's like the same style your dad gave you) When I moved, I was running out of room in the U-haul so I gave it to my best friend. Whenever I am able to visit that friend I notice it is in his shop and he is using it. I wish I had kept it for the sentimental value, but don't want to ask my friend for it back either since he is putting it to good use. Keep the saw/s if you can, later on you might have wished you did.

[Norman Hitt]

I have two of my own, 1 Cabinet and one late 50's 10" Craftsman that I gave to my Dad one x-mas, and also a Buddy's Contractor saw. The cab is the main saw (when I get 220 pwr again), the Craftsman is used with dual blades for constant thickness tenons, and the buddies saw gets general purpose use til the cab saw gets pwr.

No way will I get rid of my Dad's old Saw........Just too many memories.

[aurelio alarcon]

I don't know what I would do if I were you. I will say this though--often, though not always, sentimental pieces, like photos, are merely reminders of memories that are dear to us. It is the memory, and not the symbol, that holds the true value. This statement in no way is meant to minimize what is important to you.

[Jeff Sudmeier]

I would be inclined to keep my dad's saw in the shop, if you can find the room. It would be very handy to have a dedicated dado saw. I have two table saws, but the second one I have is a benchtop, with no power and little accuracy so I don't use it much. When I upgrade from my current saw, I will keep it for dado's and leave the new one with a good combo blade.

[Frank Pellow]

I donated two table saws to Habitat for Humanity about four months ago. One of them was missing a guard but they were able to re-sell both. One of saws was a Craftsman which had served me well for over 30 years and the other was a jobsite Delta which, again, I had used a great deal (this time for about 10 years).

I did on occassion have both saws in use at the same time, one with a dado set, and that was helpful. But, I really did and do not hadve the space to devote to two tasble saws.

[Tom Hintz]

I have my primary Delta Industrial contractor saw but keep a Bosch 4000-09 (gravity-Lift stand) for all those times when I have the Delta set up for a job and find I need another piece cut. Being able to whip the Bosch out in the drive or an unused part of the shop and make a quick cut accurately saves tons of setup, or re-setup time on the main saw.
Plus, I just feel cool having two! Now, if I could acutally BE cool because of it I'd really be set!

[Darren Ford]

Steve, I understand your feelings on this, but I have a different view. If I could see that saw being taken care of and put to good use, it would be better than having it myself, unused.

[Greg Johnson]

Thank you all for your responses. It has given me a little more to think about. Actually I have 2 college age children that may be building houses in the near future and my old craftsman could be easily transported to a job site. I also had not though of converting my fathers table saw to a disc sander... As far as using either one for a dado setup, the real reason I upgraded to a good cabinet saw was because of the inaccurate cuts that the old saws produced. My old saw did a lousy job with dados. Of course I'm blaming the saw now.....When it comes time to do some dados, I'll be blaming the old blades, which will "require" me to buy a new set . As far as the picture police.... I'll snap a few shots and post a brief review of my setup experience with the Grizzly 1023SL.

Thanks,
Greg