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Thread: "Craftsman" table saw--what do do?

  1. #1

    "Craftsman" table saw--what do do?

    Hi folks:

    My first post ever on this board.....

    I've been using Craftsman/Emerson table saws, mostly "100" series from the fifties, for years. They have obvious limitations but seemed to get the job done for someone not that serious about woodworking.

    Now, I'm using a later model, from the 80s I suppose. There is radial and axial play in the arbor, not a lot but it can be felt. There is noticeable-to-the-naked-eye runout in the blade hub. The blade wobbles. (My others did too, until I ground the flanges with a die grinder.). The blade seems to reposition itself sideways a sixteenth or so, in some way I haven't figured out yet (very loose trunnions?). Worse, the fence--a fabricated sheet metal thing--isn't straight, it has a belly in it, and the sides aren't perpendicular to the table. (The older saws used aluminum extrusions). I suppose I can fill it out with bondo but it will be a pain to work it down.... It does lock down reasonably consistently as to parrallelism to the blade. The legs have no lower supports--easily enough added--and the the castors are flimsy, bendy things. It has the smaller, not the "3 horsepower" version. Belt tension needs attention after every blade height change.

    Seems to me the quality has slipped overall......

    Maybe each of these issues isn't fatal, but the combination is making me wonder if this tool is worth bothering with at all, or if I will every be satisfied with it. Are my experiences typical or do I have a bad-Monday saw? Would I be happier with a Taiwanese-Delta-contractor-saw clone? Or?

    I could certainly put a better fence on it, and I think it would run smoother with machined poly-vee pulleys and belt--cheap as Ridgid parts--but I'm not sure if any investment is this saw is really justified. I can't really justify much of an investment in another saw, but what would be the next step...?

    Thanks for any advice.

    Alan

  2. #2
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    Alan - The basic guts of those Emerson made saws were pretty similar over the years, and they're generally fairly well regarded. What changes is what's bolted on to the main body...wings, fence, switches, wheels, etc. It's hard to know whether you've got a lemon, or just some parts that need to be replaced....parts wear on all saws. These saws are pretty common, and sometimes go pretty cheap...it might be less work to find another used one that doesn't need parts replaced, and see what you can get from the two saws. Then sell whatever parts are leftover. Food for thought anyway.
    Happiness is like wetting your pants...everyone can see it, but only you can feel the warmth....

  3. #3
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    This is just my take, but even if you could dig in and replace everything that needs replacing and adjust everything that needs adjustment, you still have an old Craftsman saw. I have a Craftsman saw and it works fine, but if I even had to replace bearings, I would probzbly write it off. As bad as the economy is right now, I think you could find a saw for a few hundred worth a little TLC to give you a great user. I've got a $350 Unisaw sitting to one side waiting for me to take the time to get it cleaned up and back into service. I've seen several Delta and Jet contractor saws on the area Craigslistings for under $500. Just glanced at the Atlanta list and saw more than a few jet, Dewalt, Ridgid, and Delta models between $150 and $500.

  4. #4
    I had an old 50's cman table saw for about 30 years, and when I set up my shop, looked for a new fence, and decided it was more cost effective to just get a new saw. My Uni has a lot more power than the old cman and am very happy I made the change.

  5. #5
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    Look around for a used 70-90's Unisaw in good condition with either a Unifence or a Biesmeyer fence and you will be light years ahead of that Craftsman saw. It will also likely be the last saw that you will ever need or want, and you can leave it to your grandchildren. I went through 5 saws of various brands and then picked up an 84 Unisaw with a Unifence 8 years ago. It cost me $700. I'm certain that this saw has improved the quality of my work by at least 200% and I know that it will outlast me. All I had to do to it when I got it was to put in a new set of belts and clean it up a bit. It was in perfect alignment when I got it and it has stayed that way.


    Charley

  6. #6
    Charley, this is where my own thoughts are running. I like fixing up old machinery, and think I will never really be happy with the Craftsman, though it does cut wood. I'd probably be reasonably satisfied with a Unisaw with the original tubular-rail fence and an original low-power R-I motor. Looking at some adds, seems one can find these for $3-400. with some patience.

    Alan

    Note: it was/is being REMARKABLY hard to post this. Kept getting all sorts of senseless messages "you aren't logged in;" "please reload previous screen;" garble added to the text.....am about to give up and do some work.....

  7. #7
    Join Date
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    I spent a couple of years putting lipstick on a pig for what I want and need to accomplish in my hobby.

    Run out can be fixed. Machine shop can press out old and install new bearings. Decent aftermarket fence can be had for $200~ ( I installed a Delta T2 on my craftsman). Parallelism at 90 degrees can be accomplished with TWO sets of PALs. Parallelism at 45 degrees may be possible, depends entirely on your patience. Link belt will reduce vibration. I finally gave up at the point of dust collection. For a few dollars more than the cost of a set of Pals I was able to get into a Ridgid R4511 hybrid. I would not call this light years ahead of the craftsman, but darn near. I no longer have to use two hands and a ton of elbow grease raising or lowering the blade.

    The Craftsman will cut wood. The degree of accuracy, repeatability, ease of setup/configuration (re: time) and power, IMO, would be the parameters framing the decision.
    Measure twice, cut three times, start over. Repeat as necessary.

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by Greg Peterson View Post
    ... For a few dollars more than the cost of a set of Pals I was able to get into a Ridgid R4511 hybrid......
    PALS go for $20. just how good a deal did you get on that 4511?

  9. #9
    Join Date
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    Welcome to the Creek Alan,
    Life is too short to mess with a tool that is not working for you. It sounds like you have enough problems with this saw that I would get rid of it and find something new. By the time you try to fix it you could have moved on to something better for the same money. I used to have a Delta contractor saw made in 2005 with a T2 fence and it wasa a great saw. I recently found a similar saw with a Unifence for $300 for a friend.
    Cary

  10. #10
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    All said and done, $25 out of pocket. It helped that the model was being discontinued and HD was blowing them out.
    Measure twice, cut three times, start over. Repeat as necessary.

  11. #11
    Join Date
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    Quote Originally Posted by Greg Peterson View Post
    All said and done, $25 out of pocket. It helped that the model was being discontinued and HD was blowing them out.
    yea, i bought and sold two of them for $250/$450, respectively. what was the clearance price on your recept?

  12. #12
    Quote Originally Posted by Cary Falk View Post
    Welcome to the Creek Alan,
    Life is too short to mess with a tool that is not working for you. It sounds like you have enough problems with this saw that I would get rid of it and find something new. By the time you try to fix it you could have moved on to something better for the same money. I used to have a Delta contractor saw made in 2005 with a T2 fence and it wasa a great saw. I recently found a similar saw with a Unifence for $300 for a friend.
    Cary
    Thanks for all the input. I decided to do minimal upgrades while waiting for something better to come along.

    I screwed a slice of coated particleboard shelf to the left side of the fence and shimmed it straight with paper. This has made a considerable improvement, though it looks inelegant to say the least. The table is about 15 thou low in the middle. Could scrape or file or sand this out, but probably won't bother--I doubt it has much effect on the cutting I do. Stiffened the legs near the bottom with slightly-reworked pallet slats. Arbor pulley likes to come loose. I'd like to install iron pulleys and a poly-vee belt--in preference to a link belt. I think the poly-vee will carry more load with less tension. These are cheap enough as Rigid parts but there are quite a few part numbers. Does anybody know the best ones for this conversion?

    Thanks again.

  13. #13
    Join Date
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    Can not speak to the pulley swap, but I did use a link belt on my craftsman TS. After installing the link belt, the saw passed the nickel test with flying colors.

    Joseph - I don't recall what the exact amount was, I had some HD gift cards and Ridgid was also running a $75 rebate. When it was all said it done, it took $25 out of my pocket.
    Measure twice, cut three times, start over. Repeat as necessary.

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