Just Acquired Craftsman 152.221140 Table Saw - A Few Questions

[Leo Butler]

I bought a Craftsman 152.221140 hybrid table saw yesterday, one of the units made by Steel City. I was able to read up on the saw and check it out for almost an hour before buying it, so I went in knowing it had a couple of issues that I felt I could deal with. I wanted to ask about a couple of things to be sure I'm not off base or missing something important.

First, after tuning up what appeared to be a quite serviceable fence, I found the back side deflects VERY easily, perhaps 1/16 inch with not all that much pressure. I'm convinced after some testing that it's not due to the front clamp racking. Have others who own/owned this normal seen the same thing? I honestly wouldn't use this fence without adding a clamp to the back rail every time I used it.

Second, the 90-degree stop that is adjusted through the topof the table doesn't work very well. When changing the blade angle and then moving it back to 90, the stop feels kind of mushy, and getting back to the absolute 90-degrees that you set the stop for is nigh on impossible. As it stands now, I'll be reaching for a digital angle setting jig or right angle reference to set the blade angle each time.

Since I still have my Rockwell contractor saw (the one that has its own issue trying to get back to 90 degrees, hence the Craftsman replacement), I plan to take the top off and clean/inspect/lubricate everything, replace the drive belt, and put in some foam rubber around the top to seal it up better so the dust collection is more efficient. Maybe I'll find the reason for the inefficient stop while I'm in there.

The motor, bearings and arbor appear to be in great shape; it's quiet and after putting on a good blade, it cuts well and accurately (using a miter gauge). Looks like my Vega Pro fence and SawStop router table extension will bolt right up, and if so I should be pretty well set up.

[Jerry Wright]

Can't help with fence issue, but fwiw I have never trusted the "return to 90 degrees" stops on any tablesaw - contractor or cabinet. I always check with a square and micro-adjust as needed. A minimally out of square edge is more than an annoyance.

[Lisa Starr]

My cabinet saw doesn't consistently return to 90 degrees either. I've found it prudent to simply check the blade any time I return to 90 degrees from a bevel.

[scott spencer]

Did the deflection at the back of the fence occur during a normal rip cut, or while pushing at the back of the fence. If it occurs during a cut, it could be problematic. If it only occurs when applying manual pressure that does not occur during a cut, it's a non-issue.

[Leo Butler]

Can't help with fence issue, but fwiw I have never trusted the "return to 90 degrees" stops on any tablesaw - contractor or cabinet. I always check with a square and micro-adjust as needed. A minimally out of square edge is more than an annoyance.

I couldn't agree with you more on that. My contractor's saw has some variation that showed itself during some rips for a small benchtop (15 2' long boards) and I spent way too long squaring up the edges with planes.

[Leo Butler]

My cabinet saw doesn't consistently return to 90 degrees either. I've found it prudent to simply check the blade any time I return to 90 degrees from a bevel.

Okay, sounds like this isn't too out of the ordinary. My contractor's saw at least FEELS like it hits that stop with authority and there's no way I can turn the wheel farther once it hits it. Not so with this saw. But given that the trunnions are mounted to the cabinet then the table is mounted to the cabinet separately, I suppose there's some more opportunity for this to occur. I'll use my triangle to square it up.

[Leo Butler]

Did the deflection at the back of the fence occur during a normal rip cut, or while pushing at the back of the fence. If it occurs during a cut, it could be problematic. If it only occurs when applying manual pressure that does not occur during a cut, it's a non-issue.

Scott, it's with manual pressure. But it occurs with a rather small amount. I think I could get a some deflection when say, cutting a 2' x 4' plywood panel as I tend to put more lateral pressure against the fence when making those cuts than with a smaller piece of wood with a higher aspect ratio. These days I'm using a GRRR-Ripper for most of those cuts.

It just occurs to me that I can use my dial gauge or micrometer in a way that will measure this. I'll take a piece of plywood and mimic as best I can the pressure I'd use with both saws' fences - I don't even need to actually run the saw. I'll report back with the numbers.

[Leo Butler]

It just occurs to me that I can use my dial gauge or micrometer in a way that will measure this. I'll take a piece of plywood and mimic as best I can the pressure I'd use with both saws' fences - I don't even need to actually run the saw. I'll report back with the numbers.

Just using my usual technique, as the board got to the trailing edge of the blade, the deflection was 0.018". I used a wide enough piece of plywood that I would be comfortable pushing it through by hand, which does have me applying a good amount of sideways force. The worst deflection was at the position that would be end of the cut, of course, when the leading edge of the board was past the front edge of the blade. At that moment the worst deflection I saw was 0.012".

[glenn bradley]

The fence on the 22114 was always a bit of a weak spot. The split front rail was prone to alignment issues but, by most reports this could be overcome with care during setup. I think the fence mostly appeared weak because the 22124 came with a Biesemeyer Commercial fence and that was hard to beat during that era. There are adjustments for the rear "grip" strength and I would look to that if you are getting deviation. I ran an aluminum fence for years without issue. As stated, I would make some cuts to see if the deviation is displayed in the result.

We can often get caught up on the numbers and stray from why we actually care about them. I have been guilty of this on more than one occasion; I get too focused on making the measurement say "X" than I am focused on the result I am after. I will add another vote for ignoring 90 and 45 degree stops. I always set mine a couple of degree past. I always check my angles independently but, the stops will act as a reminder if I become distracted while winding .

P.s. The Orion built 'zipcode' saws were pretty well made. The cabinet mounted trunnions made alignment a snap and the motors performed (perception-wise) beyond what their ratings indicated. Dad is still running my 22124 at his shop and despite having a Saw Stop I hope to inherit it when he's done with it.

[Leo Butler]

The fence on the 22114 was always a bit of a weak spot. The split front rail was prone to alignment issues but, by most reports this could be overcome with care during setup. I think the fence mostly appeared weak because the 22124 came with a Biesemeyer Commercial fence and that was hard to beat during that era. There are adjustments for the rear "grip" strength and I would look to that if you are getting deviation. I ran an aluminum fence for years without issue. As stated, I would make some cuts to see if the deviation is displayed in the result.

The split rail is well-aligned. The leftmost spring-loaded nylon tensioner on the front of the fence click as they run over it, but that's not a big deal.

This fence has an aluminum flip stop that will keep the rear of the fence from lifting, but it has no hardware to clamp down to the rear rail. I removed the two allen bolts to inspect the mating surfaces and with that the fence extrusion lifts right off.

I know the deflection is just going to bug me if it can't be corrected (and it appears it cannot), so I think this fence will get moved to the Rockwell TS which I'll be selling and the Vega Pro fence will go on the Craftsman.

I will add another vote for ignoring 90 and 45 degree stops. I always set mine a couple of degree past. I always check my angles independently but, the stops will act as a reminder if I become distracted while winding .

That's a good plan. I'll follow suit.

P.s. The Orion built 'zipcode' saws were pretty well made. The cabinet mounted trunnions made alignment a snap and the motors performed (perception-wise) beyond what their ratings indicated. Dad is still running my 22124 at his shop and despite having a Saw Stop I hope to inherit it when he's done with it.

Before I bought this saw I did some research and came across a post or two where you talked about these saws, and it was a factor in my decision to buy it. Via one of the message threads I found a phone number that led me to Normand Inc. in Canada who handles the Steel City parts. I put in a request for a single part to see if I would get a response, and boy did I. The sales rep even sent me a PDF of the Craftsman manual along with one for the Steel City 35600/35605 which appear to have nearly identical parts lists. That was another factor in my decision to buy it, because the saw has an eccentric so I can make the backlash adjustments for blade tilt and height which as you know have recently become important to me. Knowing I can get parts and chat with a helpful person if needed is huge.

[Dan Lambert]

I just sold my 22124 when I upgraded to a used Delta X5 that i got a great deal on. I had the Beisemeyer fence, and although the deflection was measurable, it was insignificant in cutting operations. Careful setup, and using side pressure only ahead of the front of the blade took care of any potential problems. I never had any problems with kickback, or even with a width variance in the materials I cut on it. I found the same mushy feel with regard to the 90 degree stop, but like others, I just used my Wixey angle gauge or a speed square to verify the blade angle. I used either the Wixey or an accurate angle finder to set angles other than 90 degrees.

[Leo Butler]

I found the same mushy feel with regard to the 90 degree stop, but like others, I just used my Wixey angle gauge or a speed square to verify the blade angle. I used either the Wixey or an accurate angle finder to set angles other than 90 degrees.

Thanks for confirming this characteristic, Dan. I'm setting aside a day over the holidays to do what I hope is a minor rehab on the saw, and I may enlist a daughter to be the designated angle changer so I can see where the tweakage is occurring. I did see that the sheet metal around the tilt wheel mount deflected a bit when the stop began to engage, so that's probably what's going on.

[glenn bradley]

This fence has an aluminum flip stop that will keep the rear of the fence from lifting, but it has no hardware to clamp down to the rear rail.

Ah, I misunderstood that little gizmo; bummer. The Aluminum fence I had was an Align-a-Rip and it was about the same scale as the stock 22114 fence so I am familiar. It sounds like you have a solution though and I think you will end up with a nice little saw when you're done.

I put in a request for a single part to see if I would get a response, and boy did I. The sales rep even sent me a PDF of the Craftsman manual along with one for the Steel City 35600/35605 which appear to have nearly identical parts lists. That was another factor in my decision to buy it, because the saw has an eccentric so I can make the backlash adjustments for blade tilt and height which as you know have recently become important to me. Knowing I can get parts and chat with a helpful person if needed is huge.

Excellent. I bought my saw right after some of the Orion folks fired up Steel City. When you called the support number for either one you got the same person, LOL. I teased the person who answered the phone about it and she took it in stride and was always very helpful. Glad you found similar support.

P.s. I did adjust the eccentric several years down the road and it does just what it is supposed to. Congrats again on the saw.

[Dan Lambert]

Thanks for confirming this characteristic, Dan. I'm setting aside a day over the holidays to do what I hope is a minor rehab on the saw, and I may enlist a daughter to be the designated angle changer so I can see where the tweakage is occurring. I did see that the sheet metal around the tilt wheel mount deflected a bit when the stop began to engage, so that's probably what's going on.

I found that sawdust buildup on the mechanism and stop also contributed to the effect. Brushing the dust off the gears and stops helped a lot.