Beware Craigslist posters and their claims

[Michael Arruda]

Hello all,

I just purchased a small Craftsman 8" table saw from a gentleman named Tony on Inland Empire Craigslist in CA. He advertised it as a 5/8" arbor, but it turns out it is actually a 1/2" arbor. I cannot find 1/2" arbor 8" blades anywhere, so it's wonderful little boat anchor.

So, I'm posting this for two reasons- beware this guy named Tony who lives on Euclid in Upland. He's a nice enough guy, but doesn't know what he's talking about with things he sells. Second, as a reminder to beware what we buy and sell second hand. Ensure you know all you can and make sure your claims are true when you sell, and ensure the veracity of other's claims when you purchase. This was not a very expensive lesson for me, but it took up quite a bit of time driving over 100 miles round trip to purchase what is now a decorator piece.

Caveat Emptor!

[Dave Anderson NH]

Don't give up. Try web searches for the blades. Unless the saw is really old there is someone making replacements.

[Alan Bienlein]

See if you can get a bushing for the blade.

[Tom Stenzel]

I would go with the bushing too. It just needs to be as thick as the blade or a few thousandth thinner.

The last thing I bought from Craigslist was a pair of Lofstrand crutches. When I got them home I found the manufacturer's address stamped on it. Complete with the zone code! That makes them at least 50 years old. They work just fine.

-Tom S

[Bruce Page]

It's not a boat anchor at all, just buy some arbor bushings. I think HF sells them for a couple of bucks.

[Brian Elfert]

I doubt the seller purposely misstated the arbor size. Did you contact the seller about a refund due to the error, and what did the seller say? Did you ask for a model number before buying to verify the specifications?

[Jay Jolliffe]

I think I may have the same saw without looking at it. I use 7 1/2"skill saw blades....Works fine.

[eugene thomas]

I think bushing is easy fix. But all cl dealings think it's buyer beware.

[Kevin Bourque]

I know Tony from craigslist who lives in Upland. He's the guy who sells overpriced arbor bushings to unwary saw purchasers.

[Jim Matthews]

I know Tony from craigslist who lives in Upland. He's the guy who sells overpriced arbor bushings to unwary saw purchasers.

Great. More coffee on my monitor.
* snerk *

[Brian Libby]

I had an old Craftsman table saw with 1/2 inch arbor and just used a bushing .

[Lee Schierer]

Amazon has a set for $0.99

[Michael Arruda]

Thanks, folks!

I'll go with an adapter. I knew this, but in my haste to be ticked off for the misrepresentation, totally forgot about it. What ticked me off is that his ad expressly stated it took a 5/8" arbor blade. Over on OWWM I was reminded of OWWM rule #1 of purchasing tools-

OWWM Rule No. 1: The seller, standing in front of the machine with access to all sides and in full daylight, will not/cannot describe the machine correctly.

It's a good rule to remember I suppose.

I did contact him. After telling him his error, he just said "well, if you can't find a 1/2" arbor blade, just resell the saw for $50" To which I thought, Hmm, I betcha that is what he did- bought it and pawned it off when he realized the arbor issue.

The annoying part was that he never admitted wrong doing or any fault, even accidental. It was just an "Oh, well, not my problem" kind of attitude. Then he accused me of stealing his "moving dolly" after a couple txts back and forth, like he was looking for something to blame on me to close out the discussion. The "moving dolly" was a welded steel mobile base under the saw stand, which he never mentioned did not come with the saw, never told me to put it by the house when I was done taking the stand apart in his driveway to fit in my car after he took the cash and just went back in the house. Not to mention the wood on the "dolly" was indented and dirt-aged to show where the feet of the saw stand had been there for ages.

So, my warning stands- Caveat Emptor, know more about what you're buying than the seller does, and know more about what you're selling than the buyer could want to know. At least, that's what I normally try to do. Not this time though, and it bit me in the rear.

Thanks again gents,
Michael

PS- I looked on CL for a listing for a saw bushing at a good price from a guy in Upland and nothing came up, so I guess it's not an intentional racket.

[Rick Potter]

It's been my experience that there are some people who live off Euclid in Upland that are pretty cool.

[Moses Yoder]

I bought milk once and it went sour.

It was from Meijer, a large supermarket chain in Michigan. We are now buying milk from Aldis instead, and none of that has gone sour.