Table saw dilemma

[Chuck Lenz]

Steve did you check the plug and the wire or maybe even the outlet to see if your even geting power to the motor ?

[Clint Winterhalter]

Would you enjoy a 1023 YES..
Would you enjoy (Could you get by with) a GO478 YES.
You could even pick up a replacement motor and fix / upgrade your saw.

A couple of things worth considering:

• Do you have 220 power available in your shop / garage? 1023 needs 220 power. (It cost me about $150 to get it set up when I bought my new saw / Shop Fox W1677 its a 1023 with white paint)
• How much would you have to sink into the old saw to get it the way you want it?

Rough guess $100-$200 for the motor, another $125-280 for a new fence depending on what flavor of you pick. Does your current CMan have cast or stamped steel wings? My old CMan saw started life with Stamped steel wings. My shop is my garage. My table saw gets moved every time I use it. I'm the first to admit that I pulled it around by the stamped steel wings from time to time. It didn't help them stay flat.. Trust me.
Here a quick list of what I did to my old Cman:

• $160 for two cast iron wings from Roebuck central. The cast wings were better, but they weren't solid cast. They were webbed.
• Vega Fence Bes-clone $279 from Rockler
• New metal crank handles $29 from the Roebuck (traded up from the plastic junk that came on the saw when I broke one)
• Power Twist Belt $30 at Rockler (reduces vibration)

After all my improvements, the trunnion started to WANDER.

I spent $500 on upgrade goodies for a saw I purchase for $500 when I bought it. Granted when I bought the saw, I had pretty much rubbed my last to nickels together to get it.

At the end of the day you have to be happy with what you pick. Did I need a cabinet saw. No, I too got by for years with out one. Thankfully I made it fit in my budget. Now if I can just convince the LOML that a free standing shop and slider are in the budget

Let us know what road you take, be careful you don't sink to much $ into your Old CMan! (My brother inlaw really enjoys my old Cman. I gave it to him so he doesn't seem to mind adjusting the trunnion, GO FIGURE!)

Good Luck!

Clint

[Robert Conner]

Steve how far from NYC are you?
There have been a couple of Unisaws on LI in the $800-900 range. Unifence etc. How large is your workshop? The cabinet saws actually take up less room then the Contractor saws.
Robert

[Benjamin Dahl]

Steve, I figured you might have looked at C-list but you never know what you will find. Your urgency will dictate your decision and I think your reasoning for spending a bit more is sound; not much of a difference in the long run. I have not used either of the saws you mention so I can't speak of their quality but both look nice. The 1023 seems to have a variety of packages to choose from. Let us know what you decide.
Ben

[Noah Katz]

"Even if I don't notice the benefits of more power and heavier construction, that's not risking too much. "

You'll notice the latter in quietness, less vibration, and a more substantial feel.

It might not cut the wood any better but it it's just more enjoyable to use; I'm speaking as one who went from an old Craftsman (w/heavy cast carriage and trunnion) to a PM2000.

[Chuck Lenz]

Just for reference there is a left tilt Unisaw with a 50" Beisemeyer they are asking $1200, advertised as only used in a hobby shop here in Bismarck, North Dakota.

[Steve Rybicki]

Steve did you check the plug and the wire or maybe even the outlet to see if your even geting power to the motor ?

Chuck, it actually hums when turned on. The first time it did this, I gave the blade a push and it started up. The next time I tried to start it, it still hummed, but wouldn't start up with a push. That is when I disassembled it, cleaned it and put it back together. I didn't see any obvious problems, though I have very little knowledge on motors. That didn't fix the problem, but it does still hum. It has been oiled regularly in the oil fittings.

There used to be a small shop in town that fixed motors and sold them. They went out of business and there's nothing like that near hear anymore. It would be nice to get it going long enough to find a good used machine or at least ponder getting a brand new one.

[Steve Rybicki]

Steve how far from NYC are you?
There have been a couple of Unisaws on LI in the $800-900 range. Unifence etc. How large is your workshop? The cabinet saws actually take up less room then the Contractor saws.
Robert

Robert, I'm on the other side of the state, south of Buffalo. What is LI? My workshop is 25' x 30' and I have 220 circuits so that stuff isn't a problem.

[Chuck Lenz]

I'm not real knowledgeable about motors either but I wonder if it isn't the capacitor on the outside of the motor. Anyone else got a idea ?

[scott spencer]

I'm not real knowledgeable about motors either but I wonder if it isn't the capacitor on the outside of the motor. Anyone else got a idea ?

Not a motor expert either but it sounds like it could be a bad starter cap, which is a cheap and easy fix. Sometimes the centrifugal switch sticks too, but I doubt that pushing it would make it run if that were the case....that's a free and easy fix...

....I assume "LI" is Long Island, some 400 miles east of Steve...

[Tim Lynch]

I'm in upstate too... just north of Binghamton. It's probably too far to drive for you but, you're welcome to the motor that I took off my Craftsman... the motor says model 820030, 120V 13A. It's probably 1 HP at best, although of course the saw says 3HP developed, etc.

The ebay guy I bought my new motor off currently has this for sale:

http://cgi.ebay.com/New-2-HP-Electri...QQcmdZViewItem

I talked to him and he says they take them off new compressor assemblies (for some reason) and sell them... he may have other motors available immediately.

[Steve Rybicki]

It does make sense that it may be the capacitor. I'll order one and give it a try. Thanks for everyone's suggestions.

[Don Bullock]

... be careful you don't sink to much $ into your Old CMan! ...
Good Luck!

Clint

As a former c-man owner, I fully agree with Clint on this one. I checked on the "value of my 1979 vintage C-man and they were going for about $100 and mine was in excellent shape. It just wasn't worth putting money into it. I can't believe how easy it is to work with a table saw with a good fence and wings that are actually in the same plane as the table top. If you're just replacing a small pert to get it to work while you search for ather alternatives, that's one thing, but sinking hundreds into a saw that's not worth a $100 isn't a good idea in my opinion.

[Alan Tolchinsky]

Knowing what I know now after 22 years of woodworking, unless your a cabinet shop or a custom woodworker actually makeing a liveing from it you don't need a full blown cabinet saw. If your rich and have the money, great, buy one. But it's not necessary. Things in this country are going towards cheap imports, furniture has gone that way, woodwork in homes also. Sure it would be nice to think that all of us could make a liveing doing this, but in all reality if your not in the right area of the country, it's nothing but a dream and you will beat yourself up trying, and so will what you think are potential customers. But then again if you don't own a cabinet saw your fellow woodworkers won't take your attempt at woodworking seriously. It's all a fad that I bought into years ago, I enjoyed it for alot of years, but now I'm wore out and geting tired of it. I only make things for my wife and I and maybe a occassional gift to a family member. I don't build things for anyone else expecting to come out on it labor wise. I have alot of money invested in tools over those years, and frankly I'm glad I didn't spend more. Sometimes I wish I had never spent it at all. I don't look forward to going out to the shop and doing things like I use too. A new cabinet saw may make you feel like your one one of the big boys, but it's not going to turn you into Norm overnight.

Chuck, I like a lot of what you say here. It's from a voice of an experienced woodworker and makes a LOT of sense to me. Thanks for sharing. Alan

[Eugene A. Manzo III]

I am with the other guys on the hum. I repaired some motors with an old
motor repairman a few years ago and the majority had capacitor probs.
Most motors had a starting and run winding in them. so at dead stop usually a centrifugal swith would make up a set of contacts to set it to the starting windings. When the motor developed rpms the windings would then be swithed to the run mode. Check your starter Capacitor and your centrifigul switch. And also purchase the dam cabinet saw dont be so tight.