#HOW TO IMPROVE OLD CRAFTSMAN TABLE SAW FREE#

I have a 30 year old Craftsman radial arm saw that lived thru my divorce that I can't make myself get rid of. I read your posts about your table saw with interest.

I am saying that you may need some hours on your current saw to make up your mind whether it is a keeper or a step toward something else. I'm with you about the quality of the old verses the new. You will want to loosen the trunion cradle and set the blade parallel to the mitre slots. Familiarize yourself with how the mechanisms work. Remove the blade and fence rails then take the table off the stand and turn it upside down on a workbench. It has cast Iron extensions on each side, and a shop-build table on the right made of laminate covered plywood. I found this older craftsman saw at a pawn shop that I frequent and wanted to get opinions on it. Consider any upgrades now as a price of admission to the learning game. Take the saw apart and inspect / clean / lube it. Im thinking about replacing my benchtop, direct drive table saw with a larger contractor saw.

#HOW TO IMPROVE OLD CRAFTSMAN TABLE SAW FREE#

If you can't make that decision right now I would continue to improve your saw, get some use out of it for a while with the free service of gaining experience as to what will and will not work for you going forward. You will have to judge if your 1960's machine is a keeper or a stepping stone. I plan to use it as a crosscut station as mentioned in the 'revival' thread linked above. The 1950's saw I still have is a big step up from the 1970's saw in mass and build quality. I want your opinion on derusting and the colo. As a matter of fact, I am using it right now while I am between shops. This Craftsman table saw needs some cleaning and restoring before I start to use it. Had this not happened I would probably still be using the hybrid. sort of the entry level for an actual cabinet saw. Fortune stepped in again and I upgraded to a 240 volt, 3HP, cabinet saw. I upgraded to a hybrid that came with a commercial Biesemeyer fence, cabinet mounted trunnions, etc., and was able to get wonderful, burn-free bevel cuts at any angle I desired. As will happen, a good deal came along on another saw. I could do operations that the tablesaw was challenged with by using the router table and hand tools. As I branched out in what I was making, the limitations became more troublesome. May old craftsman saw had a 1700rpm motor, but only 1/2 horse power, so it was both too slow, and underpowered. You may find your blade bogging down easily if you bump up the speed too much. I could get the blade very well aligned at 90 degrees but, as with nearly all contractor format saws, bevel cuts were a challenge. As you increase the gear ratio you gain speed, but you lose torque. I also wrapped a 90# bag of Redi-crete in plastic and tossed it in the base for ballast. If anyone could email me a manual, I would be thrilled. The guy selling the motor says it's for a table saw and has a 56 frame. A little concerned to increase the hp that much. I added a decent fence, PALs, machined pulleys and a link belt. 103.22160 table saw by: Mark Just burnt up my motor on saw. Besides Grandpa's 1950 Emerson I had a 1970's '113.' contractor.

How to improve old craftsman table saw