Recommend me a table saw

[AWD Diesel Dude]

Ive been using my grandfathers old craftsman for the longest time, but the motor recently went in the middle of a project. I may restore the old saw, but for now any recommendations on a new one? I'm working on a budget, but also looking for quality if I can find it.

 

[Packard V8]

Just pick up another motor and keep what you've got.

Any time I'm putting another motor on a table saw, I try to upgrade the horsepower. A 1hp motor would give the old Cman some zip.

Watch the RPMs and try to match the one you've got. If you get a screaming deal on a different RPM, changing pulleys is no big deal. Try to find cast iron pulleys and use the AX series belts which are notched on the back or inside.

jack vines

 

[Lightfoot]

if it's an old craftsman, it's probably belt drive. Just get a used motor for it. Likely the cheapest route. Could be the old motor just needs new brushes, too.

edit, Packard V8 types faster.

 

[theoldwizard1]

Shop CL ! There are dozens of Craftsman saw out there. Older is better. Get one with a cast iron table and, if possible, 2 cast iron table extensions. You should be able to find something nice for under $200, maybe even under $100 !

Or if you are loaded, look for a Delta Unisaw with a Biesmeyer fence. I think all of those ran on 230V.

 

[5lima30]

I'm looking at possibly replacing my tablesaw. I really like the Hitachi & Ridgid they appear to be powerful and portable (2 qualities I need). No Uni-saw here, been there done that. The Uni-saw is an industry standard for a roomy dedicated woodworking shop but didn't work well for my needs. YMMV.

 

[slip knot]

Jet makes some fairly nice saws but they can get pricey. I just looked at a jet hybrid for $1300. Makes my old crapsman contractor saw look better and better.

Unisaws still bring serious $$$ in my part of the world.

 

[csp]

Makes my old crapsman contractor saw look better and better.

Your old crapsman can be a thing of beauty with a decent fence added along with some tuning of the blade relative to the miter slots and fence.

I use an old crapsman as well with a Delta Unifence (Biesemeyer knockoff) and it works perfectly for very accurate cuts. Just takes some time to dial it in.

 

[Duker]

It's pricey but can't beat it for safety www.sawstop.com. I have the cabinet saw version and it's a very nice saw even excluding the safety features. I added a Jet sliding table to mine and it has been both a back and finger saver!

 

[Kev442]

Craftsman Emerson built saws became the Ridgid saws when Sears when cheapo. I bought a new Ridgid TS2424 when I heard the next series was going overseas. You can tell the good ones by the webbed extensions.
CL always has several Craftsman/Ridgid to choose from under $250 and an older Emerson will outrun any new saw under $700.
I was astonished at the arbor wiggle when I was shopping saws. Swore I would never own a direct drive, the arbors moved so much.

 

[Vicegrip]

I have a 20 year old Delta contractor with the long uni-fence. Cuts as nice as the Powermatic another local has. I used to do a lot of cabinet making and reproduction work. I took the basic saw and built a roller with dust box base and extended table.
I don't know if Delta has cheaped out on the Contractor but at the time it was a good saw and a very good saw for the money considering the Uni-fence.
The fence is critical in a table saw. You need to have a fence that slides smoothly and stays true without having to be dithered with. I have not seen this aspect in the old Crafsman saws. I had a Craftsman from the 40s and one from the 70s prior to getting the Delta.

Look for a top notch fence, a stable blade carrier and bearings. A smooth running and vibration free blade when running. A blade can get a vibration or wobble that changes as you feed the wood through. The blade will run true when you are loading the wood into it but as the feed rates change the blade kerf changes too. This makes for wavy cuts or blade marks in the cut. The blade song should be low and steady and sound like air rather than a singing or ringing. A blade that warbles is out of true and the saw needs to be tuned. A good table saw is the foundation of a wood working shop. I sold off most of my cabinetry tooling but will never part with the table saw.

 

[Frank The Plumber]

Did you burn it up or did you trip a switch that protects it from burning up? Look on the back of the motor for a little red reset button.
Perhaps you ate the brushes by over loading it. Old motors are tough as nails. See if you can rebuild this one. A brush kit is cheap, see if you can find a parts schematic on the web. Google your model.

 

[route246]

I have a Delta Contractor II that I'm preparing for sale. It works great and has a nice after-market fence. I'm trying to figure out what to price it when I put it on CL.

 

[lilredex]

Updated the motor on my Delta clone, got a Doerr 1 - 1/2 HP Model LR 22132, draws 14 amp on 115V, 3450 RPM. Big improvement over that piece of junk motor that came with the saw. Got it at Princess Auto for around $100.



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This one.........

 

[johno]

Delta contractor with a good fence, is a great saw.
I don't think you can beat it for the $.
I like a rolling base if space is limited.
Plus they've been around for years, I had a Rockwell, which predates the Delta, same saw.

 

[MadMark]

It's pricey but can't beat it for safety www.sawstop.com. I have the cabinet saw version and it's a very nice saw even excluding the safety features. I added a Jet sliding table to mine and it has been both a back and finger saver!

What do the sawstop saws go for.
Are they US made?

 

[DrkMtnDew]

Delta contractor with a good fence, is a great saw.
I don't think you can beat it for the $.
I like a rolling base if space is limited.
Plus they've been around for years, I had a Rockwell, which predates the Delta, same saw.

^^^ +1 for Delta

 

[shoot summ]

The first question is, what do you use the saw for?

That will drive the answer, for occasional use the saw you have, with a replacement motor will work great, if it is a belt drive. I put a million miles on a '50's Craftsman, then added a good fence and put a few more. I had a chance to pick up a good Delta contractor with a good fence so the Craftsman has a new owner. The only thing the Delta does better than the old saw is Tilt....

 

[AWD Diesel Dude]

The saw sees all types of use. The most recent projects included a wood floor installation and cabinets. Its hard for me to say I manly use it for this or for that, because I find it necessary for most projects and convenient for all the rest. I am no professional cabinet maker, so I would consider it mostly hobby use. The saw has 50+ years of heavy use, though.

No reset switches on this motor. I will check the brushes tomorrow for hopefully a quick fix. If not, then maybe a new motor as many here have suggested (it IS a pulley style saw).

One thing I definitely lack is a quality fence. Any suggestions on an "aftermarket" fence? If it is more convenient to buy a new saw with a good fence already installed I may look into that.

Thanks for all of the responses.

 

[hedjhawg]

Jet makes some fairly nice saws but they can get pricey. I just looked at a jet hybrid for $1300. Makes my old crapsman contractor saw look better and better.

Unisaws still bring serious $$$ in my part of the world.

I bought a Jet back in 2000 - 2HP, 230VAC. It's awesome. I paid under $800 then, I think they are twice that now...

 

[Tom Hintz]

Over the last 30 years or so I have been "saving money" by using lower priced table saws and naturally was always left wanting. Finally I got a Powermatic PM2000 and got the saw that I always wanted. It is not cheap but my wife looked back at the saws I bought on the way up to the PM2000 and I cold buy at least two PM2000's with what I spent along the way "saving money".
I have a review (line below) of the PM2000 with lots of photos and a video if that info would be of help.

http://www.newwoodworker.com/reviews/pm2000rvu.html

 

[shoot summ]

The saw sees all types of use. The most recent projects included a wood floor installation and cabinets. Its hard for me to say I manly use it for this or for that, because I find it necessary for most projects and convenient for all the rest. I am no professional cabinet maker, so I would consider it mostly hobby use. The saw has 50+ years of heavy use, though.

No reset switches on this motor. I will check the brushes tomorrow for hopefully a quick fix. If not, then maybe a new motor as many here have suggested (it IS a pulley style saw).

One thing I definitely lack is a quality fence. Any suggestions on an "aftermarket" fence? If it is more convenient to buy a new saw with a good fence already installed I may look into that.

Thanks for all of the responses.

I put a Biesemeyer on my old Craftsman and loved it. My current saw has one as well. I haven't tried any others but the Biesemeyer to me is worth every penny....

 

[Duker]

What do the sawstop saws go for.
Are they US made?

The company is based here and the engineering is here but I can't tell you for sure that the casting and machining is done here. However, that said, the fit and finish is better than my Tennessee built Powermatic I had previously. I have the industrial cabinet saw but I think the contractors saw runs about $1500 bucks fully loaded. That is expensive versus other saws but when compared to the price of a finger or two it was cheap insurance in my mind.

 

[AWD Diesel Dude]

The motor on the saw is a brushless motor (induction motor), so no dice there. On to plan B.

Once again, thanks for all of the responses.

 

[petie6464]

Wow thats amazing. I had to watch the movies a few times to believe what I was watching. What do these saws sell for??

It's pricey but can't beat it for safety www.sawstop.com. I have the cabinet saw version and it's a very nice saw even excluding the safety features. I added a Jet sliding table to mine and it has been both a back and finger saver!

 

[dwm]

Wow thats amazing. I had to watch the movies a few times to believe what I was watching. What do these saws sell for??

As Duker said, figure around $1600 for the 10" contractor's saw and about $3100 for the 10" cabinet saw. They're nice units, even if you're not super excited about their safety feature.

 

[senlow]

One thing I definitely lack is a quality fence. Any suggestions on an "aftermarket" fence? If it is more convenient to buy a new saw with a good fence already installed I may look into that.

Biesemeyer is the right stuff.

 

[theoldwizard1]

If your interested in a "portable" table saw, you can't beat the Bosch 4100 with stand. Pricey, but good stuff !