Vintage craftsman table saw

[mproper2562]

Hi my name is mike, i am beginning my journey into the wonderful world of wood work. I just purchased a 50th anniversary 1957 craftsman cabinet table saw in mint condition. Runs,cuts excelent.

The problem i have is i dont have a blade guard or a splitter and of coarse sears does not carry them any more. I have checked a lot of sites with no luck. Does anyone have any suggestions.

 

[mproper2562]

I would also love to get a manual for this saw

 

[mproper2562]

Its model# 103.24440

 

[woody 73]

That sounds like a tall order to fill after 56 years and finding parts might be somewhat hard to come by. See if you can call your local Woodcraft store at 1-800-535-4482 and see if they sell something that you can drill some holes on your existing saw table and add an over head guard to your saw; It might not be cheap but your safety comes first.

 

[MPOWERD]

By blade guard do you mean the blade insert on the table? If so people have been making them out of wood and plastic instead of metal...

Here is a saw with one made out of wood...

Here are 2 saws with the blade guard made out of wood or plastic...

Also there is a vintage one for model 103 table saws on ebay right now. In rough condition...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Sears-Roebu...637&pid=100005&prg=1088&rk=1&sd=321084299408&

 

[zkling]

Hi Mike, I too love old machines. You definitaly want to check out www.owwm.com all about old wood working tools

Those old craftsman cabinet saws are super rare, not to mention the parts for them. Best bet for parts is the owwm site, or ebay.

Personally I don't think you will need a blade guard. I don't use or like them. Blocks too much of the blade for visual reference. The best blade guard is between your ears.

You will however need a riving knife, similar to a splitter, if you plan to do quite a bit of ripping on the saw. I don't know what kind of attachment points you have available on that saw, but you will probably have to make a custom riving knife to fit that saw.

Have fun and be safe. If you just got the saw, you probably want to change all of the bearings. Even if the saw appears to be unused, the bearing grease will dry up over time and cause the bearings to seize. Which could in turn score shafts and housings.

Please post a picture of the saw.

Here is a link to the 1957 Craftsman catalog. I could not find a manual, at least quickly.

http://vintagemachinery.org/pubs/222/4403.pdf


MPOWERED, those are actually called blade inserts. I THINK the OP is talking about a blade guard which floats over the top of the blade on springs. The old craftsmans usually had an integrated blade guard / splitter unit.

There are 3 things that have to deal with the blade on a table saw.
Blade insert
Riving knife or splitter
Blade guard

Mike which parts do you need?

 

[MPOWERD]

We never had the top guard on my Dad's 1950s craftsman table saw...

Here is a top guard on ebay for model 103 table saws...

Vintage Craftsman # 103 Tablesaw Blade Guard / F 327

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Cra...431&pid=100005&prg=1088&rk=3&sd=321084299408&

 

[jbmorrey]

Hi Mike, I too love old machines. You definitaly want to check out www.owwm.com all about old wood working tools

I second that!!, the OOWM website is a great website for plenty of help with old woodworking machines. Craftsman table saws are common, post on their BOYD section as a "Want to buy" and you will probably get what you need. I have had alot of luck over the years on that site.

Good Luck!

James M

 

[bluebolt]

Welcome to GJ! When King-Seely became Emerson the model numbers on machines still being built changed, the Emerson number is 113.22452 and here is the operating manual you can pring out. http://vintagemachinery.org/pubs/detail.aspx?id=618

Sears Parts Direct has a few parts for that under the Emerson 113.22452 model number.

Red Leader did a restoration on one of those machines but it is buried in his Craftsman Gararge Retro Remodel shop thread.

 

[Packard V8]

The older Craftsman TS are great user machines. Just don't put much money in it expecting a return when you sell, as they don't bring anything. The serious old tool guys want Delta, Walker-Turner, Davis & Wells, Atlas, Oliver, et al. The younger guys won't buy anything but a SawStop. Most are convinced just walking by an old TS it will roar to life and rip one's arm off.

jack vines

 

[zkling]

The older Craftsman TS are great user machines. Just don't put much money in it expecting a return when you sell, as they don't bring anything. The serious old tool guys want Delta, Walker-Turner, Davis & Wells, Atlas, Oliver, et al. The younger guys won't buy anything but a SawStop. Most are convinced just walking by an old TS it will roar to life and rip one's arm off.

jack vines

The one the OP has is different from the standard bench saws usually for sale. It is a full size cabinet table saw. Very rare and quite collectable. Agree I wouldn't put a lot of money into it, but it will be a good user table saw.

Slap on a bessemeyer style fence and you will have a great saw.

 

[Trey T]

Any DIY guide to the fence conversion or other type of fence?

...

Slap on a bessemeyer style fence and you will have a great saw.

 

[zkling]

Any DIY guide to the fence conversion or other type of fence?

If you have access to a saw, welder and drill press, they are super easy to build. Just angle iron and square tubing.

Here is documentation of a nice simple built one. I don't know why it wasn't around in the 30's. It is such a simple and effective design.

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0Bw9...Y2UwYmU3/edit?hl=en_US&authkey=CIfals8E&pli=1

The only thing that really changes between saw models is where you drill the holes in the angle iron rail to match up with your specific saw. I have built a few of these in different sizes for table saws, band saws and even drill presses.

 

[dumper]

they show up regularly at my local Habitat Restore. It won't be the OE guard, but you can probably make one work on your saw. Good news is they usually sell them for $1-2.