I’m looking to purchase a table saw for my home. It will only be used for personal use. Ripping boards (I have some trim I have to rip now), building a shed, possibly making some furniture (Int. center, dresser), and general house pojects (shelving, etc.).
I think what would be important to me would be; accuracy, 24″ rip capacity, enough power not to be constantly overburdened. A side benifit would be a router table attached so I wouldn’t have to come up with a seperate table. And I don’t want to “Break the bank”.
I was looking at this craftsman modle below. They go for $499 plus I have a 20% off coupon. That would be $400 for a stationary saw w/router table. Sounds good to me…
What do you guys think??? I would love to sbend $1,600 for a nice Jet or something, but with a big mortgage, a new kid and the wife not working… that ain’t gonna fyl. Concerns? Advise? Recomendations?
Thanx in advance for your replies!
Jake
Replies
well I wouldnt normally say craftsmen is worth it , but it has what you want and for the price you can afford , and 20% off is good , one thing you might want to consider is with the savings your getting ,you might want to get the extended warrenty so you can atleast use it for a couple of years
a. so its fixed when it needs it
b. so they can get the bugs out of it if it needs it.
the only thing I wouldnt like is the router guard/fence is mounted to table saw fence
Dogboy
I have an old Craftsman and it works fine. It's difficult to hook dust collection to, although that's true of most tools.
Generally extended warranties are not money well spent. I have a table saw, planer, jointer, bandsaw, dust collector, chop saw, drill press, and loads of portable power tools, and never had one break except a 20 year old jigsaw which I fixed in a few minutes without parts. At one time Sears made one-third of all their profit from extended warranties. That's because warranties are sold for so much more than they're worth.
Resist the temptation to throw the saw together and start cutting. Allow 8 hours to assemble and do all the adjustments. Making accurate setup adjustments are critical to any saw's performance. And don't trash the blade safety guard. You really should use it for ripping, at least.
Jake,
Check out Taunton's 2004 Tool Guide (magazine - not available online). It has a good article on selecting table saws.
--MATT
I have an old (25+) Craftsman Professional tablesaw, much like the one you are considering. I still use it daily, but I've made a few upgrades over the years as my skills and needs changed. I have replaced the rip fence with a Ridgid unit with micro-adjust. I picked the Ridgid for two reasons; 1) When locked according to instructions, the back of the fence does not move under pressure, and 2) the fence fit my old saw exactly. I also upgraded to an Osborn miter gauge, which is an enormous improvement on the angle approximating device which came with the saw.
I've also changed out the belt and replaced it with Power Links, which seemed to up the effective horsepower by at least 25% (less slippage) and reduced vibration.
The saw is still underpowered, especially when ripping 1 1/2" or bigger hardwoods. I used to use a 24-tooth Systematic ripping blade, but I still had to go slowly. I now do almost all my ripping on my bandsaw, using a 1/2" Timberwolf blade. Just be aware that this is not a heavy-duty machine, and you have to check your set-ups and alignment carefully before making any important cuts.
If the saw does what you want it to do, and you're happy with the price go for it. Life would be boring is all the mystery and suspense was removed, wouldn't it?
Regards,
Ron
As an aside, if you're near a Home Depot you may want to check out their offerings. The company that made Craftsman saws for years (mine included) now makes the Ridgid brand. Many folks seem happy with the price, service and quality.
Regards,
Ron
I just bought the Jet 3HP package that has been advertised for quite a while. It's a great machine and I was ready for an upgrade. I sold my Craftsman 24/24 w/Align-A-Rip fence to a local fellow and I felt like I was getting rid of an old friend. Nothing wrong with my Craftsman -- I was ready for a substantial upgrade.
Considering price/value, I went with the Craftsman a number of years ago. It took a while for me to understand the specifics of the blade/miter slot alignment, but I finally got it to maintain within about 3/1000's. I have ripped up to 2" hardwood with it by using a good blade and not rushing through the cut. The package you reference sounds like a good deal to me.
B&B Woodworking
potable saws as far as i am concerned are great i have an old mikita that with the makita stand almost match my delta unisaw ,i have mounted a router to the stand in the past this saw is probally 20 + years old and has served me very well not to mention i am still using it !!
the ridgid saw looks nice & is probally a good choice for a home owner. however as far as price i think you could get a small delta with a good stand & save space
HI GUY
Bought a 10" 1.5 hp cast iron top craftsman 20 yrs.ago. added lg. ext.tables,bism.52"fence system and link belt.always check alignment & square, wd-40 mechanics & sharp blades.I've built kitchens thru clocks , you name it. I' ve been real lucky.
Tuff choice
good luck
but take a look at car prices...####good tablesaw will last a lifetime ..plus not 5 or so years.
I believe Craftsmen was good 20 years ago but have gone downhill since. You can buy the Grizzly GO444 saw for 435.00 It weighs 40 lbs more and has a 30" rip. I never trust Craftsmen on the HP ratings, I had a 31/2 house power vacuum from them. That would make my TS about 65 HP. Add a plywood and Formica insert to the longer rails for a router table
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