Replies

1. 
   Dustmight | Dec 18, 2004 02:37am | #1

   Hi Jimmy - The new Craftsman saws are made by Orion, and have received a fair amount of positive feedback early on.  Only time will tell how well they'll hold up, but they look pretty ruggedly built to me.  The 20% off Christmas sales have priced the 22114 pretty attractively.  The cabinet enclosure and trunnion design have some advantages.  The fence and miter gauge features are interesting too, but my preference is for a more rugged steel fence as a foundation.  All in all I think it'd be tough to beat when heavily discounted. 

   The Grizzly offers a nice Biese-copy fence and cast iron miter gauge, but are only available mail order.  Delta and Jet both offer some nice saws, but their models in this price range don't have much advantage over the 22114 or the Grizzly IMO.

1. 
   Lightman | Dec 18, 2004 05:06am | #2

   Thanks for your reply Scotty.  The Christmas discount makes it very tempting.  The small review I read in Wood mag really gave it high marks. It weighs close to 400 lbs. If I get froggy I will be sure to post my experince with it.  I saw another posting here from someone who has had one for quite awhile and really likes it alot. 

   This forum will be my new place to be. I've read many great things already. 

   Merry Christmas to everyone!!

2. 
   Lightman | Dec 19, 2004 05:50pm | #3

   Well I got froggy last nite.  Bought the 22124.  After looking at the 22114 I decided to bit the bullit and go with the top of the line model they offered.  The 22114 looks like a decent machine, I just felt a little suspect of the fence. Too much plastic...

    I know  I could have ordered a Griz or General and got a lot more saw for the money, but as I read somewhere else, I can play and try out for free.  I even suckered myself and bought the 5 year deal to go with it.  I normally doun't buy those deals, but this one gives me "in my shop" service. Also once a year (if I want) they will come out and  PM it.  But I guess what got me the most was, if they have to work on it 3 times and I call with problem a 4th time they bring you a new machine and take the old one away.....

   Anyway I got to go pick it up Monday and hopefully I will be making dust with it that evening.  I'll keep the forum posted.....

   Let us all enjoy the holidays and the brithday of a simple carpenter

   Jimmy

1. 
   Dustmight | Dec 20, 2004 04:48am | #4

   Awesome choice!  You're gonna love that Biese fence.  Great words of wisdom in your closing statement too! 

   Looks like you're gonna have a Merry Christmas!

2. 
   Ribeye | Dec 28, 2004 08:54am | #5

   If you end up enjoying your 22124 only half as much as I've grown to enjoy mine, you'll be dancing on clouds :-)

   I got mine in early October and the more I use it, the more I like it.  (The Biesemeyer fence is simply awesome.)  I've never been a fan of blade guards, but the design on this saw is such that I actually use the darned thing.  That it's so easy to take off and put on  is a dream come true. 

   Oh, and when you get around to making some extra throat plates, it's nice to know that standard Delta sizes fit.  (If it fits a Unisaw, it fits the C'man Pro.)

   I had Sears deliver mine -- and I'm grateful that I did.  The two boxes weigh in at nearly 450 pounds -- and you do not want to tip the big box on its side!

   Just follow  the instructions step by step for set up and you'll be amazed at how well thought out everything is and how easily it all goes together.  It is possibl to hang those cast iron wings by your lonesomes (I did) but you'll not want any idle bystanders watching when you do;  they'd laugh you off the street :-) 

   Wax the bejeebers out of the table and the sliding surfaces of the fence right away.  My fence was kind of "tight" and tough to move at first but it "loosened" up when I waxed everything with gusto. Actually it was Johnson's, but I applied it liberally.-- Steve

   Enjoy life & do well by it;

   it might well be the only chance you get.

   http://www.ApacheTrail.com/ww/

3. 
   Ribeye | Dec 28, 2004 09:18am | #6

   I forgot ONE other suggestion!

   Buy the Sears Universal Mobile Base and put it  under that saw right away -- as in BEFORE you add the weight of the wings and the Biesemeyer fence.

   The Sears base is the HTC base (it's just rebranded) and it does support the saw.  I have one under mine and am thankful for it.  It's very well worth the $70 extra.

   -- Steve

   Enjoy life & do well by it;

   it might well be the only chance you get.

   http://www.ApacheTrail.com/ww/

   Edited 12/28/2004 1:20 am ET by Putzger

1. 
   Lightman | Dec 29, 2004 05:38am | #7

   Hey Putzger,

      I'm sooo glad to hear from someone who has one of these machines!  I have only had a few chances to even use it yet, but I was impressed right away with that fence...

      I considered getting a mobile base for it, but it is the central fixture in my 24x14 shop. The little outfeed shelf feeds straight to my bench and my jointer is my left side support for wide stuff. And yes it was heavy for sure...my shop is 3 steps up from the ground, need I say more. The thing had 50lbs of packing frame, which I thought was a good deal.

    I waxed it right away. I live in the south, way south and humidity is about 60 to 95% all the time.

    You gotta know what I'm already planning for the Bessie ext table...adding another piece of MDF to the bottom and move my router table to it..what ya' think?

     I guess I was lucky, because only thing I had to adjust was the 45 stop. Everything was dead on out of the box. 

   Anyway keep me up on your saw and I will do the same.

   Happy New Year to you and all on the forum.

   Jimmy

   "as always I wish you enough"

1. 
   Ribeye | Dec 31, 2004 04:44am | #8

   "I waxed it right away. I live in the south, way south and humidity is about 60 to 95% all the time. "

   Goodgawdamighty!  You wear an aqualung when you grocery shop?

   (Here, just to the West of you,  in the Sonoran Desert it's a muggy ugly day when the RH is above 15% -- but then we're also dealing with the notion that a cool day is anything under triple digits and COLD is below 90F -- we don't even think about "hot" til it's above 115. You want to be kind of careful around cast iron when it does get "hot" -- especially if it's been in the sun :-o )

   I'd enjoy stayin' in touch regarding our saws.  They ARE keepers, that's for darned sure.-- Steve

   Enjoy life & do well by it;

   it might well be the only chance you get.

   http://www.ApacheTrail.com/ww/