I love woodworking, and I love reading and dreaming about Jet, Delta, etc tools, but on my budget it will be a while. I do have an ancient Craftsman 7 1/4″ tablesaw I inherited from a relative. It has a terrible fence and just about everything else. I will not be doing any big projects, but maybe some small ones. How can I improve the accuracy of this saw while I’m saving up for a good one.
This is also my first post, so I am excited to get some responses.
Thanks,
RAGMAN
Replies
If you like to improve, you first have to type down what you don't like in this saw. There are lots of problems to solve and is may be more easy if we know where the shoe hurts (dutch expression) so?
Ruud Joling The Netherlands
I just got the saw recently so I haven't really been able to try it out except to see if it worked (in reply to Dutchy's comment). It cut through a piece of 3/4" oak flooring OK (my test to see of it worked). I forgot to mention that it is a table top model and not a contractor or cabinet saw.
I appreciate all of your comments and ony others you might have.
RAGMAN
Everyone I know who's owned a Craftsman table saw says it's OK except for the fence. If I were in your position, I'd build a new fence. If you can weld, you could cobble together a Biesmeyer type of fence from rectangular tubing and angle iron. The rails are angle iron. There were also a couple of articles in FWW on building your own fence. One I recall was made from aluminum and was fastened together with bolts & nuts. Look up the issues in the index at this site, then go to the library and Xerox the pages. I welded up a Biesmeyer style fence for my bandsaw and I made an Excalibur type fence for the router table to the side of my table saw. This fence is hard maple with some steel rod and whatnot to tighten it down. Both work great. Good luck.
Thats what I was thinking was up gradeing the fence. Ya can probably pick up a good used one that someone has who upgraded to a Biesmeyer.
You could also put on some after maket pullies and one of those red link belts that will up grade the performance. If ya really want to kick it up a knotch add a 2 hp baldor motor.Thats about all I can think of at the moment Darkworksite4: When the job is to small for everyone else, Its just about right for me"
The fence that is referred to by terry is featured in a book by taunton, either jigs, or the small workshop.
M
ragman, you and I probably have the same saw. I'm pretty certain that it is an 8 inch saw though. you would be surprised at what an 8 inch blade turns this saw into. Mine works quite well. The fences aren't real bad, you just have to ease it around and measure your distance every time. It is a little bit under powered, but what else can you do. The thing I notice most about this saw is that you have to keep the blades sharp. If they are dull the saw is waaaaaay underpowered and it bogs the motor severely. Just keep the blade sharp and you may want to make the table bigger for it. It really does feel like a brand new saw with an 8 inch blade. I just moved to my house and the previous owners left this saw for me becaus ethey didn't want it. I originally was running 7 and a quarter inch blades because I could get them cheap. then one day I put the big blade in and it makes a big difference. The blade spins faster at the tip because it is bigger and it cuts so much better than what you are used to. You can pick up good 8 inch blades at the big boxes for about 30 dollars. If you have to use this saw for a while and aren't upgrading then I would suggest it. also there is a magazine out that i just picked up yesterday that has a very good table saw tuneup article in it. pick it up while you are there to get the blade I think the mag is woodworkers workbench or something like that. I am really drawing a blank about the mag for some reason. can anyone help with the name?
I think you're refering to Shop Notes.$ Bill
ancient? i would guess that mine is from the 60's or early 70's but not sure exactly
If this violates some rule of this BB I'll apologise in advance, but the current issue of Shopnotes (Vol 11,#63) has a plan for a crosscut sled that claims to be light weight and dead on accurate.
I am thinking of building it for my 20+ year old Delta table saw that I picked up for $30 and have been cleaning up.
Good luck with your saw.
Peter
For about three years all I had was a $80 taiwainese table top saw. Prior to that I used a a router and straightedge to rip boards (1/8th inch at a tie. I made some prety pieces with that horrid saw- including a 7 foot high Georgian Secretary.
Make an accurate cross cut box and learn your saws limitations. A jointer or a good, sharp plane will work to correct your saw's sins. There is no reason why you can't do good work wiith what you have. Some day you can buy the General or Feldor.
Frank
John O'Connell - JKO Handcrafted Woodworking
Life is tough. It's tougher if you're stupid - John Wayne
Yup. I also have a 8 inch Craftsman. It's on a set of metal legs from a Singer Sewing machine. I use a 10" blade, make sure the fence is square EVERY time it's moved and it works fine for me. Also worked fine for my Dad who probably picked it up new in the 50's. Everytime I think about replacing I try to make a list of what I don't like and the only thing I ever come up with is the name.
Tom
I use my father-in-law's 8" Craftsman tablesaw. The blade does not run parallel to the miter slots. When I took it apart to see if I could adjust it I could not see a way to fix the problem. The motor, if I remember correctly, was bolted directly to the tabletop. Anyone have a solution?
Jase--Is there a better way?
What about a round file? If you file the mounting holes a little oval it might be possible to readjust to dead straight. By the way: buy a new file before starting filing.
Succes Ruud Joling, The Netherlands
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