A small saw gloat

[CarvedTones]

I don't have much room and mostly work on small projects, so I have been wanting a small table saw for a while. But I didn't want a modern benchtop screamer - BTDT. I don't like the noise and the quality down at the low end of the price range left much to be desired. Doing precision work was difficult at best. Anyway, I decided to look for an old iron table bench top with an induction motor that was priced attractively. I paid $40 for this one:

I did get a few extras - an extension wing and an extension fence, a couple of rollers and an extra blade:

The previous owner is supposed to also get me the rip fence. He had loaned the saw to a relative and gotten it back without it, but felt pretty sure it was in the relative's garage. They are easy to find if I don't get it from him and I will be building a small parts sled for most of my work anyway. The miter gauge (on the saw) is in fine shape and doesn't wobble at all. The motor gave me a little trouble, but I have it working well now.

You may wonder why I don't have the extensions on the saw. That's because I need to store it away in a small amount of space like this:

That's a lathe and router table up top. Note the saw horses the saw was sitting on are folded and hung on the sides and the board it was sitting on is the "shelf" it is on now. I won't pretend that moving the saw around is all that easy; it's pretty heavy. But this works.

Then the whole thing rolls back against the wall like this:

I can back my wife's car out, bring out the bandsaw on the hand truck (it is sitting on a base), roll out the stand and set up the table saw in under 5 minutes. In part of the other half of the garage I have a workbench and all my carving tools.

 

[TracyP]

Looks like you got a good deal, and you make great use of limited space. We all could learn from you.

 

[LeftyTom]

Looks well-kept, Andy. I gotta ask, what is the brand? The blade tilt adjust looks cool.

 

[Trent Mason]

Great score Andy. :eusa_danc That's an excellent use of space. I know what you mean about low end TS quality. I cranked mine up a few nights ago for the first time in a few months and it didn't seem like it wanted to cut through 8/4 QS Sycamore. :wconfused:

 

[Canuck]

Saw looks to be in great shape, Andy.:icon_thum:icon_thum:icon_thum

Is that an old Craftsman?

Wayne

 

[CarvedTones]

Yes, I forgot to say it was a Craftsman from back in their benchtop hey days. I think this model is circa 1960. It only came with a 1/2 HP, which is a Craftsman of the same era, so it may be the "original" (this model sold with no motor - you bought that separately - so there is no true original motor).

I ordered a 40 tooth carbide tipped blade. The Crafsman "Kromedge" on it now has seen better days. I am also in contact with an eBay seller whose auction of a blade guard that went unsold at a reasonable price recently ended. It looks likely he will set me up a BIN for that. I should get a picture of the inner workings (though if you are really curious, there is plenty of info at owwm.com). It is a rock solid tilting arbor that uses wide tooth metal gears for adjusting tilt and height. The precision at which it can be set up is limited only by the meager measurement devices I have. The reason I referred to the period as their bench top hey days is that they used to make bench tops that were just smaller but of the same materials and quality as their large saws.

 

[PChristy]

Great score Andy and a great setup:icon_thum

 

[JimmyC]

Yes, I forgot to say it was a Craftsman from back in their benchtop hey days. I think this model is circa 1960. It only came with a 1/2 HP, which is a Craftsman of the same era, so it may be the "original" (this model sold with no motor - you bought that separately - so there is no true original motor).

I ordered a 40 tooth carbide tipped blade. The Crafsman "Kromedge" on it now has seen better days. I am also in contact with an eBay seller whose auction of a blade guard that went unsold at a reasonable price recently ended. It looks likely he will set me up a BIN for that. I should get a picture of the inner workings (though if you are really curious, there is plenty of info at owwm.com). It is a rock solid tilting arbor that uses wide tooth metal gears for adjusting tilt and height. The precision at which it can be set up is limited only by the meager measurement devices I have. The reason I referred to the period as their bench top hey days is that they used to make bench tops that were just smaller but of the same materials and quality as their large saws.

Nice score Andy, as I know how you've been looking for one that size for a while. My first table saw was a 1950's Craftsman that looked like your saws big brother, I got it from my father and used it until about 1992 and then gave it to a friend who's still using it. Good luck with it.

 

[Splint Eastwood]

Congrats Andy,

I know you have been on the hunt for awhile now. I know what a great feeling it is to knock one off the list!

I also see you still have your Excelsior lathe. Straighened out initial issues I take.

Good Luck!

MATT

 

[CarvedTones]

Matt,

Yes, I still have the lathe and I am very pleased with it. The up front annoyances were resolved to my satisfaction.

Jimmy,

A few years ago I had an even older one for a while - an 8" benchtop from the 40s. It was a tilt top with a smaller table, had fully exposed inner workings and weighed more. It was heavy enough that I pretty much had to mount it and keep it out, which negated one of the main benefits of a benchtop and I couldn't ignore the safety issues with the kids around. The guy I sold it to had a pro cabinet shop and was mounting a specific cutter on it and leaving it that way. He had a few benchtops set up that way.