Sears table saw prices very low

[johntimmel]

http://www.sears.com/tools-bench-stationary-power-tools-table-saws/b-1021249

I've watched the prices for a while on the Craftsman 10 in. Contractor Saw (Sears#21833) (It's the same as the Ridgid R4512)
It's a great price right now at $413.99. These are the online price only and pick up at store.

- John

 

[frankc4113]

That sounds like a real good price. I don't know to what degree of exactness you are going to use it or, for that matter what your skill level is. However, remember that you are going to have this saw for a long time and it really does pay to buy the best piece of equipment both in terms of affordability as well as quality. My past experience with Craftsman saws hasn't been good in terms of quality. The fence was pretty flimsy and wobbly along with some other issues.

 

[medicfirefighter2005]

I will 2nd the fence issue I have the same issue with my skill saw contractor ts. For that price I would try to find a good used saw.

 

[johntimmel]

Checked the price today and it's back up to $649.99

 

[mayszs]

While I'm sure someone will disagree with me on the subject I feel many of the old (1950s-1960s built by King Sealy) 8 and 10 inch table saws to be fantastic overall deals. I have one that I retrofitted an older Delta rip f ence onto and it works like a dream. In the end I have less than $200 invested in it which includes several blades and two dado sets.

 

[patlaw]

How did you clean the rust off of the table?

 

[buildintechie]

How did you clean the rust off of the table?

I got this product from Rockler http://www.rockler.com/boeshield-3-part-tool-care-kits-and-lubricant and really like the rust remover product that is included. I've used it on a number of old hand tools that had rust on them, and used it on a rust spot on my table saw table where in in-law left a cold can of soda on it for a few days (I lent him use of the shop while I was out of town).

 

[Rick M]

While I'm sure someone will disagree with me on the subject I feel many of the old (1950s-1960s built by King Sealy) 8 and 10 inch table saws to be fantastic overall deals. I have one that I retrofitted an older Delta rip fView attachment 10689ence onto and it works like a dream. In the end I have less than $200 invested in it which includes several blades and two dado sets.

Some months back I saw one of these fully restored and it was a beauty. Makes me wish I'd run across one dirt cheap but really I have no use or room for it.

 

[bluedawg76]

I think you could do much better for the money. Older craftsman saws were and are definitely quality saws. New ones, not so much; problems such as a flimsy fence, short arbor so you can't use a full dado stack, non-standard miter slots (I really hate these), poor adjustability of the tables for alignment, etc. make them a pain to use. That said, I have the Craftsman zipcode (22142) hybrid saw w/ a biesemeyer fence that is awesome.

 

[pviser]

I agree with bluedawg76 regarding doing much better for the money. My choice would be one of the Delta contractor saws which I see frequently for $300-range or slightly higher.

 

[kommon_sense]

Just to throw another option out there. I got my ridgid r4512 for $330 from the direct tools factory outlet in Mebane. It was a "factory blemished". The only thing that I found wrong was one of the orange side panels had some powdercoating caked up in one of the screw holes. Cleaned it with a tap, and its been fine ever since.

 

[Skymaster]

got a friend who occasionally get here who has a saw you might can be good PM me anf I give info

 

[mayszs]

I used a combination of a few things. When I got the saw it needed to both have the rust removed and be flattened.
Initially I used a medium texture Scotch Bright stripping pad with 3-in-1 machine oil. After most of the corrosion was stripped off I marked the high and low spots with a straightedge and marker. I ordered 80/100/220/400 grit wet - dry sandpaper (aluminum oxide) from McMaster and Carr. I used a scrap piece of flat Maple as a sanding block and worked through the grits until it was level then moved onto 600, 1200 and 2500 grit grease based lapping compounds.
In retrospect I would have skipped the sandpaper and only used lapping compounds because of how fast it cut through the cast iron.
I also found lapping compounds to be fantastic for sharpening hand plane irons and chisels and make quick work of flattening the soles of old hand planes.

 

[Hmerkle]

... 600, 1200 and 2500 grit grease based lapping compounds...
I also found lapping compounds to be fantastic for sharpening hand plane irons and chisels and make quick work of flattening the soles of old hand planes.

Zack,
I agree with the lapping compound being great for sharpening and flattening - where did you get yours? I had some and either left it in a move or used it up and forgot... just not sure and need to replenish...

 

[mayszs]

I order all of my abrasives from McMaster and Carr. They have a wide variety of compounds from very rough aluminum oxide 36 grit through very fine 0.5 micron diamond and everything in between. It's also nice that you can order small jars (1-3 oz) and not be stuck with huge tubs you'll never use.
Their prices on fasteners are also hard to beat and I've never waited more than two days to receive any stocked item.

 

[Hmerkle]

Thanks Zack,
That is really funny - I guess it is preception.

I am in the fastener industry and we are astonished at the mark-up McMaster gets for their fasteners, but as you point out - on the shelf and at your door quickly!

Good to know they have the lapping compound! Thanks

 

[blakeyon2asd]

While I'm sure someone will disagree with me on the subject I feel many of the old (1950s-1960s built by King Sealy) 8 and 10 inch table saws to be fantastic overall deals. I have one that I retrofitted an older Delta rip fView attachment 10689ence onto and it works like a dream. In the end I have less than $200 invested in it which includes several blades and two dado sets.

We have one of these in our basement that has all the original stuff on it including the work light at our house along with an old delta home craft that has a drill press, jointer, and table saw. The fence on it is junk to but it's only because the front and back ride separately and the screws on the front come out. But the fence you have on yours looks like it came from a delta homecraft its almost exactly like it. You can also some what see the old craftsman to when I took this picture we were still testing the delta out to see if everything worked on it and it ran good.

 

[mayszs]

If their mark up is high I need to start ordering from you!!
I compared the prices of SS wood and sheet metal stress to several other suppliers and they typically were lower with the exception of Mil-Spec machine screws.
Please send me a PM because I'm always looking for new hardware suppliers at work.

 

[mayszs]

Good eye on the fence. It is from an old Delta Homelight. The front and rear screws can be a bit frustrating but I've gotten used to it.
Which screws are you missing? If you want I can pull mine off and give you the size, pitch and length.
My old Stanley No.7 and 22" Sandusky haven't lead me wrong yet but there are times, like when surfacing large quantities of 8/4 and 12/4 hard maple, when I wish I had an old jointer/planer like that.

 

[blakeyon2asd]

Good eye on the fence. It is from an old Delta Homelight. The front and rear screws can be a bit frustrating but I've gotten used to it.
Which screws are you missing? If you want I can pull mine off and give you the size, pitch and length.
My old Stanley No.7 and 22" Sandusky haven't lead me wrong yet but there are times, like when surfacing large quantities of 8/4 and 12/4 hard maple, when I wish I had an old jointer/planer like that.

I've still have my screws they have just been aggravating I appreciate it though. And I really like the older delta we don't use it much unless we get to the house and feel like messing around but it works awesome and there is hardly any rust on it. As for the craftsman that was my first real saw other than a plastic bench top so we have gotten good use out of it and it still runs like a champ even though we've replaced it since doing wood working full time. We've come a long ways since we bought the craftsman so we keep it in the basement to remind us how far we've come(We being my father and I). I think learning on that old saw made me a lot better and a lot more appreciative of the tools and the space we have now to work with.