Resurrecting my Dad's old Craftsman table saw

[pgriff]

It is time to get my dad's old Craftsman 8" table saw # 103.22160 back up and running. I also have a complete second saw as a parts donor. My dad never had new shiny tools, so this will be a mechanical and not a cosmetic restoration. I have limited experience setting up a table saw. I am planning on bolting the (2) table tops together to make a wider cast iron work surface. Being left-handed, do I put the saw blade in the left or right slot? There are currently no safety devices on this saw, so I am planning to make a zero clearance and adding splitter blades. I will also need to get a blade guard. Any recommendations? 
These are the first questions that come to mind as I start on getting this saw back in operation. I expect that the fence will need to be either modified or replaced. But I will leave that until later in the process. Should I mount the saw on the original metal legs, or fabricate a wooden base? Any and all suggestions short of scrapping it will be appreciated. Thanks!

[Bill Wilson]

Good luck with the restoration.

I'm left handed, but I think I use my saw in what most would consider the traditional, right handed configuration, with the blade to the right of the fence..  Mainly because that is just how I got used to using a TS, plus the rails on my current saw extend further to the right, for greater rip capacity on the right.  I could change it, but it works for me and I'm totally comfortable with it as is.  I don't think there a a hard & fast rule, just orient it how you are most comfortable operating it.

Once you get the 2 saws bolted together, I think you may benefit from building a stand underneath and incorporating storage into it.  There would be a fair amount of space available under there.  Makes sense to utilize it as much as possible.  Put the whole thing on locking casters and you will easily be able to move it, as needed.

Post pics as you go and/or when you are done.

[pgriff]

Good luck with the restoration.

I'm left handed, but I think I use my saw in what most would consider the traditional, right handed configuration, with the blade to the right of the fence..  Mainly because that is just how I got used to using a TS, plus the rails on my current saw extend further to the right, for greater rip capacity on the right.  I could change it, but it works for me and I'm totally comfortable with it as is.  I don't think there a a hard & fast rule, just orient it how you are most comfortable operating it.

Once you get the 2 saws bolted together, I think you may benefit from building a stand underneath and incorporating storage into it.  There would be a fair amount of space available under there.  Makes sense to utilize it as much as possible.  Put the whole thing on locking casters and you will easily be able to move it, as needed.

Post pics as you go and/or when you are done.

Thanks Bill. I had to get used to the traditional setup on the table saw for the local adult woodworking class. On my radial arm saw, I prefer to have the good side of the line on the left side of my cut. Not sure how that translates to the table saw and a fence. There are currently no fence rails to worry about. I will definitely take pictures of the project once I get started. Thanks.

[barryvabeach]

I rehabbed an old craftsman for a friend.  I made an adapter so that a blade guard off a cheap jobsite saw would fit, then made a separate riving knife.  Good luck on your adventure.

[Tapper]

Good luck with the restoration.

I'm left handed, but I think I use my saw in what most would consider the traditional, right handed configuration, with the blade to the right of the fence..  Mainly because that is just how I got used to using a TS, plus the rails on my current saw extend further to the right, for greater rip capacity on the right.  I could change it, but it works for me and I'm totally comfortable with it as is.  I don't think there a a hard & fast rule, just orient it how you are most comfortable operating it.

Once you get the 2 saws bolted together, I think you may benefit from building a stand underneath and incorporating storage into it.  There would be a fair amount of space available under there.  Makes sense to utilize it as much as possible.  Put the whole thing on locking casters and you will easily be able to move it, as needed.

Post pics as you go and/or when you are done.

I'm right-handed and have always used my tablesaws with the blade to the left of the fence. Since the table extension is to the right, works well for wide rips and seems natural and comfortable to me.

Doug

[mike4244]

It is time to get my dad's old Craftsman 8" table saw # 103.22160 back up and running. I also have a complete second saw as a parts donor. My dad never had new shiny tools, so this will be a mechanical and not a cosmetic restoration. I have limited experience setting up a table saw. I am planning on bolting the (2) table tops together to make a wider cast iron work surface. Being left-handed, do I put the saw blade in the left or right slot? There are currently no safety devices on this saw, so I am planning to make a zero clearance and adding splitter blades. I will also need to get a blade guard. Any recommendations? 
These are the first questions that come to mind as I start on getting this saw back in operation. I expect that the fence will need to be either modified or replaced. But I will leave that until later in the process. Should I mount the saw on the original metal legs, or fabricate a wooden base? Any and all suggestions short of scrapping it will be appreciated. Thanks!

The fence is to the right of the blade. My father-in-law had a 9" Craftsmen that was his fathers. It was in good shape but needed a fence. He clamped a board to the table for each rip. I made him a fence from aluminum angle and channel. The rails were steel that I milled and lapped. I have metal working tools so this was easy.
The fence was a duplicate of my fence on a 10" Craftsmen with a Flex Drive. The Flex drive broke when I started the saw on a cold morning. 
Parted out the saw and bought a cabinet saw. Sold the fence for $150.00 . Kept everything else. I bolted the table to the right of my new saw. 
The motor ran a 1x42 belt sander that I made. The stand has a bench type drill press on it. I gave the original fence away as it was junk.
The iron grates are laying against the wall in the garage, been there for 25 + years.

[Bill Wilson]

Would it be fair to say that the direction the blade tilts has more to do with which side the fence is on than what hand the user is?  My saw tilts left, so it seems natural to have the fence and the bulk of the table on the right of the blade.

[Tapper]

Would it be fair to say that the direction the blade tilts has more to do with which side the fence is on than what hand the user is?  My saw tilts left, so it seems natural to have the fence and the bulk of the table on the right of the blade.

Just for clarification, have you changed your mind?

Doug

[kurt18947]

Would it be fair to say that the direction the blade tilts has more to do with which side the fence is on than what hand the user is?  My saw tilts left, so it seems natural to have the fence and the bulk of the table on the right of the blade.

Some people vary the blade/fence orientation. If you do a lot of bevel cuts that are kind of narrow, having the blade tilt toward the fence can result in a narrow beveled piece being trapped between the blade and fence. That can produce a 'nice' little kickback. People with right tilt saws have used the fence to the left of the blade to prevent the blade tilting toward the fence. Saws where the blade tilts left don't have the trap-the-beveled-piece problem so fence to the right of the blade works as expected.

Some people set their rip fence so the back of the fence is .05 skosh (sp?)
to the right of exactly parallel. This reduces the likelihood that a piece will become trapped between the blade and fence. That setup would cause a problem with the fence to the left of the blade, the fence would be angled toward the blade rather than away from the blade. You'd want the fence as close to exactly parallel as you could manage in that case.

[Bill Wilson]

Just for clarification, have you changed your mind?

Doug

No.  Still left handed and still have the fence to the right of the blade.  It's just it occurred to me that perhaps the direction of blade tilt is more of a determining factor than whether the operator is right or left handed.