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I have an old Craftsman 10” table saw. I’m guessing vintage 1950 or thereabouts. Has anyone renovated an old saw, brand not important, rather than buying new?
I’d like to add wings to it along with an outfeed table, at some point a router table extension.
For sure a upgrade replacement fence. Are these things feasible and worth doing for hobby woodworking? I really do not want to spend money on a new saw.
Jim
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Are these things feasible and worth doing? Possibly not. ...for hobby woodworking? For hobby tool restoration, sure. But it ultimately depends on the condition of the saw and your level of pickiness with regards to finishing. I might've been happier if I'd just bought new, I'd have been woodworking sooner. But I also might have ended up with one of those Delta pieces of s5!t they sell at Lowes with terrible motors. Motors that replacements for, with no likelihood of being better, some-freakin'-how cost more than the whole saw did, new. ...By like a lot.
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(12-19-2019, 04:08 AM)Robin Dobbie Wrote: Are these things feasible and worth doing? Possibly not. ...for hobby woodworking? For hobby tool restoration, sure. But it ultimately depends on the condition of the saw and your level of pickiness with regards to finishing. I might've been happier if I'd just bought new, I'd have been woodworking sooner. But I also might have ended up with one of those Delta pieces of s5!t they sell at Lowes with terrible motors. Motors that replacements for, with no likelihood of being better, some-freakin'-how cost more than the whole saw did, new. ...By like a lot.
After learning in a very well equipped Air Force hobby shop, the first saw I bought for myself was one Delta pieces of s5!t (34-670?). Used the hell out of it for maybe 10 years before I upgraded.
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(12-19-2019, 05:50 AM)KC Wrote: After learning in a very well equipped Air Force hobby shop, the first saw I bought for myself was one Delta pieces of s5!t (34-670?). Used the hell out of it for maybe 10 years before I upgraded.
Sounds like you were fortunate.
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I’m the third owner of the saw. A doctor bought it new and took excellent care of it, another woodworker bought it from him and took care of it, I’ve owned it for almost 20 years and most of that time it has been a storage shelf for turning blanks. In the last two months I’ve cut more wood on it than I did in all the previous years I’ve owned it. I still turn but have embarked on learning flat stock woodworking because I’ve always sucked at it. The saw cuts good, I just want to make it a little nicer.
Jim
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(12-19-2019, 06:08 AM)stoppy Wrote: I just want to make it a little nicer.
Nicer in appearance? Or are you talking about some performance aspect you'd want to improve? You did say it cuts good, so I really don't know.
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(12-19-2019, 06:08 AM)stoppy Wrote: I’m the third owner of the saw. A doctor bought it new and took excellent care of it, another woodworker bought it from him and took care of it, I’ve owned it for almost 20 years and most of that time it has been a storage shelf for turning blanks. In the last two months I’ve cut more wood on it than I did in all the previous years I’ve owned it. I still turn but have embarked on learning flat stock woodworking because I’ve always sucked at it. The saw cuts good, I just want to make it a little nicer.
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I would make an adjustable sled for it and a really good fence......make sure it is accurately aligned and use it.......
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If it is made by Emerson it's probably a pretty good saw. My table saw is a 35+ year old Craftsman contractor saw with a Vega Pro fence on it. I use it virtually everyday and find it to be very accurate and bullet proof.
I would recommend putting a good fence on it (the Vega Pro is excellent), a link belt, and a Forrest II woodworker blade on it. So equipped it should serve you well for many years.
Mike
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While we're talking blade recommendations, something to consider also is 7-1/4" blades. Usually .063" kerf which might be desirable for batching out pen blanks in nicer wood. Minimal waste, and a much lower load on the motor, which is probably only 1HP. The best thing is they're only like $15.
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(12-19-2019, 02:44 AM)stoppy Wrote: I have an old Craftsman 10” table saw. I’m guessing vintage 1950 or thereabouts. Has anyone renovated an old saw, brand not important, rather than buying new?
I’d like to add wings to it along with an outfeed table, at some point a router table extension.
For sure a upgrade replacement fence. Are these things feasible and worth doing for hobby woodworking? I really do not want to spend money on a new saw.
I'll assume that your saw is a contractor saw, not a cabinet saw. Unplug the saw, work the blade back and forth with your hands to determine if bearings are ok. Run the saw with a blade for 10 minutes. Cut some scrap , make sure the blade is sharp . Turn saw off , is there excessive heat from the motor ? How does the motor sound? Some problems can be related to the belt, pulley or switch.
Slight rust and pitting can be fixed, heavy pitting will need filler after cleaning. JB Weld is better than Bondo for this.
If the motor is OK, the table OK then it's worth fixing. If you had to buy the saw you already have then maybe not. Beismier Clones ,and the Vega mentioned are very good fences. If the miter gauge is a fairly heavy one then it's a keeper. You can easily adjust the head to 90° which is 0° on the gauge .Same with a 45° angle. Every table saw and band saws have a slot that is dead 90° to the front or back face of the table. Loosen the lock knob a bit. turn gauge upside down ,slide the bar into slot and flush with table, lock knob tight. The head will be 90° . Clamp a plastic drafting square that has a 45° side to a scrap of MDF or plywood. Rout a dado 3/8" deep and the width of the bar, usually 3/4" except for some inexpensive bench type saws that are 5/8" wide. Make sure the width is not so tight that the bar binds. If you happen to rout over size the sloppy fit won't matter as long as the bar is tight against one side when you lock the knob. Some bars have a brass screws to adjust the fit, so a sloppy fit works fine. I mention the latter because some people buy expensive after market miter gauges when all they need is an dead accurate one they already own.
As far as the wings go, MDF is flat and smooth. Install a piece of angle iron with 5/16" slots at each end . Electricians often use Unistrut angles. I think the box stores sell it short lengths. This would be ideal for the angle iron. Either thru drill or drill and tap for appropriate bolts . One on each end about 2" from the end should do. Use lock washers and tighten when the MDF is flush with the table . You may have to add legs to the right of the table if your fence set up does not use angle irons for support. I recall the Biesmier clones use a single angle iron in front. I added another at the rear of my own saw.
mike
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