Renovate an old table saw ?sed
#21
I'm mostly finished with a table saw project. I have an old atlas saw with a small table [18"x 22"] that I bought cheap when I needed a motor. I like a large table. I found a desk with the top overhanging 2" all around. Cut a hole in the middle to fit the old atlas. Reinforced the top with unistrut and raised the top up to a good work hight with unistrut.  A waste basket will go into the knee hole to catch the sawdust [most of it]. Kept the drawers on either side. The 2" overhang will work well for clamping work down. [ I use C clamps a lot] My little saw will have a 30"x 52" table.  Not sure how long the formica finish will hold up. When it goes I can redo the top.

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#22
Before cutting with the using the fence I measure distance of blade to fence from the front and back of blade to make sure fence is correct. An upgraded fence is on the list to make it nicer. I will make a zero clearance insert for it. I need to polish the top a little more and wax it. (This May help the original fence move more smoothly and possibly more accurately. I’m going to see if I can determine who made it for Sears. It is NOT lightweight, it is a contractor style not a cabinet saw.
Jim

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#23
Many old Craftsman saws can be really good. If it is mostly complete it could be great. I had a Craftsman for a long time and it did everything I needed until I had to get something smaller.
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#24
I have an older CM TS that I paid 100 for.  The top is flat and all the bearing are tight.  I upgraded to an Osborn miter gauge and INCA fence.  So I have a very accurate saw.  I added a out feed table and a wide side wing.    The only thing I wish was that I had more the 1.5 horses at times. 

So with that info - I have no issue with an old saw that is sound and flat.  The miter gauge and fence made a world of difference. 

Blades - keep them sharp.  I bought a sharpener from HF.  Not perfect but keeps my blades pretty sharpe.
John

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#25
(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.

When my dad passed away I got his 12" Craftsman table saw
I restored it and added wings to both sides using tops from two more table saws
I added a new fence, dust collection, outfeed table, and some under table storage
One of the tops I cut a hole into and inserted a router

Here is a picture of it


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#26
I would not spend any real money on my 2000 era Contractors II Delta saw.  It is lightly used, but does not have a rising splitter.  All new saws have these by law.  Before I spent any money  on this saw I would opt for a newer and safer saw.  Maybe even a saw stop. 

But the splitter is more important in my mind.  You can easily foresee a problem with putting your hand in the blade's way, but kickback is much more sneaky and can catch you unawares.  The splitter helps with that.
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#27
I feel like with a good push block, kickback isn't as big of an issue, especially if a microjig style or DIY splitter is in use. I often use an ultra-thin kerf blade that has a lot less mass than a regular blade. That in conjunction with the motor only being 1HP reduces the risk even further.

I think it's not a bad idea to look at newer used saws, if you're hesitant about buying new. A decent new fence is most of the way there to the cost of a nice, recent contractor's saw on craigslist. And there's not just craigslist, anymore. There's letgo, offerup, 5-miles, and others. I sometimes see saws with decent fences go for less than a decent fence by itself, new. Really good deals don't last long, so one thing I like to do is bookmark the searches on the different sites on my phone home screen. Pooping? Check the classifieds. In line at the grocery store and the cashier isn't hot? Check classifieds. If you just keep a tool kit with you, you're not even likely to need a pickup truck. I kept one in my sedan and when a deal came up, I went to the guy's house, bought it, disassembled it, and it all fit nicely in the backseat and trunk. I bought my jointer that way, too. Maybe keep some cardboard in the trunk to keep interiors safe.
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#28
My first saw was a late 60s Craftsman contractor saw. I remember the blade inserts were thin metal. I could make zero clearance inserts easily with hardboard, reinforced with a strip of hardwood glued from front to back. The hardwood strip is positioned underneath and on the side that would not interfere with the arbor and the saws ability to tilt.

I made side wings by glueing two pieces of 3/4” ply together. That was edged with hardwood strips. The side that attacked to the saw, I drilled holes that align with the cast iron top mounting holes. I then installed t-nuts on the inside of the hardwood strip, before attaching it to the plywood edge. That allowed me to easily install and remove the wings with machine bolts. Finally, the top and bottom of the wings were covered with standard kitchen counter laminate. I cut a hole in one wing for a DIY router plate.

The original fence was very frustrating, with the locking mechanism being prone to locking out of square, plus could easily lose its setting if it was hit by accident. Plus the short front rail limited rip capacity. I looked at all the options available at the time, and decided on the Accusquare Mulecab fence. It locks on the front only, solidly built and has T-tracks on all sides for mounting accessories. Other options would have also worked well, but the Mulecab has an accessory that allowed the fence to double as a router fence. Very convenient for the router mounted in the wing.

Other upgrades consisted of replacing the standard belt with a link belt to significantly reduce vibration. Also installed a MJ Splitter from Microjig into the homemade inserts. That worked much better than the factory splitter. I went with the thin kerf model, since all my good blades were thin kerf, due to the saws horsepower limits.

I would probably still be using that saw today if I hadn’t stumbled onto a good deal on a newer Delta Unisaw that was missing a fence and had only one cast iron wing. I moved over from the Craftsman saw, the Mulecab fence and the DIY router table wing.
John
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#29
(12-21-2019, 06:42 AM)jstraw Wrote: Other upgrades consisted of replacing the standard belt with a link belt to significantly reduce vibration. 

This is the second recommendation for a link belt, so I'll just leave this here:

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#30
If the Craftsman contractor TS has a part no. beginning with 113. and is belt-driven with a cast iron top in good shape, it’s most likely an Emerson Electric made saw.
The design is such that all the parts for the trunnions, knobs, and adjustments are still available.
They were very good saws and can often be found on Craigslist for very reasonable prices.
I’ve given one away and sold another. The one I sold had an upgraded Bies-clone fence, ZTTP, a well polished cast top, miter fence with extensions and stops, numerous sleds and other add-ons. I let it go for $250 because I wanted the space in my shop.
Since you say the saw cuts good, you should be able to enhance your old TS without much money.
Gary

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