Learn me vintage craftsman table saws

I hate my current table saw. I have found in the past that I am better off buying good quality used power tools than new lower grade tools. On the used market there seems to be plenty of craftsman table saws that appear to be from the 80s in the $100-200 range. Similar to this.

Many of these have cast iron tops and belt drive, which is usually the sign of a good saw. Are these good saws that I will be happy with, or are they cheap disposable tools like later craftsman stuff? If not these what would you recommend? Thanks

I have a nearly identical saw- but branded Montgomery Ward.  I bought it new/surplus at a tool liquidation sale not quite 40 years ago.  The switch broke after a couple of decades but it has been a tank otherwise.  The fence clamping isn't ideal, but otherwise highly recommend. 

Im running a 50s craftsman table saw. 

What are your uses for your new saw? A craftsman contractor saw like your picture is ok, but not for cabinet grade or furniture grade without a lot of attention to setup,etc. Or an aftermarket fence.

My brother and I both have the same saws,  one was my father's and one my grandfather's. They've been used for countless projects had have needed nothing but regular cleaning and an occasional belt replacement. 

As other mentioned, quality saw with a fence that leaves something to be desired.   

However,  updated fences are readily available.     In fact, stop at your local woodcraft store and see if they can give you lead on one

In reply to Dusterbd13-michael :

I would like to step up my woodworking game. The beef I have with my current saw (a craftsman from probably early 2000s) is that the table is too small, ripping sheet goods is almost impossible to do it well and i need a helper to do it poorly. The fence is terrible. The T-slots arent really T-slots, they are dadoes with a little tab on top in the front and rear so I cant use things like cross cut sleds. The blade raise and tilt dont work very well. And its direct drive and loud as a jet but still not very powerful.

I am willing to invest in a good biesemeyer fence, but I'm not going to do that until I have saw worth putting it on.

I might approach this by asking "what's a solid saw inexpensive on the used market" rather than "is the Craftsman any good?" Just because I think older Deltas and such might be better and I think the advent of the SawStop has sort of driven down all other used saw prices at least a bit.

Usually when cutting sheets, folks in the business have built large tables all around the saw to support the material during the complete cut.  Most of us don't have the room to install 16' tables.

In a small shop like mine I rough cut the pieces down to sizes I can manage, then run them through the table saw for finish cuts.

Those older Craftsman style saws with the solid steel decks are better than the saw sold today in the big box stores. 

YMMV

I have a version of that saw from the 80’s.  As mentioned the stock fence is the weak link.  I was able to get a fence from a Delta saw from a friend who had upgraded his saw to a Beisemeyer fence.  It took only a little work to retrofit it and set it up for accuracy and it really upgraded my saw.  Otherwise it’s been reliable and plenty powerful for my usage. 

I have that exact saw.  Big beast of a saw, but as mentioned it is better for ripping down big boards then precision work like cabinetry.   Think of it as a 78 Impala rather then a Lexus.
 

I used it to build a bunch of cribbing out of old 2x6's and it is perfect for that sort of thing.   Keep in mind it has no safety features in the modern sense, just a spinning blade coming up from a table, but maybe you can add them.  

I also have the same saw (mine may be a little older, the table side wings are cast instead of sheet metal).  It works well, but does require some setting up and fine tune adjustment in order to do fine work.  

It takes a bit more time but using  a tape measure at a couple points  to ensure the fence is aligned helps get better results from it 

Wally (Forum Supporter) said:

It takes a bit more time but using  a tape measure at a couple points  to ensure the fence is aligned helps get better results from it 

Agreed.  The standard fence on them isn't particularly accurate if you rely on the graduations along the front rail.

For those commenting on space and accuracy issues, have y'all tried any of the recent wave of track saws?

I have a lot of woodworking projects coming up but no space for a table saw, so a track saw is calling my name, but would like to hear opinions on them.

I think a Sears saw from the 60's would be a better buy.  A friend of my wife's family had an old Sears and raved about it.  At that time he said you could get any part needed to repair it.  Not sure that is possible any more with the situation with Sears now.  

Ill be the voice of dissent and suggest a newer saw.  I have the DeWalt contractor saw and its the bees knees in a smaller shop.

Big aluminum table and a decently accurate fence.

Cuts real nice with a fine tooth blade - good enough to build all the trim for both my cabinet installations

Lots of power, direct drive, no belt to slip.  

No saw stop but at least a few safety features.  

Stand is very stable and folds down compact enough to fit in a 24" deep x 30" wide cabinet.  

I have run a lot of wood through it and other than hitting the stock blade on a screw and chunking it out, it has been rock solid for me.  

In reply to gearheadmb :

I had the saw in the picture with cast iron wings.  That particular saw is a direct-drive saw and not belt drive. 

It worked... OK.  But I did do a few things to it to help improve performance.

For one - notice those legs. They are flexy as hell, which actually affected the saw performance because they would allow the saw to vibrate. I used some 1x3s bolted to each leg near the feet which helped stiffen up the saw.

Second, the factory set-up was crap.  I didn't know this for years and wondered why the saw never worked well. Then I read a couple of magazine articles about table saws and started working to figure out how to get everything adjusted so all of the various parts were parallel and square.  This improved performance a lot.  

That said, it was still a direct-drive saw, so its ability to use accessories and good dado blades was limited. And after a while, I got tired of bumping into it in the garage and sold it.  Until I can actually have a proper work shop and can fit a proper full-sized cabinet table saw, I will get one of the portable contractor saws like the DeWalt pictured above if I'm in a situation where I need a table saw again.  I think they make some that will run off batteries. I'd probably get one of those.

I had the same saw. When the motor finally locked up I was excited to get rid of the thing. The fence was terrible. I could never get it parallel to the blade without a ton if work. The wings or whatever off the sides could not be adjusted to be flat, or coplanar to the cast iron top. I would look for something newer or that already has a good fence upgrade.

When I looked up the cost a fence upgrade and a new motor, I was super excited to get rid of the old thing.

I tried to find a cast iron base used saw but ended with this from Lowes:

https://deltamachinery.com/products/table-saws/36-725t2/

I am very happy with it. Huge upgrade from the Craftsman.

I've not used that type of saw before, but a big out feed table can be a huge help.  We've got a 4x8 table with a Formica top that is the precise height of the saw which is typically butted up to the saw.  An old scrap bit of laminate is there to bridge the little bit of a gap that exists.  No matter what we're cutting on the saw, there's no worry about what the far end is doing because it just slides on down the line and stays level.  To make it a little more modular, I got the kick-down wheels for the outfeed table so we can easily roll it around if we need to, but then when it's time to work, it's on the ground and solid.  The other advantage is that pretty much anything you're working on will fit on the table, so it's a great work table for stuff that doesn't require sawing as well.

That particular saw doesn't qualify as a "good quality used power tool".  The fact that it has a cast iron table doesn't make it a good saw. 
 

That saw is what is typically called a "contractor's saw". Portable enough to get to to job site, but no where near accurate enough to do precision cuts, or powerful enough to dig deep into oak slabs, etc. 
 

If you want portability, the modern portable table saws will FAR outperform that saw. If you want accuracy (and have the space), look for an older Delta Unisaw.  Something usually referred to as a "bench saw" or a "cabinet saw". Larger cast iron top, cabinet style base (instead of flimsy legs), and a much more powerful 3-5 Ho 240V motor.

That saw is crap. 

...and honestly, the Craftsman name on power tools has never meant quality. 

In reply to spitfirebill :

FWIW, a Craftsman saw IS a Sears saw.

In reply to gearheadmb :

Honesty, if you want a good saw, you are gonna have to up your budget. $100-200 will ONLY buy crap. 

RossD said:

I tried to find a cast iron base used saw but ended with this from Lowes:

https://deltamachinery.com/products/table-saws/36-725t2/

I am very happy with it. Huge upgrade from the Craftsman.

 

It's funny you should mention that. After I started this thread I got paid for a couple side jobs and thought about upping my budget. I saw this particular saw and almost pulled the trigger. The only thing holding me back is trying to make up my mind between this and a used unisaw. I'm having a hard time making up my mind. Im sure a unisaw is a better unit, but it would be used so the wear and condition is a variable, plus the headache of dealing with sellers. The 36-725t2 would be less saw but it would be brand new.

Anybody have any input on this decision?

In reply to gearheadmb :

Used Unisaw is FAR superior. 
 

But that's not a bad little saw.