TS in shop again

There are many different levels of craftsman TS’s. What type were you looking at.

You should consider in stepping up to the hibrid table saw it is light years a better saw than the other styles Sears offers, on sale you can probably get one for $700 to $800 and you won’t regret it.
Less noise, less vibration, more accuracy and greater pleasure when using it. The 22124 is a joy I have one and have not found any bad reviews so far of it. By the way my previous TS was also a Ryoby.

sorry your table saw is on the outs again…...i dont have any experiance with craftsman…but i would think if you get one of there quality saw’s you prob will come out all right….ive had my delta for 14 years and not one problem….its a 3hp…with a three belt drive…so i can only speak with that experiance…..i hope you get up and running soon….i dont know what i would do if my saw was gone…is there life without a table saw…..lol…...good luck..let us know what you end up doing…....grizzman

-- The Grizzone

for me craftsman is just a way to get on my feet ,
and make some money to get a good tool .
i’ve had to go to sears 3 times over the years ,
and start again .
when i can , i sell them , or give them away ,
to someone less fortunate than me .

they are a good place to visit ,
but i wouldn’t want to live there .

good luck !

-- david ,new mexico ,allheart

I have to chime in with Patrons idea on my Craftsman saw.

I’m buying a fairly inexpensive saw for around $250, and expect it to let the smoke out of the motor at about five years. ( The last one let go about three months after the warranty expired…) When the replacement motor is $150, I either toss the whole thing, or as in the last one, I turned the top and guides into a portable router table.

This one is the one I have, I like it, and it’s on sale for $189.

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00921805000P?vName=Tools&cName=Bench+%26+Stationary+Power+Tools&sName=Table+Saws

But this is the portable saw that goes to the jobsite, or gets loaned out if my dad has some flooring or some dirty or rough stuff that he doesn;t want to cut on his $1500 de Walt…

I think I’m on my fourth or fifth unit that I either have burned up or traded out of over the last 25 years.

It may sound funny, but when my regular jobs all crapped out and I found myself scrambling for income, I could always fall back on feeding my family with my carpentry or masonry skills. I could easily be persuaded that I should have spent twice as much on a better saw, and in the long run I would have saved money, but at the time, cash flow has been the critical element in my shopping decision.

But with all that, I’ve seen guys show up with the $100 really cheap table top saws and I could never recommend even for a boat anchor. I would use my circular saw and a long edge guide and get much cleaner rips on plywood and siding in half the time.

Hope the thoughts help.

Q

-- I don't make sawdust...I produce vast quantities of "Micro Mulch."

I think I spent $300 on my craftsman table saw 2-3 years ago. Hard to justify spending more when woodwork is just a hobby, but I wish I would have spent more and got a better one. It probably won’t be a craftsman next time. Just my opinion.

-- Alan, Prince George

Get a Delta, and a UniSaw if you can afford it. “nuff said.

-- Remember--- one good turn-- gets most of the blanket!!!!

I also have had the Craftsman 22124 for almost two years and it has been great. But I am not sure that they are still selling this model. I do not see it online and it was not in the store the last time I was there.

This seems very odd, since the saw seemed very popular and well reviewed. I guess that Sears has some serious marketing problems.

-- Chuck - Central Massachusetts

Ridgid Is what I use no problems…”knocking on wood”..lol contractor style

-- christoper Blanchard, Michigan

In all the woodworking classes I took years ago, I was told that the proper pronunciation is “Crapsman”. I was never sure if it was bias or not on the part of a shop that was heavily stocked with General equipment…

just to clarify my earlier post, i think that at certain price points, there are better brands. For example, my first craftsman was $200. I didn’t know what i was doing when I made my purchase and it turned out that the miter slots were not standard. The fence was also extremely flimsy. I ended up getting a refurbished ridgid benchtop saw for only $75 more and have something I can work with for quite some time. Just some thoughts.

Well, right now with having very little money. I am looking to make a slight upgrade from Ryobi where I can have a “standard” top with a real miter slot. I saw a bench top model at craftsman for anywhere from 99 to 250 bucks. I would love to buy a delta or other high end model. The space I have in my shop plays a big factor. Thanks for the input

-- There is no such thing as a mistake. Its called a design modification Rick Kruse, Grand Rapids, MI

I bought the Ridgid R4500, my firt table saw. The saw works great and plenty of power, but it is to big, I should of bought a smaller saw

It sounds to me like you should just quit changing blades. Or at least quit using a pneumatic tire wrench for tightening the nut. Sorry, I couldn’t resist.

-- NorthWoodsMan

I know this is coming from a shop teacher. But if you spend less than $300 and use the saw more than once an month, you aren’t going to be happy. My personal experiences are with the delta that Lowes sells for about $400-500. I got 3 good years out of that working it pretty hard. I also had the portable ridgid on the construction site for the class I taught. I know 2 co workers that have the ridgid contractor and like it. I looked and strongly considered a Grizzly, but found a sale on unisaws for $1200 in 2005. Being that the shop is my life only second to my family (only because mom says it has to be) I couldn’t justify $1000 on a grizzly at that time.

I own a craftsman 10 inch table saw and still using the saw after approx. 15 years. I do have to say that the rip fence sucked so, I installed a Vega Professional 40 inch fence. This fence made a huge difference on the performace and accuracy. I also made a sliding table that I use in place of the miter gauge.

-- Mark, Ohio, www.swig@nktelco.net

I’m with David unless you want a short term saw don’t buy crapsman.

-- Jim from Heirloom Woodshop Southern Oregon

My Ryobi (BTS12S) just got de-commissioned on Tuesday.

Aside from the non-standard miter slot size (royal PITA, and … just … dumb), it had a fence that was made from taffy.

I’d have LOVED to buy a SawStop or a Unisaw, or … even a really solid hybrid TS, but … at least for the next few years … I’ve decided that the Bosch 4100 with the digital rip fence gauge will work for me.

I ordered the Incra MITRE 1000SE miter gauge, the left and rear supports, and a couple of 24 inch Incra Miter Sliders to lay my crosscut sled in place.

Without going into review mode, I paid about $420 for the saw, itself. It arrived dead-nuts aligned. I put in a good quality blade that I already had, and started happily ripping lumber.

It’s really an incredible saw for the money. I think it’ll hold me for quite some time.

Good luck with your decision!

-- -- Neil

I second Jim I now refer to most of there products as crapsman. For the money you can get a better saw not sure whats American made any more or if it matters. I had a craftsman contractor saw (that never gave me problems, it was just cheap) and wish I had done more home work. consider doing some tire kickin I now have a shop fox economical cabinet saw and wish it had a vacuum shroud and a real riving knife. I am considering fabricating these features. You might look at a grizzly they have some with these cool features that are priced right some times free shipping to your house. Just make sure that you will be happy with what you’ll be using, as table saws are used so often. I wish some one told me, when I went to sears cause it was so convenient right down the street.

-- The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a man's determination. - Tommy Lasorda

I’m with tooldad on this one…If you plan on using your tablesaw least once a month and you dont spend least 500 or more your not going to be happy I was able to get the ridgid 3660 contractor style before they started discontinuing them and if I knew they were doing that when they did I think I would have bought the other 3 they had….And since I use my saw every day now and this wood working became more then a hobby for me I really been looking @ grlizzys saws for an upgrade…

-- christoper Blanchard, Michigan

I plan to eventually seriously upgrade but as I said with my budget I am limited on what I can upgrade to. Anything with a standard miter slot is a major upgrade for me. Y’all need to remember my shop is the front room of a 16×80 mobile home. I am just trying to make the best of what I have to work with. I bought this ryobi as an upgrade from a GMC 10” table saw.

-- There is no such thing as a mistake. Its called a design modification Rick Kruse, Grand Rapids, MI

I hear you…the new ryobi makes a nice saw for the money the one with the sliding miter gage I had it until I got my ridgid and my shop was only a 12×8 room so I needed a very small TS as I expanded my shop so did my tools either got better/ upgraded or just more of them…lol

-- christoper Blanchard, Michigan

I have the BTs15 and I am not a huge fan of the table inserts.

-- There is no such thing as a mistake. Its called a design modification Rick Kruse, Grand Rapids, MI

I understand the space thing. When I got my tablesaw, my boyfriend insisted I spend more money than I had and that it be a standalone and not portable. He was considering my skill level. I don’t regret it now—but for several years I had a room almost completely dedicated to my tablesaw!!! We were finally able to extend and solve the problem… But it was indeed a major decision I had to make. Luckily, I also got agreement to do woodworking in the livingroom as long as I covered the TV (LOL).

wow I dont think my wife would go for that ….lol even if I cover then whole kitchen….lmao

-- christoper Blanchard, Michigan

All you guys have to get your gals into woodworking. There is a good chance that they will lift some of the restrictions I am always hearing about ;)

Good luck with that one….LOL

-- christoper Blanchard, Michigan

well, good news I can use one of those bde locks instead of the wrench. That may solve my problem. plus sswoodworker is in my area and may have a table saw for me.

-- There is no such thing as a mistake. Its called a design modification Rick Kruse, Grand Rapids, MI