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Help me evaluate this table saw find

2K views 31 replies 24 participants last post by  Plain 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
Hey folks,
Just found this post on my local Craigslist:
http://austin.craigslist.org/tls/5687230501.html

This will be my first table saw so I'm still learning the finer points of what to look for. What I see is a craftsman of the desirable kind, aka belt driven external induction motor with cast iron table. On top of that, a fence which might (?) be worth more than the whole sale price of the package. Seems from the photos that everything looks like good shape. I have yet to build myself a real workbench in my new shop so I might even keep the rolling table this seller has hacked together for himself.

It seems he either doesn't know the value of what he is selling, or else he has discounted it due to the missing power cord.

All that said, what wisdom have ye for me? Is this a good find? I don't imagine I'll have a huge problem replacing that power cord, but what do I know.

Thanks!
 
#6 ·
Number 1, never buy anything that you can't hear running. Number 2, it's a craftsman, Number 3, never buy anything that you can't hear run. Hold onto your money and buy something that you can actually see run and cut a board on first. Lots of fine old machines out there that will work circles around this one.
 
#7 ·
I second wiring it up. If not that, at least turn the blade and motor to see if they are smooth. Its a fairly light duty saw that will take up a good amount of space with that table. That being said, if your not making heavy cuts and you have the space, it looks like a good buy. And yeah, that fence new is probably worth $150+.
 
#8 ·
Number 1, never buy anything that you can t hear running. Number 2, it s a craftsman, Number 3, never buy anything that you can t hear run
- Clarkie
Opposite for me… unable to run is a great negotiation point and 99.9% of the time it's something stupid simple to fix.

Cheers,
Brad
 
#11 ·
I Agree with Brad , MrUnix 100%... Thats better than a good beginner saw for the cheap price… Get the saw & rebuild the stand & extension to your liking. The fence makes the saw… But hurry…

- MikesProjects
I agree with you and Brad, and I would buy it just for the fence.
 
#12 ·
Think long think wrong. Dont pay attention to the guys saying they would never buy this or that. This is a no brainer because at the very least you have an excellent fence you can use on something else. Also, looking at that saw, it looks like you could actually bolt an 8 1/4 inch circular saw to that table in a pinch. Dont always look at what things are, look at what they can be. GL! Hope you dig your new tablesaw.
 
#14 ·
Great deal at $150. If it checks out, don t procrastinate…it won t be available very long at that price. Get it aligned, and put a decent blade it.

- knotscott
+1. I have two similar saws that I kept over a 1970s vintage Unisaw. The c- man has a good fence and it may be a dual voltage motor. It will handle almost anything a hobbyist would throw at it. Good deal at $150. Terrific deal if it could be had for $100.
 
#15 ·
Great feedback again, thanks everyone. I'm excited to go give it a try. Hopefully I'll hear back from the seller this AM, if I wasn't top late. I may take the advice of one poster who suggested bringing a cheap extension cord-perhaps I could do the very un-recommended action of opening up and wire nutting it to what's left of the original cable from the saw… just as a one-time test! Not as a permanent fix :-D

On second glance I'll probably take apart the workbench and get a more typical narrow rolling stand for the thing-my shop is small and I need the room to maneuver.

Thanks again! I'll let everyone know.
 
#19 ·
+1, if it can't run that's a good thing if you know how to fix anything that might be wrong. Sure the motor could be burned out, but that's almost never the case and if it were there are many tell tale signs letting you know. I bought a big Ingersoll Rand compressor for $50 because the motor was burned out, the owner had misdiagnosed it, I had to replace the pressure switch and it was up and running.
Number 1, never buy anything that you can t hear running. Number 2, it s a craftsman, Number 3, never buy anything that you can t hear run
- Clarkie

Opposite for me… unable to run is a great negotiation point and 99.9% of the time it s something stupid simple to fix.

Cheers,
Brad

- MrUnix
 
#22 · (Edited by Moderator)
I am very very skeptical when a seller says something like:

"...Unfortunately my dog ate the cord off where the cord goes into the housing of the motor (you can see that in the pictures). From what I can find, it's an easy replace. For that reason, I am listing the price very cheap…"

Many would replace the cord first and then sell the saw for a normal price.
 
#23 · (Edited by Moderator)
I agree with buying this quickly. I recommend that you do not get caught up in table saw elitism. There will be lots of time for that, and many of us have done it, but it is not needed to get off to a good start with a woodworking hobby.

Countless great projects have been done with saws like that one, or similar, or lesser.

All the positive comments about the fence are right on target. In my opinion, getting the pre-made table is a benefit, given the time reduction to get busy with the saw, not to mention the price lumber these days.

I hope you let us know the outcome.

=
 
#24 · (Edited by Moderator)
I recommend that you do not get caught up in table saw elitism.

- jimintx
If would be fair if you mentioned that the old saws are quite more dangerous than the new ones especially for a new woodworker. The biggest problem with old saws is the absence of a riving knife.

The other problem is the absence of dust collection, which excludes the saw from using inside unless the space is 100% dedicated to woodworking.
 
#25 ·
If would be fair if you mentioned that the old saws are quite more dangerous than the new ones especially for a new woodworker. The biggest problem with old saws is the absence of a riving knife.

The other problem is the absence of dust collection, which excludes the saw from using inside unless the space is 100% dedicated to woodworking.
That's quite a good point. I didn't think about the lack of riving knife. Dust collection is also a big ticket feature.
When I watch all these YouTube videos of guys using table saws confidently without any kind of blade guard or even a riving knife, it frankly freaks me out. I do understand that if you've squared your fence up to the blade (and/or blade to the miter slots) then your chance of kickback is significantly lessened. But still … the riving knife thing-seems like a really significant value-add for a new woodworker like myself.

My alternate to a find like this is to go with the R4512. We've got a few hundred in store credit at HD, and I'm pretty sure I understand how to check the blade tracking in the parking lot to make sure I've picked up a "good" unit or not.

In any case, the seller for this saw DID get back to me and we'll try to meet up when he gets back into town. Might be worth a look-see either way.
 
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