I will probably be ordering the Delta T2 fence system for my Craftsman 113.298240 table saw. I've done some research on the installation, but I haven't seen much discussion on the re/location of the saw's switch. Does mounting the front rail require the relocation of the table saw's switch?
I installed a T2 on my 113. GREAT fence.
I re-located the switch to the left side. I had to install a longer cord on the motor though.
The original cord was too short to allow the blade/motor to properly bevel. I used a cord off an old power strip. The cord swap took all of 5 minutes. Totally worth the (minimal) effort since I really dislike having the switch on the right side.
Mounting it on the left keeps you out of the line of fire when switching it off. It also allows for an easy leg bump to turn it off so you can keep both hands on the piece.
All-I agree with installing the switch on the left. The current/original installation is on the right, and I do get worried about reaching over the work piece to turn off the saw. Moving it solves that issue.
@Tedstor-It sounds like you only needed to extend the cord to make bevel cuts. In your judgment, will I need to extend the cord if I only make right angle cuts? If so, I'll need to get additional length of cord.
Re: the T2, it looks like Tools Plus still has the best price ($158 including shipping). I got "authorization" to buy the T2, so it looks like I'll be measuring five times and drilling in a couple of days.
The stock cord was long enough on my motor IF I only intended to do 90* cuts. Yours probably is too.
But to be honest, I can't see why you'd want to limit your machine like that? A $5 cord and 5 minutes of your time will easily overcome the limitation.
@Tedstor-The bevel mechanism on my saw is very tight. I can move it but it takes a lot of effort, so I just leave my saw to cut 90's virtually all the time. I will move the switch anyway so if I can loosen the bevel mechanism I will be able to make bevel cuts. I suspect that your are talking about the motor-to-switch cord and not the switch-to-power cord. I actually have a "new" switch and cord I got from one of our fellow LJs.
I do need to work on the saw to see if I can free up that mechanism and set the 45 and 90 degree stops.
I got my T2 fence delivery earlier this week, and if y'all will indulge me, I have some other questions. I am sure that several LJs have installed the T2 fence on a Craftsman 113 saw, and I am hopeful that some of you can share lessons learned on the installation that would help me and others doing the same installation. If you can point me to a link where those lessons are already captured, that'd be great.
I did find some advice on the Internet on the process, so I already know that I will have to drill the front rail to match the existing holes in the saw's cast iron top. Re: the stamped steel wings, it looks like I'll have to drill either the sides or the wings or the front rail to remount the wings. Last question-where do you mount the left edge of the front rail relative to the saw's cast iron top's left edge (both when viewed from the front of the saw). Any advice?
Thanks in advance for your advice. I appreciate the help!
troyd1976…..........i purchased the wings for $50 from a fellow woodnetter. they bolted right onto the c-man with no modifications at all. heavy and smooth. if you're interested, PM me and i'll put you in touch with the seller.
donbrousard…........... can i assume you've seen this video re: fitting the t2 to the c-man?
Yep- The link that toolie cited is what guided me through my T2/113 installation.
Only advice I can give is:
Take your time.
The angle iron is INCREDIBLY hard. Drill slow, use oil, and buy quality bits/countersink.
@toolie-I had seen that Instructable before. It is clear as to where to mount the fence itself, but It didn't seem clear on where to mount the front rail relative to anything, like from the blade. It looks like the video shows the front rail and the guide bar with their ends matched up. I guess it will become clearer as I start the installation.
@Tedstor-I do have a drill press to use to drill and countersink the rails. Thanks for the tip about having quality bits and countersink. I don't plan to have to drill any extra holes, if I plan, measure and mark correctly the first time.
I think I see what to do now. I marked the zero reference line across the table saw top and the light went on. I'll probably be doing the layout tomorrow and then tackling the drilling and countersinking the front rail after the layout has been done, checked and then rechecked. I am leaning toward drilling the saw top instead of the rail, though. I don't think my current saw will be my long-term solution so I'd don't want to have the front rail looking like Swiss cheese when I move it over to my next saw. My plan is to lean the saw on its side and hand drilling. I don't know if the cast iron top is harder or easier to drill than the rail. Comments?
I chose too to drill the CI top rather than the fence angle. One thing to watch for is make sure when your doing your mock up that your bolt locations don't run into the veins in the casting. I wanted to offset my fence, so i believe i enlarged one factory hole downward and replaced the measure strip when i had it all set up.
Im a little lost as to why you would lean the saw on its side for hand drilling? the easy way is to clamp the fence to the saw where you want it located, and check your gap between the bottom of the fence and the table top,throughout the fence motion, mark your locations, un clamp everything and drill. i ran my holes a little larger than the bolts that came with the T2 in case i needed to do any fine adjustment.
@troyd1976-Thanks for that information. As for the leaning the saw over, I was thinking that I would get better leverage drilling down as opposed to drilling horizontally. Did you have any issues reattaching the wings on your saw?
Y'all-I did my preliminary setup and marking this afternoon. With my wife's help, and with the guide tube temporarily mounted to the front rail, we set it up with the fence about 1/32" above the cast iron table, but the holes for the front rail look like they're too close to the table's bottom edge. It doesn't look like I'll be able to drill the table. Drilling the rails puts the holes right near the top of rails. I will watch the Instructable cited by toole (Post 13 above) and see where I might be messing up. I know it can be done and I'm not giving up, but I am stumped as of now. BTW, the tabletop is 1-1/2" thick.
if drilling the table yes the holes are fairly close to the bottom edge. mine has a larger gap between the fence and the top than what you are going, mines about 1/8", you can adjust the fence faces on the T2, but i havent done mine yet, as i don't cut anything under 1/4" im trying to get pics, but my phone is not wanting to cooperate as of yet.
UPDATE: I finally got back to my T2 installation, and finished it tonight. I did end up drilling the cast iron top for the front rail. The top of the rail is 13/16" below the saw's top. I did have to drill one hole in the rear rail-the factory hole lined up with the corner of the cast iron top, and there is other hardware there already. To accommodate the stamped steel wings' carriage bolts, I had to insert a split washer between the front rail and the cast iron top, and similarly on the rear rail. I also relocated the switch while I was doing the T2 installation.
I think part of the reason for the long delay since my last post was my own insecurity and fear of failing. I finally decided to plan the process and execute the plan. Turned out very nice and it rides very smoothly. The bottom of the fence is 0.15" above the table top. Delta T2 is mounted and ready for action.
Thanks for the tips. I appreciate the guidance and encouragement. Finally, as LJ toolie always reminds us, no pics-didn't happen. Here are a few "proof" pics.
I had to make a very small adjustment to the zero line.
Don, that came out very nice. I've read every single post about Delta T2 installation on the Craftsman saws. I need to do it, I need to do it, I need to do it… Thanks for sharing your experience
nicely done. i hope you enjoy the functionality it adds to your saw as much as i enjoy it on mine. and just so i don't become a bother, are pics of tool acquisitions and modifications not something routinely done on LJ? it's a standard practice on other sites like woodnet and bt3central. guess i just assumed the same protocol existed here.
@toolie-Not a bother at all. I agree that including pictures seems like a routine thing. I know I like to see pictures to help me learn. And yes, I can't wait to try out my new fence. I am quite proud of myself, I must say!
I put that same fence on my old 113 saw. I had never installed anything like it before and it wasnt that hard. I remember that I had to drill one hole in the table on the front of the saw to get it to bolt on. Putting that fence on my saw Changed my life. Before that it was like sucking water from a stone to get a straight cut. I immediately noticed an improvement in my projects and was upset that it took me so long to finally upgrade. After many years of buying tools to "fill out the shop" I have realized that spending my hard earned funds to get the most out of the tools I have is more important to me than buying more… Is that sacrilege?
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