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Craftsman 21833 opinion please

2K views 7 replies 4 participants last post by  mprzybylski 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
So I frequently cruise the local Craigslist looking for a table saw that has a Riving knife and cast iron. I am currently using the Bosch contractor saw which is a nice saw for what it is. When I got it i had the intention of breaking down the shop after I was done for the day so that a car could go in the garage. That plan lasted all of one time spending an hour setting up then an hour tearing down and cleaning. My question is, I have found a craftsman 21833 in the local Craigslist for 250, from the one picture it looks like its in good shape. I spoke to the guy and he has a jet cabinet saw as well and he only used this in his basement for the remodel instead of going from basement to shop to make his cuts. Is it worth going from the Bosch to the craftsman as an interim until I can afford a better cabinet saw? I will actually be able to get more for the bosch than what the craftsman will cost me, I just want some opinions if the craftsman is even worth the time to get? I was planning one saw stop until I had to pay for a wedding so that's why I am looking for an interim saw until I recuperate from the wedding.
 
#2 · (Edited by Moderator)
It's essentially the same saw as the Ridgid R4512, made by Dayton. It'd be a nice upgrade from a portable if it's in good working condition, and doesn't have the alignment issue that several of the early 21833, R4512, and Grizzly G0715P models suffered from. It should give you a larger operating surface, more mass, more torque, and a much quieter motor.

Keep us posted!
 
#3 ·
I have the R4512 that Scott mentioned as the clone and in hindsight I wish I would have just waited and bought a cabinet saw (I too am looking at the SS). It's a good saw, don't get me wrong, and as I just started woodworking over a year ago it has served me well. But knowing what I know now I yearn for a cabinet saw and am counting down the days until I can upgrade.
 
#4 ·
I have had my 21833 for over three years and am very happy with it. All of the projects I have listed here on LJs, plus quite a few others, have been built with it.

There have been a lot of complaints about alignment problems with this model saw, but there are two things to keep in mind that may save you a lot of trouble. First, do not check the blade to miter slot alignment with the blade cranked fully up, since this will cause a bit of racking of the blade. Even the owner's manual on the Sawstop says not to do this on their saws for that very reason.

Second, if you check the alignment and it needs adjusting, be sure to back off the 90 and 45 degree angle stops, since they can restrict movement. With those set it can be impossible to move the trunnions enough to get things aligned, but backing them off will allow for a LOT more movement for adjustment.

About the price. This saw is often on sale for about $450. I got mine for that and it included a digital angle gauge (which is very nice). $250 might be reasonable if the saw is in great shape and the remodel job was not a big one.

With all that said, for the same money I often see older but made in USA saws on my local craigslist that might be considered a better deal in that price range. It all depends on what is available.
 
#5 ·
Lifesaver2000: "Second, if you check the alignment and it needs adjusting, be sure to back off the 90 and 45 degree angle stops, since they can restrict movement. With those set it can be impossible to move the trunnions enough to get things aligned, but backing them off will allow for a LOT more movement for adjustment."

Can you elaborate on this a bit?
 
#6 ·
Matt, it has been a couple of years since I messed with it, but on the top of the saw are two allen head screws just forward of the blade. One is a stop for 45 degrees, the other is for 90 degrees. As it comes from the factory, at least on my saw, these were already set, but I found when I tried to move the trunnion in the manner described in the manual to adjust the blade to miter slot alignment that I could just barely get enough movement to get it lined up.

Not long after, I found a thread here on LJs where someone mentioned that one of the stops (the 90 degree stop I believe) needed to be backed off because it prevented rotation of the trunnions to get the blade lined up with the miter slot. I went out and tried this on my saw, and found that backing both stops off allowed the trunnion to be moved easily in both directions, much more than needed to get it lined up, and made it much easier to get the alignment where it needed to be.

I think it was actually just the 90 degree stop that had to be backed off, but I usually just say to do both just to be sure. It really did make a world of difference on being able to rotate the trunnion assembly the amount needed for the alignment. This does not affect the problem that some people seem to have of the alignment changing as the blade height changes.
 
#7 ·
Ok, found the original old post. It is a review here, where someone had found the alignment way off and could not get the trunnion assembly to move enough to get into alignment. Someone else made the comment about the 90 degree stop, then another person said they were having troubles but after backing off the 90 deg screw that it lined up easily.

The review is here: http://lumberjocks.com/reviews/1225

and go down to jim611's comment and after.
 
#8 ·
Great, thanks. Next time I'm aligning my R4512 ill refer back to that post if I have any issues. When first trying to align them I had a heap of trouble moving the trunnion so I suspect it was the same issue but somehow I got it to within .001 at the time. When I recheck I may not be so lucky so this is good information to have at my disposal.
 
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