# Great TS Upgrade For A Very Reasonable Price



## 559dustdesigns

That's a very helpful post. Plastic or flimsy metal cranks shouldn't be used on any machine. This upgrade would be worth every penny.


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## skeeter

you have my table saw. I bought it for 75 bucks and put a unifence on it and a phenolic plywood aux table.


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## dbhost

That's a whopper of a handwheel! Looks really good though… Any interference issues due to the wheel size?


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## woodworm

My Ryobi benchtop Table Saw has height adjustment and tilt adjustment handwheels made of plastic. The handwheel was useless out of box. I've been searching for this type of handwheel for so long time 
Thanks for this review. I really gives me hope for a new lease of my table saw's life!

I wanted to buy 2 handwheel like yours, but I may have problem tapping the setscrew hole. I would be very gratefull if you can explain further "how to" drill & tap the setscrew hole.

Thanks!


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## woodworm

The size of the shaft arbor (ie centre bore size of the handwheel is 3/8")
Since my table saw is almost the same like your Craftsman TS, it may accept 4" to 6" handwheel.


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## Karson

Great modification. Nice job.

Looks like you have caused a bunch of other people to jump into the upgrade waters.


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## dbhost

woodworm,

Your handwheel looks like it came from a BT3100. A lot of users are filling the voids in them with epoxy and BBs to give the handwheel the needed strength, and heft. You might want to try that. I haven't gone that route yet, but am SERIOUSLY considering it… Remember the shaft on these saws has 2 flat sides…


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## dfarr

dbhost….The 6" wheel works great and no interference. The larger the diameter the greater the mechanical advantage and ease to turn for adjusments.

Woodworm…..Drilling and tapping the setscrew hole is quite simple if you have a drill press but it is possible to use a hand drill if you have a vise and a steady hand. The wheel's odd shape makes it a bit tricky to secure in a vise in the proper position. I used a centering v-block clamped to by drill press table. Use a prick punch to mark the point where you want to drill to keep the bit from "walking" and to make it easier to get the drill bit started in the right spot. Drill the hole about mid-way on the hub portion of the handwheel inline and 90 degrees to the hubs center hole. For a 1/4-20 setscrew you need to drill a 7/32 hole. I actually used a 1/4-20 bolt rather than a setscrew. You can see the head of the bolt in the pictures. Tapping is easiest if you have a tap t-handle but you can get by using a wrench that fits the square shank on the tap. Some form of lubrication should be used and it's best to keep backing the tap up every rotation or two to clean the threads and let the lubricant penetrate ahead of the tap. They make special tapping fluids but WD-40 or any light oil will work fine if you are only tapping a few holes.

Here's a link with details about the metal tapping process:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tap_and_die


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## woodworm

dbhost,
thanks for the alternative solution. I think I should give it a try first before replacing it with cast-iron handwheel.

dfarr,
I appreciate your reply to my question about drilling & tapping the thread of setscrew hole. Thank you for your time and effort searching and attaching the link to the tapping process.

You all are very helpful and nice people!


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## SteveCherry

I have a Craftsman TS that has had one of the plastic wheels broken for probably 15 years. Changing the blade angle is a real pain because I'd have to take the crank off the depth adjustment, change the angle and put it back. Never got replacement handles because the only ones I found I thought were too expensive. Because of your great review, I just ordered the same handles you got from Grizzly. Thanks. What a relief it'll be to have two good, solid crank handles again.


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## CaptainMarvel

I, too, just picked up this exact table saw this past weekend (my first) ...

see this posting: http://lumberjocks.com/topics/49794

... and, of course, it has the dreaded blade adjustment cranks (pictured in the 3rd image of the original posting).

*I, too, would LOVE LOVE LOVE to get new handwheels for the saw* ... but I have absolutely NO experience whatsoever with drilling/tapping setscrew holes - and I do not yet have a drill press - and I fear that if I were to order a set of handwheels from Grizzly (as mentioned above), that I wouldn't be able to utilize them for a long time.

Are there any other options out there, or am I going to have to try to learn to drill new screw holes?


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## RibsBrisket4me

Tom,
Check out Sears Parts Direct dot com, and put in your saw model number. They may offer handwheels for your saw.

My stock HW were plastic and on SPD.com, I was able to buy metal ones that are super.


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## EEngineer

Ah, c'mon, TOM, surely you jest!

Check out McMaster-Carr, Reid Supply, hell, try a general search for "handwheels"...

You'll find there are lots of sources out there with handwheels out there with the hole size drilled to what you want. Now you may pay more, but that is the trade-off: you have more tools and skills, you pay less; you have less tools and skills, you pay more for them to do it for you!


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