I'm looking for an upgrade to my existing table saw where I can fit a larger dado blade setup on it and the fence doesn't need to be squared every time I move it. Below is currently the only used saw I have been able to find in my province that looks like it will fit the bill for under my budget of $500. I have asked for the exact model number as I can't find any new Craftsman saw of a similar style to compare the original price vs the asking price. My initial feeling was that 500 was too steep but Larger craftsman saws get very good reviews while smaller are a mixed bag. This is a bit of a middle of the road unit and it's tough to find a comparison price without the model so I'm struggling. The controls do look heavy and the owner tells me the fence stays true.

At first the rather utilitarian looking wooden base made me overlook it but on closer inspection, I actually like what he did with the accessory hangers and wheels are a must for my shop as it is normally my car garage and needs rearranging every time I start a project.

If the pictures don't lie, it also looks like it was extremely well cared for and I've been assured in my questioning that it still cuts thick hardwood with ease.

As usual, I always talk too long so here is a link to the post. Looking for comments on it's value for the dollar assuming I can get him down to 400ish.

10" Craftsman Table Saw

Tell him you'll take it if he throws in a couple bottles of 'shine.

Wish I could really help. It looks good to me.

Andrew, also check out some of the Ridgid table saws. They are well built, priced right and have a nice fence...better than most other brands, imo.

I can't comment on the saw you linked, but I didn't like the fence setups on the Craftsman saws I looked at about 3 years ago. To be fair, they were all smaller saws than the one you linked though.

I had a Craftsman that was very similar (This was a photo that I used for Craigslist of the actual saw):



I sold it for $250 to buy a Ridgid that I much prefer:



It always rubbed me the wrong way that the Craftsman advertised 3HP when it was obviously only 1.75HP. The fence was true, but pretty much everything else improved with the Ridgid.

That price strikes me as extremely high, Andy.

I should probably add that one of the things I liked about the Ridgid was that there is a shroud around the blade with a 1 1/4" connection for a shop vac. I modified it to take a 2 1/2" hose, adapted to the 4" for my dust collector:

Good to know all. Thanks. I was actually waiting for what looks like the same Rigid model as your own Mark to go on sale but got tired of waiting. Home Depot is the only spot close that sells that brand.

Older Craftsman models were recommended to me by a contractor who builds movie sets as being like Hondas, they go forever past normal mileage. He did not recommend newer units. I'm still waiting to hear what he thinks of the price as he will know that unit. I'm guessing my gut feel was right as you both are helping confirm. It's priced high.

One question Mark on the HP comment. Why was this so?
Was it a motor rated at 3HP at 220v but you were running at 110v? I know some saws get rated for 220 but allow you to convert to 110 if you don't have 220 power and you lose apx. half the HP.

No, it's 110.

Craftsman was just known for inflating their specs.

Think HTIB receiver!

Craftsman has a table saw with surround sound?

OMG - Mark actually painted the air hose baffle orange to match. But I definitely see 3 or 4 specks of dust in those pictures.

I don't like the look of the fence on Mark's Craftsman saw; my Dad had one similar to that and it was horrible.

Mark, I often kid you, but I am also constantly impressed by the ingenuity and elegance of all your projects.

I'm building the perfect shop.

Someday, I'll get to use it!

Hey Mark.

What model # do you have. There was a recall on model #s....
model R4511. The recalled saws have manufacturing date codes between CD0829 and CD0837.

Home Depot exclusive models only so it is very unlikely you have it but your picture looks similar and I would hate to have not mentioned it then found out this happened to you....
Hazard: The table saw’s arbor shaft can fail when used with a stacked blade set (commonly known as a “stacked dado set”), which is used to cut grooves. The stacked blade set can be ejected from the saw, posing a potential laceration hazard to consumers.

Thanks for the tip, Andy. I'll check it out. I could've sworn that recall was for the granite-topped saws that came after mine, but maybe not!!??

I have an older cast iron Craftsman 1 1/2 hp table saw that works pretty well. A couple of things that I've found to be important:
1. A good blade makes a HUGE difference in performance. I'm talking Forrest or Freud at $100+ a pop.
2. Craftsman fences are crap. A good Biesemeyer or Incra fence is a very worthwhile investment. Another $300...
3. With limited power, a thin kerf blade can help a lot. You sacrifice a little accuracy and smoothness of cut.
4. I find that I need to check the blade squareness to the table fairly often. The trunnion is very solid and beefy but it doesn't seem to hold it's adjustment under heavy usage.

I can live with my saw under these conditions, but if I had $500 to spend I'd go with the Rigid or save up another $500 for an older Unisaw.

Nice post, Joe. Those are good tips regardless of what kind of saw you use.

Have to agree with Tom, Joe hit all the major points. I will add that I feel a cast iron(older models)/steel top is superior to aluminum etc. and I bought an Incra miter gauge for my saw and I noticed a vast improvement in the accuracy of the mitered cuts.

Hey Murph. Sounds like your contractor will give you the goods on that saw. IMO a fence that runs true is worth its weight in gold. A good after market fence is in the $300 range.

You can always pick up a piece of maple 4x4 to test the saw's capability before committing.

Is the seller including any blades in the deal?

Mark. All consumer companies rate their power tools at max power draw ie: that point just before the motor blows and goes up in flames. No joke!

I hope someone does the same for me in my obituary!

Does anyone have an opinion on Delta table saws. I have one that - at least for my usage has been pretty good over the years.

Thanks all.
My contractor acquaintance recommended the saw and mentioned it had the more rugged fence Craftsman used to build but agreed that even though it looked it near new shape it was not worth 500. 300 maybe.

Considering all the advice, I think I will wait for that Rigid to go onsale at Home Depot. It has a much wider table surface and will be new with warranty for close to the same as his asking price.

Fred, to answer your question, he gave away several blades to his son so it just has a rough ripping blade now. Wasn't a big concern as I have several good blades already.

You know, Mark , if I had a gallery, I would allow no one else to photograph my artists' pieces.

With the awesome quality of your work, that Crafstman looked like a promo shot.

Hell, with you, I couild sell crap in plastic baggie, as long as it was on a pedestal and nicely lighted.

Slick bastard.

Plastic bags are difficult. Let's just go with the pedestal?

I've always found that when I list something on eBay or Craigslist, I can get up to $1,000 more than comparable items by using good photos and having very complete information.

Thanks for the Kudos. Even if you're saying my work looks like a bag of sh*t.

(no emoticon for Bob. He swears he doesn't need them)

Rob, I've always heard good things about Delta saws.

As for the rest of you... Artists.

Pronounced "Arteests"

I think most any brand has their good saws and their budget line. I'm not sure that any well-known brand will have a stellar reputation, nor one that has people calling them "junk".

After all that, I've never heard anything bad about Delta saws. Their new Unisaw, though well out of your price range, has gained many fans.

If I had more room, I'd be looking at this SawStop cabinet saw. Even beyond the finger-saving technology, the saws have a very good reputation for build quality, ergonomics and dust collection.

Damn it! I was all ready to go buy a new saw but Mark's sight has a countdown clock saying "Next table saw injury in 8 hours 36 minutes."

I figure that is what it would take to get to the store, buy it and get it assembled. Now I'm all afraid......

My Father-in-law has a Sawstop and it is a very good saw, but the brake occasionaly activates by mistake(I beleive wet or slightly damp wood was the cause) which becomes costly.

I was saying I could SELL sh*t in a bag if it were deftly captured by you.

And I would never say to anyone (even if I thought it) that their work looks like sh*t. I would say, rather, that their work IS sh*t. Similes blunt the point.

Re: Delta anything.

Last week, I was at my local Delta, DeWalt, Porter Cable parts store.

They had the usual array of the second two, but zero from the first. I axed if they were no longer doing Delta.

They are, but Delta is so screwed up right now, that no one, anywhere, is getting any parts.

They have new mgmt., (again!) and all of the dealers are extremely unhappy with them.

My Delta is 11 years old and it has performed as I had hoped at every turn. I check it's calibratation for each new job, but it has never needed to be adjusted.

I'm not so sure I'd buy Delta right now. I've read both thumbs up and thumbs down reviews.

Jet (and Powermatic) have had their parts/customer service issues in the last few years as well.

If I were buying new right now, I'd get a left-tilt for sure, maybe a Powermatic. If you can find a good Powermatic #66, any age, I'd consider it strongly.

Brand new contractor's or cabinet saw?

I might consider a Steel City, Grizzly, or General. They all get better and better press each year and they cost less than the others. At least I'd check 'em out.

The "stops on a hot dog" feature of the SawStop isn't a big enough deal to justify the price. Afterall, everything else in your shop can still hurt you.

Almost every carpenter/woodworker I've ever met with a missing digit or two, did it in a jointer/planer.

I was extremely impressed with the deWalt table saw I used after using a (probably much) less expensive Delta. To be clear, this was on the only woodworking project I've ever done. Now that I have a shed, though... oh wait, I'm broke.

You never met my high school shop teacher, Lefty McFarlane.

In my Jr. High Industrial Arts class, a girl managed to rip off her thumb on a circular buffer. She was trying to polish a necklace.

That was pretty horrifying.

A hitchhiking lifestyle choice totally thrown away.

Or a star turn in "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas."

Thanks again all.

I'm pretty limited as far as brand names go here. Nearest Steel City or Grizzly dealer I can find is in Ontario. You used to find a lot of Delta stuff around these parts but they seem to have all but disappeared except for some sturdy but overly rusty looking used models I've come across. Makes me wonder if Delta also had a problem with table rust but of course it could just be coincidental.

I noticed last night the Ridgid R4512 is no longer listed on Home Depot's web sight. I then later happened to come across a post on a woodworking forum where a person noticed the same and called HD and was told HD is getting out of the floor model tool business. They will stock contractor style, portables only. Certainly, they would be the most popular buy.

This presents a dillema for me though. There is one left at my local store and they do not plan to have a clearance sale on it that they knew of. I offered to free up their floor space with it if I could get a discount after mentioning the rumor I heard and they confirmed the rumor but wouldn't budge. It's $642 and thus a bit over the limit I set for myself but do I risk missing out on the last one? I also admit, I absolutely hate and suck at bartering.

My dilemma may seem silly to folks living in more populated areas but it's a tougher choice due to my geography. I'm thinking now it's definitely my best choice in name brands for PEI and my 'used' hunt has been two months ongoing without great luck. The next nearest HD (or any TS vendor of any worth) is a four hour drive away including a 45$ bridge toll so the gas and tolls have to be factored into the equation.

What to do, what to do??

Murph, that granite-topped saw came out just after I bought my iron-topped saw. Initial reports were a little rough, with some chips in the granite, missing pieces in the box, etc. That was several years ago. I used to hang out on a Ridgid forum and I also remember that those who got a saw with an undamaged top, etc. liked it very much.

If Googling for info gives you the impression that Ridgid got through those "new-model blues", I'd say go for it. IIRC, your budget was $500 and this isn't that much more. I'm a little older than you, but my feeling at this point is that if I buy a good quality tool now, I'll be using it for 20 years if not the rest of my life. So why not spend a little more to get above the minimum and have a saw that you enjoy using...rather than one that frustrates you with shortcomings?

Thanks Mark,

The 4512 is back to being a cast iron top, so no worries about the granite. I read lots of complaints about the granite models as well.

Nice. That shows I haven't kept up with the model changes.

Maybe something along these lines is occurring in the Maritime Provinces and you can help out a bit?

Remember, too, that all HD tools come with a lifetime warranty. My return experience was full replacement. They didn't even want to know why or how it failed. They just told me to go pick out a new one.

HD tools have a lifetime warranty? Never heard about that. I know Rigid offers one if you send in the proper paper work.

I have the larger portable Rigid TS and it does the job very well, a reasonably sturdy fence and once set it up stays true. I hope to make a tablesaw station one day to mount it into for larger projects.

Jason, I was using HD and Ridgid interchangably, since it is HD's signature brand.

The downside to "It's broken, gimme a new one," is that, sometimes, you're back with the "new one," 'cause it crapped out in 1/2 the time your first one did.

I'm over their lithium drills, but that's a battery/battery contact design flaw that doesn't apply to their 15 amp stuff, which has all held up very well.

Well, you folks were just the incentive I needed. I picked up the Ridgid R4512 last night. The two Home Depot guys who helped me get it out to the truck both owned that model and gave it great praise and some tips on assembly.

One thing for sure, this beast is HEAVY. 287 pounds. When I got home my neighbor was not around to help me get it out of the truck so I simply opened the box on the truck and took out the pieces individually. Still, even the main saw casing containing the motor and the center section of the cast iron top was tricky on it's own so I decided to play it safe and when I got down to that piece, I pumped up my floor jack as high as it would go and slid the box onto that and used it to ease it down to the ground. It was liftable without it but I was afraid I'd get clumsy end up damaging it before I even got it together. Tools are what separate us from 'most' animals right?

Can't wait to get it together but it looks like it might take a good while.

Mark,
The floor display model had the zero mark on the measuring tape labeling on the fence rail about 8" right of the blade. I never saw one so far to the right before. I forgot to check my rails when pulling things out of the box but is yours like that?

I think HD owes SOMEBODY here a little something for pushing Andy over the edge.

Have fun. Be safe. Take pictures.

Congrats, Andrew Murphy! Good move!

As soon as it's set up, lemme know. I can really help with choosing all the right acce$$orie$.

I am a bit unfamiliar with your notion of "tool budget." What's that?

And are you sure you're not confusing "incentive" with "enabling."

I never look for the former here, and I never HAVE to look for the latter.

Have a blast in dustworld! After each task, remember to take inventory of your fingers.

Took about 7 hours Sunday to put this beast together if you count in my 'probably way too fussy' calibration time, a 30 minute lunch, a couple of beer breaks and about 20 minutes of staring at it once I rolled it from upside down to it's side in prep for the deadlift to right the thing for the rest of assembly.

Tom, I'll post pictures of my next project but I can't compete with that same SOMEBODY's saw pictures. It's identical anyways minus the adapter for the dust collector. However, I'm inspired to do the same to hook up my Shop Vac to it easier.

Bob, I blew my budget by two hundred dollars after taxes so you are right on all counts. My first upgrades will be cheap. I have to rebuild a bunch of my old jigs to fit the new saw.

However, I'll be back soon asking about upgraded miter gauges and whatever else I think I need but really don't. Actually, in the process of carrying over my good 80 tooth blade to hang it on the built-in blade holder, I dropped it and it rolled across my concrete floor. It looks OK but I'll need to do some test cuts to see if I ruined it. Maybe it's just time to sharpen it anyways.

PS, regarding my question earlier on the measurement marker on the fence rails.

Curiosity made me stop back in the store on the way to work this morning and I have concluded that the one in the store has it's measurement label way out of whack from the factory. The rail couldn't really be assembled wrong. Thankfully, mine was fine.

First accessory: Rubber interlocking floor mats. Your tools, work pieces, AND feet will thank you.

About $20 for 6-pack of 24 x 24" squares.

SMRT he is.

Edited:
(Before somebody jumps on it, it's not misspelled, it's Homerism.)

My wife got me a Pajama set with Homer's "I am so smart, I am so smart, S-M-R-T, I mean, S-M-A-R-T" as the theme.

I married well.