advice on an old - um "vintage" - table saw

Submitted by tannisg on Tue, 06/25/2013 - 19:50

So I inherited a table saw from my Grandfather - its probably about 50-60 years old and is a huge heavy thing. Craftsman brand as far as I know.

As far as I know, it works (or at least it did when he last used it 10 years ago) but I need to know if its worth getting/keeping in working order. Its too big to keep in the garage if we can't use it, but if we can it has a great big table and extra fence parts he must have purchased for it, as well as a homemade base and extension he must have made :)

Its a belt-driven drive and my husband is afraid we might not find parts, or that they don't make them that way anymore for a reason.

Anyone have any thoughts? Thanks!

Jake

Mon, 07/01/2013 - 13:58

I would give it a go. A new good table saw will run you $800 to $2000 and not have any more capability than you describe in your old saw. The blade still turns and cuts stuff. The new ones may have more accurate miters and less stuff that wobbles but unless you are making fine furniture it should be fine. Spare parts can usually be found through the manufacturer or on-line. I would just take extra care with safety.

MelanieHancock

Wed, 07/03/2013 - 06:46

Go Here- http://www.searspartsdirect.com/partsdirect/brands-products/Craftsman-P… for parts and manuals.
I also inherited my father's belt driven beast. He told me NEVER to use it because it has NO safety features! Worked great for him though and the research I did showed that they are really popular on the woodworkers forums. Apparently people love the belt driven models and restore them.
Good luck but yeah, be careful!

tannisg

Sat, 07/06/2013 - 22:10

thanks for the opinions! We actually have a table saw already so I think if there are safety concerns we (I) probably won't use this one. But it was my grandpa's so I think I will end up hanging on to it any way :)

If we can get it working it would be great for larger boards, the table is much bigger than the other one we have. But for now it might just need to sit in the corner..

tannisg

Sat, 07/06/2013 - 22:10

thanks for the opinions! We actually have a table saw already so I think if there are safety concerns we (I) probably won't use this one. But it was my grandpa's so I think I will end up hanging on to it any way :)

If we can get it working it would be great for larger boards, the table is much bigger than the other one we have. But for now it might just need to sit in the corner..