Craftsman Hybrid Saw

[Allan McLean]

Wondering if anyone has had a look or has contacted Sears about this new line as mentioned in latest edition of "Popular Woodworking." I am one of those eccentrics who has a large number of Craftsman tools , finding them quite satisfactory for my needs.

Allan McLean
Perth ONt., Canada

[aurelio alarcon]

There is thread on page two of the General Woodworking And Power Tools Forum entitled "craftsman double bladed circular saw question" on this web site. I have tried it, and it is an excellent saw. I found little resistance when I did a plunge cut into some plywood. Leading me to believe that it has a reduced chance from kickback as they claim. I too am a Craftsman enthusiast. Although I own other brands, I have found them to be more than satisfactory for my needs just as you have.

[Dino Makropoulos]

Hi Aurelio
The new Sears saw its a cut off saw.
The Wax sticks that come with the saw is to lubricate
the blades when cutting metal. And yes ,it will minimize
or eliminate the kiickback.When one blade cuts the front
the other blade cuts(cleans) the back of the materials to prevent binding.
But is not designed to give you clean cuts on wood.
It will give you 2 bad sides.(CHIPPING ON BOTH SIDES)
The saw that Allan is talking i think is a table saw better than the contractors saw and less money from the cabinet saw.

[aurelio alarcon]

My mistake. Thanks

[David Klink]

Wondering if anyone has had a look or has contacted Sears about this new line as mentioned in latest edition of "Popular Woodworking." I am one of those eccentrics who has a large number of Craftsman tools , finding them quite satisfactory for my needs.

Allan McLean
Perth ONt., Canada
I've seen the midrange priced one and the one with the Bies. They LOOK like nice machines. They don't feel or look cheap in their construction, and they've got some decent features. The fence locks down nice and solid, slides easily, and there's not much if any slop in the miter slots. The motion on the wheels for height and bevel are smooth and firm, but not too firm. They're all capable of being wired for 120 or 240. They're all beefy. The lightest is 306 lbs., the heaviest 438.

The main differences between the lower end one and the medium one aren't many. There's $100 difference between the two, so for $100 you get cast iron wings instead of steel, a fence for the miter gauge, and an extension for the rip fence. Otherwise they're basically the same saw. Same motor, same basic construction.

The most expensive one seems to be targeting the Dewalt DW746X. The specs are pretty similiar, at least. Outweighs it by almost 200 lbs., though.

[scott spencer]

I've looked at all three machines a couple of times now. They appear to be a step in the right direction. Cabinet mounted trunnions, enclosed DC and TEFC motors. The Leitz blade looks to be decent quality for a stock blade. The most expensive of the three with the real Biesemeyer is very nice, but priced in direct competition with the Griz and Shop Fox 3hp cabinet saws.

The lower priced machines look like decent values, but I'm not overly impressed with their aluminum fences. The midpriced saw with cast iron wings will be competing directly with the Ridgid 3650 and it's Herculift (which also has an aluminum fence), and the Griz 0444Z with a Biese knock off and stronger motor.....it could also compete with the highly acclaimed General Intl 50-185 depending on what their pending price increase brings.

There's a horror story on FWW and Wood Magazine's website from a guy who tried to buy one. The saw may be fine, but Sears posed several road blocks in getting a saw in the guy's hands.

[James Carmichael]

I don't think there's anything wrong with the high-end Craftsman tools. Sears should think about re-branding their premium power tools, they're lumped together with cheap imports under the Craftsman name and the "Craftsman Professional" label doesn't distiguish them very well.

[aurelio alarcon]

Other than a couple of Craftsman routers (I like them for their lightness in weight to use freehand), I have bought only high end "Craftsman Professional" tools. I have been exceptionally satisfied with them. Although I must admit that I almost bought the EX 12 volt cordless drill. It had a very good review on Popular Woodworking. They said they almost gave it a "professional" rating but it fell short by not having a one handed chuck and the fact that it had a 3 hour charger. But they did say that it had the power. And it is very reasonably priced (about 50 bucks). I do agree with James. I had to research before I found out that the Craftsman Professional label was different from most of their consumer grade tools. They should make it more obvious that these tools are different from the other run of the mill weekender tools that they sell alongside of these ones.

[JayStPeter]

I saw the one with the Bies at Sears the other day. It looked quite nice and felt sturdy. I didn't really have time to examine it in detail though. They also had the lower end one and it looked better than the old saws, but had a mediocre fence. Looks like the DC is much improved over the old contractor saws. I wonder if they stuck with their most heinous miter slot width.
I was also happy to see that their motor ratings are back in line with everyone else. They are no longer calling their 1.5HP motors 3HP. I can only hope that the air compressor lawsuit has scared them straight.
If I was in the market and had the nearly $1K, I'd probably go with one of the real cabinet saws out there though. They seem pricey for what you get.

Jay

[David Jarrell]

I went by and looked at these machines yesterday at Sears. All three of them seem to be very solid. The adjusters were smooth in operation, and the cast iron looked to be polished well and clean. There was a Bies fence & full cast iron wings on the full cabinet model. The other two midrange saws had the craftsman fence with either stamped or cast iron wings. The power switches featured a paddle-style off switch but I couldn't tell whether or not they were magnetic.

The salesman said that he had sold two of the full cabinet models since they arrived. The new method of power rating is a nice sight on a craftsman machine; overall I'm impressed with their appearance. If they cut as well as they look, I'd say that craftsman is finally on the right track.

David

[aurelio alarcon]

The review said that Craftsman took into consideration what real woodworkers wanted in their table saws. I think that they got it right.

[Michael Ballent]

Although I do not own any Craftsman power tools, I do like the fact that they are still around and pushing the envelope for new designs. Competition is good for all of us.