Learned something about my saw!

[Lee Schierer]

I have a Craftsman Contractor style table saw that is about 20 years old. This weekend I needed to tilt the blade 17 degrees to make some raised panels for a project I'm making. When I went to return the blade to 90 degrees using my digital angle indicator I noted that the saw was very difficult to tilt back and it wouldn't go to 90. It felt like I was going to break something to get the last 2 degrees of tilt out of the blade. I couldn't figure out how the stops could have moved. It took a couple of minutes peering through the various openings with a flashlight, but I finally noticed that the curved arc slot for the blade tilt lock was crammed full on the 90 degree end with sawdust. The accumulated sawdust had compacted so hard that the locking rod could not travel all the way it needed to allow the saw blade to return to the 90 degree position. The washers that rode on the surface would stop the sawdust from escaping as the rod got close to the end of its travel.

It was easy to fix with a slim screw driver to poke out the offending sawdust. Once the sawdust was removed, the saw would easily tilt to minus 2 degrees.

Lee

[Todd Burch]

Hi Lee!

You should take that slim screwdriver and push that saw out to the curb. ;)

[Bill Huber]

On my old 50 year old Craftsman I had some what the same problem. With mine the gears would get full of sawdust and I would have to clean it out or it was really hard to title the blade.

Sawdust can get in some really tight places.....

[Ray Phillips]

Thanks Lee for your post. A lot of people own Craftsman saws and that was good information. I don"t think you deserved the response you received.

[Paul Fitzgerald]

Yep, happens to me with my Ridgid TS3660 all the time. Sometimes I feel like a contortionist trying to get my hands or arms into those tight spaces to clean out the accumulated sawdust. Even with dust collection, it still seems to get into all the nooks and crannies. :D

[Jim Kountz]

Thanks Lee for your post. A lot of people own Craftsman saws and that was good information. I don"t think you deserved the response you received.

I agree with you Ray, Todds response was unnecessary and totally uncalled for. Lee is a good contributor to SMC and a nice guy. Posting what he thought could be helpful to others and getting a repsonse like that was way out of line. That kind of thing is not needed here at all Todd. Take it somewhere else please.

[Paul Fitzgerald]

I think Todd was just teasing. He did use a smiley after all.

[Chris Tsutsui]

Yeah, Todd was just messin around. :)

I give props to Lee for being able to work with his craftsman saw because I think it actually takes more skill to use that than if he had a Robland Sliding table saw or Unisaw, etc.

On my Bosch 4000, I found that chips can interfer with the lowering of the blade as well if it accumulates directly below the blade. I found this out when I was lowering the blade and heard a CRACK which was a wooden chip getting crushed under the blade as I was lowering it.

[William Powell]

I have had a Craftsman contractor saw for some 18 years. Added cast iron pulleys and link belt, new fence with 7' rails and dust collection (sort of). With a good blade it works just fine. I haven't had any problems with it at all. I will remember the dust compaction issue should I ever have a problem like that.

And I think he was joking...

[Kevin Godshall]

I've had off and on problems with my saw, similar to what you are mentioning. I've made a habit of hitting it with the air compressor quite often all around and most of my troubles have disappeared.

Thanks for sharing, it shows I should have offered a solution I found to help others out as well.

PS. +1 for Todd just poking some fun around. Don't think anything ill was meant by it.

[Todd Burch]

Wow. My comment sure has stirred the pot. Here is where I stand:

1) Lee is an upstanding member of this forum, a wonderful contributor and a fine craftsman.

2) I hate Craftsman tablesaws, and in the spirit of good fun, will tease anyone who owns one. I've owned 3 of them, and if memory serves me right, I even own one right now (tucked away in the corner of the garage, sitting atop a trash barrel, anticipating the day it falls in).

Todd

[Scott Schwake]

Lee, I had that same experience with my grandfather's Craftsman. I was hoping it was something more serious so I could finally justify a cabinet saw, but fortunately (or unfortunately) it was easily fixed.

I thought Todd's comment was obviously tongue-in-cheek given the smiley, and made me chuckle, +1 for humor!

[Lee Schierer]

Hi Lee!

You should take that slim screwdriver and push that saw out to the curb. ;)

No offense taken, many of us make perfectly good items on our vintage saws. "It isn't the skill of the tool, but the skill of the crafstman using them as my grandfather used to say."

Maybe I should run for office :eek: if I am in such high standing.......:rolleyes:

[Jim Kountz]

Wow. My comment sure has stirred the pot. Here is where I stand:

1) Lee is an upstanding member of this forum, a wonderful contributor and a fine craftsman.

2) I hate Craftsman tablesaws, and in the spirit of good fun, will tease anyone who owns one. I've owned 3 of them, and if memory serves me right, I even own one right now (tucked away in the corner of the garage, sitting atop a trash barrel, anticipating the day it falls in).

Todd

My bad, sorry bout that Todd. I guess the ex-craftsman table saw owner in me spoke without thinking. No harm no foul??

[Todd Burch]

Of course, no harm now foul. I love you man.

I think the knee jerk reaction was that since I was dis'ing Lee's saw, that I was dis'ing Lee. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Since we're all cool now, just don't mention Minwax and I'll be fine. :D

Todd

[Jim Kountz]

just don't mention Minwax and I'll be fine. :D

Todd

Ahh see now where on common ground!! Im right beside you on that one Todd!!:D But General Finishes are all good right? Right??:D

[Todd Burch]

Can't comment - I have never used General Finishes. Evar.

[Lee Schierer]

Since we're all cool now, just don't mention Minwax and I'll be fine. :D

Todd


Minwax stains seem okay and their straight polyurethane seems okay, just their stain mixed with finish should definitely be banned. I'd love to see the guy that puts that nice even coat of Polyshade on Oak with a brush do it live and get the finish you see on TV. I wonder if Mythbusters would do that?

[Mike Langford]

I think he (Lee) should take an air gun and blow it out to the curb....er, I mean.....blow out the sawdust!.............




:rolleyes:

[Stephen Edwards]

I had a Craftsman TS for 30 years. It was a love/hate relationship that I had with that saw. When I got my Ridgid contractor's saw, I gave the old Craftsman to a neighbor whom I THOUGHT would appreciate it, take care of it and use it. Big mistake!

I've seen some that are beautifully restored. This one shown on Bill Huber's site is nothing less than a piece of art, IMHO!

http://www.pbase.com/wlhuber/image/83061777

I don't know if Bill still has this old gem or not but it sure is a beauty the way it's restored and modified.

[Carl Babel]

Lee,

I ran into that same thing, too. It took me a while to realize what was wrong - suffered through some joinery with less than perfect cuts. I think it was when I was trying to put some picture frames together that I finally stopped to figure it out :).

Hopefully your post will save someone else some grief.