Craftsman 21833

[Bob Haskett]

Hello all. As some of you know I have been on the market for a tablesaw for quite a while. The better part of 8 months I have been searching craigslist and local deals. Today my wife yanked me out shopping and I stopped in sears and saw something intriguing. The craftsman 21833. It's 549, seems to have a good fence, mobile base. Seems to be a great saw for the money. What do you all think?

[scott spencer]

It looked ok for the price at glance while visiting Sears. You can probably do better than $549. You might even find a clearance deal on the 22124.

Here's a user review (http://lumberjocks.com/reviews/990).

[Jerome Hanby]

Looks like a solid saw. Guard and splitter look interesting. Some of the reviews say riving knife. I couldn't see that part of the saw well enought to tell...

[Bob Haskett]

It does indeed have a riving knife.

[Anthony Whitesell]

Looks nice online. Being a Craftsman, does it have the standard size miter slots or are they a Craftsman special?

[Bob Haskett]

Standard miter slots with T-slots. I am trying to stay under 600. I almost broke down and bought the Ridgid R4511 during the Friends and Family rebate, but its too late now...Should steel wings be a deal breaker?

[Tim Livingston]

I bought my Delta contractors saw 10 years ago when they came standard with steel wings and it served me well for most of that time. The nice thing about the Delta is they make the cast wings and router tables etc, I have since gone all cast iron and even added a new fence and extension table. My only concern with the craftsman saw would be the ability to accessorize it.

[scott spencer]

Standard miter slots with T-slots. I am trying to stay under 600. I almost broke down and bought the Ridgid R4511 during the Friends and Family rebate, but its too late now...Should steel wings be a deal breaker?

I've had steel and cast iron wings, and both do the job. Cast iron is a "nice to have", but not essential. Virtually any 27" cast iron wings can easily be made to fit this saw if you ever want to upgrade them.

[Bob Haskett]

So other than finding a used gem, is this probably the best sub $650 saw I could find?

[Dave Gaul]

HOPEFULLY very soon I will be in the market for a new TS. My puny Delta Shopmaster table top is barely "cutting" it anymore! It's a good thing of course, but I have outgrown the table top style!

I have read a lot about the 21833, and seems confirmed that it is made by Orion/Steel City. I went to Sears last night to check it out in person. I was quite impressed overall! The riving knife/guard assembly seemed quite functional! Adjusting wheels move very smoothly, table top seemed well made, even the miter bar seemed really good...

Couple of questions though... is the throat plate on this model the normal thickness? Seemed kinda thin to me, might be challenging to make your own inserts, although it can be done as I've seen around here and elsewhere.

Also, the fence seemed to be somewhat "off"... maybe the Sears people didn't take the time to adjust it properly, but the fence had some "wobble" or "skew" in it... the fence seem to have adjustment points on it to correct this, just wanna make sure!

The built in mobile base seemed very functional, and I like the way the DC port was underneath, tucked up just below the blade area!

[scott spencer]

...I have read a lot about the 21833, and seems confirmed that it is made by Orion/Steel City...

Are you sure? All the other Orion/Steel City models have cabinet mounted trunnions and the motor access door on the right side. The newer models sport a granite top too. The 22114, 22124, and 22116 are made by Orion/Steel City, but the 21833 does not look like it's made by them to me.

[Dave Gaul]

You could be right Scott... I've looking at so many different table saws lately my head is spinning! Thought I remembered seeing/reading that the 21833 was Orion built as well... but may have gotten confused with the 22's... to me the body of the 21833 looks quite like the 22114, the 114 just has different top, fence & miter gauge...

Still seems well built, especially for the price!

BTW... the 22124 is no longer online, and not in my local store!

[Chris Harry]

Id seriously consider doing what the original poster did and try to find a Ridgid 4511.

Going price is down to 499, granite top, etc. Seems a better saw than the Craftsman you are interested in, at basically the same price (I know the steel winged C-man is on Craftsman Club special for 449, so 50.00 difference if you are a member)

The challenge is finding a 4511, but I think you might be better off for it.

-Chris

[Cory Hoehn]

I owned the 21833 for about 2 hours. On the surface it looked really good, until I started putting it together. The pieces weren't of the quality I expected.

More importantly, the fence wasn't very good at all (small window on ruler tape and it deflected with slight pressure) and the throat plate is super thin which makes it very difficult to make ZCI's. I took the saw back to Sears and bought an R4511. I've had it now for a while and I absolutely love it.

I wish I had the money for a big cabinet saw, but you just can't beat the features/price combo on the 4511.

Good luck!

[Derek Gilmer]

Check out searsoutlet. They have a 22124 for 479 in the little rock area. I think nashville or memphis have them as well: http://www.searsoutlet.com/10-in-Table-Saw/d/product_details.jsp?md=ct_md&cid=98&pn=1&ps=50&pid=9200

[Jim Andrew]

Grizzly's table saws are on sale right now. I had a sears for years, and was happy to give it away.

[Mark Godlesky]

Bob,

If you decide to go this way join the Craftsman Club and you can get this saw for 449.99. Save $100. They also have the #22116 granite top saw for $850 but it sounds like this may be more than your budget.

[Dave Gaul]

I've checked sears outlet for the 22124, none in my area!

Look at HD for the R4511 in my area... none... not crazy about buying something that was recalled, then discontinued shortly after...

Starting to seriously lean towards the Grizzly models...

[scott spencer]

I've checked sears outlet for the 22124, none in my area!

Look at HD for the R4511 in my area... none... not crazy about buying something that was recalled, then discontinued shortly after...

Starting to seriously lean towards the Grizzly models...

Dave - Have you called all the HD's in your area, and requested that any of them do a search in the area? Nothing wrong with the Griz, but was wondering...

[Chris Harry]

Dave - Have you called all the HD's in your area, and requested that any of them do a search in the area? Nothing wrong with the Griz, but was wondering...

Its all about physically going to each store and looking around. Tool area, overhead storage in just about the whole store, etc.

The inventory computers lie. Employees lie (dont actually look, etc).

If you REALLY want it, you just about have to get your own portable stairs and pull it down yourself!

[Dave Gaul]

Well the first problem here is that I don't quite have the funds yet! Waiting for bonus time at work (end of Feb), might have the $$ sooner.
For now, just researching my options...
Is the 4511 that great? Does anyone know why it's being discontinued? I know about the recalls, does that have anything to do with it?

[Pat Germain]

I have a Craftsman contractor saw I bought back in the mid 1990's. After many modifications, it's now useable. Although, I still have issues with using a dado set because the arbor has a groove in it for no apparent reason. (I have yet to get around to filling in the groove with expoxy or JB Weld.) I would have been much better off buying a hybrid saw. I probably would have saved money in the long run.

Considering the very large numbers of woodworking tools I'm seeing on Craigslist, I bet you could find a nice hybrid saw for under $500. And I think you'd be much better off compared to the Craftsman CS.

Or, if you think you'd like a Craftsman saw, again, check Craigslist. My city isn't that large and Craigslist is always loaded with people unloading Craftsman contractor saws cheap.