Hello from Texas!

[Lance McEwan]

Hi.
First, I'm happy to have found this forum. There is so much information here! Thanks to you all for your knowledge and expertise.

I'm not a pro wood worker by any estimation, but I'm always learning! I have been looking for a decent table saw for my vintage travel trailer restoration business. I've read through lots of threads on what to buy or not and had decided that I should buy a used, high quality cabinet saw. Well, even a used Delta or Powermatic cabinet saw can set a guy back a big chunk of change. I thought that I might be able to find a deal if I was patient enough. I think I got a deal, but it wasn't on a high end cabinet saw.

I bought this old Craftsman 10" contractor saw for $80.
It is a model 113.298720 with a serial or code date of 7237.P1291
Any ideas as to its age?

It cleaned up pretty well and I've read here that these old saws can be made very useful and reliable. I think my first upgrade will be a good fence.

Any recommendations?

[Andrew Hughes]

Hi lance,I am not a big fan of craftsmans tools anymore.But i do like the top on your saw looks great.Much better than the top on my bosch job site saw.
I would recommend a new blade thin kerf.If you havent bought one yet.
Welcome to the creek and Happy Thanksgiving. Andrew

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Welcome to the Creek Lance! Wade right in...the water's fine!

[Stephen Cherry]

That could also be used, with the right blade, to slice some of that Texas style beef brisket.

[Brian Jarnell]

A fence would be handy.

[Bruce Page]

Welcome to SMC Lance. I had the exact same saw. I bought it new around 1990. I never could trust the fence and ended up putting a Shop Fox fence on it. It was an improvement but still not what I could live with. I bought a Unisaw and lived happily ever after.

[Edward Dyas]

Other than a little lack of power you should be able to do anything on that saw you could do on a cabinet saw. I bought a saw like that before I went into business and then used it for more than 20 years professionally before it wore out. It was only then I upgraded to a cabinet saw.

[Lance McEwan]

Hi lance,I am not a big fan of craftsmans tools anymore.But i do like the top on your saw looks great.Much better than the top on my bosch job site saw.
I would recommend a new blade thin kerf.If you havent bought one yet.
Welcome to the creek and Happy Thanksgiving. Andrew

Thanks Andrew. It is a very heavy saw compared to what they sell as a contractor saw these days. The cast iron top and wings are in good shape after a good cleaning and polishing. Thanks for the suggestion on the blade.

Happy Thanksgiving to you too.


Welcome to the Creek Lance! Wade right in...the water's fine!

Thanks. I'm wading in!


That could also be used, with the right blade, to slice some of that Texas style beef brisket.

Ha, yes it could. :) Luckily I have a real meat slicer at home.


A fence would be handy.

I agree.


Welcome to SMC Lance. I had the exact same saw. I bought it new around 1990. I never could trust the fence and ended up putting a Shop Fox fence on it. It was an improvement but still not what I could live with. I bought a Unisaw and lived happily ever after.

Thanks. So, would that be a recommendation for a Delta/Biesemeyer fence?


Other than a little lack of power you should be able to do anything on that saw you could do on a cabinet saw. I bought a saw like that before I went into business and then used it for more than 20 years professionally before it wore out. It was only then I upgraded to a cabinet saw.

Thanks Edward. That is good to hear. I'm confident, with the right upgrades, this saw will work fine for my needs.



I need a saw that can rip a 4x8 sheet of 3/4" ply 36" or more and be used intermittently for trailer interior cabinetry completions and other general uses. Maybe a few days a month at most.

So, I'm looking for a 52" fence for this saw.

Thanks y'all for the help and insight.

Happy Thanksgiving!

[Bill Huber]

Welcome to the Creek, always glad to see another Texan on board.

That top really cleaned up good, looks like new again. Here is one of the first things I would do to that saw with the webbed extensions. Get some hard board and make some strips and just use silicon to hold them in place, they are finger pinchers the way they are.

On the fence, you may want to take a look at the Mule, the price is right for a 50 incher.
http://www.mulecab.com/M1050Rip.html

[Troy Turner]

Welcome Lance!

I would say the saw is mid to late '80s maybe? I've got one similar, but got rid of the wings and added bigger ones :) I added a Vega fence to it and WOW. What a difference over the stock fence. Can you get by with the stock fence...sure. As long as the saw does what you want it to, then it's a good by.

Go ahead and get you a PALs kit. It'll help you align the blade perfectly. Don't wait 3 years like I did either. Cause once you install it and get it dialed in, it'll be like having a new saw ;)

I'm just a hobbyist and this is my second saw in 12 years. When I started out, I didn't know anything about anything so I went and bought a Craftsman saw. Yeah, it only lasted about 4 years. It was probably the cheapest one they had. Aluminum top with a plastic base. Glad it went out and I was able to get the one I have now.

Also, when you can, get a link belt for it. It'll smooth it out pretty good if you're still running the one piece belt.

Other than that, have a Happy Thanksgiving!

[Lance McEwan]

Welcome to the Creek, always glad to see another Texan on board.

That top really cleaned up good, looks like new again. Here is one of the first things I would do to that saw with the webbed extensions. Get some hard board and make some strips and just use silicon to hold them in place, they are finger pinchers the way they are.

On the fence, you may want to take a look at the Mule, the price is right for a 50 incher.
http://www.mulecab.com/M1050Rip.html

Thanks Bill. That is a great idea on the webbed wings. Thanks for the link to the Mule fence.


Welcome Lance!

I would say the saw is mid to late '80s maybe? I've got one similar, but got rid of the wings and added bigger ones :) I added a Vega fence to it and WOW. What a difference over the stock fence. Can you get by with the stock fence...sure. As long as the saw does what you want it to, then it's a good by.

Go ahead and get you a PALs kit. It'll help you align the blade perfectly. Don't wait 3 years like I did either. Cause once you install it and get it dialed in, it'll be like having a new saw ;)

I'm just a hobbyist and this is my second saw in 12 years. When I started out, I didn't know anything about anything so I went and bought a Craftsman saw. Yeah, it only lasted about 4 years. It was probably the cheapest one they had. Aluminum top with a plastic base. Glad it went out and I was able to get the one I have now.

Also, when you can, get a link belt for it. It'll smooth it out pretty good if you're still running the one piece belt.

Other than that, have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanks for the advice Troy. The stock fence did not come with the saw. Well, the steel angles that attach to the top were there but nothing else.
I was looking at the PALS today. On my list for sure.

Fence-
Table extension-
PALS-
Link belt-
Miter gauge-

[Troy Turner]

Link belt- Oddly enough, I found the green one at Harbor Freight (made in the USA)

Miter gauge - You'll get opinions on this, but I have the Incra v120. Just added a couple of months ago. Was going to get the v26, but Rockler had the other on sale and it was cheaper :D. They're made in the US too, even better, right here in Texas ;)

In my opinion, with older tables like ours, the right accessories make all the difference. In the end, it seems like we spend more on those than we did he actual saw...LOL

So where 'bouts are you? I still have the fence and miter gauge off mine if you'd like til you can get around to gettin you one.

[Lance McEwan]

Link belt- Oddly enough, I found the green one at Harbor Freight (made in the USA)

Miter gauge - You'll get opinions on this, but I have the Incra v120. Just added a couple of months ago. Was going to get the v26, but Rockler had the other on sale and it was cheaper :D. They're made in the US too, even better, right here in Texas ;)

In my opinion, with older tables like ours, the right accessories make all the difference. In the end, it seems like we spend more on those than we did he actual saw...LOL

So where 'bouts are you? I still have the fence and miter gauge off mine if you'd like til you can get around to gettin you one.

Wow! Thanks for the offer. That is very kind of you. I'm near Ft. Hood in central Texas about 40 miles north of Austin. I have a shopping cart on Woodcraft.com filling up as we type:D (I have to buy myself some Christmas presents) I noticed that Woodcraft has the Accusquare M1050 fence for $10 less than Mule Cabinetmaker Machine.
I guess I should add a router table extension and support legs to my list.

[Sam Layton]

Hi Lance,

Welcome to the creek, it is a pleasure to meet you. I think you will do fine with your new saw. A good fence will make all the difference in the world. Also, for cutting plywood, side tables, and an out feed table will be a nice improvement.

Look forward to seeing you around, Sam

[Lance McEwan]

Thanks Sam. It is a pleasure to meet all of you as well.
I am planning on building a mobile work bench that I can also use as an out feed table when needed.

Well, I now have a miter gauge and a fence on order from Woodcraft.
Incra V120
Accusquare M1050

Yes Troy, the accessories are adding up quickly! I've spent more on the miter gauge than the saw.

[Kevin McCluney]

Congratulations on the saw! My first saw looked identical to yours, except mine had the flexible cable drive. That allowed for a large maximum depth of cut, but the cable really bounced around as it spun up. I added blade stabilizers and it improved the smoothness of the cut quite a bit, and a dust collection bag underneath. I also used a sander on the top to smooth it down a little. The open-work wings had the benefit of making it easier to use a C-clamp to hold featherboards, etc. at a point closer to the blade. I bought the saw in the mid-80's and used it for a number of projects (furniture, carpentry, etc.) over a 5 or 6 year period before upgrading to something with more horseower and a larger fence capacity. For the price I paid the Craftsman was a good deal - it was solidly built and did what it was designed to do.

[Lance McEwan]

Thanks Kevin! I've been shopping for a table saw for about a year now. I actually looked at an old Craftsman cable drive. Interesting concept. I had my heart set on a used Delta or Powermatic, but my checkbook said otherwise!
I used my saw for the first time today to make a support for a water heater in a 1966 Airstream. It was a big leap forward from using my Black and Decker circular saw! Here is a pic of the metal work-
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