Improvements for a Craftsman tablesaw

[Jonathon Frey]

A big hello to everyone!

Getting into woodworking and I just bought a Craftsman Model 113.298720 ($30 on Craigslist) and I need your collective help.

Did not come with one, so do I need a blade guard/splitter, to keep stock from pinching? Any recommendations?

Any recommendations on tools to make this saw as accurate as is reasonable?

I'm looking at Vega Pro fence, link belt, and moble base as my first upgrades.

Thanks for the help!

~ Jon

[David Hendricks]

Definetly get PALS, I believe you can get a shark guard for craftsman saws.

[John TenEyck]

You could always by a replacement guard/splitter from Sears. That's what I did for a portable Craftsman I bought used that didn't have one. Here's a picture of what I did with my C-man TS.

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I removed the left stamped metal wing and bolted it to my Unisaw. I removed the right wing and mounted my router in a shop made extension. Then I installed a 52" Vega Pro fence across both saws. I couldn't be happier with this arrangement. The Unisaw is set up primarily for ripping and the C-man gets used mostly with a large crosscut sled but it's nice to be able to have the option to do both on either saw.

John

[Bill Huber]

I agree with David get some PALS.
If it has webbed wings you need to fill those up, finger pinching things.... Bruce Page gave me the idea when I had them and it worked very well, just some hard board strips and some silicon.

The fence is well what ever you want, there are a lot of them out there.


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[David Hendricks]

I agree with David get some PALS.
If it has webbed wings you need to fill those up, finger pinching things.... Bruce Page gave me the idea when I had them and it worked very well, just some hard board strips and some silicon.

The fence is well what ever you want, there are a lot of them out there.


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Are you using the top from a craftsman saw our did the jet also have the accucut thing-a-ma-bob as well?

[Bill Huber]

Are you using the top from a craftsman saw our did the jet also have the accucut thing-a-ma-bob as well?

Yes, the Jet came with stamped steel and they just were not that good. I bought a Craftsman saw for like $50 and use them on the Jet.

Here is a thread when I got the new ones.
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?109605-Extension-Wing-GLOAT&highlight=extension

[Frederick Skelly]

Welcome Jonathon!

I recently bought a Shark Guard based on input from the guys here. I highly recommend it. Search the archives here and see for yourself. The only bummer is the couple month wait, and that was manageable.

Fence? You can spend as much as you want to. My used saw came with a Biesemeyer. It is very solid and accurate. But there are many other good products such as the Vega, Incra etc. I have also seen articles describing how to make your own. I just noticed that vsctools.com sells the components to make one from extruded aluminum too, but I havent researched it.

Mobile base? Lots of plans for how to make your own, and I finally did that for my tablesaw. For my other machines I bought JET universal mobile bases. You can get them from Amazon, Woodcraft, etc. They are $75 for a small one and $120 for the larger. I have 3 and would buy them again.

You didnt mention miter gauges. Down the line, you may want a new one. I bought an Incra. They range from $75 - 200 or so, depending on your choices.

I bet youll get a bunch of good ideas from the guys here. Also, consider searching the archives here for more opinions on each of these items.

Welcome to the hobby!
Fred

[Mike Henderson]

I started with a Craftsman table saw and eventually put in a larger motor (2HP) and a Biesemeyer fence. Used it for many years but finally upgraded to a SawStop.

Mike

[glenn bradley]

I also started with a Craftsman 113.xxxxxx saw. I added a decent fence, machined pulleys and a link belt, PALs, shop made ZCI's with the MJ Splitter from Micro Jig, tossed a plastic wrapped 100 lb bag of Ready-crete in the bottom for mass, enclosed the underside for dust control, added an overarm dust collection / guard from PSI, a router table wing and the saw pretty much rocked. I used it for years, Dad used it for years after that. finally sold all the goodies off of it when Dad upgraded and sent the sheet metal to the great beyond.

[Edward Oleen]

[QUOTE=David Hendricks;2354841]Definetly get PALS, I believe you can get a shark guard for craftsman saws.[/QUOTE

HEAR! HEAR! on the PALS. Jonathan, go to in-lineindustries.com to get them. What they do is fit under the rear bolts that hold the trunion assembly and table top together, and permit ultrafine adjustment to enable you to get the miter slot EXACTLY parallel to the blade. You will need a dial gauge to go with it to make the measurements. Luckily for you, In-line ALSO sells the A-LINE IT SYSTEM, which is a dial gauge as well as the little bits and pieces that make it a snap to adjust-and-align just about everything in your shop: align the saw blade to the miter slot, align the fence to the miter slot, make your drillpress arbor perpendicular to the table top, set your jointer blades, determine runout for the table saw, the drill press, etc.

It isn't cheap, but it works superbly. It will pay for itself in saved material that is cut or drilled or whatever "just a little bit off...."

As far as fences go: my Powermatic Artisans Saw - Model 63 - came with a Vega-made fence. It is well worth it - it has a built-in micro adjustment that makes being accurate rather easy.

And In-line also has videos demonstrating how to do it. Nice, detailed videos that making using his stuff a breeze,unlike some manufacturers.

If you get the idea that I am a fan of the company, you are 1000% correct.

And oh yes - get the machined pulleys and the link belt. They make your saw run much more smoothly, and the link belt lasts forever. Mine is over 10 years old.

[Lee Schierer]

I have a Craftsman 113 saw and have replaced the miter gauge and fence. I have a Kreg miter gauge which is very accurate. I only regret I didn't buy it sooner. I upgraded to a Beisemeyer fence and it is great. The factory blade guard/splitter isn't worth the price of scrap metal. It is not a true splitter and is awkward to install and remove. I hate mine and never use it. Yes I have all my fingers.

Replace the factory pulleys with machined pulleys and the belt with a link belt. The saw will run much smoother.

I have the open grate extension tables and have never pinched my fingers. I like Bill's inserts, but I don't feel they are really needed.

By all means take the time and align the blade to the miter gauge slot and do the same with whatever fence you get. I'm not sure if a PALS will work on the 113 saw. There are 6 bolts under the table that hold the trunnion in place. The three at the front are fun to reach.

[Joe Hillmann]

Before doing anything else I would suggest spending a few hours cleaning and getting everything adjusted properly. Set it up so the blade is parallel to whichever miter slot you plan to use the most (If it has two miter slots they may not be perfectly parallel) When you are setting up the blade make sure it is parallel with the miter slot at 90degrees and at 45. It is pretty easy to get it at 90 but at 45 it may take shimming and lots of trial and error.

Cleaning out all the sawdust on the internals of the saw will make setting up easier and reduce binding when you raise and lower the blade as well as angle it.

Once the blade is alinged with the miter slot then aling the fence with the same miter slot.

Another thing that makes it much more accurate is to make a large miter sled set up to exactly 90degrees. It is much more accurate than a cheap miter sled that came with the saw when it was new.

I am going to go against the flow here and say you don't NEED to replace the pulleys or get a link belt. Both would probably make it run smoother but as long as your belt doesn't have an obvious kink in it I would personally rather spend that money on a nice fence.

[Steve Collins]

I purchased my 113 new in 94, and it is still my only table saw.
I replaced the fence with a T-2 a couple of years ago.
Replaced the pulleys and belt last year... and that's all.
Never had a need for PALS and never had a single problem with the webbed wings.

[Bruce Wrenn]

Bought my 113. saw in 1984. Did all the up grades, but still had two major problems. Tilting blade to 45 took 64 revolutions, and when blade was elevated, it kicked to the right. Best upgrade was to Delta contractor's saw. Have had a complete Uni sitting in shop for ten years now - unused by me- one day,maybe .

[Mike Fusick]

How about a vega Pro 50 fence upgrade and digital LCD readout measurement system ?

[Jonathon Frey]

Wow! All great suggestions.

I just ordered a dial guage, PALS, and pulley/belt set from In-Line. Next will be the mobile base, and eventually the fence. I know the fence is paramount, but that I'm going to save up for that bad boy. No sense in buying a cheap-o.

Recommendations for paddle switches?

[Viking Mountain Tool Works]

A thin Kerf Woodworker II blade would be a good idea also especially if you are using a smaller motor.

[Curt Harms]

Something to be aware of (if you're not). At least some of those saws have .750" miter slots. They're supposed to be 3/4", right? Not really. A .750 miter bar will not slide in a .750" slot. Most table saws have the miter slot at maybe .755" - .760" or thereabouts. A .750" bar will slide in those. The Emerson saws (Craftsman and (I think) early Ridgid saws require a slightly undersized miter bar. I learned this the hard way when I bought a Delta tenoning jig to use on a Craftsman saw and it didn't fit, I had to grind the miter bar down a little bit. A lot of after-market miter gauges and the like have some adjustment for width so shouldn't be an issue.

For blades, if you're trying to save a buck consider the better quality 7 1/4" saw blades. Not the blades intended for construction lumber but the 40 tooth plus blades. Home Depot stocks Freud Diablo 7 1/4" in 40 tooth and 60 tooth. They're really thin kerf so don't require much power and leave a pretty decent finish. You can make a zero clearance insert but it takes a little doing. The factory insert is on mine was about 1/8". Zero clearance inserts are thicker, often 1/2". What some people have done is start out with the thicker insert then remove material so the parts that touch the cast iron are the ~1/8" thickness. I find zero clearance inserts handy, especially when ripping thin strips.

[Bill Huber]

I have the open grate extension tables and have never pinched my fingers. I like Bill's inserts, but I don't feel they are really needed.



I guess I just have fat fingers, when I had them on the saw I was pinching the tips of my fingers all the time. I had little blood blisters on the tips of my fingers for a month from them.