New to woodworking, looking at a table saw, 10" craftsman 113. 298240

[Dave Brunner]

I am decent w/ metal but I've never been good w/ wood. I am going to try to teach myself to at least build a square box made of wood and maybe progress to better things. I've built less than precise things (Benches, etc) but that's it. I feel i've not been able to do it before because I had the wrong tools (Jigsaw, circular saw, etc). and nothing very precise. I am looking at this on craigslist and it also has a sturdy base for $75. Researching a bit people say it's decent but others had mentioned that if it has some plastic type of T fastener that I should run, i'm assuming because they are not available anymore. I asked if the table was flat (he said it was) and if the fence was ok (he said it was) but in reality I don't know an "ok" fence would look like anyway. Is there anything i should look for or any reason I should run from this?

Model: craftsman 113. 298240
10" blade
Comes w/ a base
Has a table extension

His ad:

Contractors 10 inch table saw with table extensions. Mounted on a steel stand with wheels. Power strip added. This construction grade tool with larger table surface is big enough to easily 4x8 sheets of plywood. Cut material all day long with this puppy without strain. Transportation of his large tool will take two men.

[cody michael]

I used something similar for awhile. It is definitely not a great saw but anything decent is probably around $300 even used. I would say it would be hard to lose money on that saw, if you buy it, use it and out grow it you should be able to sell for same money.

A good fence is a couple hundred dollars and would be silly in my opinion.

[Dave Brunner]

Can you explain to me what a good fence provides that this one doesn't? Is it just lack of adjustability/play? Or is it stability?

Dave

[BOB OLINGER]

Hi Dave,

First, welcome to woodworking. This is a great site to get all kinds of advice, opinion, etc. Concerning your question, get ready for a lot of comments/opinion.
Second, my thoughts - $75 is a great price, but you're likely getting what you're paying for. If to be used in general construction where precise work is not needed, probably OK. If you're looking for a contactors saw for woodworking, not construction work, I'd recommend looking for a good used Delta (or comparable brand like Grizley), likely can be bought off Craigslist for $250 or so +/-. I had one prior to my SawStop and was a very good choice at the time. The table on this one looks a little rusted - maybe just the picture angle.

[Dave Brunner]

I can remove any rust if it affects functionality. I am not looking for contractor quality I just want to improve my skills and cut a straight line in a piece of plywood :). I am very good w/ my hands, can fix anything and can work w/ any material other than wood. I've just not had a reason to. I can make something out of 2x4s but I want to learn better skills and techniques. I now have the garage size that allows me to have all of my car and metal tools along w/ woodworking tools so I am going to start acquiring things to teach myself these skills. This will merely be hobby and perhaps later I can build things for my garage like cabinets, etc. I did build my garage bench, I've built soffits in a kitchen I remodeled, I can cut trim and i've even built a 4x8 box for a trailer but It was not up to my quality standards in the least. I am going to try to change that and perhaps find a hobby that I can enjoy at the same time. There are so many little things you guys who have done this for years just pick up and keep with you. I know being a car guy I have tons of little tricks which to me are common sense but when a friend comes over and I try to help him do his brakes for example you soon realize these are really acquired skills and techniques, not common sense.

Dave

[Grant Aldridge]

Great price for the saw provided it runs. A $200 fence upgrade would make it MUCH more enjoyable and precise. Here's mine with a Delta T2 fence

[Marshall Harrison]

To answer your question about the fence:

In a nutshell, the fence needs to lock down parallel to the blade (which should be parallel to the miter slots). And once locked down it should not move or drift. If those two things are not right then you can't make clean cuts and and it will probably cause some kickback problems.

Some of the old Craftsman don't have standard miter slots though I don't know about that particular model.

[Jim Andrew]

I bought an old Cman table saw over 40 years ago, and luckily the previous owner had installed a Delta Jetlock fence on it. I used that old saw till the motor would hardly start, and planned to replace the motor and fence until I priced them, and wound up buying a Unisaw with a Biesemeyer fence.

[Lee Schierer]

I have a 113.298720 model Craftsman saw, which is very similar to the one you are looking at. Mine is 1-1/2 Hp. The saw in your photos does not have the OEM fence, which is a good thing. Your saw has an after market fence. With a little care and time spent doing a good alignment you can get many years of accurate cutting that saw. You can get a manual here (https://www.manualslib.com/manual/493937/Craftsman-113-298032.html#manual).

It is a 1 Hp saw, but it will cross cut 1" thick stock with a good full kerf blade. You might want a thin kerf ripping blade for rip cuts. The miter slot appears to be the 3/4" x 3/8" deep style that fits most available accessories. The small yellow button you see on the start/stop switch can be removed if you don't want anyone else to start the saw. Don't lose it as they can be difficult to find.

Since you are new to table saws, be sure to read the manual for safety precautions and use feather boards and push sticks when making cuts. I don't see a guard in the photos so you may want to purchase and after market one.

[Dave Brunner]

THanks, I have no idea what 90% of what you said means lol. What should I look for when I go to look at it tomorrow? I don't know what crosscutting is unless that means across the grain? I guess that is harder to do? Yes I am that clueless when it comes to wood. At least I do know what the grain is :D. I could also fabricate a reed switch or rfid that will only operate when my phone is near by :) I can make a 30 year old saw operate w/ RFID or geofencing lol. Heck i could even tie an arduino or pi to it to remotely allow operation. But I couldn't tell you the first thing about the best way to operate it.

Dave

[Rick Potter]

Hate to disagree with Lee, but that looks like a factory fence to me. The angle iron has been stretched to go across the table extensions, though.

I don't know if that saw has a motor at the rear, with a belt, but that is the type you want.

Basics to check: Check the blade arbor bearings by wiggling the blade side to side to see if there is any play. Spin the blade, to see if it runs true. Run the blade up and down, and angle it with the other wheel. Many are rusted, and the controls don't work. Turn it on and see how much vibration it has. If it vibrates it might be a belt with a 'set'...no biggie, but if you hear funny noises, look elsewhere.

I do not see a miter gage. That is the thingie that runs in the slots on the table. It should have one. Ask if he has any accessories that go with it, blades etc.

Looks like the power strip was there to run routers in the wings of the saw.

The pics look like the saw was used hard, but if it runs smoothly it is worth looking at. Heck, you will pay that much for a good blade.

Hope this helps.

[Marshall Harrison]

THanks, I have no idea what 90% of what you said means lol. What should I look for when I go to look at it tomorrow? I don't know what crosscutting is unless that means across the grain? I guess that is harder to do? Yes I am that clueless when it comes to wood. At least I do know what the grain is :D. I could also fabricate a reed switch or rfid that will only operate when my phone is near by :) I can make a 30 year old saw operate w/ RFID or geofencing lol. Heck i could even tie an arduino or pi to it to remotely allow operation. But I couldn't tell you the first thing about the best way to operate it.

Dave

I understood all of that. You have made me wonder if I can use Stringify and setup a skill for my Echo to automate parts of my shop. 30 years of programming doesn't die easy.

[Mike Null]

I've been doing woodworking/dyi stuff for nearly 60 years. I used to have a Craftsman TS. I did a few things which made it a pretty good saw. New blade--I bought a Forrest WW2 and that was like adding a supercharger. I added machined pulleys--smoother running and I added a flexible link belt. I also added blade stabilizers. My blade was in alignment with the slots so I got a clean cut, so good that the WW2 blade made them look like they had been planed.

As others have said, the fence is the weak point but you can align it as needed and it's not a terrible thing. If there is no miter gauge you can get a replacement or any of several upgrades without much effort.

I've had several table saws in my life but everything I wanted to do could have been done on the Craftsman.

[Lee Schierer]

Hate to disagree with Lee, but that looks like a factory fence to me. The angle iron has been stretched to go across the table extensions, though.

Upon closer examination, Rick is probably right, that could be the OEM fence with added rails. The OEM fences had a distinct tendency to not always lock parallel to the miter slot and blade, which is why I upgraded mine to a Beismeyer fence.

[Cary Falk]

The saw itself should do everything you need. That fence would drive me crazy and a better fence would make a it a great saw.

[Scott Buehler]

I bought a craftsman table saw nearly 25+ years ago, it had beismeyer fence and1 3/4" hp. I still have it to this day and it works great. I don't use it much because I have newer saws, but at 75.00 I would say grab it. It wik do what you need for the time being, then you can upgrade later when and if you decide you like woodworking, which I'm sure you will :)

[Dave Brunner]

The eagle has landed. I'll tell you what, I had no idea of the size of this thing as there was nothing next to it for scale, IT IS HUGE! It is also built like a brick dunny. There was no perceivable runout in the blade, everything moved albeit a bit stiff as it has been sitting for years(I used spray wax on the worm gears and ran it up/down and side to side a few times to make it easy as pie) The motor does in fact belt drive the blade and it is in very nice shape. I'm happy to have older tools like this. It does not have a miter gauge but I can get one. I'll measure those slots poste haste. I see what you guys say about keeping that fence parallel to the blade. The side opposite of the screw down lock just has a piece of what may be spring steel that keeps it there. I don't know if this is factory or not, perhaps these pics will help iD it. If so, in the short term until I get better at this, how can I mitigate and fence/blade issues best? I will measure the slots for accessories so any input on what I need (Aside from a miter gauge) in the immediate future would be awesome!

Dave

[Grant Aldridge]

Congrats and welcome! If you're handy with metal and value money more than time just make a Biesemeyer clone (like the delta T2/T3 fence). You can buy one for about $200, to build you'll need a piece of 2" square tube and 2" angle for the front, 1-1/2 angle for the back then the fence itself can be whatever angle or extrusion you like. My delta fence is 2" square tube with aluminum faces and 2" angle to form the t-square part.
I wouldn't invest any time into getting to made the current fence "better"

Also, if you don't need the capacity of the extension tables you might want to remove /reconfigure them during a fence upgrade. Hit the cast iron with a random orbital sander maybe 120 then 180/220 if you like and wax it

[Marshall Harrison]

Congrats on getting your saw. With the skills you said you have you should be able to clean and tighten that saw up nicely.

There are lots of videos on Youtube on how to setup/tuneup a table saw. Just make sure the arbor is correct when set to both 90 and 45 degrees. Then follow Grants suggestion and pick up a newer Beisemeyer clone or any of the T-Square fences. Grizzly/ShopFox makes one or maybe you can use one from one of the newer Craftsman or Delta saws.

I;m sure the other guys here are like me and would love to see pictures of your saw rehab as you progress.

[Grant Aldridge]

Especially since you're new to woodworking I recommend picking up a zero clearance insert (check ptreeusa.com) and a microjig splitter. That's probably the best bang for the buck since you don't have a guard or splitter. Or check out the sharkguard setup

[Rick Potter]

Check you tube for videos on mods to improve craftsman saw. Plenty of stuff there.

[Dave Brunner]

Spent a few hours knocking the rust of this thing today. I took a pic mid progress and you can see it had quite a bit of rust on it. I'm very impressed w/ the build quality. Do you guys coat the beds of these things to prevent flash rusting? It will be in a climate controlled garage so it will probably never be an issue but until I bring it there it is in my unheated garage. I can't wait to use this thing. The receccessed groove in this is 3/4" x 3/8", is that standard? I'm going to have to figure out all the tricks to set this thing up but that's half the fun!.

Dave

[Grant Aldridge]

You really need to put the angle die grinder away, switch to a 5"+ random orbit with 120-180 grit paper then wax it. If you don't have an orbital sander just use a flat sanding block and go front to back
Wax it after with paste wax

[Dave Brunner]

I was just knocking off the rust, wasn't changing the surface flatness as far as I can tell. I was using 60 grit on that as well as a wire wheel on occasion. Heck if we need to be flat here I'll just block sand it :) Is this really an issue? I do have a DA sander but I'm not sure if you are kidding or not. What kind of wax do you guys use on these things? I have a bunch of car wax but that's about it.

[Cary Falk]

60 is very aggressive. I would only use a wire wheel and scotch brite pads. Scrape off most of the rust first with a razor blade. I use T9 and Johnson paste wax on top.

[Marshall Harrison]

Lots of people use Johnson's Paste Wax (comes in a yellow can) for the CI. I picked up a can today from Lowes - https://www.lowes.com/pd/Johnson-16-oz-Floor-Polish/3384826

That should last me for years unless I lose it like I did the last can.

You can probably use any paste wax that doesn't contain silicone. The general consensus is that silicone can get on your wood and screw up its ability to take a stain.

There are also some other chemicals you can get but the names escape me at the moment.

[Grant Aldridge]

Not kidding, 60 will dish out the top and yes you want it flat. Like I've said twice 120 is the starting point, razor blade is great if it's got heavy rust. Paste wax, Johnsons or minwax will work fine.
Not trying to bust your chops, I wish you the best but it may take some work from this point to get it close to flat. It's relatively soft metal. Good luck!

[Dave Brunner]

So what flatness are we looking for here? Are we talking thousandths over the entire table? I have no idea what kind of tolerances I'm looking for. Also can you tell me the repercussions of not having it perfectly flat? I'm going to take a flat edge to it and a feeler gauge tomorrow to see where I'm at but it seems any type of specks of dust or sawdust under the board would affect this more than a half a thou. divot from sanding. Maybe i'm looking at this wrong. Whatever damage may be done is done. I could block sand it and make it perfectly flat if I really need to. Thanks for the wax suggestions guys.

Dave

[Grant Aldridge]

I don't think you're going to be held back by it even if it isn't flat but I also would want you to have the best chance at succeeding without getting frustrated due to a wavy tabletop. I'd think.003 across the main table, even.005 would be a good goal. That small pad with 60gr could've left some gnarly spots though. Just check out and see. Most important thing is having the blade perfectly parallel to the miter slot still.

[Dave Brunner]

What small pad? If you are referring to that red part I did not touch that. I will check it tomorrow to see where I'm at. I'm trying to visualize why a wavy table would affect a cut unless its a depth that is not all the way through the piece you are cutting. Or is that what you are worried about? Or could it potentially create an angled cut instead of a perfect 90 deg cut?

Dave

[Grant Aldridge]

The pad I'm referring to is the one on your grinder. Yes the main concern with a table that isn't flat is a cut that isn't square or worse yet a cut that changes pitch while pushing the board across the dip. Don't sweat it, it'll work out.

[Dave Brunner]

Back to the slots in this. Are 3/4" x 3/8" a standard size? Someone had mentioned that perhaps they didn't look to be the standard size. I assume I don't have to stick w/ a craftsman miter gauge, is there a good source on these? I looked on amazon and many don't list any specs other than the manuf they fit and the craftsman ones I saw didn't give the dimensions of that bar that rides in the channel.

Thanks much.

Dave

[glenn bradley]

Can you explain to me what a good fence provides that this one doesn't? Is it just lack of adjustability/play? Or is it stability?

Dave

That fence is the type that came on a used Craftsman/Emerson (.113) that I picked up 15 years ago or so. It locks at the front and the rear but, not reliably; I used to call it the "Kickback King". It lasted about a week until my new fence arrived and looking back, I probably shouldn't have used it at all. You will need to measure at the front and the rear of the blade every time you move the fence to have any confidence that it is parallel to the blade.

I don't mean to talk all doom and gloom but, I have direct experience with that fence. It's just plain "not good". The good news is that with an upgraded fence, belt, pulleys, miter gauge and PALs I was able to get some decent work out of my .113 for quite a while. It did cost about half of what a better machine would have cost and took up a lot of my time getting it dialed in but, I was re-starting the craft and didn't know if I would stick with it. It was worth the cost in experience. Just don't expect it to perform really well right off the truck.

[Dave Brunner]

Yep I noticed just that, no repeatability at all moving that thing. It always catches on the spring side causing it to be out of parallel to the blade. I could see that being a nightmare every time I moved the dang thing.. I want to give myself the greatest chance at being successful here so I am going to look into fabricating a new fence once I get this to the new garage. Can you explain a few things?

1. Did you replace pulleys because they were not true or just a bad design? What to look for and what benefits would this provide?
2. I assume you'd only replace the belt if it was stretched or slipping correct?
3. What are PALs?


Dave

[Lee Schierer]

1. Did you replace pulleys because they were not true or just a bad design? What to look for and what benefits would this provide?
You replace the die cast pulleys with machined steel ones that run truer.

2. I assume you'd only replace the belt if it was stretched or slipping correct?
You replace the belt with a link belt that won't take a set when the saw sets idle for a long time to get smoother operation.
3. What are PALs?
PALS are an alignment system that will make it easier to get your saw tuned up


Dave

Let us know if you buy the saw.

[Dave Brunner]

Already have it, put pics of yesterday after I removed the rust from the table as well. I'll check the runout of my pulleys but if they are out of round I may be able to just turn these to make them perfectly round. I'll research a link belt but why would a tensioned belt take a set? I assume you could mitigate this by removing the motor weight/tension on the belt when not in use right? That would be an easy folding bracket to fabricate. I will research PALS.

Dave

[Cary Falk]

Back to the slots in this. Are 3/4" x 3/8" a standard size?

Dave


Doesn't look like anybody answered this. ... Yes this is standard size.

[Dave Brunner]

Doesn't look like anybody answered this. ... Yes this is standard size.
Great, thank you!

Dave

[glenn bradley]

Can you explain a few things?

Lee beat me to it ;-) These are pretty standard upgrades to make a contractor saw capable of better performance. I forgot to mention ZCI's.

383739


1. Did you replace pulleys because they were not true or just a bad design? What to look for and what benefits would this provide?

Machined pulleys (http://www.in-lineindustries.com/products/pulleys-belts/) run much better than the die cast standard sleeves.


2. I assume you'd only replace the belt if it was stretched or slipping correct?

Link belt dampens vibration. The best price for link belts lately is Harbor (https://www.harborfreight.com/vibration-free-link-belt-43771.html) Freight. This is the name brand product at a decent price; especially with a coupon.


3. What are PALs?

Aligning a table mounted trunnion is a pain. The weight of the thing you are trying to align is suspended from the bolts/holes used to align it. PALs solve this issue (http://www.in-lineindustries.com/products/contractor-saw-pals/) and allow a more precise adjustment.

I also spent $3 on a 90 pound sack of redi-crete, wrapped it in plastic and dropped it in the base of the saw for mass. Let me see if I have an old picture . . . . Wow, talk about the Way-Back Machine :).

383737 . 383738

The wings were stamped steel and there was no getting them on an even plane with the saw top so I built a router table onto one wing and an MDF table on to the other. I simply shellac'd and paste-waxed the MDF and ran 100's of lineal feet across it with no problem. It is still in use. These were attached via frames that you can sort of see in the first pic. The fence was a no-longer-made Align-a-Rip which, although extruded aluminum, worked great. The fence extension just happened to be on for a project when the pics were taken, ignore it.

The particle board panel (held in place with magnets) in the rear really helped with dust collection BUT, you do have to remember to remove it when you tilt the blade :o. This saw lives on at a new owner's shop and he makes some pretty nice stuff with it.

[Grant Aldridge]

Dave I highly recommend an Incra miter gauge! They make em from basic to elaborate and they're top notch.

[Dave Brunner]

Wow those aren't cheap. I really want to maybe start w/ cheaper items that will do the job but maybe without all the fancy bells and whistles if that makes sense.

Thanks
Dave

[glenn bradley]

Wow those aren't cheap. I really want to maybe start w/ cheaper items that will do the job but maybe without all the fancy bells and whistles if that makes sense.

Thanks
Dave

If you mean the Incra miter gauge, true they are not cheap. I use a couple of V-27's that back when I got them were only about $35 which seemed fair. If you are talking about the PALs, pulleys and link belts, you do not have to add any of these. You can add some of them as you progress but, there will always be a cost (sometimes an inappropriate one) to making a silk purse out of a sow's ear. I am not saying this derogatorily, I re-started with a $100 used C-man myself. I kept adding things to try to be able to do quality work. The fence was a must, everything else trickled in triggered by my next annoyance.

[Dave Brunner]

The cheapest incra miter gauge I saw was 75 up to over 200. Am I looking at the wrong thing? I was just wondering if I NEED a $75 miter gauge when as a beginner a $20-$30 would fit the bill in my early stages. The other stuff was cheap (PAL, link belt, etc) and I think I can machine my existing pulley to be perfectly true if it is in fact out of round. Do those pulleys use bearings or bushings generally? If my existing belt has no issues do I need a link belt? This thing has some weight to it and seems to run smoothly as of now w/o any real vibration or resonance.
Dave

[Dave Brunner]

Im at about .010" at the lowest spot diagonally across the entire table including both extensions. Good enough for me..
I don't think you're going to be held back by it even if it isn't flat but I also would want you to have the best chance at succeeding without getting frustrated due to a wavy tabletop. I'd think.003 across the main table, even.005 would be a good goal. That small pad with 60gr could've left some gnarly spots though. Just check out and see. Most important thing is having the blade perfectly parallel to the miter slot still.

[glenn bradley]

The cheapest incra miter gauge I saw was 75 up to over 200. Am I looking at the wrong thing? I was just wondering if I NEED a $75 miter gauge when as a beginner a $20-$30 would fit the bill in my early stages. The other stuff was cheap (PAL, link belt, etc) and I think I can machine my existing pulley to be perfectly true if it is in fact out of round. Do those pulleys use bearings or bushings generally? If my existing belt has no issues do I need a link belt? This thing has some weight to it and seems to run smoothly as of now w/o any real vibration or resonance.
Dave

You are following the wisest path which many of us (me included) in our enthusiasm fail to mention until a few posts into a thread. Try the thing out and see how it works for you. If it is doing what you expect, rock on. If there are specific areas that meed attention, ask away. Many of the things suggested are simply that, suggestions. Ideas for things you could do if the need is present. :)

[Nick Decker]

Dave, the Incras aren't cheap, but they're excellent. The problem is that there don't seem to be any (that I know of) that are inexpensive and good. The miter gauge needs to run smoothly in its slot, yet not have any lateral slop. Incra has the best, IMO, system to adjust the gauge to YOUR miter slot. I have two of them and they're money well spent. If you want to do crosscuts at all, you need a miter gauge of some kind.

[Grant Aldridge]

Wow those aren't cheap. I really want to maybe start w/ cheaper items that will do the job but maybe without all the fancy bells and whistles if that makes sense.

Thanks
Dave
Dave if you just want a basic miter gauge to get you started I'm 95% sure I have one I can part with, I'll double check my stash tonight for ya. Where are you located? Continental US?

[Dave Brunner]

I'm in Illinois. I can certainly pay shipping if nothing else.

Dave

[Grant Aldridge]

I've got you a miter gauge, pm me your address so I can see what the shipping options are. She won't win any beauty contests but will serve you well till you decide you want an Incra :D

[Curt Harms]

Spent a few hours knocking the rust of this thing today. I took a pic mid progress and you can see it had quite a bit of rust on it. I'm very impressed w/ the build quality. Do you guys coat the beds of these things to prevent flash rusting? It will be in a climate controlled garage so it will probably never be an issue but until I bring it there it is in my unheated garage. I can't wait to use this thing. The receccessed groove in this is 3/4" x 3/8", is that standard? I'm going to have to figure out all the tricks to set this thing up but that's half the fun!.

Dave

The miter slots on the Craftsman 113.xxxx saw I had were .750". Unfortunately a .750" miter bar will not slide freely in a .750" slot, the slot needs to be something like .755" - .765". I think Incra miter gauges will work in the Craftsman slot, the bars are slightly under .750 with round 'thingies' that adjust to make the bar snug in the slot. I had that fence and it had a short stay. I put a Mule Cab fence on the Craftsman saw which was a substantial improvement. When when I bought my current G1023 (which also came with a crappy fence) I moved the Mule Cab fence to the Grizzly and mounted the Grizzly fence to the Craftsman saw and sold it. Newer Grizzly fences seem fine, mine was a very crude Delta JetFence knockoff. If I were in your position, I'd look at the Delta fence at Home Depot. Last time I checked that was the lowest price around for a decent fence.

[Robert Engel]

Dave,

Didn't read all the post, and hope I'm not redundant (or too late) but my advice is stay away from that saw!!

I owned one just like it once upon a time. My first table saw as a ww'er - worst decision I ever made, too.

Besides being under powered the worst (and most dangerous) feature is that fence. Horrible.

You will foolish to spend more than the saw is worth upgrading the fence.

My advice is like any machine, don't buy a table saw on the cheap. Especially without some safety features. Preferably a riving knife (at least a splitter), a well functioning guard, and a fence that holds its settings. Personally, I also think an under powered saw is much more dangerous.

[glenn bradley]

Do you guys coat the beds of these things to prevent flash rusting?

I am in SoCal in a desert basin so what works for me would not work so well in say . . . Texas. That being said, I just use Johnson's Paste Wax. I put it on just like waxing a car, wait for it to just start fogging up and buff it off. In my environment this generally means I start applying at one side and work my way across. By the time I finish the surface I can go back to the beginning and start buffing it off.

If there is still discoloration after your clean-up efforts and prior to waxing you can put a bit of non-woven pad (scotch-brite) under a ROS and prep the surface with a spritz of mineral spirits to keep things slick. I then wipe things down with some paper towels sprayed with mineral spirits until I am satisfied that they are coming away clean. The top may still be discolored but, after the wax goes on I don't have to worry about any color coming off onto my material.

[Dave Lash]

The miter slots on the Craftsman 113.xxxx saw I had were .750". Unfortunately a .750" miter bar will not slide freely in a .750" slot, the slot needs to be something like .755" - .765". I think Incra miter gauges will work in the Craftsman slot, the bars are slightly under .750 with round 'thingies' that adjust to make the bar snug in the slot. I had that fence and it had a short stay. I put a Mule Cab fence on the Craftsman saw which was a substantial improvement. When when I bought my current G1023 (which also came with a crappy fence) I moved the Mule Cab fence to the Grizzly and mounted the Grizzly fence to the Craftsman saw and sold it. Newer Grizzly fences seem fine, mine was a very crude Delta JetFence knockoff. If I were in your position, I'd look at the Delta fence at Home Depot. Last time I checked that was the lowest price around for a decent fence.


I also ran into the issue that Curt mentioned when I got a Delta tenoning jig to use with my Craftsman saw. It appears that some companies make the bar .750" wide, and others make the slot .750" wide. What I did to get the bar to fit was use a disk sander to remove a few thousandths from the width of the bar until it slid smoothly. You only need a few thousandths clearance.

[Dave Brunner]

Thanks guys, I'll keep my eyes peeled for a used delta fence or perhaps research making my own like I had considered earlier.
Dave