Delta Contractor saw research

[Joe Petersen]

Well crap. I have wanted to build a few items that my bench top saw just won't accomplish. Not to mention motor has about 1/16" run-out. I looked around for a decent saw for around $150. They really don't exist. It came down to a Firestorm (http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=238438-54650-FS210LS&detail=cr&lpage=none) and a Craftsman (http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00924884000P?keyword=table+saw). I chose the Firestorm for a couple of reasons. I got it home to find the table is cracked. Back to Lowes we go. I decided to go to Sears and get the other only to realize it has a plastic base and would probably be a POS too. It was marked down from $180 to $150.

On to that title now. I am trying to research the numbers I got off it.
89K91105 and 34444. These were off the saw itself, not the motor. I haven't found anything on Google. I assume the 89 is the year of Manufacture but just a guess.

There is a pawnshop that has this contractor saw that's been there a while. It is a heavy duty everything but it has a lot of rust and may have been left uncovered at some point. Don't know how that would effect the motor. I can handle all the cleanup. It was at $399 for over a year and has been at $299 for a few months. I wonder what this was originally worth before I go to try to barter with them.

Anyone able to help out?

[Rick Moyer]

I typed in "delta 34444 table saw" on Google and found several things including some threads on this forum. Didn't read any of them but maybe you can try that again.

[Tim Morton]

try Delta 34-444 Its an older tabletop/contractor type saw. Certainly a decent saw and in very good shape would be worth about 300+ bucks.

[scott spencer]

I think you're wise to move up to the contractor saw level....that's a much more substantial class of saw. Delta makes a good contractor saw, but I wouldn't restrict your search to only Delta....I'd also consider at Powermatic, GI, Grizzly, Craftsman, Jet, Ridgid, or Bridgewood.

[Joe Petersen]

The dash made the difference. Turned up all kinds of stuff. The key now is whether it works or not and how much I can talk it down.

[Dale Lesak]

Hi Joe, That's the saw I have. Very good saw. I'll put it up against any saw out there. I/ve got a link belt and Biesemeyer fence on it with the incra 1000 miter gauge It's cut anything I've ever wanted or needed to cut. I've done a lot of 2" red oak and maple with no problems... I'd go for it Dale

[Joe Petersen]

I picked up a Craftsman 315.228390 contractor saw today from a guy on Craigslist. Got it for $150. Said it was inherited from his grandfather.

It is solid I'll say. Much more saw than I ever expected to own. He helped load it up at his house, but I had to disassemble it to unload at home. So, I haven't got to use it yet. It has all the goodies that I envy of everyone else.

A real insert, iron top with iron right extension and steel left extension. It has an Align A Rip 24/12 whatever those number signify. No miter fence I'm sorry to say. The iron is coated with lots of oil and just surface rust. I wiped through all in a small spot and got quite a shine. It is just dirty enough to throw SWMBO from the paper trail and I think it will clean up very well.

It even has a router insert. One of the many things I had planned to do with it. An outfeed table will be first on the list.

[Art Walker]

I picked up a Craftsman 315.228390 contractor saw today from a guy on Craigslist. Got it for $150....

That's a very good price for what you got. Some notes: the motor mount bracket is a geometrically identical but lighter casting than the ones on the 113.xxxxxx saws made for Sears by Emerson or the current Ridgid, so if you ever motor up to something heavier, you might want to replace the bracket (the one with the rods on it) with one from Ridgid parts or ebay.
Also, unlike the old Emerson craftsman saws, this one's yoke is flanged for a blade shroud with a 2.25" port for dust collection which was an add-on kit - discontinued, but findable on ebay. The craftsman part # was 22100. IIRC this shroud doesn't get along well with wide dado stacks, but I might be wrong about that.
Also, the stand is pre-drilled both for the old craftsman caster system and for the amazing Ridgid Herc-u-lift mobile base system (go check out an orange TS3650 at a home depot near you). Hard to find, but the best mobile base going for open stand saws.


It has an Align A Rip 24/12....
A better fence system than the old steel craftsman ones, but not that much better. Go ahead and use it, but since you're a craigslist eagle I suspect you'll be using a biesemeyer,vega or unifence before the year is out.

It even has a router insert....
Beware, the hole patterns are for Ryobi and Craftsman. Even if you want to drill, some router base patterns may not fit on the portion of the table which has been cast thick and machined to mate to the router base. Also, within the set of base-compatible routers, look for one which allows the collet to extend well beyond the stock subbase, because you lose around 0.6" to the cast iron on this one as compared to 0.375" on a typical router insert plate. Even with these caveats it's a great feature with good resale value if you fall in love with a router which won't fit.

An outfeed table will be first on the list.
Map out the range of space swept out by the motor in the full range of tilt angles and elevations before placing a crucial hinge or bracket into that space in your design.

Art

[Simon Dupay]

I think you're wise to move up to the contractor saw level....that's a much more substantial class of saw. Delta makes a good contractor saw, but I wouldn't restrict your search to only Delta....I'd also consider at Powermatic, GI, Grizzly, Craftsman, Jet, Ridgid, or Bridgewood.

Scotts not pushing a hybrid?

[scott spencer]

Scotts not pushing a hybrid?

He took a big step up from the benchtops with legs he mentioned in his original post. A hybrid didn't fit the bill, but a contractor saw sure did.

[Joe Petersen]

Thanks for the info Art. Thats why I love this board and others like it. Way more information than I started the thread looking for. The dust collector shroud is missing as is the blade guard and splitter, but I can make both of these. The caster set will be the first addition. I have a big garage, but share the space with my other hobbies and a car, so I need to put it in its hole when done. Hence the fold up outfeed need. I am a cheepie so stay tuned for shop made additions with inspiration pulled from several projects on here.