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glenn bradley

vintage Craftsman table saw upgrade

Rating: 12 votes, 3.00 average.
Quote Originally Posted by glenn bradley View Post
Quote Originally Posted by Mark Mrsa View Post
Glenn, I had the wrong number. Correct model number is 113.29901.
This thread may help. Besides Grandpa's 1950 Emerson I had a 1970's "113." contractor. I added a decent fence, PALs, machined pulleys and a link belt. I also wrapped a 90# bag of Redi-crete in plastic and tossed it in the base for ballast.
Emerson Saw.jpg
I could get the blade very well aligned at 90 degrees but, as with nearly all contractor format saws, bevel cuts were a challenge. I made a lot of nice stuff on that saw. As I branched out in what I was making, the limitations became more troublesome. I could do operations that the tablesaw was challenged with by using the router table and hand tools. As will happen, a good deal came along on another saw. I upgraded to a hybrid that came with a commercial Biesemeyer fence, cabinet mounted trunnions, etc., and was able to get wonderful, burn-free bevel cuts at any angle I desired. Fortune stepped in again and I upgraded to a 240 volt, 3HP, cabinet saw . . . sort of the entry level for an actual cabinet saw. Had this not happened I would probably still be using the hybrid. As a matter of fact, I am using it right now while I am between shops.

The 1950's saw I still have is a big step up from the 1970's saw in mass and build quality. I plan to use it as a crosscut station as mentioned in the "revival" thread linked above. You will have to judge if your 1960's machine is a keeper or a stepping stone. This decision can sometimes take years. If you can't make that decision right now I would continue to improve your saw, get some use out of it for a while with the free service of gaining experience as to what will and will not work for you going forward. Consider any upgrades now as a price of admission to the learning game. I am not implying you are inexperienced. I am saying that you may need some hours on your current saw to make up your mind whether it is a keeper or a step toward something else. Enjoy.
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  1. Mark Mrsa's Avatar
    Glenn, I came across your most recent reply this morning after I logged in to check on a thread I created related to another vintage Craftsman power tool (1965 RAS) that I am upgrading.
    Thank you for your comments and guidance. I had a tech person from the Highland Workworker store in Altanta tell me the same thing, in letting my experience and imrovement in skill level be my guide to whether or not to updgrade to another saw. If I ever do, the Saw Stop brand is hard to be if I can offord it.
    In regard to the Craftsman table saw, I have a Shop Fox W1410 rip fence on order from Grizzley Tools, whenever it arrives from China. The trunnions on the saw have a 3 bolt attachment and when I put a dial indicator on the blade body to check for parallelism to the miter groove it was when tolerence so I didn't install the PALS that I had purchased. Do you think it would be benefitical to still do so?