New saws

[Invidiosulus]

Josh the Catholic was walking in front of the Presbyterian church when the the Presbyterian minister(paster Joe) called out to him.

Pastor Joe then proceeded to ask Josh if he would like to have a new saw for free.

Josh said sure and went over to Joe's house the next evening to pick up the free saw.

After a few minutes of dismantling and some talking Josh ended up with the following,

No Joke.

[jacksonbart]

No Joke.

not laughing

[Invidiosulus]

No Joke.

not laughing

good

[Dennie]

Well, that there is a whole lot of Saw for the price. [Y]

Dennie

[dtel]

So your saying Josh the Catholic did good.

[JJkizak]

That Craftsman Radial Arm Saw is a ***** to align though and it might take a week of messing with to get it right. Then one or two "hang jerks" throws the alignment back out again. How do I know? I own one. The column tightning method is flawed. A real patternmaker will toss it into the junk pile.

JJK

[LarryC]

I wondered why he didn't give it to another Presbyterian.

[Invidiosulus]

That Craftsman Radial Arm Saw is a *** to align though and it might take a week of messing with to get it right. Then one or two "hang jerks" throws the alignment back out again. How do I know? I own one. The column tightning method is flawed. A real patternmaker will toss it into the junk pile.

JJK

why do you still own one?

[PrestonTom]

The craftsman has been around for decades. It has a number of adjustments and it worth the time to go through them all.

There had a been a safety recall, and if you do a google search you will find a phone number for an update on the guard (they will send it to you for free). If it can not be retrofit, you can get a monetary compensation (but it requires you to dismantle the saw). It was part of some settlement of a lawsuit.

In response to the other poster, yes there are other saws out there that cost more money and do a better job. But that's true of everything, isn't it. I think a used craftsman is a bargain. I only use mine once in a while, but it does crosscuts, bevels and angles much better than my table saw (also a bargain sears craftsman).

Now get to work and build some Jubilees!

-Tom

[djk]

"why do you still own one? "

Because you can turn it into a 24" wide drum sander.

[Invidiosulus]

Thanks Tom,

I'll double check on the updated guard before I start using it.

My table saw is also an old sears craftsman that JJK picked on when I got but it sure has been working fine this past year.

-Josh

[JJkizak]

I still own it because I'm too lazy to dis-assemble the huge table (about 10ft) coupled to a chop saw on the end. (also special left hand built in rule) The 1" base board on the saw was also warped about 1/8" and I had to shim that mainly because the frame was out of whack. If I have to do accurate stuff I check the right angle saw alignment first. This is one of those items in your life that plagues you with mediocrity like my old Fisher tube amplifier and AR turntable. (hum, wow, flutter, distortion, pops, clicks, scratches, terrible muddy bass, hiss, ham radio interference, very low frequency rumble with nothing playing, out of round groves with center hole on vinyl, center hole not fitting on spindle, warped vinyl, etc.

JJK

[Arkytype]

I've owned the same model radial arm saw since I purchased mine new in 1978. I've gone thru several tops and a half dozen blades but it keeps on working. For the past four years it's been sitting outside and has sawed (sawn?) many a board feet as we finish our new home. (OK, four years is a long time--but it will be paid for when we are finished.

Of course, I keep it under a nice tarp when not in use. The manual is on line and you can still get parts for it. The alignment is important if you want right angle cuts and true miters. Go thru every step and take your time.

I've tried both plywood tops and MDF. In our humid climate, MDF is not suitable (it warps). I'm using a couple of layers of marine-grade plywood glued and screwed together.

Lee