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Craftsman power tools any good?

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paulney

Diamond Member
I was looking at Sears ads, and I noticed they have Craftsmand table saw for sale: $99. I was looking for a compact table saw for small wood projects (make a couple of magazine and flower stands, maybe baby chair, etc).

Does anyone know if this saw is any good? Here's a link

Thanks.
 
It would be ok for those kinds of projects. If you get into bigger stuff, though, you are going to need something new. The table is really small, so plywood and long boards are out of the question. The motor is ok, but it won't handle constant use, if you are looking to be doing a lot of woodworking.
 
I'm mostly concerned about the saw disc wobbling and not making straight cuts, because the motor looks kind of whimpy to me...
 
If you have the space, and the inclination, get something a little better.

You can get used stuff that's barely been used for pennies on the dollar...
 
It shows up as $149 for me. It would be fine for small projects. Keep the blade sharp.
 
Originally posted by: Pliablemoose
If you have the space, and the inclination, get something a little better.

You can get used stuff that's barely been used for pennies on the dollar...
Click to expand...

Where is a good place to look?
 
Craig's list, eBay (local sales), classified ads in local paper.

Most woodworking tools are just too big to ship economically, guys usually buy them when they're thinking about retiring, then decide they really don't need them & the wife wants the garage back😀

Used Craftsman saws are a dime a dozen, and really they're not too bad. I wouldn't try to build custom heirloom furniture on a $99 table saw, but for a lot of work they're fine.
 
Keep an eye on your local newspaper classifieds ... you find some good deals on used tools there.
I'd pick a used Delta or Jet over a new Craftsman any day. Or even a 20 year old craftsman in good condition. The more cast iron the better.
 
That table saw should be fine for the small projects you mentioned but I suspect the fence isn't going to be rigid enough to do "furniture quality" work. Can't really fault a $99 table saw for having a flimsy fence, though, since a good fence itself can run $300 or more.

When you're ready to move up to something a little larger you should definitely should take a look at Jet brand saws. In the $500-$800 range, they're about as good as it gets. They're not as portable though.

 
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