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Which Saw To Keep

1K views 6 replies 4 participants last post by  mangorockfish 
#1 ·
I have Two table saws and am thinking of selling one of them. One is a 113 Emerson and the other is a Taiwanese Craftsman that is like the 113. All things being equal, which one should I keep? Thanks
 
#3 ·
Other things being "equal" ......




If the motors are in good shape, the arbor bearing are tight, and the elevation and bevel controls work the same, then it gets down to which has the better fence. The fence is the heart of a table saw and ripping is what a table saw does better than any other machine in the shop. So, you need a fence that is easy to adjust and will lock securely and will lock parallel to the miter slots every time you slide it to a different position.

The older Craftsman saws were notorious for having crappy fences and I have attest to that myself. I modified more than one, made new fence rails and a head for another but they were still a bit tedious to maintain accurately. My solution was to replace it with a Delta Unifence which is very versatile and locks reliably. Unfortunately, they are no longer in production. :sad2: You may find a used one as I did on Ebay, years back, but they are more rare these days and $$$.


I ended up seeing a Craftsman hybrid on sale at less than 1/2 list price on a Easter weekend Saturdayafternoon, and I couldn't sleep all night, so I called first thing on Easter Sunday morning to see if was still there, and sure enough it was! I raced over there and saw only 3 cars in the lot, so I knew my chances of getting it were good. They had dropped the price another $100 to clear it out. The best thing was it has a 52" Biesemeyer fence system worth just about the price of the entire saw. So, although I did NOT need another table saw, it has a place in my crowed shop.


Another saw I own came with a Biesemeyer fence, a 5 HP 12" Powermatic. The Biesemeyer fences are as stout as they come. They are used in production when reliabilty and accuracy is a necessity. There are clones of them that work almost as well, Delta T2 I believe is a good one. Craftsman made an Align a Rip one that has good creds. So, based on all that keep the one with the best fence OR sell one and replace the fence on the remaining one with the money from the sale.
https://www.google.com/search?channel=cus2&client=firefox-b-1-d&q=Biesemeyer+fence+clones


An interesting history of the Biesemeyer fences:
https://www.finewoodworking.com/forum/biesemeyer-or-jet-exacta-fence
 
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#5 ·
Well, you got a real problem then ......



You can .....
Paint one your favorite color?
Do the nickle test while it's running?
Cast iron vs stamped steel extensions?
Blade guard or splitter on both?

Swap out all the better parts on one, then sell the other OR ....
bolt them side by side and keep them both! :surprise2:
I am an expert at this and have 3 12" Craftsman saws and 2 spare tables all bolted together to form a very wide surface and no blade changing required in my shop:





There was an earlier version with only 2 saws:
 
#6 ·
Keep them both. If the 113 has the one piece 61" front rail use that. Break one down. Take the fence and set it on the one that is running so both fences will work. If either saw has a router extension use that. If you have room add an extension to the right side. Keep the spare motor mounted to the motor bracket. Store the stand and the saw body.


What could you sell it for? $100? $150? $200 if you are very lucky?



If not that, keep whatever stuff is in the best condition.
 
#7 ·
With all this, I almost bought another one today that the motor runs a while thin stops and throws a breaker, but ended up wimping out and passed on it. It's a Taiwanese with an Align-A-Rip fence and blade guard. Those two pieces there are worth the $100 I got him down to. I don't know, I'll probably end up keeping both of them.
 
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