[replicant]

Hi there,

I've been watching Craigslist in my area for the past few weeks for table saw deals. I've come close to buying a Ridgid R4512 several times, but just too worried about the trunnion and blade alignment issues (and there is only one left in a ~50 mile radius of where i live).

That being said, I finally found, what i feel to be a diamond in the rough, based on what i've read here on the forums and on other woodworking related forums..

The Craftsman 315.228390: http://bham.craigslist.org/tls/4306157904.html

No riving knife, no handle for the angle adjustment, current owner claims it cuts true and accurate (but he also didn't know what Hz stood for or meant, and didn't know what the fence was called..., e.g. a "fence"). It looks like it's the cast iron wings, but I honestly can't tell :/

That said, for $150 and only a 45 min drive from my house, I may can talk him down to $100 and it'd be worth my time I'd think.

Thoughts?

I feel like the fence would be decent enough until I can order a Delta T2 or similar..

Thanks for your comments.

 

[ryan50hrl]

The left wing is cast iron, and has a router wing which will allow you to install a router and use it for that as well.....the right wing is stamped steel. The fence is very useable. The saw looks like its a bit dirty and maybe has a bit of surface rust....but nothing major. If it functions (and maybe still if it doesn't and its nothing major), its easily worth 150. I'd snap it up ASAP.....the wing alone with the router mount is worth 200 bucks.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Sears-Craft...790?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3389a96b7e

 

[knotscott]

Looks like a nice deal to me....better fence, cast router wing, mobile base. It won't be for sale long. Get it aligned, and put a good blade on it.

 

[replicant]

Thanks fellas.

Unfortunately, I can't get out there to get it until this weekend, he said it's mine if no one else chimes in with a serious offer by then. I offered 125$ and he seemed interested, but I'm not sure with this guy.

Fingers crossed he still has it, I'm really stoked to get my first real saw. Ready to put on my big boy pants and use more of a "real" saw (instead of the 99$ ryobi poor excuse of a table saw that i've been getting by with).

I have a Diablo 1060x 60t that I've got waiting on my workbench. I hope I can upgrade to a Delta T2 fence, but will definitely give the stock one a go to start with.

 

[knotscott]

It can't hurt to contact him and reiterate that you're really interested, and ask if your word is good enough to hold it until this weekend.

The 60T D1060x will be work as a very nice clean cutting general purpose blade in all but thicker ripping (you should be fine up to ~ 5/4"), so you may want to add a 24T bulk ripper for thicker ripping at some point. You may find that the stock fence is pretty decent....

Good luck!

 

[ryan50hrl]

Ya I'd have a hard time believing it will still be there this weekend. It's worth twice what he's asking in parts alone.

 

[replicant]

I went ahead and sent him another email to see if he'd consider my word as bond.

I definitely don't want to pass this one up. It's been slim pickins' on Craigslist for my area.

Quick question. Is it safe to disassemble from the stand/base and transport it back off of the base? If I were to do that, do I need to do anything special to secure/protect the motor/mount other than tying everything down in the back of the truck?



EDIT:
Wow, I almost lost the purchase. I called him up to talk to him instead of emailing back and forth. He went to a home improvement store and saw how much saws lesser than the craftsman were going for (granted this is USED), but he was trying to pull the ad down and put it up for a higher cost. I told him I'd bring him cash in hand for his original asking price $150 if he'd like me come get it Saturday. He agreed.

So it's done, as long as nothing crazy happens, the saw will be mine Saturday. Lord willing.

Thanks for the advice fellas.

 

[ryan50hrl]

Fine to pull the legs off.....if it were me I'd bring a bungee cord and just pull the motor upward (they're hinged) and use the bungee cord to keep it secure.

 

[IlliniBone]

I have the Ridgid TS2412 which is pretty much the same saw (both manufactured by Emerson, I believe). I also bought it used off CL and it has been a great saw. I paid $130 for mine but it doesnt have the router table insert. Good buy!

 

[BassBlaster]

That will be a nice score. Its perfectly fine to take it off the stand. Theres just 4 bolts that hold the stand one. The last one I purchased I just tipped over on its front in the bed of the truck. It traveled fine that way. I put a couple of small ratchet straps on it to keep it from sliding around.

 

[knotscott]

To transport, I like to loosen the two bolts that anchor the motor rods, unplug the motor and just slide that whole bracket right out the back of the saw. Remove the saw from the leg stand, and if you need to make it smaller, remove the fence and/or wings too (with the minivan I'm able to leave wings and fence in place). Then I just flop the main carcass upside down into the van.

 

[rbk123]

I would recommend doing everything you can to make a long evening run regardless of what time you get back, as I can't imagine him still keeping it by Saturday. Others will know and be contacting him offering cash earlier than Saturday.

 

[toolguy1000]

I have the Ridgid TS2412 which is pretty much the same saw (both manufactured by Emerson, I believe). I also bought it used off CL and it has been a great saw. I paid $130 for mine but it doesnt have the router table insert. Good buy!

While that saw is similar to the 2412 (I also have a 2412, with a few mods.), the linked saw was built by ryobi, not Emerson.

 

[replicant]

Picked the saw up today from the seller. It is in rough shape, but I spent some quality time with some lacquer and paint thinner cleaning the metal and cast iron top. also saw where some of the tack welds popped (odd that the frame isn't held together with screws or anything), so I generally went around cleaning it up. cleaned up a ton of saw dust inside, need to get in there and hit it with the air hose, just got caught up in cleaning the top. the fence is dead on accurate!!!, really stoked at that. i need to change the blade to my diablo 1060t and get the cutting.

One weird thing is that the router table extension is NOT level with the rest of the saw's cast iron top. i'm hoping i can get it aligned with the screws that are attaching it to the fence rails.

I MAY need to change the belt, it looks a bit worn.

Other than possibly changing the belt, and getting the router table extension level with the rest of the table top, I'm going to build a proper rolling base with storage, a zero clearance insert and lastly, my first miter sled.

Thanks again guys, for the advice.

 

[GeorgeC]

That is a good saw. I think can see that the fence is a Craftsman 2424. It has T tracks all around that make it easy to attach feather boards and most especially axillary wooden fences.

George

 

[BassBlaster]

Good score.:thumbsup:

You can level that wing with masking tape. Remove the wing and stick the tape to the side of the table and remount the wing. The tape is a shim. If the wing is low, put a strip on the bottom. If its high, put a strip on the top. You can build strips until its level. It shouldnt require enough tape to create any noticable gaps.