Craftsman 10" 3hp table saw

Model 137.218010, Serial No. RHV34.

I can't find ANY reviews for this thing online. OSH has it on sale for $84, regular $169.

Has feed supports that extend from each side. No legs. Blade tilt is done with a wheel, instead of a locking lever and hand setting. Guide is not one of those self aligning ones.

Anybody know anything about these? Can't find it on the Sears site, so I guess it's an out-of- date model. Certainly a better deal than the Delta I ended up giving away.

Reply to
d.s.
Loading thread data ...

Are you going to use it for rough cutting a piece of dimensional limber "now and then"? I'll probably do ok however you can probably get a higher quality circular saw for that purpose for less money.

FIY it is hard to find a "good" new TS for less than $500.

Reply to
Leon

I know, but I have neither workshop space, nor do I do a lot of woodworking. If I did, I'd opt for something a bit better.

Reply to
d.s.

Stationary power tools require the space to maneuver a board or sheet of plywood; if your space is limited, hand saws (including handheld circular saws) are a good choice.

A good worktable and some sawhorses might be a better investment than a cheap tabletop table saw. With suitable guides, a handheld circular saw can do almost anything that a table saw does, eventually.

Reply to
whit3rd

Skip the saw horses and get (2) 2'x8'x2" foam boards.

Reply to
B A R R Y

I keep reading this in this newsgroup. I want to caution everyone about cutting through foam with blades. Maybe I'm wrong, and I certainly don't know the science behind it, but in my experience nothing will dull a cutting blade like cutting though foam.

Reply to
-MIKE-

I've never had a problem, but the local hardware has a stack of 7-1/4 carbide blades.

$5 each on an exchange basis.

Since breaking down ply sheets is about all I use a circular saw for, it should not be a problem.

Lew

Reply to
Lew Hodgett

I've never had a problem, using pink and blue foam as a backer and mock-up material, cut with carbide blades.

What kind of foam were you cutting?

Reply to
B A R R Y

All kinds and just about every kind. In my last "real" job and in my current "un" job, I make a lot of custom sized cases for expensive things. I've used and experimented with just about every foam I could get my hands on.

It is possible that I was doing more cutting than the average user, so I notice it much sooner. I also see the cost/benefit ratio being very favorable for someone using $5 7-1/4 inch combo blades to rough size plywood. Let's face it, how sharp are those to begin with and for rough cuts, who cares.

I would be very hesitant to cut through foam with a hundred dollar blade however. But even as I type this, I'm thinking, how would that ever happen? I'm thinking I through the caution flag a little early, without considering the context. :-)

But if you ever need to dull your band saw blade in 30 seconds or less, cut through some mattress pad.

Reply to
-MIKE-

As I read your post a couple of things come to mind.

The people who cut upholstery foam use a band saw blade designed especially for that foam.

I have a customer who makes furniture foam and they also use the same saw blade to cut it to size.

The people who cut Styrofoam and/or urethane foam use a nichrome "hot wire" technique to cut it.

Do either of these fit your task?

Lew

Reply to
Lew Hodgett

Yes, I've used hot wire-- homemade from one of those giant soldering irons. Works great with the Styrofoam and rigid foams.

Two things work great for any spongy foam; bands saws and electric turkey carving knives. Both will be ruined for anything else, but will still cut foam great after they have been dulled. The shearing action of the carving knives makes them effective after dulling, but you can take a blade off, and run it across your arm with little damage.

What I've noticed with the band saws for spongy foam is that they tear the foam as they cut it, and dull actually works better. You can't hardly cut balsa wood with it, but it's the best thing in the world for foam.

Reply to
-MIKE-

"-MIKE-" wrote: .............................................................................

...............................................................................

See comment above, it is a special band saw blade designed specifically for foam.

Sort of reminds me of a meat saw blade.

Stand wood/metal cutting blades won't do the job very long.

Any furniture people in your area?

If so, there will be some foam fabrication shops near by who could help you find the right blade.

Lew

Reply to
Lew Hodgett

I got that part. I've seen them at a big case building company in Columbus, OH. If I had to guess, I would say what makes them "special" is that they are simply dull, with straight teeth as opposed to bent.

But I'm not looking. I already have plenty of dull blades around the shop. :-)

Reply to
-MIKE-

I've been doing that for 10 years!

I rip strips of pink foam for mockups quite often.

Did some of the foam you were cutting melt on the blade? I've cut plastics that melted to the blade, making the blade appear and act dull until the plastic was removed. The pink and blue stuff doesn't seem to leave a noticable residue.

Reply to
B A R R Y

No, no melting. Keep reading, though. I've had a change of heart for those simply roughing out plywood with 7 inch blades.

Reply to
-MIKE-

What about my Woodworker II's?

The weird thing about the blue and pink foam is that it makes actual dust, just like sawdust. I figure it can't be that much worse than MDF or some of the tropicals... I use my saw LOTS, and still get 8-9 months between sharpenings.

Did the bandsaws you used to cut foam rubber have spring steel or carbide blades? Remember, the mattresses are probably rubber.

Reply to
B A R R Y

It's not the table saw that takes up space, it's the sheet goods you're cutting with it. Sawing 4 x 8 ft panels requires at least

10 x 20 feet of clear space. A full tablesaw with extension and outfeed tables takes up no more floor space than a portable site saw.
Reply to
Father Haskell

Foam doesn't dull electric knives, it coats them and makes them drag. A bit of paste wax keeps the blades clean and cutting easy.

Reply to
Father Haskell

Ooh, I don't know.

It's possible.... probable... that the rigid stuff is a completely different animal and is actually being cut and not torn. The spongy foam just tears... really quickly, but tears nonetheless. And I suspect at that rate of speed it rubbing against the edge and dulling it.

They're cheap, so probably spring. Mattress pads are just one type I use. Mostly, it's the stuff listed here:

formatting link

Reply to
-MIKE-

Speaking of which, I built a couple of jewelry chests for Christmas last year, one for my wife and I sold the other. I lined the drawers with starched felt and waited to see which drawer she would use for her rings. She finally decided. Several months ago I bought a ring holder from Rockler. It was about 4" wide 3/4" thick and about 24" long. It was made of cardboard, foam rubber and satin. I needed to cut this 2' pong piece down to about 7" and decided to see how the TS would cut through all of this material. Using the Forrest general blade, the results were better than the factory end. The cut was perfect.

Reply to
Leon

HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.