Craftsman 22124

I bought the 22124 Friday and spent the day Saturday setting it up. It was quite a project getting it of the pick up truck and un-boxing the steel crate it comes in, I wonder if the garbage guys will take it! Anyway finally got it in the basement. Thank God for walk out basements, no way this thing could go down the stairs.

Anyway I decided to put it on a mobile base before putting it all together so I did a little research and settled on the Universal Mobile Base (model 145488) at the Woodcraft store. This is a kit with two swivel caster wheels and two fixed wheel with lifts. You use a piece of 3/4" plywood cut to fit the base of the saw and bolt it to the wheels. It assembled quickly and I convinced my son in law to help put the saw on the mobile base, actually it wasn't that bad. Also drafted him for help putting on the cast extension wings.

So after many hours of set up (I take my time but it's together right). I have the following feedback.

1.)They sure like protective coatings in China. Most metal (even painted or platted)except the cabinet was drenched with the stuff. WD-40 and lots of rags took care of that.

2.) They also like strech wrap packaging. If they ever need to be competitive there is a 60% cost savings just in reducing the amount used on this saw!

3.) Paint job on the base is different. It seems to be a shiny paint but it doesn't clean up smoothly. Still have smudges, maybe I'll figure something out later.

4.) That Biesemeyer fence is great. Went together great with one issue. The front guide tube seems to have one of it's mounting holes drilled wrong and the bolt just slips up into it. According to Sears they are going to send me a new guide tube this coming week.

5.) The Miter Guage is a little questionable. The accuracy of the degree scale is off by 1 degree to the right at all settings. I've set the mechanical stops at 45-90-45 correctlly but it seems a shame that the scale on the gauge is wrong. Still don't know if I like the Aluminum fence for the mitre guage, time will tell.

6.) There is a fairly noticable click noise when I start the motor before it is up to speed and also a corresponding noise when I shut it off as it slows down. Anyone know what that is, do others with this saw also haer this?

7.) I question the belt technology. No pulleys, instead there are groved surfaces on both the motor shaft and the arbor shaft for the blade and the belt has groves in it. The weight of the motors maintains belt tension.

8.) It seems impossible to keep smudges off the cast iron surfaces of the table and the wings, I'm using Johnson's past wax and lots of buffing to try to keep up with this. Is this normal? Also what is best to use to coat the Melanine add on fence?

So far I'm not disappointed with this saw, just need to work through all the above. It does go together nicelly and the top and the extensions went together very tight and smooth. I welcome any comments or feedback to all this.

Bob Ziemba

Reply to
Bob Ziemba
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rz1000 asks:

Haven't heard this on mine. Super smooth start and stop and run.

Those are pulleys. You can question all you like, but the more flexible belt with multiple Vs is much better at power transfer and its light weight with the machined non-pulleys helps smoothness a lot.

Motor weight always maintains tension in single belt tablesaws, IME.

The cast iron will smudge. All cast iron does. Sounds like what you're getting, though, is smudging of a too heavy coat of wax that hasn't been buffed hard enough. Try one of the cordless power buffers. They do a great job. Use the paste wax to coat the melamine add on table. Dunno about the add on fence.

Charlie Self "Inanimate objects are classified scientifically into three major categories - those that don't work, those that break down and those that get lost." Russell Baker

Reply to
Charlie Self

your gerbils are out of calibration. call sears- they'll send out a tech to take care of it.

Reply to
bridger

Many motors use a speed switch that allows an extra winding to help the motor to start. When the motor passes the RPM setting of the speed switch you MAY hear a click. If it's really loud maybe there is a problem, maybe not.

Joe

Reply to
Joe

[[.. munch ..##

That is _probably_ a 'centrifugal switch' in the motor, that cuts out the 'start' winding, as the motor gets up towards speed..

sounds like a 'cog belt'. Provides 'positive traction' between the belt and the transfer surface. Won't 'slip' anywhere near as easily as a regular flat (or 'V') belt.

Nothing new about cog belts. it is a _long-established_ technology. You don't see em as often as V, because the cog technology is a bunch more expensive. Lots of advantages, very few disadvantages -- the most notable one being the much lesser availability of 'spares'.

'smudges' on top of the wax are 'no big deal'. Might experiment with diffrent brands of paste was -- Lundmark's and Butchers are the othe two biggies. Or you can go straight to BoeShield or Slip-it. They're significantly more expensive, but good stuff.

Reply to
Robert Bonomi

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