Sears CabinetTable Saw

[Bsmug]

This may have been asked already, but has anyone got the Sears Cabinet saw, they are selling in their stores now. Looks pretty good, just wondering how it compares to other cabinet saws. Thanks

[Charlie Self]

It is not a cabinet saw. It has some cabinet saw features, but it's not in a class with the Unisaw, nor is it intended to be. For more information, do a search on here on "hybrid" saws.

[AAvK]

You mean that Craftsman #OR35505 for $649? ...of course you do, it's the cheaper one with cast iron table and wings and that seems nice for the money. I don't own a TS but I use three different ones. I think this one is a fine deal, but I also know that the motor is only 1-1/2 horse power, I think that is not enough power to effectively rip

8/4 maple stock because in doing such, I had to use a 3hp cab saw to do it in adult ed. and I had to send the blade upwards three times even with that, to make one cut, a Chinese 12" saw that was a donation to the shop. With the Sears saw you might up the blade 4-5 times for one cut.

Recently I did it again on an old Oliver 270D 14" blade, I believe it is five full hp and it was one cut easy without upping the blade three times... it was like 4/4 oak on an old

1hp Delta Unisaw, maple is a hot slow bitch though bro... just some perspective for you.

[Charlie Self]

AAvK notes: "TS but I use three different ones. I think this one is a fine deal, but I also know that the motor is only 1-1/2 horse power, I think that is not enough power to effectively rip

8/4 maple stock because in doing such, I had to use a 3hp cab saw to do it in adult ed. and I had to send the blade upwards three times even with that, to make one cut, a Chinese 12" saw that was a donation to the shop. With the Sears saw you might up the blade 4-5 times for one cut."

Up the blade? Why would you raise the blade? If you have a good blade, and feed properly, almost any decently made 1-1/2 HP saw will cut 8/4 hard maple. It won't do it all day, every day, but if you're having feed problems that cause you to raise the blade, I'd suggest--strongly--that you check the blade for sharpness.

I've got one of the 1-3/4 HP Sears hybrid saws, and while I've not cut any maple with it, I have cut some 12/4 cherry, a wood that burns just as easily. No problem at all using the original blade and making the cuts in a 9' long section. It does take care in feeding, but that's the operator, not the saw.

If you had trouble cutting 8/4 maple with a 3 HP saw, I'd really suggest you toss the blade and get a better one.

Another point: now often do any of us rip 8/4 maple or oak? And how much do we rip when we do it? Is it worth spending the extra hundreds of dollars to outfit ourselves to handle a very occasional need that can usually be dealt with simply by using the sharpest blade on hand and slowing the feed.

[AAvK]

I tried it. Didn't work, as it was far too slow and HOT! The Oliver 270D carried not one single problem doing it.

I watched the blade being put onto the Chinese saw 12" as it was mentioned to be newly sharpened. When I finally got to use it for the maple it was about 1-1/2 months or more after that. The blade does need a stabilizer though, I can tell when it slows to a stop, it's got some slight wobble. These folks sharpened it, they are in my town:

they have three of my handsaws as of yesterday.

That is a good example being 12/4 cherry, it's still not what maple is though... in fact the only close factor is that they are both "wood".

It takes a loooooong time to get the ol' fella to get anything needed done though. He is about 85.

I still gave a good perspective of all possibilities, from it you could add up all the aspects... being my real point. I add it up to being able to build nominal house furniture using a table saw, as should any woodworker. I don't think too many people can say "I'll only build little boxes and small pieces". I can see a 1-1/2 HP contractor saw as being for framing building using doug fir. Not for serious work in a shop using hardwoods. Give me 3hp/12" at the very least. Not that I am an expert.

There is one fellow in adult ed. class who arrived with an 8/4 white oak board and is cutting it up and building a bed frame with it but using the oliver, so, often enough bro... and I definitely slowed the feed next to a very hard to use fence. Equipement-wise, it could be a far better situatuation if he kept up. It has taken about eight months since he first promised to put sharp blades on the 12" jointer. Looks like it might be coming up soon. Sorry to sound so "mechanical" in the way I express myself but I do have three different chemical imbalances upstairs here...

Are you happy with your table saw (I do know which one it is)?

[Unisaw A100]

Assuming that you are talking about the 22124 it's currently the flavor of the month on the WoodNet forum. You can't swing a dead cat without hitting a discussion of the saw. Luckily when it gets chatted up the original posters have been nice enough to list the number in the subject line making it easy to avoid.

From my brief and accidental readings of the posts there it looks as though most (maybe all) the owners like the saw.

Now I might be cornfused on this next part but apparently the saw is being built for Sears by Orian. Orian is a company made up/founded by some exDeltoids. There's even been a rumor that the Sears saw is identical under the table to the Delta WantsaBeACabinetSaw.

Sears:

?e=136&p=5851UA100

[Unisaw A100]

Soooooooooooooooooooooo, what exactly defines a cabinet saw?

UA100

[AAvK]

There's even

> Delta:

Yeah... and the wantsabe is cheaper:

[Unquestionably Confused]

on 2/15/2005 4:42 PM AAvK said the following:

expedited ground shipping is NOT available but regular ground shipping, if available, is free. What do you want to bet that ground shipping is UPS and they won't be hustling that 400lb+ saw over to your shop

If I walk into the local Sears hardware store, I'm guessing they'll help load one into my van or truck so no shipping.

Then too, the Sears has a Biesemeyer 30" Commercial Saw Fence, the Delta has, well, a Delta fence as far as I can tell. You can get the Biesenmeyer from Tool King and it's only an extra $350 on sale

Fortunately or unfortunately, I'm not currently in the market. I did see the saw at Sears and it looked pretty nice. Maybe "Crapsman" is trying to make a comeback. Their stationery power tools used to be pretty solid and then became plastic crap, IMO. I'd welcome the return of some solid stuff from them.

[A.M. Wood]

Cabinet

Saw the picture in the link someone posted. Looks solid, but couldn't say for sure until I saw it in person.

Though, for slightly less than a grand, you are in the ballpark of a decent used Delta/Jet/Grizzly... with a more powerful motor, a bigger table and (not sure if it is true but heard Craftsman slots weren't standard size) but standard miter gauge slots.

Save for a bit longer, keep your eyes out for a deal (ebay maybe just look for one located near you) and you can probably do better.

[TeamCasa]

Was the blade installed backwards? I had an old 1 1/2hp contractor saw that would slice 8/4 hard maple with little trouble.

See the thread on Forrest.

Dave

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[John M]

I purchased this Sears "cabinet" saw back in late December on sale. It is a Hybrid (not a cabinet / not a contractor's table saw - sort of a mixture of both).

All in all, I like it. It replaced a 15 year old Craftsman table saw that I just simply wore out. It needed a new motor, the top was steel and not cast so it was just beat to death but I made a lot of saw dust with that baby.

Regarding the new saw, it cuts true and I just love the Biesemeyer fence. A well worth investment. Quieter too and I like that in my enclosed shop. Here are a few things to note from my experience...

Make sure you have help. The sucker is heavy. The saw for the most part comes pre-assembled but it is a bear to get in and out of the truck from the store. Comes in two boxes but the saw is bolted to a metal pallet. The fence comes in the second box.

It will take two to set up and install the cast iron extensions. Heavy and cumbersome considering the way they get bolted on and leveled. Rest of the assembly and calibration is straightforward. The blade guard & splitter are a definite improvement over what Craftsman had in the past. The guard / splitter come off with the loosening of a knob. You do not have to remove the blade guard, etc.

Speaking of blade guards, for about $20 or so, invest in a zero clearance one and do not use the stock guard. Opening is large (what were they thinking?) but the nice thing is that the guard on this model is the same size as the Delta left tilt table so you can order the Delta model from just about anywhere on the web.

Dust collection is fair. There is a 4" duct on the back but I found that I still need to open up the side door and vacuum the inside out from there. My dust collector is fairly powerful but does not seem to have enough to clean out the saw. Coming from a contractor's saw where all the dust was on the floor, anything was an improvement.

One addition I do like is the outfeed table that drops down. It is only stamped steel but better than the adjustable roller stand that I was using.

Hope this helps. Buy it on sale when they are taking another 10% for the Craftsman club.

[Steve]

I have a Sears 1-1/2 HP table saw, and I have done a fair amount of ripping of 8/4 maple, as well as rosewood, purpleheart, walnut, and koa as thick or thicker, in a single pass. You've just got to take it slow, and a sharp blade really helps.

BTW, you need a ripping blade for this application. Those 60 and

80-tooth blades make a nice clean cut, but they generate more heat too.

--Steve

[AAvK]

thicker, in a single pass. You've just got to

make a nice clean cut, but they generate more

Okay okay okay you guys... then that Chinese saw needs one serious tuning- up all around. It'll never get done and I know it. Thanks for clearing things up. Sheesh! But, now I know for the future, if I get to the point where I can have my own saw.

[captmikey]

Yeah... but why buy the saw with the long skirt when you can buy the same saw with a mini skirt for $699 and have the guys at Sears load it into your pickup?

model has the cast Iron table/wings, plus 1½ HP, and what looks like the B-Fence. Oh yeah... it also has a warranty. Put the extra money into a Forest WWII blade and you're home free.

>>> Delta:

[Charlie Self]

Soooooooooooooooooooooo, what exactly defines a cabinet saw?

UA100

Multiple belts, more power primarily, but the real definition of any saw is in the mind of the manufacturer. This Orion product is classed as a hybrid, as is one Jet and the originator of the class, the larger DeWalt table saw. I understand General also produces a hybrid.

[Charlie Self]

TeamCasa Feb 15, 3:34 pm show options

Newsgroups: rec.woodworking From: "TeamCasa" - Find messages by this author

Date: Tue, 15 Feb 2005 15:34:38 -0800 Local: Tues, Feb 15 2005 3:34 pm Subject: Re: Sears CabinetTable Saw Reply | Reply to Author | Forward | Print | Individual Message | Show original | Report Abuse

Was the blade installed backwards? I had an old 1 1/2hp contractor saw that would slice 8/4 hard maple with little trouble.

See the thread on Forrest.

Nah. But it had a visible wobble. I guess wobbles don't matter.

I still don't understand how raising the blade three times let him finish the cut.

[Charlie Self]

captmi asks:

[e-mail] Feb 15, 7:48 pm show options

Newsgroups: rec.woodworking From: [e-mail] - Find messages by this author Date: Tue, 15 Feb 2005 22:48:06 -0500 Local: Tues, Feb 15 2005 7:48 pm Subject: Re: Sears CabinetTable Saw

Yeah... but why buy the saw with the long skirt when you can buy the same saw with a mini skirt for $699 and have the guys at Sears load it into your pickup?

To start, the Biesemeyer fence. Also, the longer skirt makes for better dust collection, and the motor is ever slightly more powerful, at 1-3/4 HP.

The cheaper saw does NOT have the Biese fence.

The Leitz blade on the top of the line saw approaches the Forrest in cut quality, by the way.

[Mike Marlow]

That's kind of a hard argument to pass off on people who have used 1 1/2 -

2HP table saws for years and have indeed cut the very woods you mention. Of course, we are all entitled to our own opinions and I certainly have nothing against a saw that is bigger then mine, and I can recognize certain benefits to a bigger saw, but... those benefits do not - time and woodworking have proven - do not support your claim above.

Alex - from everything you've said about your adult.ed environment, it is about the most ill equipped I've heard of. You are making judgments on classes of machinery based on experiences with very poorly maintained tools, improperly set up tools, and in general, an environment that probably 80% of the folks here would not consider acceptable in their home shops. The good news - there's a whole bunch of good news awaiting you. The first time you use a well set up 1 1/2HP saw, you'll be thrilled at what you "discovered".

[Mike Marlow]

Poor man's dado...