I am having a dilemma over my 10" Craftsman contractors saw. Is it worth the expense and effort to change the pulleys and add link belts, a Woodworker II blade, and a good Fence ($250-$350). Tempted to just buy a Grizzly cabinet saw but could use the money elsewhere. Tired of measuring and tapping that durn fence!!
Regards, Lewis Personally I'm always ready to learn, although I do not always like being taught. Sir Winston Churchill
Considering that a Grizzly will be about $400. more, I'd say go with the Griz. Your Craftsman will be much better but no where close to a 3hp cabinet saw. I had a Craftsman with a good blade and a Jet fence and those additions made a world of difference. BUT, The Jet cabinet saw made 2 worlds of difference above and beyond the Craftsman.
Cabinet saws tend to be solid performers that you can count on.
Lewis: I went through the same dilemma and added a Forrest blade and a Vega fence. Both of them made a big difference, to the point where the saw was useful for several more years. I sold it only to buy a Delta with more power. One advantage to your scheme is that the belt, blade, and fence can be transferred to your next saw if needed, so save the OEM pieces. OTOH, if you choose to sell them with the Sears saw, it becomes more valuable.
Bob
I vote for just buying the Grizley....BUT Keeping the old craftsman... if you have room ... Use the craftsman for a dedicated machine for dados or cross cutting etc...plus I have a bad habit of using the top of my table saw as a shop table (not a coffee table however) having an extra table comes in handy... lol
Bob Griffiths
Find a book called "Woodworking Tools you can make" which has plans for a fence to fit Craftsman table saws. I modified the design and built one for my Taiwanese saw (similar to Grizzly) and it's worked well for several years.
what is the difference between a "cabinet saw" and a "table saw" ??
A cabinet saw is a specific kind of table saw. The area under the table is enclosed and most cabinet saws have effective dust collection. A "Contractor Saw" is a table saw too, but is open underneath, less weight and more portable--great when you need to setup shop at the site. A further step down is the benchtop table saw. Cabinet (table) saws are heavy, and generally the most accurate type of table saw.
nevermind!
Take the money you were going to spend on the pullys, belt and fence, add the money you get from selling the craftsman and you are only a couple hundred from the cabinet saw (note I didn't say keep the money you plan to spend on the WWII as you will still want one of these even with the Griz).
Dave Hall
Depends on _which_ craftsman it is. and of what vintage.
If it's one of the good older ones, it's worth the money.
What price does an HTC fence and rails cost in the US? Lee Valley Tools sells them for about $600 Canadian.
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.