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tot59

8' Craftsman table saw

Tot59
13 years ago

I have an old Craftsman table saw(103.) by King-Seeley (8 or 7 1/4"). It is a very smooth running, cutting saw, but it has no fence, any suggestions?

I also have a 10" craftsman 3hp. I am setting up a wood working shop and am looking for suggestions on the best way to lay it out. I have all the tools except the thickness planer, that's coming soon.

Comments (8)

  • bobismyuncle
    13 years ago

    You can get aftermarket table saw fences. I don't know if any would fit on your machine without a lot of metal work. But you have two saws, I'd set up the old one with a sliding crosscut table and a sliding miter table. I'd use the other one for ripping and joinery that needs a fence.

    As far as layout there are a couple of principles.

    First is workflow through your shop. Consider wood coming in, rough stock preparation, joinery and fine preparation, assembly, sanding and finishing. This path should follow a smooth path through your shop.

    The second is a parallel to the "kitchen triangle." This principle says that your three most-used pieces (in a given cell), have a minimum and maximum perimeter of the triangle. The idea is you don't want to be walking all over the place to get from say your planer to your table saw(s), nor do you want them to be so close that they get in the way of each other. What these three tools are depend on the type of work you do. It might be a bandsaw, lathe and chop saw, or it might be a table saw, jointer and assembly table.

    In a smaller shop, it's a good idea to have major pieces mobile so you can move them out of the way when not in use or to orient them to accommodate the piece of wood you are working on.

    Using wall space for storage - tall, base, and/or wall cabinets is a good idea. Someone once compared this to having all the items in your kitchen on the floor instead of cabinets.

  • jey_l
    13 years ago

    Delta and Incra have fences and jigs that bolt on to many manufacturers equipment.

    Pictues and a floor plan along with the types of equipment and the work you do most often would help in laying out the shop for efficiency and safety.

  • someone2010
    13 years ago

    I have a Biesemeyer fence. I don't know if they make a fence for a 8" saw, but you can call. They've been in business for years and many woodworkers swear by them. I'm one.
    One thing you should be careful of. They make a tool to do almost any job you can think of. They also market these tools very well. You have to decide some point when enough is enough.
    Finally, if you have access, a couple courses at a Junior College would be a good investment. You won't have to reinvent the wheel.

  • brickeyee
    13 years ago

    Many of the after market fences are sort of 'universal.'

    You may have to drill some hole in the existing top if any present do not line up, but it is not hard.

    Cast iron is pretty easy to drill quality drill bits and some lubricant.
    The iron often turns to powder as the bit cuts.

  • sombreuil_mongrel
    13 years ago

    The old King Seely/Craftsman stuff is obsolete in terms of finding any aftermarket fence. I used a KS TS on a job way back in the 80's ; as I recall, it stood on a monopod/pedestal base, and the table was extra-small. Still weighed 200 lbs, however- lots of cast iron. The very slight depth of the table would mean that a fence is going to stick out far beyond the rear edge.
    I still have a KS/Craftsman 4" jointer. Amazingly heavy for its size.
    Casey

  • brickeyee
    13 years ago

    "The very slight depth of the table would mean that a fence is going to stick out far beyond the rear edge. "

    Not a real problem, and if you wanted to cut off the fence you need a type that clamps from the front (Biesemeyer T-square type).

    The length is for convenience only.

    As long as there is enough cast iron you can drill through the lip, or drill and tap holes in the CI itself.

    I have even attached new fences to CI tops by adding a strip of angle iron the the edge of the table (a lot of smaller fasteners in tapped holes) and then attached the fence to the now thicker 'edge' created.

    It all depends on how much time, effort, and money you are wiling to put into the old tool.

  • aidan_m
    13 years ago

    We purchased 2 new "Saw Stop" tablesaws for our woodshop. We fitted our old Biesemeyer fences to the new saws. The Cast Iron is OK to drill, just have a new bit and some cutting fliud. I like to use a 1/8" bit for a pilot hole and then follow with the 1/4, and 3/8" It is actually faster to drill hard metal that way, and the accuracy is more precise.

    When you have to drill your own holes, pay close attention to the height. The fence should glide on its rail, not the tabletop. It should make contact with the top, but still glide accross the rail. The precision on the height is more important than side to side, which has adjustments to zero out the blade to the fence.

    Also make sure the back of the fence is a dollar bill thickness out of square from the front. This reduces the saw blade marks, making cleaner cuts. It also helps reduce the likelyhood of a kickback accident.

  • handymac
    6 years ago

    7 year old post---you shillers just don't pay attention. Fourth shill so far.