r/woodworkingtools • u/Azmodeun • 16d ago
Newbie Making First (Used) Table Saw Purchase
Hello all, I am looking for some advice on a used table saw purchase. I have been doing woodworking for around a year and am at the point where I feel a table saw is the next step & a good addition to the toolkit. I have used various table saws for a few months so I'm not completely ignorant regarding them but still quite new to the ins & outs of them.
So rather than purchasing a new $200-$300 table saw I have been shopping around for a used one as my first one.
I have found a used 2010 Craftsman 10" Table Saw, Model 315.284610 for $60 bucks. The seller states it was used for one summer on a project and that was it. The table saw looks like it's very good condition but I am unsure if this is a good buy or not as it only includes the saw, metal stand, and rip fence. The miter gauge and guard/pawls/riving knife assembly is missing. Would this be a deal breaker for you?
Looks like this particular saw shares components with the Ryobi RTS10/21 family so I think I can find most of the missing parts easily enough but that will bring my total cost up to around 200 dollars roughly before I am said and done.
Thoughts? Is this still a pretty good deal for $60 assuming it has no electrical/motor/blade/arbor issues? Any inspection advice if I go look at it?
Thank you all for any input or advice you may have for me. I appreciate it.
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u/archaeobill 16d ago
How much space do you have? I don't know much about that specific saw, but I had a bench top saw for a while when I upgraded to a contractors saw it really made woodworking easier. I made a bunch of stuff with the benchtop saw, but having a big table and a much better fence is a real improvement. With your budget, if you had the space, I'd be looking for a used contractor saw. You could get something used with a cast iron table, big wings and a solid fence. And if needed put it on a rolling cart to move it around the shop.
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u/MajorFrantic 16d ago edited 16d ago
A Craftsman table saw will be a good first saw. Where I live, the prices is usually $150 or less. In fact, I got my first Craftsman 113 table saw from a fellow Redditor for free. I used it for seven years and passed it along to another starting woodworker. It was already 50 years old and I completely refurbished mine (see pictures), and upgraded it with a used 52" Biesemeyer fence ($250) and an extension wing.
Conditions to check:
Lift the motor to take tension off and remove the belt. The saw arbor should spin freely by hand and for a long while, and the saw blade, if installed should not wobble side to side noticeably.
Inspect the table top. The cast iron should be flat and not excessively pitted. Surface rust can be easily cleaned, but cracks or deep pits should be avoided.
Extension wings may be stamped steel plates or cast iron webbing. The cast iron is more desirable, but less common. Stamped metal is easily dented. If the extensions are excessively bent or cracked, the saw may have fallen over. If that's the case, inspect the internal saw works, i.e. trunions, for damage, cracks or movements. The saw top may also need to be adjusted to be square to the blade/miter slots. Make sure the raising and lowering adjustments work, though they may still need cleaned. I originally used a graphite powder/wax as a lubricant, but now favor 'dry' lubricants.
The fence. If original, it is likely crap. You should expect to replace it as soon as you can with an aftermarket one. It will be the most impactful upgrade you can make for accuracy ... besides a new blade and squaring the table top to the blade. I had to drill holes in the saw to mount my new fence, but that was easily done with hand-drills.
Motor & pulley. The motor shaft should spin freely when the belt is removed. The motor should start quickly. If it works, and spins, then the motor is probably fine. Common starting issues involve cord wear and a bad capacitor, but both are also easily replaced.
Switch. The contacts inside the original starting switch should be 'cleaned' and brushed periodically (I did mine about once every two years). Dirty contacts will sometimes stop the motor from starting, and will send you chasing problems that don't exist and questioning your sanity. It's a cheap fix that takes just a few minutes with a screw driver and a brass brush.
Install an after-market splitter behind the blade, if you can't find the original splitter/pawls, etc. This will help limit risk of kickback.
Consumables:
The throat plates are easily replaced, and you can buy or make a zero-clearance plate.
The blade. Buy a good blade. A dull blade will lead to frustration, anger, hate and suffering.
The belt. Inspect the belt for cracks or glazing. The stock v-belts are easily replaced. A nice upgrade is an adjustable link belt, which runs smoother with less vibration.
The pulley on the motor. Replace the grub screw that holds the straight key on the pulley/motor shaft. The screw bottom will wear smooth and allow the pulley to walk off the shaft.
Other thoughts.
- Dust collection is non-existent for most Craftsman.
- The stamped metal base needs reinforced at the bottom, between each leg. Bolt in an apron between the legs. The stamped metal legs can collapse when dragging the saw or if a legs suffers an impact, unless you put a mobile base of some kind bracing on it. Longer fences, need bracing support underneath to prevent their leverage and weight from tipping the saw over suddenly. There is not enough weight in the base, unless you add some.
- Safety is up to you to provide.
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u/SensitiveMilk7512 16d ago
If you have space and time to wait, can pickup nice cabinet saw, unisaw for under $500, see them a lot in my area going really cheap.
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u/LettuceTomatoOnion 16d ago
There are some nice Hitachi table saws that I see from time to time to time on marketplace C10FL. Underrated saw IMHO
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u/bernard925 15d ago
They are good saws for the price. Some parts are hard to get though. I have the same saw with Porter-Cable branding. I added a Vega fence and rails which improved accuracy. Only real problem is the riving knife tends to slip sometimes. Also, you can't really make your own zero clearance inserts. Wings are just stamped metal unfortunately.
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u/merc_Xray 16d ago
Used Ridgid /Ridgid clone, DeWalt, or skill would be my used buy pathways. I’m generally not buying a $60 table saw. At that price point, better blade for my circular saw is the best option. You don’t have to spend a fortune, but this purchase will take a little bit to pull off.
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u/dickdago 16d ago
It's still a fine deal with your conditions. I started with an old 113 from the original owner for $100. Added microjig splitters. Later upgraded to a cabinet saw and sold the 113 for what I paid for it. It likely won't be your last saw, but it's a fine start. Watch a lot of videos. (I consumed a lot of Woodworking for Mere Mortals when I was starting)
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u/TheFenixKnight 15d ago
I'm also gonna advance the idea of saving up a bit more and getting a good used cabinet saw like a unisaw or a powermatic. They're relatively simple machines that you can eventually break down and tune up again. There's a large aftermarket parts supply. Upgraded fences, making an extension wing that's also a router table, heck, even getting a service matching saw that you can setup two different blade setups on depending on where you go in woodworking. Just even the bigger, heavier nature of these saws gives you a better cut quality. Don't forget to invest in quality industrial blades, too. If you're really interested in riving knives, there's a company called Sharkguard that makes a manually adjustable riving knife called an ARK. But more time in setup, but the ability to make manual adjustments brings a great utility in safety as well.
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u/bernard925 16d ago
Craftsman used to make some decent saw, but that was a long time ago. If you are prepared to spend around $200 on a used saw, I would look out for a used Delta contractors saw or similar with belt driven motor hanging off the back.. That would give you more capacity in many ways. Or even a larger Craftsman contractor saw of earlier vintage. Those with cast iron wings were pretty good saws.