Craftsman 10" Table Saw - Model No. 113.298720

 

Manufactured: 1987 (est.) / Acquired 02-04-2012. The purchases are getting newer and more expensive...but relatively so.  This one set me back $100, but was a steal at the price and again, my bargain hunting was aided by a very poor Craigslist ad comprised of two very dark and out-of-focus pictures of something that resembled a rusty truck bumper and some text describing this as an "old table saw" that "runs good."

Had this been listed as a Sears Craftsman Table Saw with Cast Iron Extensions, I never would have seen it, as it would have been snapped up in a heartbeat!  The seller and I had to juggle our schedules around a bit and I finally got the "I'm available" call during the early evening hours on what was promising to be a cold, wet and dark night.  The seller's house was in a rural location about five minutes from my house, but I decided to trudge out to look at what I was convinced was going to be a piece of junk - just in case.

The seller turned out to be a very affable young man - a former contractor - who had inherited the saw from his uncle whom had purchased it new.  After we put the saw under load and ran a piece of scrap through it, I was convinced that this saw would come home with me...the problem was, how?  The saw was physically larger than my wife's SUV would accommodate; I really didn't want to disassemble it; and the earliest opportunity that I would have to come for it with a trailer was at least three days away.

As I said, the seller was a very affable young man.  With $100 cash in hand, he graciously offered to load the beast into his pickup truck and drive it five miles back into town for me free of charge.  No fool I, I thanked him for his generosity, we loaded the saw up (no mean feat, even for  couple of plus-sized corn-fed boys) and headed for the storage shed that would serve as the halfway house until spring.  My wife received the "bad" news that I had acquired yet another tool tempered with the "good" news that the storage shed was now full and could house no more.

Although rarely the case, this machine came complete with all of its guards in tact, both the miter gauge and fence and the original instruction manual listing a 1987 purchase date.  No real problems with this one, a bit of rust and sawdust buildup underneath, as well as a few errant paint splatters here and there, but nothing that can't be taken care of with some elbow grease.  

A common complaint about these saws is that the stock fence and miter gauge are sub-par, so this one might see the addition of a Delta T-2 Fence and Rail System at some point in the future.  The 1 H.P. motor might also prove a bit puny when grinding through hardwood, so I may be keeping my eyes open for an upgrade in the 1½ - 2 H.P. range.

As the man said, all things in time...