Antique Craftsman

Today was a pretty good day. I had known there was an old table saw in my basement for years. I hadn't seen it in operation for the better part of two decades, and I wasn't even sure it still worked. After giving it a good dusting with a clean paintbrush, I saw the metallic product ID tag, and old-fashioned company emblem.

It was an antique Craftsman table saw set onto what looked like a custom stand and wired with an extra set of sockets. One of its interesting features, was the hardwired switch connected to a socket, which meant it needed a double-male power chord. It was nowhere to be found. So I took the chord from a broken jigsaw, and a wall switch, and spent part of my morning rewiring it.

I didn't use the old socket, so the spare pair on the other side of the frame wasn't rewired, but the machine worked. Then I replaced the grinding wheel with a blade meant for cutting plywood and veneer, and replaced the rubber belt with a new one from AutoZone. (Visiting four different stores beforehand, including Sears. I only mention that store because they are advertised on television as being Craftsman brand dealers, their store was filled with woodshop equipment, no replacement parts.)

I now have a nice little table saw, quiet as well. Perfect for cutting the scaled plywood for models that I like. My Dad helped. He too was into one of his around-the-house projects, and he stopped building his natural-stone masonry retaining wall in the front yard, long enough to visit the stores with me. So in conclusion; I hate being told to contact the manufacturer for something so simple, but it didn't ruin my day, because I liked having the opportunity to fix something.