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Category Archives: 10inch Craftsman Tablesaw

A review of the CRAFTSMAN®/MD Limited Edition 10” Table Saw with Stand.

UPDATE – Craftsman Table Saw (10″)

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Thought I’d provide an update to the Craftsman Table Saw I had reviewed a while back.

I have been using this saw for nearly a year now… and it is working relatively well.  I have had to do may renovations to my home in recent times and had the opportunity to put this saw through it’s paces.

I have used this saw to build plywood shelving, a dog house, laminate flooring, 2×4 framing, an oak stair case, base boards to name a few.

Additional pluses that I have found is that it is easy to change the blades.  It is very convenient to switch from rip to cut, the accessories work okay (more on that later).  It’s a good amateurs saw.  I wouldn’t recommend it for any professional job for sure.

However, many issues have been popping up here and there.  Such as, it isn’t really that stable.  In order to cut larger sheets of ply wood and such I had to weigh the stand down with sand bags.  The saw easily tips over if you are not careful.   Again with cutting larger sheets, the side extensions on this saw are nice, but, they are not near strong enough to hold up any kind of weight.  I had mentioned the accessories above… the rip fence and the miter gauge are best estimates now.  Accuracy is flawed and the parts really didn’t stay true for long.  Another small thing is that there is a little warning sticker on the table guard that snaps over the blade.  The placement of this sticker is a trap!  At some point while ripping wood, the piece would get stuck and I would have a terrible time pushing the piece through the blade.  I had discovered later that this sticker was coming up ever so slightly and the piece would catch on it.  A case of the safety warning creating a safety issue.

-Richard Galambos, C.E.T.

Craftsman Table Saw

REVIEW – Craftsman Table Saw (10″)

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REVIEW – Craftsman Table Saw (10″)

It may seem that I am neglecting my site here.  I am not so much doing that on purpose… family life as it turns out is quite busy.  (who knew LOL )

I recently purchased a 10″ Craftsman Table Saw from Sears.  So far so good….

TOOLS – Craftsman Table Saw (10″)

 So, I bought a tool, not electronics related, but it’s a tool that I quite enjoy.  I have many plans for my new Table Saw.  I thought I’d share my thoughts on this machine with you here, if you’re interested.
Assembled Table Saw

Assembled Table Saw

CRAFTSMAN®/MD Limited Edition 10” Table Saw with Stand:

Sold at Sears stores and online at sears.ca

Regular Retail Price – $399.99
Item # 097 827 835 10
WEBCODE: W-0927835
Website Description:This table saw is loaded with many useful features including a riving knife system. Great for the new DIY-er or the seasoned home fixer-upper. And best of all, it’s from Craftsman – a
brand you know you can depend on and trust.Only at Sears!

  • Riving knife system designed to keep wood tight against the fence after the cut is made.
  • 15-amp, 3-HP ball-bearing motor produces 5000 rpm no-load speed
  • 10″ carbide-tipped blade; laser for accuracy; Self-aligning rip fence with quick release
  • Mitre gauge with 45° adjustment left and right
  • 2 handwheels for independent height and bevel control; Dust collection system
  • Rear outfeed supports for longer pieces and a large work surface
  • 37½ W x 23 D x 39″ H overall dimensions; 26 W x 19½” D diecast aluminum table plus a 24″ left and right extension; quick-release base
  • 2-year warranty

Unboxing:

Picking this saw up with our xTerra was no problem.  It fit quite nicely in the back of the SUV, I lifted it in with small effort.

Table Saw Packaging

Table Saw Packaging

Upon getting this baby home I promptly set to opening the box.  I was greeted by a block of Styrofoam, as these things often go.  I had a giggle at the fact the instruction manual had been taped to the top of the box, not to be missed!  As we often “miss” these things, I believe that was probably a good idea.

Table Saw Unboxing

Table Saw Unboxing

After pulling apart the hordes of foam and plastic bags and things, I sorted the parts.  More than to just get an inventory of what was there… but to gauge the scope of this assembly
project, which seemed a bigger job at the time than it actually turned out to be.

Table Saw Parts

Table Saw Parts

Once a quick inventory was taken, assembly begins.  The instructions need to be taken with a grain of salt.  I mean it’s easy enough for me to figure out what to do, but if you were not
so mechanically inclined, the directions are rather iffy.  It began with the leg assembly.  I won’t go through all the steps, because that’d just be silly.  But, I’d say it took about 45
min – 1 hour to properly align, level, and tighten this little stand up.

Table Saw Stand

Table Saw Stand

The Table Saw was a snap, literally.  There is hardware provided to bolt the saw to the stand, but I chose to clip it on.  Easy separation of these two components equal easy storage in my case.

Table Saw Connection Mechanism

Table Saw Connection Mechanism

Once the two components were married…  The ceremony was wonderful :'( …all the table bits get put on.

  • Side table extensions
  • rear table extension
  • Blade
  • riving knife, anti-kick back, blade guard, laser pointer
  • some other bits and pieces

All in all this saw took about an hour and a half for me to assemble.

But that wasn’t all… expect to spend some time here to align and calibrate EVERYTHING. There is a lot of adjusting this, and tweaking that before the saw is actually usable.  But,
if you just like to wing it, you can probably skip this part.

Review: (7 out of 10)

I like this saw.  It works well for my use.  It’s not a professional unit by any stretch, but it cuts wood in a relatively straight line.  I got my dog house built (more on that later).

Pros:

  • the dust collection bag seems to work.
  • Most of the debris from cutting went in the bag.
  • The saw was easy to operate.
  • Blade adjusted nice for mitres and wood thickness
  • take a 4×8 sheet nicely

Cons:

  • Plastic – almost everything is plastic – cased for much misalignment when cutting
  • the mitre gauge sits loose and you have to be careful to cut straight
  • when using the side extensions with the rip fence, care must be taken to cut straight because the guide tubes can move.
  • sometimes when cutting a 4×8 sheet the saw will unbalance and tip forward
  • the laser dies after about an hour or 2 of work, not that it’s accurate anyhow

Conclusion:

I am happy with the purchase.  I got this for $50 off, price was right.  It worked well for my job.  I will use it for many many projects in the future.

I hope you have found this useful in any small way.  If you like what you see, share it, comment below.  Comment if you didn’t like it.  I am totally open to suggestions and constructive criticism.

Thanks!
-Richard Galambos, C.E.T.

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