Subject: Questions, Questions...

From: "Dane Lance" <[email-masked]>
Date: 1 Apr 1997 04:55:34 GMT

Thanks to everyone for their fine suggestions and obvious
experience and knowledge in helping me select tools to start my shop.
Now, I have more questions.....(hee hee hee)...

	WHY, why, why are Craftsman tools so bad??  What specific characteristics
makes them so hated?  I think I have done well with the advice given so far and
my tool selections so far are mostly a mix of Delta and Porter-Cable, however,
I'm looking real hard at a Craftsman table saw.  For some reason, table saws
>from  Delta or other respected makers are either hard to find or way too
expensive for me.  I'm not really interested in mail order and the shipping
costs for Jet or Grizzly equipment.  The Delta table saws that I CAN afford are
little bench-top models.  I looking for a floor model with the heavy cast iron
extensions and decent fences.  The new Craftsman model 29941N "Contractor
Series" 3HP 10" has the features I'm looking for and is priced at $549 (i.e. I
can afford it).  It sure looks like a nice saw.....I'm just curious as to what
makes Craftsman power tools so "crappy".....

More questions....

	What is meant when they say a motor is rated for 1.5HP, but develops 3HP
maximum?  Is it 3HP or is it 1.5HP???

	Is it better to wire your motors for 240V or 120V if you have the choice?

	Is a dust collection system really necessary if I already have a large shop
vac and connect it to the collectors on the machinery?

	What's the best sources for wood?  I understand "Home Depot" wood isn't
exactly the choice of woodworkers.  

		Thanks,

			Dane

[email-masked]

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From: [email-masked] (Garrett Lambert)
Date: Tue, 01 Apr 1997 11:21:27 GMT

On 1 Apr 1997 04:55:34 GMT, "Dane Lance" <[email-masked]> wrote:

I'm bored tonight, so I'll have a go at answering your questions, and
do so in the spirit of trying to stay within your budget :
>makes them so hated?  

They are packaged attractively, but are cheaply made for the casual
hobbyist rather than the "serious amateur"; they tend to be less
accurate; and don't last as long as "better brands". 

I think I have done well with the advice given so far and
>makes Craftsman power tools so "crappy".....

Again, if you read the threads, the issue is not so much the basic saw
alone as it is the fence and saw combination. My impression is that
lots of people in the newsgroup have Craftsman table saws that are
basically ok, but that their satisfaction levels rose remarkably when
they put a good aftermarket fence on them. I saw a posting not long
ago that indicates that Sears now offers a new fence, and that a
couple of people who purchased it liked it a lot. If the saw you're
looking at comes with that fence, it's probably at best an ok buy. 

The alternatives are:

1)  the Delta 36-470 contractor's saw with a 40" Biesemeyer on sale at
$779 after rebate. 

2) the Grizzly G1022Z with a "standard" i.e. poor fence costs $449. An
aftermarket fence would add about $250-300 to that. 

3)  the Jet JWTS-10JF contractor's saw which lists at $749 with a good
Jet fence is/was on sale for $529 after rebate. 

If it were me, I know which one I'd choose - the Jet. (FYI, I got this
info from a recent edition of Woodshop News.)
>maximum?  Is it 3HP or is it 1.5HP???

Developed horsepower is the maximum theoretical possibility, usually
just before the motor burns out. It is a term applied to universal
motors eg the kind in a router, versus induction motors, the kind that
you see hanging off the end of a contractors saw. I'm not an
electrical expert, but I don't understand how Sears could use the
terminology for an induction motor. In any event, don't believe the 3
HP claim. Almost every contractor's saw on the market has a 1 1/2 HP
induction motor.
>	Is it better to wire your motors for 240V or 120V if you have the choice?

There have been reams of learned discourse written on this question in
several recent threads in the newsgroup. Check www.deja.news. The
simple answer is "Yes".
>vac and connect it to the collectors on the machinery?
No.

	What's the best sources for wood?  I understand "Home Depot"
wood isn't
>exactly the choice of woodworkers.  

Try your yellow pages for a yard that sells hardwoods. Then it's
caveat emptor.

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From: [email-masked] (LEE WARD)
Date: Tue, 01 Apr 97 10:25:00 -0600

A good source for Wood is the CURBSIDE GALLERIA! there are over 20
places to find Free wood,Like Contruction sites,Trashed Farmsites,Behind
WW buildings like Fencemakers,Cabinet shops,etc, Of course you can still
buy the good stuff but practice on the Free stuff or build Small
projects from it.There is so much Free wood around its unbelieveable
                                     Lee Ward

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From: keevmk <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 01 Apr 1997 23:58:33 -0600

> exactly the choice of woodworkers.

For $550.00 you can get the jet contractors w/free freight and no tax! 
Most all catalogs carry Jet & Delta - look in any woodworking mag. and
you'll find plenty of adds for the mail order houses.
    The Sears saw will work OK for you, especially in the beginnig, but
the longer you work the more you'll wish you had a better saw.
    That "developed 3HP" on the sears saw is crapola.  The motor might
pull three amps the split second before it overloads and trips the
breaker - it's a cheezy marketing gimmick on the part of Sears. 
Everyone else claims their 1.5 HP motor is a 1.5 HP motor.
    240v is the voltage I prefer for large powertools and dust collector
does make things much neater, also keeps the wife from yelling when you
track sawdust etc. into the house