"Dale Lorenzen" wrote in message
...
Hi,

First time post but have been following the group for awhile. I'm looking
for a table saw and have been eyeing the new saws that Craftsman is
selling.
I've read alot of good things about the saw with the Beismeyer fence but
not
much regarding the others. Has anyone in the group had and experience
with
the other models (#22114 or 22104)? The one with the Beismeyer fence
would
be a nice one to own, but I'm not sure that I can spring for that much
cash
without knowing how serious I'll get with this hobby.

My concern with the other saws was the Craftsman fence seems to have quite
a
bit a flex in them compared to the Beismeyer. The rear of these fences
deflect almost and 1/8" on the saws I've looked at when slight pressure is
put on the rear of the fence. Is this something to be concerned about?
I'm afraid that if it deflected during a cut that whatever I'm working on
stands a chance to become a 'wooden missile'.

Thanks in advance for any comments/opinions,

Dale

Dale:

I'm not familiar with those particular model but I do own a 30 year old
Craftsman saw that I'm perfectly happy with. I've put the Sears Align-A-Rip
24/24 fence on mine and it is extremely accurate and stable. I've built
many cabinets with this saw and have no issues at all with its stability.
You are well advised to inspect the saws the way that you are, however I am
surprised to read that any saw today would exhibit the type of slop you're
seeing in the models you reference above. I think I'd check with the sales
guys first, or maybe do a little more peeking around yourself, to see if the
fence that's on there is properly installed. Even the cheapest junk fence
on the market should not allow 1/8in of slop. Remember that these saws are
typically thrown together for display and it's very possible that the ones
you're looking at simply aren't put together properly.

--

-Mike-