This is my first post joined the group 20 minutes ago.
Bought a Craftsman table saw, model #248880, 10" Just setting up shop.
This saw is a few years old but the series is still being made and sold

with the same features, perhaps flaws would be more correct a term to
use.
The miter guage is very sloppy in both directions. A furniture grade
cut is impossible.
The slot is 3/8x5/8. One can't buy an accessory as simple as a
featherboard for it.
Even Sears sells nothing for it. Nor will they support any email
questions, they just shuttle me back and forth between customer service

and tech support. Why the hell would they continue to sell a saw with
specs like this? Even the arbor is too short for a dado blade.
I was just too green to know what to research. The Sears site really
should include this information.
I feel sure this problem has been faced and delt with.
All suggestons appreciated.
regards, Mick \

Sun, Jan 14, 2007, 9:43pm (EST-3) From:
(Mick)
snip This saw is a few years old snip The miter guage is very sloppy
in both directions. A furniture grade cut is impossible. snip

So? What makes you so sure that's the original miter guage on a
used saw? No biggie, make a saw sled then won't need a miter guage.



JOAT
I do not have the huge amout of faith needed to be an Atheist.

"Mick" wrote in message
The miter guage is very sloppy in both directions. A furniture grade
cut is impossible.

All suggestons appreciated.

My only suggestion is to save up and buy a good contractor or cabinet saw.
Plan to spend $800+. Oh, I did start out with that same saw. Served my
needs for a year while I learned what I wanted. Get a good blade also.

So? What makes you so sure that's the original miter guage on a
used saw?

Even so, the OEM Miter gauges are pretty disappointing even on $1500 saws. I
just about never use mine. You're not missing much.

No biggie, make a saw sled then won't need a miter guage.

Yup. Make a sled or 3.




--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

On Mon, 15 Jan 2007 05:21:04 -0500, (J T)
wrote:

Sun, Jan 14, 2007, 9:43pm (EST-3) From:
(Mick)
snip This saw is a few years old snip The miter guage is very sloppy
in both directions. A furniture grade cut is impossible. snip

So? What makes you so sure that's the original miter guage on a
used saw? No biggie, make a saw sled then won't need a miter guage.


Sleds are good but at the price of some loss of cutting depth.

On 14 Jan 2007 21:43:23 -0800, "Mick"
wrote:

This is my first post joined the group 20 minutes ago.
Bought a Craftsman table saw, model #248880, 10" Just setting up shop.
This saw is a few years old but the series is still being made and sold

with the same features, perhaps flaws would be more correct a term to
use.
The miter guage is very sloppy in both directions. A furniture grade
cut is impossible.
The slot is 3/8x5/8. One can't buy an accessory as simple as a
featherboard for it.
Even Sears sells nothing for it. Nor will they support any email
questions, they just shuttle me back and forth between customer service

What's stopping you from making your own? When I had a Craftsman saw,
that's what I did. I made a bar that fit the slot exactly and put the
original protractor head on it. No great shakes but certainly better
than the stock item.

As for the arbor, I don't know what they did there. The one on mine
was certainly long enough to put my dado on.

Why not sell the saw and buy a different one?

My #1 sled is 1/4" (5-ply underlayment). 1/4" loss is pretty insignificant.


"George Max" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 15 Jan 2007 05:21:04 -0500, (J T)
wrote:

Sun, Jan 14, 2007, 9:43pm (EST-3) From:
(Mick)
snip This saw is a few years old snip The miter guage is very sloppy
in both directions. A furniture grade cut is impossible. snip

So? What makes you so sure that's the original miter guage on a
used saw? No biggie, make a saw sled then won't need a miter guage.


Sleds are good but at the price of some loss of cutting depth.



--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

Sleds are good but at the price of some loss of cutting depth.

On Mon, 15 Jan 2007 10:34:54 -0500, "Stephen M"
wrote:

My #1 sled is 1/4" (5-ply underlayment). 1/4" loss is pretty insignificant.



True. But lost depth is lost depth. No way around that.

Mon, Jan 15, 2007, 9:09am (EST-1)
(George*Max) doth sayeth:
Sleds are good but at the price of some loss of cutting depth.

Not sure what you mean by that, but I'd say, just make a different
sled.



JOAT
I do not have the huge amount of faith needed to be an Atheist.

"Mick" wrote in message
ps.com...

Bought a Craftsman table saw, model #248880,

The part number for the miter gauge assembly for that saw (137.248880)
listed at Sears online parts dept. is 14911402A10. The phone number to order
is 1-800-252-1698. RM~

"Mick" wrote in message
ps.com...
This is my first post joined the group 20 minutes ago.
Bought a Craftsman table saw, model #248880, 10" Just setting up shop.
This saw is a few years old but the series is still being made and sold

with the same features, perhaps flaws would be more correct a term to
use.
The miter guage is very sloppy in both directions. A furniture grade
cut is impossible.
The slot is 3/8x5/8. One can't buy an accessory as simple as a
featherboard for it.
Even Sears sells nothing for it. Nor will they support any email
questions, they just shuttle me back and forth between customer service

and tech support. Why the hell would they continue to sell a saw with
specs like this? Even the arbor is too short for a dado blade.
I was just too green to know what to research. The Sears site really
should include this information.
I feel sure this problem has been faced and delt with.
All suggestons appreciated.
regards, Mick \


Something you might try before you junk the miter gage:
Take a center punch and make several indentations along the side(s) of the
bar. The raised metal alongside the indentations might be just enough to
take out the slack.
There are also available miter gages with small set screws to adjust for
width of the bar. I can't recall where I saw them advertised.
Another alternative: (If you have the equipment.)
cut a thin slot (band saw blade width) down the length of the bar, (closer
to one side or the other, off center in other words) drill about 4 - 5 holes
in one (the wide) side.
tap the holes for small set screws. adjust the screws against the narrow
side so as to widen the bar.

Max

"Edwin Pawlowski" writes:


My only suggestion is to save up and buy a good contractor or cabinet saw.
Plan to spend $800+. Oh, I did start out with that same saw. Served my
needs for a year while I learned what I wanted. Get a good blade also.

Heck, I have both a Craftsman and a Unisaw. (Well, had the Unisaw. Sold
it two weeks ago as I'm moving.)

The Craftsman is in the garage for working on my bus conversion and the
Unisaw is for regular woodworking. I can't easily get stuff for the bus
conversion down into the shop and I don't need much precision for rough
plywood.

Brian Elfert