A friend recently invited me to explore an old barn.
A friend knew of my interest in working with my hands and that I appreciated the old and antique. Her mother has a barn on an old 100 acre farmstead that hasn’t been entered in some time which she herself doesn’t dare go in for fear of the raccoons and rats that have taken over the place.
So talking over lunch one day, she mentioned that there might be an old table saw in the place and it was mine if I wanted it. I accepted
Picking Up The Table Saw
We drove our truck over there on a Friday excited by the prospect of exploration. My girlfriend and I felt like those two guys on American Pickers when we pulled into the driveway. Therefore, it felt eerily like the TV show when we parked behind an older mid-western house with a gravel drive and several outbuildings.
We were led to a disused building at the back of the property. We didn’t waste any time and quickly explored the old structure. Within I was delighted to find stacks of reclaimed wood, odds and ends from a bowling alley and the table saw. Also rescued was a combination belt/disk sander which I plan to refurbish later.
We loaded up the power tools and were invited back to pick up the wood. (The wood was probably the best part of the find)
The Verdict
After getting home and a bit of investigative research on Google I discovered that I had a 1950’s era Craftsman table saw. It had a cast iron top and other than rust and dirt from sitting so long it was in functioning condition.
Importantly, the gears for blade elevation and tilt were intact. Craftsman cast the blade assembly out of aluminum and is a point of failure on these older saws.
There are a lot of these out there. Through my searches and frequent visits to the local flea market I have found several of these saws for free and some for less than $100. Though, none of the saws that I found were as in a poor condition as mine. It was exactly the project I was looking for.
Why would I want a seemingly worthless saw?
It’s all about the experience! It’s about challenging myself to learn and do something new. Besides, I have always liked working with my hands, fixing, and inventing.
I finished the project! I’ve shot all the video for the restoration. The real challenge came when I had to teach myself to edit video. It was actually quite a bit more difficult than fixing up the table saw, but everyone has to start somewhere.
So without further a do, here is the first in a few part series of the restoration.
Thanks for reading and please post your comments. I always appreciate positive feedback.
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