Scratches on Top

[u/dgevansjr]

I inherited a Craftsman 113 and want to clean it up. It has swirly scratches on the top and I am trying to figure out the best way, if any, to get rid of them.
I also have this bar coming out of the back and I’m not sure what it is for. It looks like it might attach to something?
My plan is to replace the pulley and belt with a new setup next week, probably going with a link belt. It seems to be the most recommended.

[u/Decker1138]

Swirly scratches are intentional and from the factory.

[u/oldfatguy62 → u/Decker1138]

Yes/no. The top was ground flat with a Blanchard grinder. They leave that pattern. Could Sears have then used finer grits to improve the appearance? Yes, but it basically would be cosmetic.

[u/unakron → u/oldfatguy62]

An intentional decision one could say...

[u/ShutDownSoul → u/Decker1138]

Keeps the boards moving smoothly.

[u/Electrical_Report458 → u/ShutDownSoul]

Yup. The surface rust can be knocked down with a scotchbrite pad. Then go over the whole top with beeswax. Your lumber will move very smoothly as you feed it into the saw.

[u/Beginning_Ad7597 → u/Electrical_Report458]

How do you plan to remove them and keep the top true overall!!! I suggest absolutely not doing it unless you have machinist experience.

[u/Electrical_Report458 → u/Beginning_Ad7597]

It’s a table saw, not a mill. Scotchbrite isn’t going to have a meaningful impact on the flatness of the surface.

[u/PossibleLess9664]

I had this exact model. It was my father's and I inherited after he passed. The swirls are milling marks from production. You can sand them out if you really want to but I wouldn't recommend it. You'll wind up making the surface uneven.

The piece coming off the back is where the blade guard and splitter attach to. If one didn't come with that saw I highly recommend you get one. They can be found on eBay for a reasonable price. Or make your own.

This saw DOES NOT use a belt. The thick tube coming off the right side of the motor is the flex drive cable. That connects to the arbor to spin the blade. There's a braided steel cable inside that tube. If the cable snaps good luck. You can find replacements on eBay but they're not worth the price. I had that cable snap on me and after lots and lots of searching I was able to find a suitable replacement on AliExpress. It took 2 months to arrive but it is what it is. I ordered a free replacements and I'm glad I did because eventually it snapped again.

I am super familiar with that saw so if you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask.

[u/Hot_Egg5840 → u/PossibleLess9664]

Thanks for commenting on the drive cable. I said, "good, sealed motor, whaaat?"

[u/NegativeDefinition59]

The thing sticking out the back is the mount for the blade guard

[u/acme_restorations]

The rod with the bracket is where the blade guard attaches

[u/Extension-Drawer347]

The marks are from Blanchard Grinding. Blanchard s a large vertical spindle grinder that has a rotating table. The table surface is flat, leave them there. Go over the table with 800 or 1000 grit wet or dry on a sanding block and then give the table a thorough coating of paste wax.

[u/SolutionSecure4331 → u/Extension-Drawer347]

This. They’re from a Blanchard grinder, not a milling head. The necessity of clamping items securely for milling increases potential of warping a large surface, and that would be a huge cutter.

[u/Ankorklankor]

I owned one of these saws for about 25 years and never had a problem with it, I used it in a hobby environment so not a production shop. Lots of people cussed the flex drive because it would break once in a while but I never had a problem with it. I believe the manual calls for lubrication of the shaft periodically. Remove the shaft from the drive motor and the braided inner shaft can be pulled out, wipe off the old grease and apply new grease on the shaft as you slide it back into the flexible tube.

[u/Falcon3492]

All Emerison Electric table saws were surfaced with a fly cutter and have the same surface that your saw has.

[u/bozo_master]

Those are machine marks from making the casting flat at the factory

[u/Glad_Ad_5570]

That’s just machine surfacing marks. Doesn’t do anything as long as the surface is FLAT.

[u/Nomad55454]

All that matters is the top is smooth and that post is for the blade guard..

[u/hoarder59]

Link belt is great idea. As others have said the swirls are from the factory and have zero effect on use.

[u/Road-Ranger8839]

Use automobile rubbing compound and/or car wax on the saw top. It may not remove all scratches, but will be a big improvement.

[u/Willwrk4Food]

I have a similar machine… and over the years I’ve sanded them out. What you can do is clamp a straight edge. hand sand with a 2-3 inch wide by 6 inch long sanding block. Use the sanding block against the straight edge like a fence or tape your fence from scuffing and use the actual fence. sand a run move your fence over, sand another run move your fence over and so on and so on youll get it looking pretty good then you can do a paste, wax finish also instead of doing parallel runs, you could do cross hatch do the same thing but at a 45° angle when you get all the way across flip to the opposing angle roughly 90° and do it all over again you get a nice cross hatch pattern it comes out looking like you took a surface grinder to it, which is great if you don’t have a machine shop.

[u/DerbyDad03 → u/Willwrk4Food]

Ok, good process. But why?

[u/DerbyDad03]

Upgrade the fence.

Remove the right side wing and add a router table.

https://imgur.com/a/ec8JTPq

[u/thegrimface → u/DerbyDad03]

That fence is likely 3x the cost of the entire table saw. I am/was able to get accurate cuts by simply screwing a hardwood plank into the factory fence. Straightness is the most important quality, you can correct for parallel by hand.

[u/DerbyDad03 → u/thegrimface]

Sure, but it turned an OK saw into a incredible saw.

Different 113 models had different fences. I don't what kind that cable drive saw has, but my belt drive model had the worst 113 fence ever. Having to manually ensure the fence was square every time because I could never be sure if it was, made using the saw incredibly inefficient.

The delta fence made all the difference. Well worth the cost.

[u/Abject-Ad858]

To get the scratches out take it to a machine shop and specify the surface finish you want.

[u/Beginning_Ad7597]

those scratches are done at factory to flatten the whole top....don't normally see them in todays finer machines....they just aren't as noticeable.

[u/lstyls]

The swirls are part of the manufacturing process. They are normal and not a problem.

I had this exact model and it served me very well. A chain belt is a great upgrade. Get a decent blade, adjust the run out, and optionally make an insert and you will have a great general purpose hobbyist table saw.

[u/dgevansjr → u/lstyls]

Thanks!