I do have a table-saw. There are times when its the only thing that will do and, as Wharton Eshrick once said regarding to tool selection, "if I have to use my teeth..."
While some people buy saws, this tool, more accurately, happened to me. It was purchased by a family member who gave it to me knowing that I (1) needed it badly and (2) would be a total sucker for it.
It was made in 1939 and though it has a Craftsman nameplate and flaking Craftsman blue paint, it was built by the Atlas Press Company. It was designed to work in a shop with a great spinning shaft along the ceiling and leather belts flapping down to each tool. Every part of the saw is cast iron or steel. It weighs a damn ton. It requires oil and grease to be squeezed into its gears and bearings and I feel like a train engineer. It is simple enough to be plain to me.
And so last week, feeling low, I turned to the old girl. She got a new wooden stand and a new drive belt. She had her blade checked for wobbling (definitely, lots) and her arbor flange milled flat (flater). It thrums along now well enough for me to move on to other things.
And she'll wait for the next dark mood. I'm thinking new blue paint.
