Any advice on buying used table saws

[ndru]

Hi

One of SWMBO's friends recently told her that her father wants to sell a table saw for about $400 (SWMBO does have her uses!). I'm pretty short on details at the moment - I'm seeing the friend this weekend and will ask some more questions.

The only thing I know at the moment is that it is 3-phase (not a problem) and has a cast iron table. The motor has been taken out (don't know why) but will be put back in and apparently works OK. Apparently the father will throw in 3 blades (don't know what type). It sounds like a beast as it requires a block and tackle to move it. My guess is that it is an old (20-30 years) industrial cabinet saw. It sounds attractive even if I have to buy a third party fence system, splitter, mitre guages, etc. However I think that a bad motor, cracked castings or stuffed arbor bearings would mean it is a write-off and not worth it.

Does anyone out there have any general advice on what to look for or ask about re a used table saw (eg condition of the trunnion castings, arbor movement, table flatness, motor)? What sort of tools should I take (eg straight edge, dial caliper for measuring runout, flash light).

Any tips from those with horror stories would be useful, too.

Thanks in advance!
;)

[MOM]

One thing to bear in mind is the cost of transporting the beast. When I moved house (only across the road), conventional removalists would not touch my 500kg combination machine. Eventually I had to use the services of safe removalists. Their machinery and manpower (built like brick ----houses) made the job look easy - well, not easy really, but it certainly was very competently done. But it was not cheap. At least if you buy a new machine, delivery is the problem of the supplier, even if you have to pay for it.

I can't help on the nitty gritty of what to look out for when buying, but if you find that the minuses on the deal are beginning to stack up against you, then the moving cost might be the last straw.

MOM

[peter mikk]

it is impossible to comment on that particular saw, but generally bearings are very cheap, about $2 to $10 ea. depending on size. providing the shaft is not damaged, replacment is a relatively quick job.
3 phase motors are very cheap second hand don't pay more than $20 per Hp. second hand.
when looking at second hand machinery obviously check the castings, but have a look at all the threads and handles etc. does the rise and fall work, blade tilt, fence lock etc. these are the things that can be expensive to rectify.
transport, crane trucks are the go for heavy machines, and get them to drop the machine on some pipes so that you can move it into position. I had a truck recently travel 160km. at a cost of $160.00 beats mucking around yourself. ( backload)

If the machine is an quaility machine, no matter what its age the price sounds good. as long as a butcher hasen't been tightening everything up with a 6 ft. bar.