Old WoodWorking Machinery

Old woodworking machines offer a great deal of utility for not much money. Over the years I acquired several:

The 1958 Delta 900 Radial Arm Saw(3rd & 4th from top) is my best buy so far. Picked up from Craigs list $35 to use as a dedicated dado machine when I had to fabricate door jams to hang our fir doors.

Despite noisy bearings, it handled that job & several others well, but eventually the blade began to wobble & the bearings developed a grinding noise. I dis-assembled the motor, installed new bearings ($20) & repainted the saw with some Benjamin Moore Industrial Machinery paint ($5 at the Habitat Re-Store), so now it is a $60 saw. When I replace the table, I will still have less than $100 in this Articulated Turret Saw.

The top 2 pics show my 1948 12" Red Star Radial Arm Saw. At $250 it is my most expensive used machine but it was newly cleaned, rewired & repainted, so almost a new saw.

Red Star produced their line of Radial arm saws until 1948 when Delta bought the company. Their Multiplex saws were more versatile than any other RAS, but had some features that were expensive to manufacture and a name like "RED STAR" was a handicap when the cold war began.

Delta continued to produce the Multiplex line unchanged except for adding a Delta decal. Later Delta redesigned their RAS, changing to a fixed turret mount and adopted a different bearing system for the saw head. They soon dropped the 9" & 10" saws, but the 12" & bigger models are still available today. They are often found in commercial shops but rare in home shops.

The bottom picture shows my 80's era General 6" jointer. I own a General 10" Table saw that is impressive in its quality, accuracy & durability, so I was quick to buy this machine when I found it for $150 on Craigs list. It has a new motor, is usable as is but needs a tear down for cleaning & repainting.

Back in the 80's I picked up a Sears 12" Bandsaw and a Shopsmith Model 10ER, for $150 each. I will add some pics of them later.