My father, long ago deceased, had a 12 inch craftsman table saw. It has been in storage for about 15 years. Today I picked it up, as I finally have a use for it.

Odd thing is that the saw shaft had a 10 inch blade installed on it. The 10 inch blade mounting hole matched the diameter of the shaft. The 12 inch blades I purchased, as well as all 12 inch blades I saw at the store, have a wider diameter hole, so they will not fit cleanly on the shaft.

I matched the part number of the motor to the parts diagram, so I know that a 10 inch motor wasnt installed as a replacement. Sears doesnt seem to know of any collar that will allow for the use of a 12 inch blade. Any ideas how the hell I am supposed to make 12 inch blades work? It is possible the standard has changed in 20+ years and now 12 inch blades have a larger diameter for the mounting hole than the old blades?

6/13/2009 7:58:20 PM

a)10" is the more common size, why not just use a 10"?

b) If you absolutely need to use a 12" blade, call some place like Capital Lumber, Woodcraft, etc. They'll know what they're talking about. Asking someone at sears about woodworking equipment is like asking someone at circuit city or bb about... well just about anything. They know the very basic stuff.

FYI: The hole you're referring to is the "arbor hole." 12" blades typically have a 1" arbor, smaller blades have a 5/8"


* have you used a table saw much in the past? Or have you had someone show you what to do, or more importantly, what not to do? I'm not trying to be a smart ass or anything like that, but people lose fingers, thumbs, etc. from very simple mistakes. And the wood kicking back can be just as, if not more dangerous than the blade itself.

[Edited on June 13, 2009 at 8:30 PM. Reason : s]

6/13/2009 8:22:01 PM

My friend actually has some very large stuff to cut that would be better with the 12 inch blade than the 10. Its not the end of the world. Its more of a mystery to me why the shaft fits the 'arbor' hole of a 10 inch blade, when the saw is rated for a 12" blade.

I did a decent amount of work with a table saw when I was in middle school with my dad. I cant say that I remember all the tips and tricks, but I'll be working with my friend who knows the do's and dont's.

I called wood workers supply and they had no idea what I was talking about. I went to sears and one guy seemed to remember a bushing to allow a 12 inch blade on a 10 inch shaft, but he couldnt find any parts on the shelf.

6/13/2009 8:32:23 PM

good, I just wanted to make sure it wasn't a situation where you just happened to have your dad's saw and were going to "give it a go." I would have offered to show you some basic stuff just for the sake of avoiding serious injury.

It is odd. I'm assuming it says "12 (inch)" on it somewhere?

It's possible that at one time, 12" blades could fit a 5/8 arbor. But i've never seen any that size. And I've worked with some old equipment.

They definitely make arbor adapters for other tools, routers, etc. So you may be able to get one.

I would try woodcraft, capital city lumber, or The Woodworking Shop on cptl. blvd. The guys at those stores have always been helpful imo.

[Edited on June 13, 2009 at 8:45 PM. Reason : .]

6/13/2009 8:44:17 PM

I actually did some googling, and it looks like you can buy some 12 " blades with a 5/8" arbor. I appreciate the help. Managed to come up with some sort of solution.

6/13/2009 8:50:38 PM

awesome. I was just about to let you know that I've cut a bunch of stuff that was real thick with 8 and 10" blades.

I'm not really sure what the project is, but you may be better of re-sawing the boards and surfacing them anyway if they're not going to end up being that thick in the end.

6/13/2009 8:57:18 PM

This will be a mantle piece from a cut down pine that was rough milled, then planed down. Its big and thick. Im not entirely sure why he needs the 12" saw blade, but he seems pretty confident it would make a big difference. He is right 90% of the time for stuff like this, so I dont bother questioning him anymore.

6/13/2009 9:05:41 PM

gotcha. Yeah, it may save him the trouble of re-surfacing the boards if it can cut all the way through.

Take some pics if you can, I'd love to see what he does with it.

6/13/2009 9:21:54 PM