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["Don Bowen" <don.bowen AT earthlink.net>]

Craftsman tools have been on a slide downwards for the last 20 years or so.
They have joined the rush to the bottom.  Mechanics hand tools are still
good but power tools are not.  

I restored a 30 year old Craftsman table saw last winter and it was a good
saw until I made a supper deal on a barely used Delta Contractors saw.  I
gave the Craftsman to my son.

At the time I bought the Delta I also picked up a Craftsman 4 in jointer
from the early 50s for $20.  It is a good solid unit and everything is still
square.  Later I stumbled across a 12 in bandsaw from the same era, a little
paint and new guides and it is good as new.  Power tools from that time were
made by King Seely, a subsidiary of General Motors that utilized excess GM
plants and labor left over from war production.  High quality stuff.  I have
a Craftsman bench drill press from the late 30s or early 40s.  Heavy
castings and good quill bearings make it a top quality drill press, only it
is too heavy for me to lift up on the bench.

I also have a Craftsman 6 in. joiner from the early 70s, still good quality,
as good as the Delta I bought new in the early 90s with a better infeed
table adjustment mechanism.

Don Bowen  KI6DIU
New ruralize pages, follow the link off http://www.ruralize.com
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