Craftsman Table Saw 21833 Review
I’ve had my Craftsman 10″ Contractor Table Saw Model 21833 (351.218330) for about a year now, and it is rock solid! I previously owned a craftsman saw that had the tabletop made out of aluminium. It was okay for the money, but wasn’t very sturdy. Frequently when I would feed plywood into the table it would tip the whole saw. My new saw has been really solid and almost a year later I can say I’m very happy with it.
Before I go any further though I have to say I have a weird myopic bias for and against Craftsman tools. I believe that Craftsman makes the worlds best hand tools. No one beats them, and the warranty they provide. Power tools on the other hand are a different story. I think as a general rule high-end Craftsman power tools are usually pretty solid, but if you get the low-end or middle models of a craftsman power tool it’s a bit of a gamble.
The table saw I purchased is the Craftsman 10″ Contractor Table Saw Model No. 351.218330. This is the second table saw I’ve owned, but I think it’s a great starter saw if you can afford it. I paid roughly $550 (on sale)for this one, and that’s not a bad price for a solid table. If you know for sure that you’re not going to use it much then save your money and go cheaper. Conversely, if you know your going to want to use it every day, then you may want to look at an even higher end saw. This saw for the money and performance was a perfect balance for what I need.
I’ll try and break down the best features of the saw as I see it:
- The saw allows for cutting at a 45″ angle. There is a blade tip wheel that allows you to easily adjust this.
- The saw includes a solid rip fence. I’ve read other review where folks weren’t too happy with the rip fence. I’ve never had any problems with it and I use mine all the time.
- The saw comes with a miter gauge that is adjustable from 30″ to 90″. I usually only use this to square up stock, but I have made a few cuts adjusting this to a 45″ angle and it was dead on.
- The saw comes with two table inserts. The first is a standard insert, and the other is a for a stacked dado blade.
- The saw comes with a REALLY nice feature for me and that is a foot lift lever on the bottom of the saw that allows it to be moved easily. The saw is on four wheels and the lever engages those wheels making easy to move.
- The saw includes a riving knife and blade guard. I have to confess I frequently remove the blade guard, it’s a little bulky, but the riving knife is great and really cuts down on kick back.
I think my biggest criticism for this saw was the initial setup of the saw. It was a nightmare! Truly a nightmare! It felt like a thousand pieces, and a couple of times it was a must to have two people flip it over and then right it. I had to adjust the rails numerous times. It was truly an afternoon, nearly all day project to put this thing together. In Craftsman’s defense I complained about his install to a friend of mine who has a large heavy-duty Rigid saw and he informed me it was the exact same headache. So I can’t necessarily blame Craftsman for this, as it appears to be a common thing. However, keep in mind if you purchase this don’t think you’ll be using it an hour after you get it home. You’ll easily spend an entire afternoon putting this thing together. Also another thing that bugs me about table saws is that they don’t include Zero Clearance plates. You can buy one over at amazon by clicking here, or check out how I made my own zero clearance plate.
Overall I really like the saw! I think it’s a solid entry, and mid level grade saw. If you’re a casual woodworker like myself I think you’ll find that it’s an excellent way to go.
I agree about with you about this saw. I’ve had mine for about 2 years now and use it a lot. The wheel system is one of the reasons I selected this saw. So easy to move on an uneven floor. I had to adjust the trunions to be (perfect).
The fence seems pretty good. The miter gauge is another story. A lot like other miter gauges..the center has a dip. I bought an Incra. Problem solved.
Very solid saw and accurate if adjusted properly.
My only issue is from what I think is a noisy bearing. Only sometimes though. Could just be me…lol
In mine that noise came from a loose pulley.
I just bought one of these saws through the local Sears as a retirement gift to myself. The price with tax was right at $605, It’s February in Wisconsin and although the temps. here warmed into the upper twenties to the low 40’s the one piece 265 pound box sat in the back of my covered unlocked truck box for a couple of weeks due to the cold weather. I was able to muscle it onto a wheeled dolly without out assistance and over the course of 2 days, in an unheated garage, I was able to put it together by myself. The four packs of screws, washers, and nuts was daunting because the m8x16 and 20 and 25 screws were all mixed together in one bag and weren’t easily discernable. This means that later today I will be removing the rail system to find three of the m8x16 screws that got inadvertently used to hold the rails on that were needed for the end brace end that the rail systems use to stabilize the rails. To be honest, I will probably go to the local hardware store and purchase the three screws. I was also not impressed with the same rail alignment directions which I am sure will need to be adjusted to be more accurate once the weather warms up.
I am replacing an older 40 or 45 year old craftsman saw that I bought for $75 in the 1980’s after the saw repeatedly overheated after a couple of cuts through pine 2 by materials which was quite frustrating. The old saw had a 1.25 horse direct drive motor with a cast center table which had a much smaller workspace than the new model. The smaller table made it difficult to control larger pieces with any sort of precision. I am hoping the new saw will eliminate some of that. The old saw also did not have the plastic safety cover or the riving knives for the blade but that never created any issues.for me. At this time I am unsure if I will be using them on the new saw. .
Thanks great review… I have one just like it and it’s rock solid.
I have often wanted a craftsman saw but, I fill good saw big price,could some one help me in making my decison I have A ryoby but I do like the way this one looks. ps this one is also biger more cutting surface.your response would be appretiated. averette100@yahoo.com
The motor could be a lot stronger. When it comes to trying to rip 2″ thick pine forget it.
Tighten the belt
We have replaced parts on this saw 4 times! Always the same part ! And every time I have to search the entire web hoping I find it .. The capacitor . Craftsman needs to recall these saws!!
Was it the start or run cap? or both? I to have a problem with it tripping the reset button with a 0.750 dado stack? Can you provide the cap part #’s?
I’m new to this site but I was searching the web for a dado insert for this particular saw and had a difficult time finding exactly what I wanted, so I thought I’d post here. I just purchased the Craftsman 21833 a couple days ago and got it put together. Before that I had a Hitachi and I wanted a saw that had better features. Anyway, if anyone could direct me to where I could buy a dado blade insert for this saw, I’d appreciate it.
I’m not sure I would recommend them, but I got mine at Harbor Freight. It was cheap and I don’t cut a lot of dado’s so I went with them. Rockler or Woodsmith have great dado stacks, but there pricey.
I have had my Craftsman saw now for about a year and I really like it. I paid about 550 the price was right. I put a Xfinity blade on and built different jigs I can do almost anything within reason. The machine and my jigs stay within tolerance for my needs even cutting 22.5 degree angles with a tenon jig. The down side was a terrible blade plate it was a piece of crap. I replaced it with a zero clearance Leeward from Amazon and all is good . I think for the price this is an OK machine of course if you have two grand then get a pro model . for me and my work I love it
Was anybody able to align the fence rails by yourself ? I have tried different times to align them by myself and can’t do it. So I’m gonna get a helper.
I have had my 21833 a little over a year now and love it. Got it for around $500 on sale. Setup was easy, Trunions are square, fence has a dip, so I am going to cut down the rails on my shop fox redrill them and use the shop fox fence. I have 7 foot rails, way to big for my reduced size shop.
I use a freud sd 208 dado set with a couple of extra inner dado blades and a freud diablo 10 X 50 for most of my general cut work. For fine work, I use a tenyru silencer 10X80 which I love. Has a ATAF grind, leaves nice sharp crisp edges.
Saw is wired for 110v and does not bog down, even when ripping. No burning, just good clean cutting. I would buy it again if I was looking for a small shop saw with good cutting abilities.
I have had mine for about 18 months, like it real well. I do have a little trouble with the fence not always being square, so if I’m doing a precise cut I always check it with a tape. The mitre guide is a joke, doesn’t fit the slot, but my old Rockwell guide works great on the Craftsman. Setup was a lot easier thne a lot of the reviews said. all in all I would recommend it for the novice, and I would do it again!