This month: a look at a home-shop favorite since the 1930s; whatever happened to Bingham’s Best Brands?
The questions posed in this month’s issue, though dealing with three different machines, all have one thing in common: Each asks for information on where and how to sell the equipment concerned. As my advice is the same for each, I’ll end the column with a generic answer.
the delta no. 860 is one of the most commonly encountered antique saws in home shops.
Finding parts for Delta No. 860
Q: I have in my shop a Delta Milwaukee Homecraft table saw that has been in the family since it was purchased new. Recently we moved and my new shop is downsized considerably. I need to sell the old saw. It is still in good shape and works perfectly. I need to keep my larger table saw as it fits my needs better and I only have room for one table saw. If you could give me any further information on its worth and possibly how to sell it, I would appreciate it very much.
A: Your table saw appears to be a Delta No. 860 without the optional table extension. The “860” was described in great detail in “Some Home Shop Classics,” Woodcraft Magazine, Vol. 1 No. 1 (Jan. 2005) and in the last issue’s column. It’s worth about $30-$50.
Q: I have an old Craftsman table saw, Model No. 102.0213. I would like to know when this was built, what it is worth, and where to sell it. This saw is in good working condition. I would appreciate any help you can give me.
A: Your Model “80” Table saw was originally built for Sears, Roebuck & Co.’s well known Craftsman line of woodworking machinery by the famous Walker-Turner Co. (Est. 1928) of Plainfield, N.J. Walker-Turner was only one of many original equipment manufacturers for Sears.
The “80” dates to the mid-1940s and is prominently featured in Craftsman’s 1949 Power Tools Catalog. However, it does not appear in the 1950 Catalog.
“Woodworkers, model makers, patternmakers, building maintenance men, home craftsmen!” states the catalog. “Here is the ideal saw for you men who want a sturdy, accurate tool. The Craftsman 8-inch tilting table bench saw meets the most rigid demands of amateur and professional craftsmen and industrial shops. It’s big, rugged...a real brute of a tool. Heavy duty, too! It has the famous Craftsman quality in every detail. And it’s priced so you can afford it. You’ll agree it’s an outstanding tilting table bench saw! Just the one you need for your work and your workshop.”
The saw had a 21/2" depth-of-cut, and dadoes 11/2" deep and 9/16" wide could be made. Boards up to 2" wide could be crosscut and mitered.
The 151/4" x 183/16" heavy cast iron table was ribbed for added strength and ground smooth and polished. A miter groove was machined on both sides of the blade and there was a removable dado insert.
The table tilted via a hand wheel up to 45 degrees on oversized double trunnions fastened to a cast iron base and was secured by a self-locking screw. If desired, the table could also be locked manually. A gauge showed the angle. The 1/2" arbor ran in two precision high-speed ball bearings.
The “88” was listed at $62.50 (about $500 in today’s dollars) which included blade, machine pulley, cast iron rip fence, splitter, automatic guard with anti-kickback pawls, and miter gauge with stop rods for repetitive cuts. When equipped with the recommended ½-hp, 3,450 rpm motor, the price jumped to $93.50 ($700).
A special option your saw possessed was the table extension set available at $14.95 ($120). The two ground and polished cast iron front extensions (with miter grooves) and the two stamped-steel side extensions increased the working surface to 26" x 233/4". It gave an additional 59/16" ahead of the saw blade for wider crosscutting. The required rear support bar and all the necessary bolts and fittings were included.
Though clearly an expensive saw at one time, its present value is about $100.
Q: I bought a DeWalt radial arm saw in Chicago for general carpentry. My hobby was building and flying model airplanes. In those days, the wood of choice was balsa wood. I used the DeWalt to cut out ribs and dado the slots in the wing ribs for the spars. I also built furniture with it. The saw has an inlet in the guard over the blade to suck sawdust, but there was no explanation on how to use the outlet. The saw was sold as an all-purpose tool and it has some accessories such as a sanding disc and a jig saw attachment. The lower cabinet is not useless as in modern saws, but has a locking door which allows for storage of anything involved with the saw. The saw was before Norm Abram, so in my ignorance, I used it for everything Norm says is the domain of the table saw. It can even do router work to some extent. Everything still works, but the motor is probably about ½ hp, and feed into the blade must be slow. The only thing better is the turret head Delta Radial Arm.
It is still my main tool, but I would rather have a 12" Delta radial arm except for the price. This saw cost me around $300 in 1952 or ’53 – I can’t remember. Is it worth anything? Can I trade it for a Delta 12" Turret Radial Arm Saw? I’m not real sure I’d part with it.
A: Based on your description and the photo submitted you own a DeWalt Power Shop Model MBC 9" radial arm saw which was equipped with a 1/2-hp motor. The similar Model MBE came with a 3/4-hp motor.
DeWalt’s custom-built motors with their flat-bottomed housings enabled the motor to move closer to the table, allowing for a cut deeper than that on standard direct-drive motors. At the time, the MBC and MBE were the only 9" saws capable of a 21/2" depth-of-cut. This was especially handy when working with a 6" dado head since it gave more room and better visibility.
A measuring scale on the right side of the semi-steel arm gave an instant readout for in-rip and out-rip, while a calibrated scale on the electro-plated column automatically gave the angle of the arm, which could move a full 360 degrees. The heat-treated aluminum yoke carrying the motor swiveled a full 360 degrees with automatic locks at 90-degree intervals. The motor could be tilted to allow for compound angles and bevel cuts. The carriage moved on grease-packed, shielded ball bearings.
A 1953 brochure stated the saw could perform 18 different operations with a saw blade, 14 with a dado head, six with a molding head, six with a sanding disk, and six as a drill; plus it could act as a router and surface, grind, and cut metal.
Attachments consisted of a jigsaw, a lathe and a belt sander.
The jigsaw had a 16" throat and would cut material up to 2" thick. It fastened quickly and firmly to the saw table with thumb screws and was driven by a belted pulley, taking its power from the saw motor. The lathe had a ball bearing tail stock and took its power directly from the motor. Turnings up to 36" long could be done. The 3" sander, belt-driven from the motor, had a working surface 291/2" long.
The steel cabinet was optional for all the MB models.
A March 15, 1953, price sheet lists the MBC at $229, the 8" disc at $8.70, the jigsaw at $43.50, the lathe at $43.50, and the belt sander at $23.30. The $300 you spent in 1952 is about the equivalent of $2,400 today. DeWalts always were pricey.
The port on the saw was meant to be joined by a flexible coupling to the shop’s dust system.
Since your saw and its attachments are worth roughly $150-$200 it is very unlikely you can work out a trade for a Delta 12" radial arm saw, which now lists at $1600-$1800.
Now, as to selling old machines, the following applies to all three of the questions above.
Unfortunately, there is no magic formula for selling vintage woodworking machinery. The obvious ways are still the best ways. If your machines were the more expensive, more sought-after production models, it would pay to run an advertisement in a woodworking magazine offering classified ads. However, in most cases the values of the machines discussed above would nearly equal the price of such an ad. I’d suggest running an ad in the local newspaper or simply pinning a notice on a community bulletin board. Set them out at your next yard sale.
The sites eBay and oldwwmachines.com are excellent places to buy and sell equipment.
A good reference for would-be buyers and sellers is the annual Schroeder’s Antiques Price Guide edited by Sharon and Bob Huxford of Collector Books, a division of Schroeder’s Publishing Co., Inc., Paducah, Ky. The book identifies and values over 50,000 antiques in some 500 categories. There is a section on woodworking machinery. Prices are given for both industrial and hobbyist equipment ranging from 1876 to the 1950s. The well- known guide is Collector Books’ best seller.
Dana Martin Batory
Formerly a geologist, Dana Martin Batory is a cabinetmaker who runs a one-man shop (filled with antique machines) in Crestline, Ohio. He is the author of “Vintage Woodworking Machinery: An Illustrated Guide to Four Manufacturers, Volume II” published by Astragal Press.
