My $12 welder's magnet fixed a 30 year old table saw fence that two shops quoted me $200 to look at
The fence on my dad's old Craftsman table saw drifted about 1/16 inch on every long rip cut, and a shop in Akron quoted me $200 just to look at it. I stuck a $12 magnetic angle block on the rail, slid the fence against it, and realized the whole thing was just flexing because one bolt was loose and the other was stripped. Replaced both with grade 8 hardware from the hardware store and it cuts dead square now. Anyone else find a cheap fix that outlasted the fancy solution?
Man that shop quote thing hits home, I had almost the same deal with an old bandsaw where they wanted a couple hundred just to look at it and it turned out the whole problem was a worn out belt and one pulley that needed tightening. Feels so good when you pop the cover off and see the actual issue right there instead of paying somebody to poke around for a week. Honestly half the time these old tools just need new bolts or a good cleaning and people act like they're junk. Good on you for not tossing your dad's saw, those old Craftsman fences are solid once you get them dialed in.