What's inside
- What Craftsman Table Saw Accessories Are Actually Worth Buying?
- Quick Picks by Situation
- Stands and Wheels: Getting a Craftsman Saw Mobile
- Blades: The Highest-Impact Upgrade
- Inserts and Throat Plates: Fit Is Everything
- Dado Sets: Does Your Saw Even Accept One?
- Safety Accessories That Punch Above Their Price
- Cross-Brand Notes: Skilsaw and Grizzly Owners
- Cost-Per-Use Math: Where the Money Actually Goes
- FAQ
- Related Guides
- What Craftsman Table Saw Accessories Are Actually Worth Buying?
- Quick Picks by Situation
- Stands and Wheels: Getting a Craftsman Saw Mobile
- Blades: The Highest-Impact Upgrade
- Inserts and Throat Plates: Fit Is Everything
- Dado Sets: Does Your Saw Even Accept One?
- Safety Accessories That Punch Above Their Price
- Cross-Brand Notes: Skilsaw and Grizzly Owners
- Cost-Per-Use Math: Where the Money Actually Goes
- FAQ
- Related Guides
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Sections
- What Craftsman Table Saw Accessories Are Actually Worth Buying?
- Quick Picks by Situation
- Stands and Wheels: Getting a Craftsman Saw Mobile
- Blades: The Highest-Impact Upgrade
- Inserts and Throat Plates: Fit Is Everything
- Dado Sets: Does Your Saw Even Accept One?
- Safety Accessories That Punch Above Their Price
- Cross-Brand Notes: Skilsaw and Grizzly Owners
- Cost-Per-Use Math: Where the Money Actually Goes
- FAQ
- Related Guides
What Craftsman Table Saw Accessories Are Actually Worth Buying?
The short answer: the best Craftsman table saw accessories for most owners are a Freud or Diablo 10-inch blade upgrade, a zero-clearance insert, a dado-compatible throat plate, and a mobile base with wheels—because Craftsman’s job-site and contractor saws almost always benefit more from fit and mobility fixes than from brand-name extras.
Craftsman table saws (the popular 10-inch job-site models like the CMXETAX69434501 and older 113/315 series contractor saws) share a lot of hardware standards, but not everything. Arbor size, throat plate dimensions, and fence rail spacing vary enough that “universal” accessories still need checking. Below, we compare stands, blades, dado inserts, and safety add-ons by fit, setup effort, and value—plus what the listings don’t tell you.
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Quick Picks by Situation
| Your situation | What to buy first | Approx. budget | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| New saw, tight garage space | Mobile base with locking wheels (e.g., Bora Portamate PM-1000) | $50–$90 | Cheaper and more stable than most folding stands; saw stays level |
| Ripping rough lumber often | Diablo 10″ 24T rip blade (D1024X) | $40–$55 | Faster feed, less motor strain on a 15-amp saw |
| Chipping plywood on crosscuts | Zero-clearance insert + Diablo 60T finish blade | $55–$85 combined | Eliminates tear-out the stock insert causes |
| Cutting dados and grooves | Freud SD208 or SD308 dado set + dado throat plate | $90–$180 | Stock plate won’t accept stacked dado width |
| Older 113-series saw, safety upgrades | Aftermarket splitter/riving knife + push blocks | $40–$120 | Older saws often ship without modern guard systems |
Stands and Wheels: Getting a Craftsman Saw Mobile
One of the most searched add-ons is wheels for a Craftsman table saw—because even the “portable” models weigh 40–60 lbs and sit awkwardly on the floor. You have three real options:
- OEM folding/rolling stands: Craftsman’s current job-site saw stand uses a quick-fold frame with 8-inch wheels. It fits only the saw it was designed for—bolt patterns aren’t cross-compatible with older models. Setup is essentially zero; attach four bolts.
- Universal mobile bases: Adjustable bases like the Bora Portamate PM-1000 or HTC 2000 expand roughly 12×12 to 36×36 inches and carry 400–500 lbs. Expect 30–60 minutes of setup and measuring your saw’s footprint. These are the best value for stationary contractor saws like the old 113 series—one caveat: extend the base wide enough or the saw can feel tippy when you raise the blade-height wheel.
- Add-on wheel kits: Bolt-on caster sets (Rockler and Shop Fox sell them) work if your saw already sits on a cabinet or leg stand. Check the caster height against your desired working height—most add 2–4 inches.
Ownership reality: swivel casters are the first thing to wear. Cheap polyurethane wheels flat-spot if the saw sits loaded in one place for months. Rubber or ball-bearing casters rated above 250 lbs each last noticeably longer.
Blades: The Highest-Impact Upgrade
The stock 10-inch blade bundled with most Craftsman saws is a thin-kerf 24T or 28T general-purpose blade—fine for framing lumber, mediocre for everything else. Swapping blades changes cut quality more than any other accessory.
| Blade | Teeth | Kerf | Best for | Market range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diablo D1024X | 24 | 0.098″ | Fast ripping to 2″ | $40–$55 |
| Diablo D1040X | 40 | 0.098″ | General purpose / combo | $35–$50 |
| Freud LU87 / Diablo D1060X | 60 | ~0.098″ | Plywood, melamine, finish crosscuts | $45–$65 |
| Forrest Woodworker II | 40 | 0.125″ (full) | Precision work on cabinet saws | $110–$140 |
Fit note: all Craftsman 10-inch saws use a 5/8-inch arbor—standard, no adapter needed. Thin-kerf blades (under 0.10″) are actually the better choice for 15-amp job-site saws, since they reduce motor load by roughly 20%. One catch: a thin-kerf blade can be narrower than your riving knife or splitter, causing the knife to bind in the cut. Measure the knife thickness (typically ~0.090″) before buying.
Inserts and Throat Plates: Fit Is Everything
A Craftsman table saw insert is one of the most model-specific accessories there is. The stock plate on current job-site saws is roughly 14″ × 4″ × 3/8″; older 113-series saws take plates around 13-5/16″ × 3-3/4″. They are not interchangeable.
- Zero-clearance inserts: The single best fix for tear-out. You raise the spinning blade through a blank plate so the slot hugs the kerf. ZCICA-style blanks and Phenolic inserts run $20–$45; some owners cut their own from 1/2″ Baltic birch in about 20 minutes.
- Dado throat plates: Required whenever the stack exceeds the ~7/16″ slot in a standard plate. Craftsman sells model-matched dado plates; aftermarket phenolic versions exist for the 113 series.
- Leveling matters: A plate that sits 1/64″ high will catch workpieces mid-cut. Most aftermarket plates include set screws—adjust until a straightedge shows flush or just a hair below table surface.
Dado Sets: Does Your Saw Even Accept One?
Most current Craftsman 10-inch saws accept stacked dado sets up to 13/16″ wide; many older 113-series contractor saws top out near that too. Before buying, check two numbers: maximum dado width (in the manual) and arbor length—you need roughly 1-1/2″ of usable arbor to seat an 8″ dado stack plus the nut.
Two reliable picks:
- Freud SD208 (8″, 2-blade + chippers): ~$90–$110, cuts flat-bottomed dados to 13/16″. Excellent value.
- Freud SD308 / Diablo DD208H: ~$150–$200, cleaner chip-free bottoms for visible joinery.
Common mistake: stacking chipper blades next to each other without an outside blade—always bookend chippers between the two outer blades, or the teeth foul each other.
Safety Accessories That Punch Above Their Price
- Push blocks and push sticks: Microjig GRR-RIPPER ($60–$80) grips both sides of the blade and keeps hands clear on narrow rips—worth it if you rip anything under 2″ wide.
- Featherboards: Magnetic (Magswitch) or T-track featherboards hold stock against the fence; $25–$60 and prevent most kickback scenarios from wandering stock.
- Splitter/riving knife for older saws: Many 315/113-series saws lack a riving knife entirely. Aftermarket splitters (e.g., the MICROJIG splitter kits or Leecraft inserts with integrated splitters) retrofit for $30–$70 and are the single most important safety add for a vintage Craftsman.
Cross-Brand Notes: Skilsaw and Grizzly Owners
If you’re comparing Skilsaw table saw accessories or Grizzly table saw accessories, the overlap is real but imperfect. Skilsaw’s worm-drive SPT99 saw uses a standard 5/8″ arbor and common 10″ blades, but its throat plate is proprietary—Skill saw table saw inserts won’t swap into a Craftsman. Grizzly cabinet and hybrid saws, being heavier 5/8″-arbor machines, share blade, dado, and push-block compatibility fully; stands and inserts never cross over. When in doubt, match by arbor size (blades) and plate dimensions in mm (inserts), not by brand.
Cost-Per-Use Math: Where the Money Actually Goes
A quick worked example for a weekend woodworker making ~500 crosscuts/year:
- Diablo 60T blade at ~$50, sharpenable 2–3 times at ~$20 each → roughly 4–5 years of service → ~$25/year
- Zero-clearance insert at $35, replaced every 2–3 years as the slot widens → ~$15/year
- Mobile base at $80, lasts the life of the saw → <$8/year
Compare that to a $180 dado set used twice a year for one shelving project—fine to buy, but only after the blade and insert, which you’ll touch every single session.
FAQ
Will Ryobi or DeWalt accessories fit a Craftsman table saw?
Blades and dado sets yes (all use 5/8″ arbors); throat plates, stands, and fences almost never fit across brands—always match plate dimensions.
Do I need a thin-kerf blade?
For 15-amp job-site Craftsman saws, yes—thin kerf reduces bog-down on hardwood rips. Just confirm your riving knife is thinner than the kerf.
What’s the first accessory to buy for a used 113-series saw?
A splitter and a fresh blade. Most used 113s arrive with a dull original blade and no modern kickback protection, and those two fixes run under $100 combined.
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