Old Central Machinery Part Needed

[Tunaman]

New member so if this is in the wrong place I apologize.
Had an old 10" Central Machinery table saw given to me. MODEL T 36727. Saw is in great shape, runs perfect. However there is no rip fence. I made one from wood that I clamp on where I want it. The thing is better than nothing but not a lot!! A royal pain to set up square and straight. Would anyone have any idea where I may be able to find one? I'm fairly experienced in searching the internet but so far no luck.
Thanks for any help. Don

[twistsol]

You probably already know, Central Machinery tools were sold by Harbor Freight tools and if you are looking to buy a new fence, I've found that their parts department 1-800-444-3353 is quite helpful, assuming parts are still available. eBay and Craigslist will be much like waiting for a unicorn to pass by, but with enough time an diligence you may find one.

There are third party options as well. typically the fences that come with lower end table saws are serviceable, but not great, so finding an OEM fence may make your free saw only adequate. I personally use the Incra fence.

• The INCRA TS/LS fence is an outstanding option and starts at around $500 which is a tough pill to swallow for a free saw.
• Shopfox, Vega, and Delta all have fences on Amazon that may fit, or can be made to fit and they start in the $200 range.

[Tunaman]

My free saw is more than adequate for me. I only use it if I want to rip out something in a quantity. For angle cuts ain any quantity I by far prefer my Radial (I know thats a dirty word today) or a chop saw. When ripping a 2-3 foot piece or two the Radial is fine, if you use your head it's perfectly safe.I have looked at rip sleds and plans for making them for the table saw and I just can't imagine using one when I have a great radial and a good enough chop saw. I was hoping someone might have an old Central Machinery rip fence laying around. Thanks for your help.

[LCHIEN]

unfortunately lower end table saws tend to have unique rip fence arrangements rather than standard rip fences that will fit all saws. Probably because the mechanisms to implement good rip fences are rather costly to make... so low end saws tend to have built in rails that are part of the table. THus the rip fence is proprietary solution that fits those rails.
Your more expensive higher end saws tend to have expensive separate rails of custom length, and the fences like Biesemeyer cost $250, as much as some cheap saws.
Harbor freight tends to go through models frequently, buying then from small cheap OEMs and house labeling then Central Machinery. So parts continuity is one thing you lose when when buying HF. You pay more for name brands but you get a more continuous parts and support system.

[dbhost]

Had to google that one. Looks like a generic contracctor saw on an enclsoed simple base. My suggestion would be to keep your eyes peeled on Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist etc... and just keep an eye open for someone parting out or selling ultra cheap an old Craftsman / Generic / Rigid / Delta whatever. They don't come up often here but I do see them from time to time. As long as the bones are solid that Central Machinery saw could be a pretty good work horse for not a lot of money.... or keep checking the woodworking forums like this. Lots of folks upgrading basic fences for upgrades and selling the originals cheap.... Just comes and goes so persistence is key.