What are the four holes in the top of my Craftsman 113 Series table saw?

Question

I recently bought a used Craftsman 113 series 10” table saw. I don’t know how old it is. The model number is in one of the photos below.

The saw has four threaded holes in the cast iron top that go completely through (circles on the photo below). I found a user manual for a similar 113 series saw but there was no mention of those holes.

Any idea what the 4 holes are for? Feather boards? Clamps? What’s can I use them for and what should I not use them for?

BTW, this is my first post on the Woodworking site. Thanks!

Answer 1

The fairly comprehensive manual for this specific model does not show the holes indicated in the image. One of the later pages of the manual shows lubrication points for the mechanisms involved in tilt and height, but those points do not coincide with the holes.

It is possible that the holes are related to the manufacture of the product, perhaps involving truing/planing the bed surface or it could be that the previous owner created a custom jig which required them.

The threaded holes would create a solid, accurate and precise means of clamping a custom jig to provide for safer operation than that accomplished with "ordinary" clamping methods.