Any Craftsman Radial Arm Saw Owners (past or present) Out There?

[minuteman62-64]

This is kind of a long shot and, yeah, I know it's a dinasour and a limb taker, but I've had it since 1972, it was my first power tool, and I'm kind of attached to it. It's a Craftsman 10-inch Accra-Arm Radial Saw, Model No. 113.29460.

It's done yeoman work for me over the years, but one thing has always bugged me. I can align it perfectly for cross cutting, but it is just a whisker off when I turn the yoke to the in-rip position. I can work with that. However, if I turn the yoke to the out-rip position the blade is measurably off from being 90 degrees to the table. Worse, if I rotate the blade so it is in the position where it is supposed to be parallel to the table, it is way off (maybe 1/8 inch over a 10" blade) from being so.

Awhile back I took it apart to do some measuring/diagnosis and determined that there is (I think) a problem with the Carriage Assembly casting (Part #13 on attached drawing). The machined surfaces where the Carriage Bearings (Part #12) are attached are not parallel to the machined bottom part of the Carriage Assembly where it mates with the Yoke Assembly (Part #50).

Now that I'm retired and have some time, out of respect for my old friend, I'd like to fix it. I think I can hand scrape the portion of the bottom of the Carriage Assembly that mates with the Yoke Assembly so it is parallel with the top surfaces. However, I don't want to make things worse through ignorance.

Anybody have any experiance with this model, or a similar problem? Or thoughts? I'd go on one of the metal working sites, but their advice usually starts something like "make a couple of rought passes with your mill ...... ", which I don't have.

Appreciate any input/comments.

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Any Craftsman Radial Arm Saw Owners (past or present) Out There?

I've never had any problems with my 80's model.... might be worth it to check w sears.... it's a long shot but, ya never know, might still be able to get that part

 

[minuteman62-64]

Re: Any Craftsman Radial Arm Saw Owners (past or present) Out There?

I've never had any problems with my 80's model.... might be worth it to check w sears.... it's a long shot but, ya never know, might still be able to get that part

Yeah, I looked at the on-line parts catalogue - it's a "Sorry, this part is no longer available."

 

[Tim Frank]

Re: Any Craftsman Radial Arm Saw Owners (past or present) Out There?

That is actually a fairly new Accra Arm.....mine is about 15 years older....

Cross cutting is those saws' bread and butter....ripping on a radial arm saw is something that you are doing because you don't know any better....or you do know better, but are just too stubborn to use a panel saw, as God intended....

If you are intent on using that saw to rip, there is at least one serious reference work that will get you where you need to be.

http://joneakes.com/jons-fixit-database/1747-Set-up-tips-for-your-Radial-Arm-Saw

I have yet to see a retail unit that adjusts satisfactorily on the integral stops. There is always more adjustment required to get the saw cutting the way the owner hopes.

 

[Fishing Dude too]

Re: Any Craftsman Radial Arm Saw Owners (past or present) Out There?

I will tell you that radial arm saws are netorious for being off

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Any Craftsman Radial Arm Saw Owners (past or present) Out There?

fwiw I used mine to rip treated 4x6's to finish size and match deadrise angle for the new stringers in my old carver 2667... great tool.

 

[Tim Frank]

Re: Any Craftsman Radial Arm Saw Owners (past or present) Out There?

fwiw I used mine to rip treated 4x6's to finish size and match deadrise angle for the new stringers in my old carver 2667... great tool.

Great tools? Absolutely!!
But compared to a table saw, the kick-back from a radial arm saw when ripping is legendary....scary....and often leaves seriously sore body parts...or worse.

If you have any amount of rip cutting to do, I would still say a table saw is the way to go.

 

[joewithaboat]

Re: Any Craftsman Radial Arm Saw Owners (past or present) Out There?

Radial arm saws are great when you need them...
I have seen more folks get in trouble with a radial arm saws than anything else. No one is allowed to use the one in my shop. Not worth the liability. In the off chance that we need it for something, I use it. The biggest problem arises when the wrong type blade is put on one.
My Father had one of those old cast iron craftsman. He also had to fiddle with it to get it right, it cut beautifully after he did.

 

[levittownnick]

Re: Any Craftsman Radial Arm Saw Owners (past or present) Out There?

I have one that dates from the sixties or early seventies (I have the paperwork but not with me at the moment.). I was never able to get it just right. I attribute the basic problem to a sheet metal base that supports a large cast iron cantilever that is further compounded by the forces of cutting. That being said, it still has a place in my home work shop. Where practical, I use a cast iron table saw.

 

[minuteman62-64]

Re: Any Craftsman Radial Arm Saw Owners (past or present) Out There?

Appreciate the comments on alignment - particularly the link - I hadn't seen that one before. My thinking is that having a warped/poorly machined casting makes the problem worse, and a fix would be a positive step. Participating in this thread has given me another idea - I'll start looking at Craig's List to see if any show up that I could use for parts.

Well aware of the ripping issues. When possible I do my ripping on a pair of horses, with a circular saw and edge guides - and get excellent results. Can't always do that, so, back to the radial arm. When I do, I use all the saws guards/stops/etc. plus feather boards, and armor up and maintain a position either behind the rip fence when starting the cut (as a lefty its easy to assume that position on an in-rip, where I do most of the ripping) or in the pulling mode. Nevertheless, I've had a couple of awesome kickbacks over the years, but, because of my pushing position the projectiles sailed by well to my left and slammed into my garage wall.

Just 3 weeks ago a friend of mine almost tore his thumb of while trying to rip narrow pieces on his cast iron table saw (kickback), so no matter what tool is used you need to be heads up at all times.

 

[minuteman62-64]

Re: Any Craftsman Radial Arm Saw Owners (past or present) Out There?

OK, forget Craig's List. In my area radial arm saws are running $125 - $200, regardless of age. Some way older than mine. Not cost effective for parts

 

[Tim Frank]

Re: Any Craftsman Radial Arm Saw Owners (past or present) Out There?

Try here....

http://vintagemachinery.org/

 

[Bamaman1]

Re: Any Craftsman Radial Arm Saw Owners (past or present) Out There?

It's a little unclear what you're saying. If your saw is inaccurate when ripping, I would think there are some adjustments on the saw.

My relative was a sign painter in El Segundo, and he used a saw like you have every day, all day long. He was mainly cutting plexiglass and plastic sheets. His saw was not flat on a table, but had the front end elevated so the materials would slide back and stay on the fence. Come to think about it, but the big panel saws at Home Depot are also slanted--to get the materials to lay better.

Surely there's a rational reason why your cut is not as you like it.

 

[minuteman62-64]

Re: Any Craftsman Radial Arm Saw Owners (past or present) Out There?

Maybe this better illustrates what I want to fix.

Here's a shot of the Carriage Assembly (#1 on attached photo) and Yoke Assembly (#2) locked together in operating position. The distance between the machined surface where the tape is attached on the Carriage Assembly (#1) and the machined surface on the Yoke Assembly below (#2) is almost 3/64" greater than the corresponding measurement at the diagonally opposite corner. The measurements should be essentially equal at all four corners.

Result is that, although the blade can be aligned in the position shown, when the Yoke assembly is rotated 90 degrees in either direction, it moves out of alignment.

 

[rbh]

Re: Any Craftsman Radial Arm Saw Owners (past or present) Out There?

In you schematic #1 is the degree indexer, right??, this is were the issue is???
Could it be out of alighnment somehow?

 

[minuteman62-64]

Re: Any Craftsman Radial Arm Saw Owners (past or present) Out There?

In you schematic #1 is the degree indexer, right??, this is were the issue is???
Could it be out of alighnment somehow?

Yes, its where the problem is and no, it is not the degree indexer. #1 is the casting that mates the motor and blade to the arm. Four wheels mount to the raised machined surfaces on the top and those wheels ride on tracks on the arm. The yoke/motor/blade are clamped to the bottom of that casting, and rotate on it, between the crosscut and rip positions.

The problem is that the upper and lower machined surfaces on #1, that are supposed to be parallel, are not parallel. The error gets magnified as you move down about 6" to plane of the spindle, out about 2" to where the blade mounts on the spindle and then down another 5" to the blade teeth where they meet the table.