Woodro

I have the Sears Craftsman 10" Model number 113.298030 and before my Dad passed away he had put a really nice fence on it. I'm a beginner and have been watching some setup videos on blade alignment and I think my saw needs a little adjusting.

I don't have a manual for it. I have cleaned the guides tracks with a wire brush wheel and sandpaper and got rid of all the rust but the miter still sticks toward the ends as the miter is pushed all the way through. I'm considering filing on the guide track in places.

Also I'd like to be able to adjust the blade, I have a thin curf 40 tooth that cuts great except that the wood does have a few marks. From the articles I've read, I think they are do to either the outfeed side of the blade or the thin curf blade I'm using.

What would ya'll suggest I do. Thanks for the help, I'm such newbie at this stuff I don't know where to go. This forum looked like a good place to start.

raskgle

The first thing and the eazy way is to use wax on surface before a file. check the dividing knive for alinement where wood comes from saw blade, the divider should be about 10 thousands closer to the fence this should stop blade cut on edge of wood and prevent kick back. Always make all adjustments from matter gruve hope this helps.

Woodro

Do you have a dividing knife you could recommend that would fit this style saw? I'll also try the wax, thanks for the tip. I don't have a manual for this old saw. Do you know if it is made to have the blade adjusted at all?

user4178

This is the closest in a model number that I could find for you in a manual. http://www.owwm.com/files/PDF/Craftsman/113.298142.pdf

knotscott

That's an Emerson American made saw that has very similar guts to the current Ridgid saws. It should have very similar adjustments to the Ridgid. This link should take you to the Ridgid 3660...click on the book icon for the manual, which should explain the alignment process, but note that your saw will not have the cam level to help move the trunnions...you'll need to do with using some persuasion.

The Ridgid blade guard and splitter might fit too, but I'm not sure. Ebay may have something that's a direct part for you saw.

jbonamici

Take a piece of scrap that fits your miter slot, put some 220 or finer emery paper around it (you might need to plane the wood slightly) and run it up and down the slot. Then wipe it out real well with wd40, and when that's dry, run some beeswax down the slot. Treat the miter gauge the same way. That should smooth things out.

Woodro

Thank you for the helpful info, I'll give this a try this weekend. I'm anxious to see how well this saw will cut.

I've got a 40 tooth thin curf on it now and I'm looking to buy a different blade. The current one I think it flexes a little but I won't be able to prove it till I get the saw squared up or at least go through it and check it all out to verify that it is set correctly.

What are some of your favorite blades 3?, 40's and 100's

knotscott

I've tried quite a few....TKs and full kerf. It's unusual for a high quality TK to flex if the stock is milled flat and square first unless there's excessive runout in the arbor or blade itself. There are far more high quality 80T blades available than 100T. Here's a link to some of the blades I've used and rated.

The best choice for you depends on what you cut and what you expect. I'd encourage you to stick with the best quality you can afford...sale prices can take alot of the sting out of the price. If I had to narrow my collection down to two blades, I'd lean heavily towards a 30T Forrest WWII thin kerf and an Infinity 60T 010-060 Hi-ATB blade. The 30T Forrest cuts with the ease of a 24T blade but leaves a much cleaner cut...it's very difficult to tell the cuts apart from the 40T WWII, but it cuts through thick wood more easily. The Infinity's Hi-ATB grind slices through fine veneers, plywood, or hardwoods comparably to most good 80T blades, but it's versatile enough to rip well through hardwoods up to ~ 5/4", so you can actually leave it in the saw for many general purpose type tasks requiring ultra clean cuts. Both of these blades leave a glue ready edge, very little burning, easy feedrates, but have different strengths...the combination should provide excellent performance for just about any application you'll encounter using wood or sheetgoods. Amazon puts the 30T WWII on sale occasionally for as low as $59 shipped. Infinity gets ~ $70 for the 010-060....they offer 10% off to Woodnet members using WDNET10 in the comments field.

Woodro

Well thanks for the info on the blades, great info! Now another issue pops up with my saw.

The blade moves about .007 if I have the dial indicator zeroed and turn the bade through. Also I took the belt off the arbor pully and pushed against the shaft longitudinally and moved it 5 to .007

Is this fixable or time for a new saw. I really want to buy a new saw, just trying to justify the 13 to 1700 for a cabinet vs 400 for a delta contractor saw. I've got the Vega 26" Utility fence that could be taken off and mounted to a Delta Contractor saw or will I just be frustrated with the way they cut too and ended up wanting to upgrade again.

Right now there is nothing more frustrating to me than to go out to the shop and spending hours waisted, trying to build my woodworking skills only to be foiled by my saw not being able to cut straight.

knotscott

Sounds like runout of the arbor shaft or flange. The whole arbor shaft assembly is replaceable, though I don't know how tough of a job it is. There should be some info on the Ridgid forum that outlines how to do it.