Sears Craftsman 10 inch radial saw - Woodworking Talk

TheRecklessOne · 10-06-2008, 12:02 AM

I picked up a very ugly craftsman 10 inch radial arm saw someone was selling on craigslist for 100 bucks. 3 reasons for picking this up.

1 - The guy that sold it to me was like a hundred years old, but built wooden sailboats with this saw.
2 - He was selling off his business and all his things to sail to his new home on the gulf coast of mexico.
3 - I wanted a radial arm saw and though this one is ugly is whisper quiet and works like a champ.

I really like the prospect of cleaning and tuning this saw. I know there are a number of books about bringing old tools back to life and tuning them. I was just wondering if anybody had any suggestions on these books or magazines.

Also, I would like to know everyone's opinion on which parts I should replace and which parts I should scrub and oil. I love the fact that this saw is ugly. It has a wonderful story behind it, many years of good use behind it, and seems very worthwhile to me to bring back to life. Let me know what you guys think!

BTW The saw is 28 years old. Made in 1980.

Handyman · 10-06-2008, 12:31 AM

TheRecklessOne I have your saws brother. Its a nice tool. I would take it all the way down and sand / clean all parts and paint it. First spray it with Etching primer, them primer, and the paint it with what ever color you want it to be. Emery cloth or steelwool all the bear metal parts and rub down with car wax. Cut a new MDF or Particle board table. And the table goes all the way back to the post. Push the motor all the way back untill it stops and mount a fence just past the front edge of the blade, so the blade is out of the wood you are cutting when the motor runs out of travel. And enjoy the ride. One more thing you need to know. ALLWAYS and I mean ALLWAYS push the saw away from you to cut.

TheRecklessOne · 10-06-2008, 12:39 AM

How old is your saw handyman? Do you have any idea as to the horsepower of this saw? I can't find that anywhere. what are the dimensions of the full size top? the back board and the fence didn't survive the hour long ride home in the truck. Thanks for the reply!

Lilty · 10-06-2008, 12:45 AM

I agree with handyman, but where is the blade guard ?

Lilty

Handyman · 10-06-2008, 01:09 AM

TheRecklessOne One more thing. Choice a car wax that does not have silicone in it. Silicone is a corrosive to most metals. It will rust in a matter of days with silicone on it. And as for the Etching Primer, it is a Adhesion Promoter. Spray it on everything you want to paint. It only takes a light coat, so dont try to cover with it. It works on all metal surfices. Takeing a short cut and not using it will result in the paint pealing off later. I have a shop full of antque tools.

Handyman · 10-06-2008, 01:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lilty

I agree with handyman, but where is the blade guard ?

Lilty

Blade guard, Whats a blade guard??

Recklessone I am not sure of the age, but it is a dead on match to yours. As for HP not sure about that one either, but I can tell you how to find out. on www.owwm.com you can put in the model number and find out everything you ever wanted to know.

John in Tennessee · 10-06-2008, 05:38 AM

Drop me a email. Yours looks a lot like mine and I have the manual for it. Don't worry about replacing the table. I'm about 99% sure your saw qualifies for the free safety upgrade.When you email me with the model and serial number and I'll look it up.
johnduke@softek.net

BTW if anyone here needs a pdf copy of the manual or how to get the free upgrade just drop me a line and I'll get you the info.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Handyman

Blade guard, Whats a blade guard??

RecklessoneRecklessone

I am not sure of the age, but it is a dead on match to yours. As for HP not sure about that one either, but I can tell you how to find out. on www.owwm.com you can put in the model number and find out everything you ever wanted to know.

TheRecklessOne · 10-06-2008, 10:44 AM

Thanks a lot everyone! John I'll e-mail you the info as soon as I can. I'm leaving for work, but 1st thing when I get home you'll get an a-mail.

cabinetman · 10-06-2008, 11:36 AM

That's a fairly new saw compared to most of the ones I've had. I've bought many and never spent over $100. My intent was to make a radial arm router out of one, by taking off the motor and installing a router. So, I would buy one, keep it around for a while and then get rid of it. I always kept one set up just for 90 deg cross cuts, and another one for everything else it could do.

My advice is if it works good and everything is intact, don't go replacing any parts until they need to be. A radial arm saw is probably the most complicated tool in the shop. It has pivots, rotating parts, lifting mechanisms, tilting this and that, spring loaded controls, cammed levers, just a lot of different adjustments. Learning what everything does and how to properly adjust the saw and use it will be of great benefit. Try to use a negative hook blade, and with a tooth count to be appropriate with the stock and type of cut.

With some use, cutting in either the pull or push stroke becomes comfortable. I prefer to cut on the pull stroke.

The saw below is just one of the typical RAS's I've gone through. This one is likely 20 years older than yours, and works perfectly. This one was given free to a buddy of mine who is starting a shop.
.

TheRecklessOne · 10-10-2008, 11:25 PM

Last night I removed the old table and table supports to find a small bee's nest that still had some old tenants. I took off the old blade (which was a very rusty 40 tooth ace hardware finish blade) and cleaned the shaft with a brass wire brush and WD 40.

question #1 - the blade stabilizers are kind of weeny and kind of rusty, but since this saw will generally be used to cut material to relative length is it worth it to purchase better blade stabilizers?

question #2 - Is car wax really the best thing to lube the moving parts?

question #3 - What are the benefits of cutting pushing the saw forward versus pulling it toward me and vise versa?

Thanks to John in Tennessee for the head's up about the safety recall on this and other craftsman radial arm saws. The FREE parts they're sending me are most of the items I'd planned on buying to replace anyway! And the new guard has the dust chute on the back instead of aimed right at your face. Thanks again John.

Handyman · 10-10-2008, 11:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheRecklessOne

Last night I removed the old table and table supports to find a small bee's nest that still had some old tenants. I took off the old blade (which was a very rusty 40 tooth ace hardware finish blade) and cleaned the shaft with a brass wire brush and WD 40.

question #1 - the blade stabilizers are kind of weeny and kind of rusty, but since this saw will generally be used to cut material to relative length is it worth it to purchase better blade stabilizers?

question #2 - Is car wax really the best thing to lube the moving parts?

question #3 - What are the benefits of cutting pushing the saw forward versus pulling it toward me and vise versa?

Thanks to John in Tennessee for the head's up about the safety recall on this and other craftsman radial arm saws. The FREE parts they're sending me are most of the items I'd planned on buying to replace anyway! And the new guard has the dust chute on the back instead of aimed right at your face. Thanks again John.

1. I am assuming by blade stabilizers you are refuring to the round disk that are on both sides of the blade. If so and you say they are in bad shape, replace them. It could cause a little wobble in the blade if they are in real bad shape.

2. The car wax isn't to lubricate the moving parts, it is to protect the bear metal part from rusting.

3. Looking at the blade from the guard side of the motor, the blade turns clockwise. That being said by pulling the saw towards you to cut a board can and will cause the saw to clime over the board and come at you unexpectly and could result in the saw hitting or cutting YOU. While the saw will cut in both direction, it is MUCH Safer to push the saw away.

Lilty · 10-11-2008, 12:25 AM

There is a saftey recall on some of these older Craftsman RAS, Google Radial arm saw recall to see if yours is one of them it could be worth $100.00.

Lilty

Handyman · 10-11-2008, 12:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lilty

There is a saftey recall on some of these older Craftsman RAS, Google Radial arm saw recall to see if yours is one of them it could be worth $100.00.

Lilty

Post number #7 answered the recall question.

TheRecklessOne · 10-11-2008, 10:52 AM

Handyman you're a wealth of knoweledge my friend...Thanks!

and Lilty the recall is worth well over the $100 dollars I paid. The only thing I need to replace now is the electrical cord which is a measly 17 bucks...

Gerry KIERNAN · 10-11-2008, 12:46 PM

That truly is a butt ugly radial arm saw Reckless. But, what the hey. If it runs and works it is a very handy tool in the shop. I use mine regularly. With a little paint, some polishing, and some WD40 you'll have it looking like new.
I use my saw in both directions, but I prefer to push it away, because it is much safer.

Gerry

cabinetman · 10-11-2008, 02:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Handyman

3. Looking at the blade from the guard side of the motor, the blade turns clockwise. That being said by pulling the saw towards you to cut a board can and will cause the saw to clime over the board and come at you unexpectly and could result in the saw hitting or cutting YOU. While the saw will cut in both direction, it is MUCH Safer to push the saw away.

I use a RAS almost daily and can say that the saw cannot climb over the board and come at you. The motor/saw assembly is a fixed distance between the table and the arm, and does not move up and over a board when cutting. If it does that more than one attachment point is loose or not connected, and in that case the saw should not be used anyway. A dull blade, or pulling too fast may cause some resistance which may put an upward pressure on the motor, but in no way will it climb over a board.

What is important is to have a properly set up saw, use an appropriate blade (negative hook), and it being sharp, and feeding into the cut slowly, and use a slow smooth pull.

A push type cutting procedure requires pulling out the saw, setting up the subject piece, and then doing a push cut. I find counteracting the resistance is easier on a pull cut. If a board is wide, there may not be enough room to pull out the saw to start in front of the work.

Getting to know the feel of any tool and its limits may come with their use, and hopefully add to operator safety.

WDChew · 10-13-2008, 12:19 PM

My 1985 model looks just like it except my paint is still in good shape. I got the recall upgrade and the new blade guard is great. Ditto on Cabinetman's comments on pushing and pulling. A Forrest Woodworker I has the negative hook angle needed for a RAS or miter saw. Just be careful when pulling to control the movement. A RAS can be one of the most dangerous tools in the shop so always take your time and give it your full attention.

I've only had one mishap with it in over 20 years, using some of the Craftsman accessories...molding cutter in rip mode. And fortunately only the wood got mangled, not me. But it scared me so badly I had to leave the shop for the day. Of course, that just gave me the excuse to get my Delta TS for all ripping.

TheRecklessOne · 10-13-2008, 10:35 PM

Hey guys. I picked my mom and dad up from the airport this morning and the woodworking Gods had delivered my recall safety kit for the RAS to my doorstep. Perfect timing because I had my dad here to help me set it up.

After a short trip to TrueValue we picked up all new hardware for the table supports and the mdf table. We leveled the brand new table supports. Installed the table and a temporary fence until I get my table saw back from the house I'm renovating. We put on the new guard. Which I really like by the way.

It was good that this came today because I knew that with my dad in from Kansas City he wouldn't want to sit around. Plus, It's always a good time working on stuff with my Pops.

Thanks for the info John from Tennesee.

Is a negative hook blade required? What are the benefits?

TheRecklessOne · 10-13-2008, 10:53 PM

Here are some pics of the new guard and table

John in Tennessee · 10-13-2008, 11:37 PM

What I did after I put the new table I put another slab of MDF and shot a couple three screws in it..Makes it easy to install a new table and the one below doesn't get sliced up