I have a Craftsman Radial Arm Saw that is about 10 years old that I bought new. The primary problem is keeping it true to the fence. This adjustment is made with two Allen cap screws on the post. on the left side. The tighter these screws are set, the more difficult it is to move the top up and down. If too loose, it comes out of adjustment very easy. To adjust, use a framing square to get the adjustment in the ball park. Put the framing square against the fence and against the blade, being careful not to put the square on a saw tooth. Make sure that the lever that is on the front of the arm is pushed all the way forward. I forgot to do this my last adjustment. Move the arm until the square is snug with the fence and blade. Tighten the cap screws on the left side. If you have a scrap with two sides that are known to be parallel, put one side against the fence. Clamp a block against the side away from the blade. Cut the scrap with the saw. Flip the scrap over, push it against the clamped block, and cut. If your saw is true, you will have one smooth edge. If you are off, slap the front side of the arm and try again. I have found that it takes me a couple of hours of adjusting if I loosen the cap screws, but a few minutes by slapping the arm. It will stay true for a while. If you rip with this saw, you will have to make this adjustment afterwards.
The second problem I have with this saw is that the carriage gets loose, making sloppy cuts. I have to get this adjusted every year. This is when I use my service contract with Sears. A Sears tech told me that the only thing that goes wrong is that the motor fills up with resin from saw dust. If you blow it out every time you use it, the saw will last. John http://WhiteCane.org http://BlindWoodWorker.com http://HolyTeaClub.comcom\whitecane http://anellos.ws ----- Original Message ----- From: Keith Christian To: [email protected] Sent: Thursday, July 15, 2010 1:50 PM Subject: [BlindHandyMan] Radial Arm Saw Hi, I just acquired an older Craftsman Radial Arm Saw #11323100. It is in good condition but I would like some help on how to adjust the miter angle and bevel. I downloaded the manual, but I can't figure it out. I can't wait to use it for making dados. The manual refers to some molding cutters and sanding drums that sound really cool. I called Sears and none of the items are available. I will have to go to Sears and pick their brains for the appropriate attachments. Appreciate any tips or suggestions. Keith [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
