# Radial Arm Saw rebuild story



## Tony J. (Jun 28, 2009)

I recently purchased a very old Sears 10" Radial Arm Saw for $60. # 113-23100, in working order but needed complete cleaning. I dragged it home and took the entire thing apart , wire brushed as much as I could then cleaned and lubed everything before putting it all back together. It worked like a charm until all of a sudden the motor seized after a kick back, so I thought. I searched the internet only to find some threads from years back stating that the motor was probably filled with saw dust. So this morning I took it all apart, literally, all apart, and indeed there was tons of saw dust under the motor shell cover. After cleaning ( small,brush and vacuum) , cleaned the brushes and anything else that could be cleaned and before putting the cover back on jumped an AC cord to the leads and low and behold it runs like a champ. I am not surprised by this, being an electronics person by trade, I have taken motors apart that were 30 years old and the brushes looked like they were brand new, there was always something else causing the issue, dirt, hard grease, rust, bad connections etc, I was very glad that this was the case here as well.

So, for $60, a bunch of hours taking it all apart , cleaning, lubing and re-assembling I now have a fully functional and smooth operating very old Sears Radial Arm Saw. 

Craigs List is where I found it. There were three for about the same price the day I was looking. 

I thought the motor story may have some value here for others.

t

PS, I did set the table up with a level cutting suface and a 90 degree adjustable fence to the blade. Now I just need another project !

Oh and this thing will have no mercy for fingers, hands, whatever is in the way.


----------



## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*Hey Tony J welcome!*

We would all like to see a photo, before and after of your "new" saw! There is a TON of info on RASs here, the pros and cons, and I suggest you read a few posts if you're not totally familiar with the use and operation of the RAS. Here's one thread:
http://www.woodworkingtalk.com/f12/radial-arm-saw-aligning-9887/ to get you started. I did a rebuild on one myself...cost me $40,00 from a fellow employee. I had to invent a blade guard, since my saw was too old to be covered by the free guard replacement from Emerson tools.
Go to www.radialarmsawrecall.com Plug in your model no. It probably won't come up as mine didn't, so I ended up making my own. They will "give you" a $100 to return you old saw carriage, but that's not a good deal unless it's totally junk. Then take the $100 and go buy another used one and fix it up!
Here's a search I did here:
http://www.woodworkingtalk.com/search.php?searchid=184298
Good luck, bill


----------



## Tony J. (Jun 28, 2009)

I never thought to take 'before "pictures", but I can take "after " pictures. I should have. Thanks for the links, I have already been thinking about a "guard". I doubt I will get rid of it, it was more fun just taking it apart and cleaning it up, that was worth the $60 I paid just for the knowledge I got from it all.

I am going to call the Emerson # but I doubt that anything will come of it, the s/n is one that is accepted for the guard. 

Thanks for that link

tony


----------



## demax (Jun 28, 2009)

That was great price you paid - a steal - I paid $500 plus for mine in Sept. 15, 1978 12" Radial Model No. 113.19790 with stand & wheels.

I still have the Assembly, Operating, Repair Parts, manual in case your interested I can send you it by scanning the important pages.

I've never cleaned mine like you did - I don't use it regularly like my Table Saw. Radial Arm Saws scare me especially for ripping. My Guard absolutely sucks, it doesn't lift like it supposed to to allow wood to be fed under the plastic guard. So I use it for cross.cut only. Never worked from day one.

Nice job.

PS: The Emerson Kit is only available up to a 10" saw.


----------



## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*Ripping on the RAS*

Ripping on a RAS is "possible" but my advised in my opinion. Table saws come with a RIP FENCE and that's what they do better than any other type of saw. Yes, they can cross cut and for small pieces they are perfect. A Chop, miter, sliding miter, compound sliding miter and radial arm saw will cross cut a long length more easily and safely than a tablesaw, again my opinion based on years of experience. The RAS tends to lift the work off the table because the teeth are rotating up through the work. Whereas, on a TS the teeth rotate down towards the table pulling the work into the table surface, simple physics. When ripping on the RAS the guard must be rotated downward so it just kisses the work and will not allow the work to ride up. With a missing or poorly designed guard this presents a safety issue and I wouldn't go there. I use my 12" RAS only for crosscutting. I like to rout dados across boards and plywood when required. I make rabbets with a dado set and a sacrificial fence. Just my opinions, however.:smile: bill


----------



## jmcghee2902 (Sep 14, 2009)

*RAS Manual*

:yes: Could you send me a copy of the Assembly, Operating, Repair Parts, manual for the 12" Radial Model No. 113.19790 with stand & wheels.

Thank you in advance.


----------



## jmcghee2902 (Sep 14, 2009)

Could you send me a copy of the Assembly, Operating, Repair Parts, manual for the 12" Radial Model No. 113.19790 with stand & wheels.

Call me at 903-579-3515 for email address.

Thank you in advance.


----------



## John in Tennessee (Jun 11, 2008)

*Get The Free Saftey Upgrade,,*

Follow this link..
http://www.radialarmsawrecall.com/






jmcghee2902 said:


> Could you send me a copy of the Assembly, Operating, Repair Parts, manual for the 12" Radial Model No. 113.19790 with stand & wheels.
> 
> Call me at 903-579-3515 for email address.
> 
> Thank you in advance.


----------



## Steve.P (Mar 7, 2011)

*Radial Saw 113.23100 - 1977*

I have this model number as well but have a differnet problem. When cutting through material the blade floats around a bit. It appears that the track (63127) and the carriage bearings (63117 pulleys) have some play in them. Does anyone know of a way to repair this? Pulleys are expensive to replace.


----------



## ihackwood (Sep 5, 2009)

i have the top of the line one craftsman made, digital etc,i was a proud mofo loading that tool up back in the day, it sits in my bran now and has for years, its a scary tool as far as i am concerned,

by the time you set it up broke it down it was real time consuming too imo


----------



## RetiredLE (Jan 20, 2011)

Wish I had seen this thread a few days ago....

I recently purchased an old Craftsman Radial Arm Saw (Model # 113.29402) that I located while perusing the tool section on Craigslist. The owner had found the saw in a shed on the property he had just purchased and wanted to get rid of it. 

He had initially asked $100 but when we tried to power it up, the motor wouldn't come up to speed. It sounded like something was jamming it up internally. 

We finally agreed on a price that the owner estimated would cost him anyway to take it to the local dump ($15) and I ended up with a new (to me) power tool! For $15 bucks I figured it was worth the risk.

After getting it home and doing some more troubleshooting, I noticed the power switch cover was broken and the two On/Off push buttons were jammed.

After straightening the tab on the 'ON' button, I plugged in the saw and it fired right up. Yippee:clap: was the thought - until I saw this thread....

Now, I gotta decide if the $100 recall offering from Emerson Tool is worth putting toward another saw.

In the meantime, I sent Emerson an email and will wait and see what they say.


----------



## bigviking0001 (Feb 14, 2012)

One of the first safety items that needs to be checked on a Radial Arm Saw is the blade. Over the years, people will have put any old blade on their saws with out thinking about blade geometry. The biggest reason a RAS climbs the work is because of a blade with a positive raked hook. RAS blades must have a negative rake otherwise they grab the work and all the reaction force is verticle. Add in a loos mast and a dull blade and you can see what will happen. Check your blade. If it has a positive rake, don't even turn the saw on until you get a good negative rake blade. Here is a link to a good one from Amazon. 





I have used a RAS for many years and have had no difficulties as long as it is set up correctly, the blade is sharp and the right geometry and I keep my hands where they should be.
Thanks


----------



## johnnie52 (Feb 16, 2009)

Nice catch on the saw motor being filled with dust and dirty.

I got my 10" Dewalt for free because my FIL wanted a new one. He had taken it to a local repair shop to have new bearings put in the motor and the shop lost the clips that keep the arbor in place. I ordered a set of clips and the saw works perfectly. Its my go to machine for cross cuts. 

The blade tooth set is very important. A negative tooth angle is required or it will pull itself into the work piece. I use an 80 tooth thin kerf Freud Diablo blade and have no troubles. Plus the blade is always in stock at Home Depot which means no waiting for it to be delivered from Amazon or some other on-line dealer.


----------



## Rick C. (Dec 17, 2008)

My RAS was my first stationary power tool back in '94 and I've used it for cross cuts, miters, ripping, dadoing, rabbeting,T&G, drilling and yes even routing successfully.By successfully I mean it worked, and I still have 10 fingers and 2 eyes. I would not suggest doing most of these things now.
Follow the alignment procedures and realize it probably will need to be done whenever you start a new project, at least check it. If you move your arm to cut miters chances are it will be out of square to the fence just a bit. I keep a 6" square in my pocket and check regularly.Better safe than sorry.


----------

