# Restoring an old craftsman table saw



## j10c3y25

Recently I picked up an old craftsman table saw off craigslist, along with a pile of clamps and blades, all for $100.

The specimen







Accessories that came with the deal








Upon inspection, it is contractor series, belt drive motor, 6.5/13 Amp draw on 220/110 V respectively. It also has a Beismeyer fence unit installed (bonus!), but the fence rails are heavily rusted and pitting in some spots. The table top has some surface rust, but nothing too serious, and there is a broken bolt in the motor mount. Also seems to be missing the entire blade guard assembly, and the belt is cracked and dry so it needs replaced as well. Significant amounts of elbow grease will be required the breathe life into this saw, so lets get started.

First thing's first, I want to know what I'm dealing with, so I checked the data plates and found the model number. A quick google search led me to a downloadable owners manual on the Sears website, which details instruction for setting up, squaring, and adjusting all aspects of the saw. This gives me great confidence to begin disassembly, so with that in mind, lets start tearing things apart!

I started by removing the motor and digging out what was left of the bolt that serves as the pivot guide. There was not enough left to grab it with a pair of vice grips, but there was a bit protruding which meant I could get at it with a hacksaw. I used a chisel to start a groove, then proceeded to saw a slot just deep enough to get a flathead screwdriver in. It had blue Loctite on it, but wasn't too hard to get out.








Next up I removed the motor back plate and moved the links into position for 110V operation, as well as removed the 220V plug.







Gross! I Blew out the gunk, and used a Philips screwdriver to loosen the link screws, and change them to the 110V position(separated).


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## j10c3y25

*part 2*

Next I removed the fence rails and tube. The tube is the worst, with heavy rust near the end, the metal measuring tape is even rusted over so badly it started to peel off. The rails themselves aren't too bad.








With my parts disassembled as far as I was willing, I made myself a list and took a trip to the hardware store.








Wiring prepped for new plug, make sure to cut back enough to get some clean, shiny wire for good connection. I had to use a little solvent and a brush to get the corrosion off.









New plug installed, yay!








Next I got started on the painstaking process of stripping the fence tube. If I ever do something like this again I WILL use chemicals or something more abrasive, but I did it the hard way. Using a cup wire brush and a surprisingly durable harbor freight corded drill, I removed ALL rust and paint, down to the bare metal on the entire tube. It took me a few hours. Below you can see the tube is nice and shiny, but I decided to spend a little time sanding to take care of some of the pitting. I made a couple makeshift sanding blocks and proceeded to sand with 100, 220, and 400, then finish with some steel wool until I had a nice smooth surface.


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## j10c3y25

*part 3*

With the tube stripped and sanded, I cleaned it thoroughly with alcohol. Three sides have bare metal strips that the pads on the fence ride along, so I used painters tape to mask them off.








When it comes to painting I'm no expert, so I just took the guy at ACE at his word. He said "this is paint and primer in one," but after sprayed a few coats of the ACE rust stop enamel on the tube, I read where it said "for best results use a primer..." nice. I left it for the night when I realized a needed a better system to paint all sides at once.

I started in on the table top with some naval jelly rust remover.








If you use this stuff, don't let it dry for too long. Once its caked on it leaves a nasty white haze that you can only remove by putting more on or using something lightly abrasive. First apply liberally, then rinse with water and dry quickly. Then I took off the haze by going over the whole top with some steel wool. Now that its rust free, its time to wax.








Tada!








Lets just take a quick break and observe the garage explosion that is happening.







On the left you'll see the radial saw with table I picked up for $150, haven't even gotten started on it yet, but doesn't need much work other than adjustments.


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## j10c3y25

*part 4*

My answer to paint the tube came in the form of some scraps quickly screwed together to create a stand.








Here it is getting numerous coats of paint








At first I wasn't going to paint the other rails...but they needed it. I didn't take all the paint off them, just got rid of any rust and pitting, then gave them the same sanding and steel wool treatment. To paint them I made them into wind chimes 








With those left to dry I went to work on the internals of the saw box. No pictures, but basically I crawled under it and went to work with a wire brush on all the gears and adjustment screw threads until I was happy, and then sprayed lube liberally. I told the guy at ACE I was looking for a dry lubricant, and he zealously recommended this can of TRI-flow. The first ingredient ended in hydrocarbon...so I'm not completely sure, but its on there now. Hopefully it doesn't gunk up too bad.

With everything moving freely I got my replacement bolt and washer stack, put some blue Loctite on it, and lined up the motor as best as I could.








Following the manual, I adjusted belt tension (I don't know why, I'm sure I'll have to do it again once I get the new belt). Then I followed the procedures for adjusting heel, which involved loosening all 6 carriage bolts on the front and rear trunnions, and tapping around with a hammer until the blade was in line.








I also squared the blade to the table, and set the 90 and 45 degree stops. I do have a problem that I haven't come up for a solution for yet, which is that the tilt adjustment mechanism will cause the box side to deflect up to an inch when encountering resistance. By the nature of the mechanism this leads to extreme difficulty making adjustments and not very accurate readings. I guess I'll just have to check my blade angle with a square and cinch down the lock before doing any cutting until I come up with a better system.

My wind chimes and standing tube have been drying for 2 days now, but paint still just rubs right off. Really wanting to move forward and get the fence rails put back on and aligned, but can't do anything until they cure. Part of the directions say "for greatest durability, spray another coat after 2 hours OR wait 5 days." Interesting options, but I guess drying time is 5 days, so to be continued...


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## knotscott

Wow....great deal, great refurb effort! Excellent documentation too. :thumbsup:


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## rbk123

Great work on the restore and I loved reading the thread. Can't wait to see the final product. Those old Craftsman's are great workhorses.

I can only dream right now of warm and sunny to be able to paint outside. Sigh.


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## j10c3y25

I got the rails back on and I'd like to say I'm pleased with the outcome, but the paint I used just didnt work out. After 5 days of drying, and an entire day in a ghetto bake box make of cardboard and a space heater, it rubs right off and scratches/chips easily. I just ran out of patience and slapped them on. They look pretty decent until you get close, but for all that work I expected better. The process of aligning the rails was fairly straightforward, so maybe if they deteriorate quickly ill just take them off again and use quality primer and paint. Whatever, now I need to find a new measuring tape to stick on the tube, grab a new belt, and get to sawin'!


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## j10c3y25

Oh, and this came with the saw but I cant figure out what it might have been used for, any ideas?


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## johnnie52

It looks like a router table fence. Maybe the last owner had a router mounted to the saw, or else he already sold the router and forgot the fence.

Nice rehab on the saw. :thumbsup:


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## BassBlaster

Agreed, its a router fence.

Can you go into more detail about the table top clean up? Im getting ready to start the same restoration. I had planned to go the electrolosis route but that is going to require a build some type of tub and require I carry the tops in and out of my basement to my garage. Yours came out really nice.:thumbsup:


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## Parkerdog

Looks good! The biesemeyer fence is worth the price you gave.

The manual said to tighten that bolt? On my older craftsman it says to leave that bolt loose to allow the motor to move. Something about when you change angles or raise it, it needs to move. Plus motor weight is used for tension on mine.

I used a link belt works great. They probably changed the instructions for the newer saws but your set up for the mounts and such looks identical almost to my 50's era saw.

It shouldn't be hard to find a blade guard on ebay or maybe even sears parts direct. Part of the bracket is still there above the motor mount.

Is the motor at a little angle or is it an optical illusion?

After looking at your pictures and seeing the yard the first thing I thought was Phoenix without even looking at your location! lol (lived there for a couple years long time ago)


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## cabinetman

That's a great deal with what you got. Restoration came out nice. You can pick up a tape measure here.


















.


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## Maylar

Nice job with the restore and documentation. I have a similar vintage machine that's not quite up to that level (I have stamped steel wings and the stock fence, soon to be rectified).

I will note that I never change the blade tilt from 90 because the stops don't guarantee getting it back perfectly. That part is not a good design.


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## Dandan111

Nice. Looks like you have some good blades also. Great deal.


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## j10c3y25

I hadn't even considered it could be for another tool, router fence definitely makes sense. Thanks!



BassBlaster said:


> Can you go into more detail about the table top clean up? Im getting ready to start the same restoration. I had planned to go the electrolosis route but that is going to require a build some type of tub and require I carry the tops in and out of my basement to my garage. Yours came out really nice.:thumbsup:


Absolutely. As long as the rust is just surface rust, you won't need anything more abrasive than some 00 or 000 steel wool. I used Loctite Naval Jelly, found at my local ACE hardware, according to the instructions on the bottle. I bought some cheap foam brushes to slather it on, and you want to use gloves as well. As with any product THOROUGHLY read the instructions and warnings, this stuff will eat paint so avoid painted surfaces! Wipe all loose dirt and debris off the table, I use alcohol for any cleaning as it dries quickly with no residue. Slather on your naval jelly liberally everywhere there is bare/rusted metal, and wait about 5 minutes, any stubborn spots may take a little longer. To get it off you need to thoroughly rinse the surface with water, this can be accomplished with a small bucket and rag/sponge, then quickly dry. Anywhere this stuff sits for long enough to dry will look white and hazy after a bit, which is because it has hardened onto the metal. It does not form a protective layer of any sort, so you'll want to get it off. The bottle says to apply more, but I simply used the steel wool to take care of any hazing and tough spots that need a going over as well. After you're done giving it the steel wool treatment, again thoroughly clean with alcohol. At this point just use any wax you prefer according to the directions. Usually something to the tune of rub in with a clean damp cloth, let sit for a few minutes, then buff out the haze with a clean dry cloth. I recommend applying two coats to make sure you get the surface completely, and pay special attention to the miter slots as they will receive a lot of action. You don't want the wax caking up in there. Good luck!



Parkerdog said:


> The manual said to tighten that bolt? On my older craftsman it says to leave that bolt loose to allow the motor to move. Something about when you change angles or raise it, it needs to move. Plus motor weight is used for tension on mine.


 Sorry for the misunderstanding. No it does not say to tighten it, nor is it tightened. The blue Loctite is to ensure that it stays exactly where I put it, since I didn't torque it down all the way. I could have removed it and adjusted my washer stack a little, but its just a guide so the Loctite should work fine. I left a little clearance on each side and sprayed lubricant on the pivot point to ensure smooth action, the motor moves in the slot as you raise the saw blade up or down. Normally there is a spacer that comes with it, but in my case the bolt head had snapped off so I had to improvise.



Parkerdog said:


> Is the motor at a little angle or is it an optical illusion?


 At first glance I thought so too, but when I sight the pulleys they appear to be dead on. I'm not sure if its just playing tricks on my eyes or what, I'll take a straight edge to them later and make sure. I ran it for a bit and watched everything move and I don't see or hear anything that looks problematic, so I think its good.


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## Al B Thayer

You may as well replace those manhole cover extensions with shop built ones. Extend the right side to match your fence. You could hang a router on it if you did. Plus wood and fixtures will slide better. 

Al

Nails only hold themselves.


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## woodnthings

*just use old "tables" from EBay*



Al B Thayer said:


> You may as well replace those manhole cover extensions with shop built ones. Extend the right side to match your fence. You could hang a router on it if you did. Plus wood and fixtures will slide better.



I used parted out "tables" from saws that were no longer servicable between my "good" saws. They shop up on EBay occasionally. Or find an older saw on Craigs list. The table sizes are all the same, 27" long, if a Craftsman. Sometimes you can get one for $50.00 or so, maybe rusty, but you can fix that.


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## gus1962

Nice work! It looks great, looks like brand new.


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## toolguy1000

That's not automobile wax that was used to protect the saw table top, was it? The silicone in the wax can get on the workpiece and adversely affect the finish that is applied to the workpiece surface.


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## Al B Thayer

toolguy1000 said:


> That's not automobile wax that was used to protect the saw table top, was it? The silicone in the wax can get on the workpiece and adversely affect the finish that is applied to the workpiece surface.


I use WD40 on my cast tops. Got the idea from test results in Fine Woodworking. The only thing silicone is good for is boobs.

Al

Nails only hold themselves.


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## Bigtalldumbguy

In the picture that shows the motor hanging from the Bracket, it appears that the motor is actually mounted at an angle. I have the exact same problem with my 113 Series Craftsman 10" Table Saw. The Pulley side of the Motor appears to be closer to the cabinet than the non Pulley side by approximately 1/4 to 3/8 inch. None of the brackets appear to be bent or damaged. But I am at a loss as to how this motor is adjusted so the Motor shaft is parallel to the Blade Arbor. I just installed new pulleys and a Flex Belt, and I have aligned the pulleys as close as I can, but you can see the motor is crooked. I replaced the pulleys and belt to hopefully eliminate the motor pulley from constantly flying off, but I am wondering if this "crooked" motor is part of the reason the pulleys fly off.


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## woodnthings

*There are 4 bolts ...*



Bigtalldumbguy said:


> In the picture that shows the motor hanging from the Bracket, it appears that the motor is actually mounted at an angle. I have the exact same problem with my 113 Series Craftsman 10" Table Saw. The Pulley side of the Motor appears to be closer to the cabinet than the non Pulley side by approximately 1/4 to 3/8 inch. None of the brackets appear to be bent or damaged. But I am at a loss as to how this motor is adjusted so the Motor shaft is parallel to the Blade Arbor. I just installed new pulleys and a Flex Belt, and I have aligned the pulleys as close as I can, but you can see the motor is crooked. I replaced the pulleys and belt to hopefully eliminate the motor pulley from constantly flying off, but I am wondering if this "crooked" motor is part of the reason the pulleys fly off.




There are slots in the motor base and probably slots in the bracket ...all of which are used to get the 2 shafts parallel. Loosen all but 1 bolt and rotate the motor until you get the motor shaft level with the arbor shaft. Because of the weight type tensioning system, the majority of the motor weight is on the belt/pulley side, so it tends to lift that side higher. It's not the end of the world if you can't get them exactly parallel, because the belt will "adjust" for any mis-alignment.


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## Bigtalldumbguy

Thanks for your quick reply. I have aligned the motor by loosening the two Hex Bolts that hold the two (rusted) horizontal shaft pins, and pulling the pulley side of the motor while pushing on the non-pulley side as best as I could, then tightened the two hex bolts. I have a photo to post but I don't think the system allows me to post it. I'll try it.


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## Bigtalldumbguy

Here is the modified photo. As you stated the Flex Belt will help a lot. But it sure looks crooked and possibly causes the pulley to fly off from the axial force of the belt. Who Knows.


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## woodnthings

*those bolts won't help this issue*



Bigtalldumbguy said:


> Thanks for your quick reply. I have aligned the motor by loosening the* two Hex Bolts that hold the two (rusted) horizontal shaft pins, *and pulling the pulley side of the motor while pushing on the non-pulley side as best as I could, then tightened the two hex bolts. I have a photo to post but I don't think the system allows me to post it. I'll try it.


You want to use the 4 mounting bolts I mentioned above. That's what will allow aligning the shafts. :smile3:


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## Bigtalldumbguy

Thanks again for your reply. I truly appreciate your help, and I am not trying to be a pain or be argumentative, However, I guess I am not making my self clear or just not quite sure what you mean. So I will try to explain in a little more detail. Looking at the picture, my problem is not the alignment of the pulleys to the right and left, nor is the motor "Rotated" clockwise up or down. My problem is, the Blade Shaft arbor and the Motor Shaft are not parallel to each other, they are at an angle to each other. If I loosen the 4 bolts and slide the motor to the right or left, it is still at an angle to the Blade Arbor. Now, it seems to me that if I loosen the two (of the four) Motor Mounting Bolts on the right side and put a 1/4" to a 3/8" shim, while leaving the left two Motor Mounting Bolts as is, I might straighten the motor so it sits parallel to the Blade Arbor, or in other words, pulling the pulley side of the motor further away from the cabinet. I have read about number of people that own these Craftsman Saws that have the same problem with the pulleys flying off in the middle of a cut and thought this might be part of the problem.


Thanks again. 


Rick


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## Bigtalldumbguy

Here is a pictorial that I hope better shows this problem.


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## Dan3103

I wonder if the blade/pulley has pulled the end of the motor in a bit, bending the bracket over time? I would think that if you shim behind the bolts, the weaker metal of the bracket can still bend. 

Perhaps shimming from the bracket to the frame of the saw to the right of the bolts so the bracket can no longer bend would be better?


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## woodnthings

*plan view vs rear view vs 45 degree view*

This photo is taken at a 45 degree angle ... approximately. It shows some of the back and some of the top.

Look directly down on the brackets and motor... plan view... and see if all the lines, plates and edges are parallel. If not, that's where your issue is.

Look directly at the whole assembly from the rear and see if motor is hanging crooked... of course it is. The 4 bolts I keep mentioning will allow you to adjust the motor on that bracket so it is parallel to the ground and the top of the saw when viewed from the rear.

I had a saw just like this one, and there will be some angle to the motor that you can't adjust out, but nothing as bad as shown. It would take a whole lot of lateral force on the belt to drive off a proper mounted pulley and keyway. Both should be a nice snug fit, nat loose, and not a "hammer" fit either.

That's about all you can do with this system in my opinion and that's about all the advice I have for you.
Hope it works out. :smile3:


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## Bigtalldumbguy

A million thanks for your time and responses, Woodnthings and Dan. Nothing really looks bent, but I agree that there must be some angle that you simply cannot adjust out other than doing some fancy Juryrigging with shims. I just replaced the original Aluminum cast pulleys with Machined Steel Pulleys and a Flex Belt from In-Line, along with new Set Screws and Keyway keys, and I hope I have put this problem behind me. Nothing gets your attention faster than loosing a Motor Pulley in Mid-Cut, and chasing it across the shop floor, and I know I am not the only one with this problem.


See you around.


Rick


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## 406Rich

Having had the same issue with an older delta I ended up discarding the original carriage bolts for the motor mount for a newer style bolt with waters and lock washers, this allowed me to get enough twist clockwise of the motor to align the shafts, I keep watching for movement by putting a scribe mark on the mount but so far it has`t moved...


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## JIMMIEM

Looks like the motor Base Plate is bent......no longer available from Sears. Maybe you can take it apart and straighten it in a vice. The non-pulley side of the motor needs to be twisted toward the front of the saw.


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## PapaDuth

I have a question about the rail fence....I recently bought a table saw 113 series and it came in about 30 pieces. I have it all back together but the holes for the rails do not line up correctly (or at least how I think they should be. 

What determines the layout?


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## Shop_Rat

The motor mount on that saw is very light sheet metal, and is not a robust design at all. I have the exact same "problem" with my saw. There are several ways to correct, or at least lessen the effects of the skew. One is to simply grab the motor and twist for all you are worth. May sound stupid, but I'll bet you can get most of it out that way (take the belt off the motor pulley first). Another trick is to shim the two mount bolts on the pulley side. It might take half a dozen washers under each bolt, but it'll eventually come around. The belt type and style will have no effect on the skew issue. Run whatever belt you want.

I'm serious about the grab and twist. It'll make a world of difference to the belt alignment... And if you have belts flying off pulleys, you need to fix it post haste! That failure could get dangerous very easily.

Cheers


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## Toolman50

A great job on the table saw restoration. A+.


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## Joeb41

WOW! Can I say it again, what an awesome buy and nice restore. That saw will serve you well for many years. I also have an old Craftsman. Good choice on the new pulleys and belt from Inline. You may also want to consider the PALS kit also from Inline that makes aligning the saw so easy when necessary. Good luck with the saw and as always be safe.


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## homertime22

I had this exact same problem so I ended up taking the motor and motor mount apart. The mount was actually cracked and when had the extra tension of the pulley on the motor, it would twist. So... now I'm fixing the mount.


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## thanh51

*Model*

Could you please tell me the motor's model number?

Thank you

Thanh


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## m130

I have the same saw. I have started working on really fine tuning it. I think your motor has done the same thing as mine. I have replace my cast aluminum pulleys with the machines ones from in line. The motor is likely at a slight angle from tightening the nut that really should be left lose. Awesome job on the clean up


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## mbrun

I owned that exact same saw back in the late 80’s and 90’s and added the Biesemeyer fence to it as well. Still use the same biesemeyer fence to this day on current Delta cabinet saw.

When I bought the Craftsman saw, the factory fence was a dog. Sears sent me 3 different fences over first year before they ended up recommending the biesemeyer. Which, if I recall correctly, they advised me they would be offering them soon and offered to give be a modest discount if I purchased one when they did.

There was also a problem with the arbor. It was undersized and would not center the blade while the threaded portion was more substantially sized. The undersized threads meant that one could not properly sent up a stacked dado set. They sent a replacement that I installed but it was only marginally better. But then I got advise from a friend that I thought was brilliant.

My friend advised me to take the arbor to a machine shop (he recommend one) which I did. The machinist saw the issue and did the coolest thing. He welded a thin layer of stainless steel to the face of the arbor flange and 360 degrees along the entire length of the shaft. Then he chucked it in his precision metal lathe, trued up the flange, trued up the shaft to an exact dimension, then cut a perfect left-hand acme thread on the shaft. Afterwards, the blades fit and worked like a dream. No wobble, no vibrations, and dadoes had perfectly flat bottoms. I think I had to pay him $50-75 back in the late 80’s early 90’s. It was definitely worth it.

Nice Rebuild BTW. Hope you are still getting good use out of the saw.



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