# 70's Craftsman RAS - 113.23100 Lots of Accessories



## Dovetails (Jun 8, 2014)

Hello,

I am hoping you guys can tell me more about what I have here, and what I should do with it.

Yesterday I was able to acquire this saw in fantastic condition. I cannot find a single thing wrong with it, everything runs smooth, and there is nothing i can tell functionality wrong. Hell, the guy even kept the original receipt from sears in 1978.









It also came with these accessories, they are unopened, still sealed in plastic, never used.










Here is my question. What do I do with this thing. I would never use it for molding. I might possibly use it for Cross Cut Dado's, but is it that much easier than a table saw/router? Would this 40 year old unused Dado blade work?

If I could set it up to 90*, and never move it it would be awesome for up to 15" cross cuts, but how hard will it be to level the table/fence/blade to cut 90's? 

I have limited tools as it is, a small crappy chop saw, TS, router. That's it... so if it would give me a little versatility I will set it up and use it. Space isn't a problem for now.

The other question, is it worth anything because it's in great shape, does anyone need these accessories? I know I can get $100 for sending in the motor, but then I'm left with a hunk of junk to get rid of.

Thoughts?


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

That looks like the radial arm saw I'm replacing. It's a bit underpowered for hardwoods however they are very durable. I bought mine new in the 1970's and it's still in good working order. I'm just replacing it with a 3hp 16" Dewalt radial arm saw. I see these saws for sale on craigslist all the time for around 250 bucks without the accessories. I don't know of anyone that likes those adjustable dados especially for a radial arm saw. The adjustable dado would be more stable on a table saw. 

It's not hard to level. There should be like a piece of angle iron on each side of it that is adjustable. What you do is take the blade off and turn the arbor straight down and turning the arm at different angles adjust the top up till it touches the arbor. Then all four corners of it will be level with the arm. Then you can put the blade back on and use a framing square to square the blade with the table. I think you need a taller fence on it but squaring the arm with the fence is just using a framing square and setting it to where the blade barely glides against the square from in to out.


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*The accessories are cool*

http://www.mrsawdust.com/

Get this book or one like it to find out all the things a RAS can do. Most use them as you have described, 90 degree crosscuts or dados, but they are quite versatile in the right hands.

I have several of the old Craftsman 12" saws, almost identical to the 10" models and I have discovered that the motor carriages are the same. I keep a dado set in one carriage/motor and a regular blade in another, and a modified yoke/carriage with a router in a third. They all fit on what ever saw arm I want to use. 

Your saw may qualify for an improved blade guard and a new table, sent free to your door. Check out Radial Arm Safety Recall and plug in your model and serial number to find out.

Safety is a big factor when using a RAS since the blade is fully exposed at certain times AND the blade is spinning above the workpiece which has a tendency to lift it off the table, but you can prevent that by using a proper grip and hold downs.


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