Repair Craftsman electronic radial arm saw?

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dusty
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Post by dusty »

[quote="tdubnik"]I think I've decided that I'm tired of fooling around with this saw. It's been out of service for over 3 years and I do OK without it. The reason I started tinkering with it is because every time I went into my shop it bugged me that it is sitting there taking up space and not contributing.

When I check Craigs List, I can find working Craftsman radial saws in the $100 to $150 range all the time. If I decide I want one in the future I'll go that route.

With that being said]

I would love to have it because I believe that you are just "that close" to having the problem resolved (identified). However, I can afford neither the shipping costs nor the long drive to pick it up. Besides, my shop is too full of equipment now.

Sorry about that.
"Making Sawdust Safely"
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judaspre1982
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Post by judaspre1982 »

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Last edited by judaspre1982 on Sun May 07, 2017 3:26 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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dusty
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Post by dusty »

judaspre1982 wrote:Hi tdubnik
Maybe after you walk away from the frustration for awhile, you can come back to the diagnosis fresh.
I have not added anything to this thread since my first post, as other, more knowledgeable members were helping.

Can I ask how the saw failed? Did it stop working while using it, or did it not work when you went to use it after it had sat for awhile?

I understand your point of not wanting to invest too much time/effort in reviving your saw, but as Dusty said, it seems like you may be close to finding the problem.

Dave
The only way I would give up now would be for the required parts to be extremely expensive (like some motors:rolleyes:) or if parts were unavailable.

Having nearly come to the point of considering giving up, I would have to try to apply whatever is necessary to operate that motor.

One thing that you know but we don't is just how accurate and stable is the saw when operating.
"Making Sawdust Safely"
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JPG
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Post by JPG »

As I understand it, your initial thinking was to just be able to get it moving up/down. I believe you were thinking mechanically.

Now that we have figgered out how the motor moves, a workaround that does not include the original control involves only a diode bridge, a dpdt switch(center off) and a container and power cord. This assumes the motor will run if 'excited' properly(we do not know that(yet).

Walk away for a week(or however long it takes) and come back to it. We will still be here!:)
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tdubnik
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Post by tdubnik »

I really appreciate all of the support and encouragement I have received in this thread.

I'm really not frustrated that I haven't got it working either. I spent some time over the last couple of days trying to decide if I would actually use this saw even if I fixed it. I came to the conclusion that I might use it occasionally but it would never be a main tool in my shop. In addition to my
Shopsmith, I have a Ridgid 3650 table saw and a Hitachi compound miter saw. These are now my main tools for crosscuts and rips. With that said, the RAS is taking up space that I could probably put to better use.

Now on to my concerns about the Radial saw. I was hoping for an easy fix by finding something at the lift motor that could be corrected but the more I got into it the more concerns I have.

1. I still don't know if the motor works. I don't know how to diagnose or test it.

2. While I thought the problem was at the motor or motor circuit board, I now think it could just as easily be at the main panel and circuit boards there. I know the power originates there and is controlled from there.

3. When I measure power at the motor and circuit board, I get readings even when no action is selected at the main panel. This just seems wrong to me. I would expect NO power to the motor unless I select an elevation function.

4. Parts are NOT readily available. I have checked the Sears parts site and none of the electronic or motor parts are available any more. I've Googled and eBayed to no avail.
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holsgo
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Post by holsgo »

I just don't see you giving up. That saw is excellent and even if you don't use it often, the one time you use it for dados you'll be happy you spent the time. That said, I can't stand to not have stuff working right so I tend to obsess until things are fixed.
Just to be clear, the saw motor works? Blade spins etc?
If it's just to raise and lower it looks like the guys above helping you will eventually get you to the root of the problem. There's always a solution. Parts are always out there...somewhere.
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holsgo
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Post by holsgo »

Just went here and you may be in luck by doing a quick search. I think you just need to narrow down exactly what you need.
http://vintagemachinery.org/
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holsgo
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Post by holsgo »

How about a quick contact to these guys. Even if you can't find just what you need, it doesn't hurt to ask.
http://www.radialarmsawrecall.com/
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wannabewoodworker
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Post by wannabewoodworker »

Come on Dub you can't quit now! You can fix this thing I know you can with the help of the guy's here that saw is just around the corner from making sawdust once again. If I had any more room I would pickup an RAS myself as they are very common around here on CL for short money. Even the electronic ones show up regularly.
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1960's SS Mark VII, 1954 Greenie, 1983 Mark V, Jointer, Bandsaw, Jigsaw, Dewalt Slider, Delta Super 10, Delta 8" Grinder, Craftsman compressor, Drill Doctor, Kreg PH Jig, Bosch Jigsaw, Craftsman Router and Table...........and adding more all the time....:D
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holsgo
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Post by holsgo »

So, after combing the radialarmsawrecall.com site it looks like Emerson Tool Company made these saws. Emerson also makes Ridgid who also has radial arm saws. And..the parts are available on ereplacementparts.com. So, I'm sure you can get a Ridgid part for your saw once the guys help you figure out exactly what part you need.

http://www.emersontoolcompany.com/en-US ... fault.aspx
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