Ideas on How to fix TS Arbor?

[Mike Olson]

I have a Craftsman tablesaw (113.298840) i got off craigslist for $80 and it's been great so far but I just found a problem.
The thread on the Arbor just past where the flat part that a single blade sits on appears to be ground down a little so when I put in a stacked dado set, the 2nd blade sits just a hair lower.

This causes pretty bad vibration and also the groove is just a hair off between blades. Using just a single blade on it works great.

I found on Parts Direct a replacement arbor for $120 which is more than I paid for the saw so that's not going to happen.

Anybody have any ideas on how to build up the arbor a little so i can use the stacked dado set?
I have thought of coating with thickened epoxy while hand turning the arbor but I think it would just drip off.

[Larry Fox]

Being perfectly honest I think the easiest thing might be to source another saw from CL and swap it in for the one you have and either dedicate the existing one to single blades or just resell it and let the buyer know the issues. I think if you put a reasonable $$ value on your time that you will exceed $120 pretty quickly and still might not have a satisfactory result at the end if you try and fix it.

[John Schweikert]

Well, you need a new arbor and I see three options:
As suggested, buy another used saw.
Buy a new replacement part for $120.
Or get a machine shop to turn a new arbor for you.

Explore the costs and your time involved.

[Mike Olson]

OK, i just figured 2 things out.

1. I'm going to try and put a few drops of super glue or epoxy on the arbor in a triangular shape around the arbor, 3 spots should be enough. I realized that I don't need it all the way around, just enough to center that 2nd blade on the arbor.

2. Looking at Parts direct again, and again, and again, I realized that the entire assembly which includes the arbor is only $70 which with shipping would technically be more than what I paid for the saw but it's better than $120.

I'll try option 1 tonight if i have time and if that doesn't work then I'll be watching craigslist again. took me a long time to find this one :(

[Bob Wingard]

Ask around and see if you can find a high school or vocational school that still has a machine shop. They can put a small bead on the damaged surface and remachine it right back down to spec. A metalworker's version of puttying a miscut miter.

[David Kumm]

Was the saw made to accept a dado? They put a lot of stress on a machine so whatever you do you want enough strength for both the saw and the arbor assembly. Dave

[Howard Acheson]

That is the same on all older Sears table saws, and some of the older Ridgid saws. The arbor is manufactured with no threads in the area closest to the permanent washer. As a result, as you found out, at least one of the chippers in a stack dado will fall into that area and then not cut in a concentric circle. This is the reason that those saws would not cut flat bottomed dados. In addition, the threaded portion is also slightly less diameter than the hole in the blade. This also causes a slight irregular cut of the bottom of a dado.

You can reduce the problem with the unthreaded area by using JB Weld. Clean the area completely, mix the JB Weld and slightly over-fill the area. Let it cure hard and then use a file or supported 100 grit sandpaper and sand the area equal to the diameter of the adjacent threaded portion.

There is no way to do anything to deal with the smaller threaded portion of the arbor. At one time both Craftsman and Ridgid were offering replacement arbors but or you could buy and replace the arbor with the new design. I don't know if that off is still available.

[Lee Schierer]

An option not discussed is to remove the existing arbor and take it to a plating shop. They can mask all of the areas where you don't need additional thickness and can ad plating to the undercut area you need built up. They can give you a price estimate before you bring it in. Where I used to work we did this all the time to repair equipment shafts where they were worn. The process was called "hard Chroming" They would build up the repair area with chrome plating and then grind it to the precised finished dimension needed. Erie Hard Chrome in Erie, PA does this type of work and I'm sure there are other locations that do the same type of work. This would be a permanent repair.

[Mike Olson]

Thanks for the Info Howard. That explains a lot. I think the JB Weld would work better than the Superglue or epoxy i was thinking about using.

[johnny means]

I've dealt with similar stacked dado set up issues with a little double stick tape. Apply a little tape between the cutter and outside blade before installing. Take care to align the arbor holes, of course. Install, tighten, get back to work. Best thing is you don't risk screwing up your arbor.

[Bob Wingard]

Thanks for the Info Howard. That explains a lot. I think the JB Weld would work better than the Superglue or epoxy i was thinking about using.


JB WELD IS an epoxy ... a pretty good one, but an epoxy none the less.

[Keith Westfall]

I thought I saw where JB had a "more metal" material than the regular JB Weld. A bit pricier though I think...

[Mark Patoka]

+1 on using JB Weld. I discovered the same issue on my older Craftsman TS and filled in that gap with some JB and it's been working perfectly ever since. That TS is now my dedicated dado saw and the JB hasn't failed after at least 5 years.

[Joe Hillmann]

Can you put a blade stabilizer on first then the dado set, then either the nut or the second stabilizer and nut? That would cost about $10. It would move the blade enough to get it out of the groove, and you would have a set of stabilizers to use for regular cutting as well. A win,win,win situation.

[Joe Bradshaw]

Mike, I have a Craftsman model #113-298842 that I have parted out. You can have the arbor for the postage if you think that it will work on your saw.
Joe

[Mike Olson]

Thanks Joe, but I think i'm going to just try the JB weld first. I really don't want to disassemble the saw

[Mike Olson]

I was able to successfully fix the arbor with some JB Weld. I made a YouTube Video of the process since I'm trying to record all my projects now.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HaY09wyS6Vg