Sears Craftsman Table Saw problem. Help!

[Bob Holder]

To all,
I've got a Sears Craftsman 10 in. 3 h.p. Table saw Model 137.248830. I was recently cutting a board with the fence on and the board got binded up between the blade and the fence and the board went shooting out. Luckily I was not in the way of the board.
Now the saw is making a very loud sound when it is running like an air raid siren and I smell a metallic smell coming from the motor. Any ideas on what's wrong, how to fix it, where to get it fixed and approx. how much it may cost to fix?
Thanks for any and all help I can get on this.

[Scott Loven]

Change the blade, it may be bent. Is this a hang the motor out the back end type contractors saw with a drive belt, or is it a direct drive motor?
Scott

[Bob Holder]

Scott,
Thanks for the response. It is a direct drive motor. I've already taken the blade off and it is still noisy. I read on a different website that it could be something to do with the ball bearings. Does this sound right? I'm wondering how much damage I will do if I just continue using it.

[tod evans]

bob, on a direct-drive saw that started screaming at you after a bind... i`d take a serious look at either a contractors saw or a true cabinet saw....in other words, i don`t think there`s enough saw to start with to bother fixing. only my .02 tod

[Bob Holder]

Ah, yes, the old buy a whole new saw answer. Not a possibility here since I'm just a weekender with limited $$$.

[Scott Loven]

The problem with some of the direct drive motors is that they are built specifically for that saw and are not easy or cheap to replace. If you can remove the motor you can take it to a motor shop and let them tell you what is wrong with it. Do you have a way to see if the shaft is bent, a dial indicator? If nothing else, secure a piece of wood next to the arbor and see if touches, and then doesn't touch the shaft. You might find a used motor on ebay. I doubt that you would be happy with the price for a new motor IF it were available from sears. They do have the parts.
http://www3.sears.com/

[Carl Eyman]

If it is bearings a motor shop can probably help you at a reasonable price. If you find the repair is going to cost you more than $50, say, I'd stronly suggest you look for a used contractor's saw. Depending on the amount of rust on the table and other cosmetics they ought to be available starting around $75. Do learn to check blade run-out before you shop, however.

[Bob Holder]

Scott,
Yes, great advice! I saw the Sears parts site and it appears I can get a new motor for about $90 bucks. I never even thought about taking the motor out and taking it to a motor shop for a repair. Since I'm just a weekender I'm interested in woodworking, not motor repair, so upgrading the table saw is not an option.
Thanks for your help but any other responses would also be appreciated also.

[Bob Holder]

Thanks for the advice Carl. I think I will take it to a motor shop to see what they think. The saw is only about a 1-1/2 years old so I'm really not wanting to ditch it yet. My wife would kill me if I told her I killed the thing already (although it has more than paid for itself a few times over already)!

[Scott Loven]

I worked at a Black&Decker repair depot one summer in college. It was interesting and I learned a lot. IT is not hard to replace a bearing yourself. Trying to straighten an arbor shaft would be difficult. $90 for a new motor isn't that bad. Let us know what the shop says.
Scott

[Bob Holder]

Scott,
Thanks for your help. A few questions. If it is a bad ball bearing do I need a ball bearing puller to take out/install it?
For about $37 in parts I could get a new ball bearing and shaft assembly. I'm wondering if I should replace those parts or just go for a whole new motor for $79.55. If I order a motor from the site you listed above, do you think it will have the arbor shaft included, thereby solving all of my problems?

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

Scott,If it is a bad ball bearing do I need a ball bearing puller to take out/install it?
For about $37 in parts I could get a new ball bearing and shaft assembly. I'm wondering if I should replace those parts or just go for a whole new motor for $79.55. If I order a motor from the site you listed above, do you think it will have the arbor shaft included, thereby solving all of my problems?

There was a thread not but a week or two ago that eas about a bearing issue on a craftsman TS. Thebearing was ftozen in the housing making mere replacement inpossible. The guy gound it out and I think he had to rebore the housing for a larger bearing as I recall.

[Bob Holder]

Thanks Cliff, but all of that would be way beyond my technical ability. If that is my case I would just have to pony up for a new motor.

[Scott Loven]

Could be the armature that is bent also. That looks like it was $80 or so. Find a way to support the inner part of the bearing and tap the shaft down through the bearing with a wood block and a hammer. The idea is to not put pressure on the bearings, just the inner ring.
Scott

[Loren Hedahl]

I'll bet there is a local auto parts/machine shop that would sell you new bearings that are a lot better quality than the originals and will press them on for a very reasonable charge.

However, I have a hard time imagining how a kickback would damage the bearings. Instead, I would strongly suspect the hinged frame holding the motor is bent, or maybe the axle that provides for the tilt mechanism is bent. It also appears like you haven't ruled out a bent armature.

A few thoughts about your feeling a lack of experience in this area:

You probably can't screw it up too much worse than it already is; operationally, that is.

And if you figure out how to fix it, you can really crow.

And if you can't, don't feel bad. Remember, the guy who can fix anything and everything never gets anything new!

Anyway, good luck, and it would be interesting to know how it all turns out.

[John Kain]

This exact thing happened to me with my craftsman 3HP. Check out the thread below. It's my router table thread but in it is the discussion about fixing my table saw. You most likely shot the bearing. There are two bearings to check. Unfortunately, they are one with the shaft.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=33429

EDIT: Cliff, that was me.........

[chester stidham]

You know 80 bucks for a new motor for around 100 you coud find a used belt drive sears saw and be happer I sold my old sears belt drive saw with the fence that came with my 22114 saw for 100 and have sean a lot of used saws for under 100 they well have way more power and cut much better the 3 h.p. that sears tells you they have is a lie it's more like 1/3 h.p. 3 h.p. would take at least 30 amps to run.:(

[Todd Woodward]

Bob, Chet is right. You can usually find an old belt drive contractors saw for $100 or less. You'll be much happier with it. It's certainly quiter than you direct drive unit. Where are you anyway? Someone here might be able to "hook you up" if you are close to them and they want to part with a saw.

[Bob Holder]

Hey guys, thanks for the advice. I'm in St. Louis, MO. but I think I'm going to stick with this saw for awhile. My plan is to take the motor out and take it to an electric motor repair shop that is a few miles from my house and see what they say. My decision will be based on what they say. I'll probably do it this weekend so I'll keep you posted.

[JUAN BARRON]

to all,
i've got a sears craftsman 10 in. 3 h.p. Table saw model 137.248830. I was recently cutting a board with the fence on and the board got binded up between the blade and the fence and the board went shooting out. Luckily i was not in the way of the board.
Now the saw is making a very loud sound when it is running like an air raid siren and i smell a metallic smell coming from the motor. Any ideas on what's wrong, how to fix it, where to get it fixed and approx. How much it may cost to fix?
Thanks for any and all help i can get on this.
i had the exact same problem with my table saw,, i disassembled it, and found out the gear on the shaft itself had a couple of broken gears,, that`s why it makes that ugly noise,, you`ll need to buy another armature,,it runs about 95.00,, more or less..

[Duane Meadows]

To the best of my knowledge, there is no breakdown on that motor(from Sears anyway), it's all or none. $162.99 + S&H.

http://www.searspartsdirect.com/partsdirect/part-number/Craftsman-Parts/Saw-Parts/0QEF/0009/137/Model-137248830/0247/0744600?keySuffixId=&pathTaken=partSearch&pathRender=modelComponent&documentCompId=P0310066&diagramPageId=00002&productTypeId=&searchModelNumber=137248830&subCompDesc=Blade/motor/body%20shell&brandDesc=CRAFTSMAN&modelDesc=10%26quot;%20TABLE%20SAW&blt=11&shdMod=137248830&keyId=QEP

I'd go for a good used belt drive saw.

[John M Wilson]

I'm betting that in the 7 years since the OP had the problem, he either fixed the saw, got a new one, or dropped out of woodworking entirely.

Date of last post: 5/16/2006 Wow!

[Duane Meadows]

Yep, I missed that , John.

[Steve Clardy]

Golden oldie. :D

[Mike Goetzke]

I'm betting that in the 7 years since the OP had the problem, he either fixed the saw, got a new one, or dropped out of woodworking entirely.

Date of last post: 5/16/2006 Wow!

I noticed that too plus it was his last post.