New RAS never used $200 Should I 'upgrade'?

[Daniel McCurdy]

Hey everyone, looking for some feedback here. I currently have a good Craftsman RAS that's one of the older 113 models. I bought it used and from what I can tell it works well (I haven't fully set up my shop yet and thus, haven't gone through with a true full accuracy set check yet.)

I am going to go look at a much newer and never used RAS tonight that someone is selling for $200. He bought it on clearance about 3 years ago and never used it, so he just figured he'd sell it. Model # 315.220380

Both are the nice beefy ones that can be wired for 220V. Think its worth looking into? I'm sure I could sell mine for $150 maybe a little less.

Here's the thing I'm concerned about. The guy says it won't start all the way. Says it makes a little sound like a small fan is on, but the blade won't turn. I have a feeling it may be a power issue. Its still wired at 110 and that motor is rated at 13 Amps on a 110 hook up. Because he's in an apartment now, my assumtion is that the wiring is probably just not up to that task.

I know my air compressor at 15 Amps won't trip the breaker, but won't start either on certain outlets.

So while its not like an upgrade from a contractor saw to a cabinet saw, or a portable planer to a floor standing 3hp 15" planer...it's new and safer, and probably easier to adjust and what not.

Thoughts???

[Randal Stevenson]

At BEST, it is an expensive downgrade from what you have.

[Eric Haycraft]

The common sentiment on here is that newer RASs are build like crap unless they are uber expensive. 100 dollars seems to be the going rate for these later model saws and there is a reason that they go for so little. If you truly want to upgrade, go older, not newer.

[Daniel McCurdy]

At BEST, it is an expensive downgrade from what you have.

OK, why do you feel that way?

[Daniel McCurdy]

Like this?

http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/tls/587671105.html

Porter Cable 10in. Radial arm saw - $400 24in. cut

[Ben Cadotte]

Is that your saw or the one your looking at?

I have a new Craftsman RAS and I am unsure of the fan noise? The motor is on or off. No seperate cooling fan. Only thing I can think of is a sheard shaft. Motor is running but not the blade or aux shaft?? Seems it would be louder than a fan noise though if that were the case.

Wouldnt hurt to look at it I guess. My question is, are you going to gain anything by buying just a slightly newer saw? Especially one that is used and broken. Vs the one you have and know. I definately would not sell old one first. Maybe it is something easy to fix and you could make some money with it reselling. But I don't see much gain in it other than that.

[Jeffrey Makiel]

Sears RAS hit an all time low in the late 1980s and early 1990s. I know, I own one. They actually reverted back to an older and more stable design that has four bearings supporting the carriage. The pic you show appears to be the better version.

As far as the noise, it's likely that either the motor's start capacitor is bad or the centrifugal switch that activates the capacitor is stuck. This will make the motor hum like a fan, but not spin. It can be a relatively simple fix. However, I would be very cautious of buying something that won't start because it could also be something worse like a ceased bearing or defective motor winding.

In general, most Sears RASs from the 1970s on forward are nothing special. The concept of an RAS requires that it have beefy components to be accurate. Sears RASs simply are a bit lean in this area. You would be better off with an old Delta (the smaller 10" model) or an old DeWalt that sports cast iron parts instead of cast aluminum and plastic.

However, I do use my Sears RAS for rough cutting long boards and for repeatitive chop cuts. It's a nice tool in this capacity.

I recommend that you check Sears' website to see if this saw is part of a massive recall regarding the blade guard. Emerson Electric, maker of the saw for Sears, will either replace the guard or cut you a check if no retrofit is available. If your saw falls into this category, it's probably older than 3 years too.

-Jeff :)

[Randal Stevenson]

If your looking to spend the kind of money that is shown on that CL one, consider going to the bay and ordering a rebuilt DeWalt from Wolf machinary in Iowa. Those were/are considered the saw. Others that I have seen well liked are Red Star, that later became Rockwell/Delta turret models.
My B-i-l and several other people I have talked to on other boards, said that the early Craftsman were good (60's throught some 70's). But by the 80's they were getting cheaper, when the radial arm lawsuit happened (notice it only happened to Sears and Emerson) to which Emerson was the big loser, and they went, then dropped the Ridgid model (which gets horrible reviews). The one your looking at getting, already has a problem (capacitor, hooked up to 110 when wired for 220, other?), costs you more money (that would probably be better spent on a different blade if you have an issue) and is made by a company that recalled all their radial arm saws, that they sold under their brand name (Ryobi).

[Daniel McCurdy]

I don't have a picture of mine, but this is what it looks like. Mine has the cabinet underneath. Would this be considered one of the 'crappy' models?

I just use it for cross cuts, and will probably use it for dados as well.

[Daniel McCurdy]

If your looking to spend the kind of money that is shown on that CL one, consider going to the bay and ordering a rebuilt DeWalt from Wolf machinary in Iowa. Those were/are considered the saw. Others that I have seen well liked are Red Star, that later became Rockwell/Delta turret models.
My B-i-l and several other people I have talked to on other boards, said that the early Craftsman were good (60's throught some 70's). But by the 80's they were getting cheaper, when the radial arm lawsuit happened (notice it only happened to Sears and Emerson) to which Emerson was the big loser, and they went, then dropped the Ridgid model (which gets horrible reviews). The one your looking at getting, already has a problem (capacitor, hooked up to 110 when wired for 220, other?), costs you more money (that would probably be better spent on a different blade if you have an issue) and is made by a company that recalled all their radial arm saws, that they sold under their brand name (Ryobi).

Well put. I'm not really out looking for another saw, but glanced at this and thought it my be a decent upgrade. I wanted to post the question to see if it was worth doing. Sounds like its not at all.

[Ben Cadotte]

I don't have a picture of mine, but this is what it looks like. Mine has the cabinet underneath. Would this be considered one of the 'crappy' models?

I just use it for cross cuts, and will probably use it for dados as well.

It's only crappy if it doesn't cut straight and can't be adjusted to cut straight. I don't mind working on tools. Some people don't have the patience or consider it not worth their time to fix tools.

[Daniel McCurdy]

It's only crappy if it doesn't cut straight and can't be adjusted to cut straight. I don't mind working on tools. Some people don't have the patience or consider it not worth their time to fix tools.

I agree. I've only been using it for rough cuts so far. Now that I'm getting my shop truly set up, I'll be doing some things here and there that will need better than rough cut. So I'll be seeing just how accurate it really is...and how accurate I can get it if it needs to be adjusted.

[Ralph Y Thorne]

I have 3 10" radial arm saws, a 60s era Craftsman, a Delta made in the 90s and one like the saw pictured in the first post. The first 2 saws are now worn out. The Craftsman lasted much longer than the Delta. Both have too much wear on the cast iron arm.

When it was time for a new saw I thought I would be disappointed with the newest saw, I was wrong. Once I started using the new saw with it's new safety features I was sold.

The new Craftsman has 2 motors and 2 power cords, one for the blade and one to limit carriage movement. There also 2 switches. One is on the trigger which engages the limiting motor and one on the end of the arm which controls the blade. This may be the sound you are hearing, if you only pull the trigger one motor runs, but the blade does not spin.

If you have any questions, I would be happy to answer them.

[Wade Lippman]

Both are the nice beefy ones that can be wired for 220V. Think its worth looking into? I'm sure I could sell mine for $150 maybe a little less.

Here's the thing I'm concerned about. The guy says it won't start all the way. Says it makes a little sound like a small fan is on, but the blade won't turn. I have a feeling it may be a power issue. Its still wired at 110 and that motor is rated at 13 Amps on a 110 hook up. Because he's in an apartment now, my assumtion is that the wiring is probably just not up to that task.


I had one of those. Bought it new and unused for $150 and sold it a year later for $200.
It worked fine (I just decided I needed a drum sander more, and didn't have room for both), but probably no better than the one you have now. There is no reason to change a 13a motor to 240v; it is prefectly happy on a 20a/120v circuit.

The funny thing is that the moron has plugged the wrong thing in!
There are two cords on that model. One is to the saw, and the other is to the anti-kickback device. The "fan" noise he hears is the anti-kickback thing; he hasn't plugged the saw in.
I found the anti-kickback thing to be way more trouble than it was worth, and never used it. A radial arm saw can be difficult to control when cutting a wide dado, but it just takes some practice.

So, $200 is a pretty good price for a new RAS, but I don't see it as an upgrade unless there is actually something wrong with yours.

[Gene O. Carpenter]

[quote=Ralph Y Thorne;789889] The Craftsman lasted much longer than the Delta. Both have too much wear on the cast iron arm.

Ralph,
Check your mod. no. at Sears.com and you'll see that they have a steel rod mounted low on each side of that cast iron arm. The carriage bearings ride on those rods so if your saw is "sloppy in it's seat" you can replace the 2 rods and or bearings and get many more years use out of your RAS.

For anyone's information..RAS's are notoriously difficult to "tune" due to the many different plains that the blade can travel during the many uses of the saw. They all come with a book and the instructions are clear and easy to follow.
A RAS, due to all these critical adjustments, should not be mounted on a mobile base as the tiniest misalignment caused by moving the saw from it's initial spot in your shop will throw the whole thing off..
My late 60's early 70's of which I am the 2nd owner, has been sitting in the same spot since I bought it around 1973 and has been used to cut wood, Lexan, Aluminum and red brick. Has done compound cuts, ripped 2by's, made cove molding, cabinet door stiles and rails and used a rotary planer head ..
Just now it needs a new table surface. Not from being worn out but due to high humidity levels it has started to swell around the edges. I think that I will replace it with furniture grade plywood and I dread all the adjustments that will have to be performed..
After all these years the brake deice has gave out on me. It surely don't owe me anything!

[Dick Bringhurst]

I agree with Wade. I own one. Made by Ryobi for Sears. $640.00 new. Dick B.