Emerson/Craftsman RAS recall. Anyone here do it?

[Jim O'Dell]

Hi all! Hope your weekend is going well. As the title implies, I'm looking for anyone who got the recall parts and upgraded their units. Specifically the table. I started doing mine today, even though I've had the kit for over a year. I'm having trouble getting the table to line up with the mounting holes. If I get the 4 main mounting holes to match holes in the brackets, the 1 hole front and center is no where near the u-clip it's bolt should thread into. And the set screw to adjust the center table height is no where near anything in the frame to push against. If I get the screw into the u-clip, and the set screw matches up, the 4 mounting holes are no where close, plus the table is not centered on the frame.
Short of adding some bracing for the set screw and center screw to work with, am I missing something? I'm using the 2 new side frames the table is supposed to attach to. But the only thing different is how the 2 adjusters at the back mount...retangular holes instead of key holes.
TIA for any ideas you can give me!! Jim.
Short of

[Ken Harrod]

I got that recall kit and installed it a coupe months ago. I did not have any trouble with mine. The table is quite a bit deeper than the stand is for the saw. I think the front edge overlaps the stand by about 9 inches.

If I remember correctly, it comes with some metal angles that are mounted to the side of the stand and the table then mounts to those 2 angles. I think the angles had multiple holes in it to attach them to the stand and also for the table board to mount to them.

I can take a couple pics of mine when I am out in the garage again.

[Jeff Bratt]

I got my kit a few years ago. I installed the new blade guard - a definite improvement, especially since my original was damaged. I then looked at how the new table differed from the old, and it basically just moved the fence forward about 1 inch to allow the new blade guard to fall behind the fence at the home location. I decided that I liked the new guard with old fence location better. Instead of having to raise the blade guard up for each cut, I liked how the lower guard rests on the fence and then gently lowers itself as you pull the saw forward, then raises back up (slightly) when you push the saw back. So I never put in the new table.

My saw and retrofit kit may be different from yours - YMMV. Not a direct answer to your question, but at least a related opinion...

[Jim O'Dell]

Yeah, I've got the new side brackets on, and I can get the 4 holes to line up with the holes there, but then the 2 to adjust the table flatness are no where close to where they should be. If I get those 2 in the right spot, the 4 holes are inches away from their mounting holesin the brackets, and the table is shifted off center. I've actually got two Craftsman RAS bases, and it does the same thing with both of them. Jim.

[Art Mann]

I got the recall kit, installed it, and decided it was clumsy to the point of being silly and even dangerous. I restored the saw to it's original configuration and that is the way I have used it ever since.

[Jim O'Dell]

Art, I agree with you on the guard, and after I played with it a year ago, I decided not to use it either. I was just hoping to use the table. This is the RAS my Dad gave me. My old one is long gone. Dad's has a home built table on it, and is a pretty sad piece of particle board. The 1" piece of MDF looks pretty nice. Just hoping to get to use it. Might end up using the Formica covered piece I built for my old one. It and the stand are the only parts I kept from it. :eek: Jim.

[Dick Rowe]

Jim,

I installed my update a while back after sitting on it for a while as well.

After much head scratching about why the pre-drilled holes didn't line up where I expected them to I started shuffling the table around on the brackets until I found a match.

It does work, but you lose several inches of work surface (the fence is quite a bit forward from the original location). I supect they did it because of the design of the new hood.

I only use my RAS for square cuts so I didn't care about losing some cutting surface, plus I found the dust collection very much improved with the new hood.

I have heard some 'grumbling' on the forum about the new design, but I actually find it a lot safer and am happy I made the switch.

[Jim O'Dell]

So, Dick, is your table skewed to the right? I'll play with it today and see if I can get it to go that way, but I don't think it will all line up. Thanks! Jim.

[Chris Bruno]

Hi Jim,

There were several configurations of upgrade kits, if I'm not mistaken, so this may not be applicable to you. But I distinctly remember having to drill new holes in the frame for at least 2 (maybe 4) of the table mounting holes. Then the little tabs that the screws thread into had to be relocated to the new holes.

Hope this helps,
-Chris

[Jim O'Dell]

Thanks Chris. I'll look at that possibility also here in a little bit. Jim.

[Dick Rowe]

Jim,

No, not skewed, and I didn't have to drill any new holes, but I remember that it took a lot of positioning and repositioning to find the hole matchup points.

[Fred Voorhees]

I recieved the update kit and installed it on mine and didn't seem to have much problem. I didn't exactly follow the kits rules word for word. I remember the kit coming with some brackets, but I didn't use them. The blade guard was a definite improvement!

[Steve Clardy]

Wow. This thread is a reminder.

I got my upgrade kit 4-5 years ago:confused:

It's still in the box unopened in the attic. :eek::o:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

[Jim O'Dell]

Thanks guys. I played with it for a while before I found the sweet spot. I knew it was toward the front, but MAN!!! it's almost off the brackets!!! But it will fit. Thanks so much for the insights. I'm even going to try the guard again, especially if the dust collection is better with it. And it's easy to see how it would be with the drop down sides. I do wish they had bored some holes for alignment pegs between the two piece table. That makes no sense. Why not make it one piece, easier to mount and level out, then the narrow piece separate that sandwiches the fence. Guess I'll put those old brackets to good use.
Steve....man sometimes you've got to slow down some and upgrade the machines! :rolleyes: I thought I was bad in how long stuff sits around here before it gets used. At least I know I'm in good company! :D:D Jim.

[Kelly C. Hanna]

I think you'll find the dust collection stinks with the new guard....mine has the guard on it and I love it but...I plugged the DC hole with a dowel and set up a 4" hose pointed directly at the back of the blade cover....works perfectly with very little dust missed. It is the only tool on that run of the DC hose.

[Jerry Booher]

I opted for the $100 instead of the update kit. Had to send the trunnion back to Emerson in the box they sent, thereby making the rest of the saw scrap metal.

I invested the $100 in the stock market and now I probably have $70. :eek:

Jerry

[Jim O'Dell]

That's a good one, Jerry.:D

Well, I got the table on, all trued and squared up. Went to put the guard on....oops! I forgot I got this one for my old RAS before it died. Dad's is older and the handle won't fit, therefore the arm to raise the guard up over the fence won't be there to work the guard correctly. :(:( Maybe I'll just make a disc sanding station out of it. :rolleyes: :D:D
Again, thanks to everyone for the help with the table. Now, do I start another thread on alternative uses for an RAS???:D (boat anchor has already been mentioned by many!;) ) Jim.

[Terry Browne]

I didn't know about this recall until yesterday; however, I did go to the Emerson Electric site and order mine. I'm curious as to exactly what comes with the kit and how long it took for most of you to receive yours after it was ordered.

[Darren Salyer]

I ordered one for mine about 10 weeks ago. it was on my doorstep less than 2 weeks after I ordered it. I believe they have install instructions on the site you can view to get an idea of parts included.

[Jim O'Dell]

Terry, it comes with a new 1" thick MDF table...3 sections. No fence.
New blade guard, and a new handle that helps manupulate the blade guard. I'm still looking to see if I can make something that will operate the blade guard pivot. (It wasn't made for the saw I'm now trying to use it on.) Jim.

[Terry Browne]

Thank you for the replies. I'm looking forward to receiving the parts!