OP, I'm an "RAS only" kinda guy, I have a 1959 Delta 40C and an '84 Delta RAS-12, both of which have been tuned up and are seriously accurate, smooth cutting machines that are on par w/ my old cabinet saw (now sold off due to the 2 RAS) in terms of accuracy and cut quality. The RAS is superior in versatility, ergonomics, and space management. The way I got them to such a fine level of operation is that I discovered the
DeWalt RAS Forum which set me on the right path to RAS bliss. Read the FAQ's (not too lengthy) for a good distillation.
There are a few important things to understand:
3) According to Mr. Sawdust, and everyone I know who knows anything worthwhile about successfully using an RAS, and according to my experience, the #1 step for you to complete on your RAS is to construct and install a proper reference grade table top for the tool, this is because the stock tops are really only sufficient for use as a pattern; in effect, your tool is incomplete until you provide a good top. This is what Mr. Sawdust's book is for.
4) Then properly tune the thing; this is where John Eakes' book comes into play (Mr. Sawdust does this too, but his writing style is atrocious reading)-he specifically addresses DeWalt, Craftsman, and Delta saws in great detail. Understand that there is a key sequence to follow, which starts with leveling the new table top to be co-planar with the arm; someone spoke of the "ways," which is referred to in those books as the "arm."
5) DeCristoforo's book will open your eyes to what an amazing machine the RAS is and give you the confidence to do things with the RAS that will amaze you.
5) Within today's woodworking community, there is a generation's worth of misunderstanding and misinformation regarding RAS use, capabilities, and safety. I suspect this is partly due to the inevitable "churn and burn" marketing efforts of mfrs, partly lawsuits, and partly due to the funky bleed over of industrial use into the domestic arena. My experience shows that the RAS is just as safe and produces equivalent quality cuts to the TS, but it does much more without the need for a whole raft of jigs and whiz-bang add-on gizmo's, and it does this faster and easier too.
1) Like the Golden Age of the RAS was pre-1964~1966, and there were consumer and pro grades of tools. The best of the RAS have cast arn arms. The consumer grade RAS got progressively worse over time, and some of them are just flat out crappy tools that can never be brought to a level of performance that serious hobbyists and professionals demand. If you're serious, then read a bunch of the stuff on the RAS Forum so you know whether to bother with your Craftsman or if you should seek out something different before investing more time and money into a lost cause.
2) The vintage of your saw and being a Craftsman means that it was made in Taiwan by Emerson-the concept of high quality and cast iron was long gone by that point, as was the understanding of the tool by Asian interpreters, so the Owner's Manual will be of limited value. You will be better served by getting 3 RAS books: Wally Kunkel's
Mr. Sawdust book, DeCristoforo's
The Magic of Your RAS, and John Eakes'
Fine Tuning Your Radial Arm Saw. These 3 tomes are "must have" reading.
-Bradley