# My mistake? Help with an older Craftsman table saw!



## MonkeyDaddy (Sep 8, 2008)

I decided to upgrade from my little $79 table saw bought 10 years ago from a big box store. Put a call out on that *list* website from that one guy…you know…*Craig*? Anyways, got a reply about a Craftsman saw, 2-3 years old, 3hp commercial grade, for $400. How could I pass it up?

Turns out the saw was made in 1987. Also found the table had a lot of surface rust, all the hardware is rusted (mostly surface), badly out of alignment, motor is only 1.5hp, etc. So far my main concerns are 2: how long can a motor last since this is 21 years old already, and more importantly there were no guards included. I have no splitter, riving knife, pawls, blade guard, etc.

Sears doesn't stock many of the replacement parts. I am quite nervous about running a saw with no guards, and no possibility of having some of the guards at all unless I cobble something together on my own.

The questions I have are, first, does anyone know where I can get parts (specifically pawls) for a Craftsman model 113.298761? And can anyone offer me advice on this saw? Was I completely duped and cheated, or is this a decent model? Just how far I should I go to get this guy to give me my money back? I have spent 4-5 hours and over $100 cleaning, tuning, replacing parts, etc. Seems to work decently now, but for how long?

I have not been able to find any references to this saw online.

Lastly, I want to say that through an unfortunate series of events and timing I was not able to give the saw a good once-over or do any research prior to it's purchase. Yes, I know, caveat emptor and all, but the seller lied to me over and over about the age, condition, accessories, etc. So please understand while anyone may feel free to throw a few verbal derriere-kicks my way I am more tham looking forward to passing them on to the jerk who sold me the saw!


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## marcb (May 5, 2008)

113 means Emerson Electric which is who makes the Ridgid contractor saw. You might be able to swap parts with them.

However looking at http://www.searspartsdirect.com/ they seem to have the bulk of the parts for this saw in stock.

21 years old is nothing for a motor. At worse you can take it apart and replace the bearings. Sounds hard and intimidating, its not.


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## CaptnA (Dec 17, 2007)

Yep caveat and all that. Doesn't help a bit does it? 
you got the proverbial shaft and its a shame. 
However, it sounds like a fair saw even if not what it was made out to be. 
I have a Craftsman table saw that is older than my 26 year old son. I can't remember exactly when I got it but he wasn't around yet. It still runs. I have no complaints with it (that I wouldn't have with ANY saw that was not and will never be the unisaw I always wanted!) 
If the link above doesn't pan out, keep an eye on ebay perhaps. It sucks compared to what it started as. But you can find things on there that I wouldn't know where else to look for.


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## DaveHerron (Jan 21, 2008)

You way overpaid. On most electric motors there will be a date of mfg on the serial number plate. I usually check the date if I have any question.

Link to the manual


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## MonkeyDaddy (Sep 8, 2008)

In case anyone cares, I eventually threatened to take this clown to court. I was able to return the saw to him and he payed me back for the original purchase price plus some extra for the time and materials I invested trying to get that P.O.S. up to snuff.

I now have a Steel City 35670 and am extremely happy with it!


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## MrWoody (Jan 25, 2008)

Hey, that is great news.


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## ajosephg (Aug 25, 2008)

I'm so happy for you. I quit buying Craftsman motorized tools years ago because I eventually became unhappy with them for one reason or another.


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## dsb1829 (Jun 20, 2008)

Strange story. Odd practices by both buyer and the seller. Honestly from what has been posted I can't say that I fault the seller too much, he probably posted off the cuff from poor memory. Happens a lot with these saws. Some sellers have a very warped perspective of what street value is. He is a very stand up guy for giving you your money back.

I trust you have learned a lesson about buying on craigslist. Gotta know what you are buying and be able to inspect it prior to taking delivery. I have gotten a couple of turkeys off of craigslist and ebay. Craigslist I view like the flea market and have never bothered to go back and gripe to the seller. In those cases I have inspected the item, decided it was good enough to risk, and hauled it away. Done deal. No warranty or guarantee expressed or implied, as is. Ebay is another story, it does have rules and guarantees so I have no problem hammering a seller who doesn't deliver as stated.

Glad it worked out for you.


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## EEngineer (Jul 4, 2008)

Well, I see a few issues here:

1. If he told you the saw was 2-3 years old and it was really 21 years old - he misrepresented the item, that's unethical and he should be blasted. You should get your money back and I am glad you did.

2. The misrepresentation of motor power (no craftsman contractor saw ever had a real 3 HP motor on it, no matter what they were labeled) is something that has stuck in my craw for years now. That may not be the seller's fault since Craftsman (and many others) has been doing this kind of deceptive labeling for a long time now.

3. I agree with marcb's comments - 21 years old is not much for a decent piece of arn. I am running a rebuilt Craftsman contractor saw that is 40 years old and I have another that is more than 50 years old - both with original motors. The 50 year old needs new arbor bearings but the motor bearings are fine. Don't let this experience leave a bad taste for old arn.


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## dsb1829 (Jun 20, 2008)

Good point on the age, that was the one thing the seller misrepresented that is hard to do unintentionally.


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## odie (Nov 20, 2007)

My old Craftsman is 32 years old. It's the only table saw I use. I have replaced the rip fence and miter gauge with after market Incra stuff. The motor is original and runs like new. I expect it to last another 32 years.


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## Bob42 (Jan 9, 2008)

For the future if you need, check out http://www.owwm.com/. They have info and are helpful on older tools and supplies.

Glad to hear you got some satisfaction. I still like most of the older tools. You would be surprised at what you can get and most of the time it's made better than the new stuff.


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## Steve2 (Aug 16, 2008)

you have returned it etc. but I have the same saw, 3 yrs older, sitting here. A subsidiary of Emerson makes both Rigid and crftsmn - same saw except varying options. Yes parts are available but why?

Great saw for what it was intended to be but you are trying to make it something more than that - I made the same mistake.


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## MonkeyDaddy (Sep 8, 2008)

I have no problems with Craftsman. I think their hand tools are really excellent and I'd say 90% of mine are their brand. I also think their power tools have really fallen off in quality as of the last few years. That, however, is neither here nor there in terms of this transaction.

Please understand I am only giving you the "highlights" (lowlights?) of this whole thing. Only once I was able to properly examine the saw and spend some time trying to fix it was I able to determine the poor shape it was in. This guy put it in writing and verbally that the saw was in ready-to-use condition with no major issues and few minor ones.

I am first to admit I made a mistake and have culpability in this. I did not do adequate research and agreed to the sale too quickly.

BUT…it is illegal to deliberately mislead the buyer, either intentionally or not. I spent a lot of time afterwards (time I should have spent pre-sale on the saw) reading up on the consumer protection laws in my state. Basically it boils down to the fact that I acted in good faith and the seller did not. The guy is a junk dealer. I figure he picked this saw up a while ago and thought he could make a quick couple of bucks off my ignorance.

If you factor in the materials and especially the time I spent trying to tune the saw, removing rust where I could and replacing parts where I couldn't, etc., I am out quite a bit more than I was repaid. That is my "penance" and my chagrin, and with those in tow I now will be that much more careful.


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## hokieman (Feb 14, 2008)

The only Craftsman product I have ever been please with was my RAS. I have not bought any Craftsman products for about 15 years now and I don't plan on it either. My advice is to try and post your newly purchased saw for about half what you paid for so you don't screw then and cut your losses. You can still get some good deals on the web on used items but patience is required. If you are really a woodworking fanatic, then save your money and buy a good saw. Some of the hybrids are excellent. Cabinet saws are the real deal but you are talking about $2,000. I suffered with my Craftsman for 25 years before upgrading to a Steel City cabinet saw.


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## damloc (Jan 31, 2015)

does anyone know where you can get capacitors for the motor on this saw. motor just hums when turned on. i do not know if that is bearings or capacitor. thanks for any help.


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## MrUnix (May 18, 2012)

Hmmm.. this thread was over 6 years old.. kind of late to the party huh?

Pull the cap and test with a multimeter.. it's either that or the centrifugal switch which is a bit harder to get to, so check the cap first. It's a $5 part and you can get them from a zillion different places. If it were the bearings, you would not be able to spin the motor by hand.

Cheers,
Brad


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