# Sears Craftsman 10" Radial Arm Saw - 113.199250 - 1st Discussion



## SawdustDiva (Mar 21, 2021)

Earlier this year, I bought a used Sears Craftsman RAS 113.199250 (113.199200 without the stand). I immediately made some adjustments to the base to drop it a slight bit (I am short) and have better casters. It's been too cold, until recently, to do much of anything with it because it is in our unheated garage and I live in MN. I went out to work on making adjustments for the table today and didn't get very far, because when I bring the arm control lever forward as directed, I am unable to make the arm swing left or right. I have spend a considerable amount of time looking and have not been able to find an answer to this problem. I'm trying to be careful not to take apart anything unnecessarily. The saw moves up and down on the column - no problem, but the arm will not move left or right. I turned the arm lock adjusting wheel counterclockwise which is supposed to loosen the arm, to my understanding, but it still is not moving. I took the trim assembly off to see if I could see something that would make sense. I see nothing that looks off. I might be going about this all wrong. Has anyone else ever had this issue?


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## Nealtw (Jun 22, 2017)

SawdustDiva said:


> Earlier this year, I bought a used Sears Craftsman RAS 113.199250 (113.199200 without the stand). I immediately made some adjustments to the base to drop it a slight bit (I am short) and have better casters. It's been too cold, until recently, to do much of anything with it because it is in our unheated garage and I live in MN. I went out to work on making adjustments for the table today and didn't get very far, because when I bring the arm control lever forward as directed, I am unable to make the arm swing left or right. I have spend a considerable amount of time looking and have not been able to find an answer to this problem. I'm trying to be careful not to take apart anything unnecessarily. The saw moves up and down on the column - no problem, but the arm will not move left or right. I turned the arm lock adjusting wheel counterclockwise which is supposed to loosen the arm, to my understanding, but it still is not moving. I took the trim assembly off to see if I could see something that would make sense. I see nothing that looks off. I might be going about this all wrong. Has anyone else ever had this issue?


does that on have like a T handle on top. You pull that toward you and that unlocks it at the post and allows you to swing the arm.


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## SawdustDiva (Mar 21, 2021)

Yes it does! I included a link so others could see what it is supposed to look like before I opened it up. I pulled it toward me, all the way, and it is supposed to allow me to swing the arm, but it doesn't move at all. If the column moves up and down with no problem, it would not appear to be a column problem, which is why I figured it had to be something that wasn't releasing, but that does not appear to be the case either. I even turned the wheel on the underside of the arm and it moves it further away from a little plate in the back under the miter index, which I'm assuming is a type of brake. I'm totally bumfuzzled...


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## de-nagorg (Feb 23, 2014)

SawdustDiva said:


> Yes it does! I included a link so others could see what it is supposed to look like before I opened it up. I pulled it toward me, all the way, and it is supposed to allow me to swing the arm, but it doesn't move at all. If the column moves up and down with no problem, it would not appear to be a column problem, which is why I figured it had to be something that wasn't releasing, but that does not appear to be the case either. I even turned the wheel on the underside of the arm and it moves it further away from a little plate in the back under the miter index, which I'm assuming is a type of brake. I'm totally bumfuzzled...



Maybe a pin connecting the T handle, to the lock mechanism, has fallen out.

Check the linkages carefully.


ED


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## ChuckTin (Nov 17, 2014)

Could be previous owner "locked" the saw at 90*?

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## FirebirdHank (Jan 31, 2021)

How old is the saw? I had one for years that was used mostly for square cuts. It had a tendency to get stuck in that position if it sat for a long time. It was stored in an un-heated building and often sat for a couple of months between uses. I would have to use penetrating oil on the top hub and force it left and right several times and then it would be OK for a while. Is there any sign of rust?


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## SawdustDiva (Mar 21, 2021)

de-nagorg said:


> Maybe a pin connecting the T handle, to the lock mechanism, has fallen out.
> 
> Check the linkages carefully.
> 
> ...


Everything appears to be moving as it should. I'm able to move the wheel, the pin in the lever is sound, I've watched everything when I move the lever and things seem to be doing what they should be, and the brake moves when I move the lever. You'll have to forgive my lack of photography skill...lol. This is why it's not making sense to me.


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## SawdustDiva (Mar 21, 2021)

FirebirdHank said:


> How old is the saw? I had one for years that was used mostly for square cuts. It had a tendency to get stuck in that position if it sat for a long time. It was stored in an un-heated building and often sat for a couple of months between uses. I would have to use penetrating oil on the top hub and force it left and right several times and then it would be OK for a while. Is there any sign of rust?


The paperwork with the saw says 1983. I bought it because it was well cared for and it had some dust on it, but nothing ridiculous. When they have the paperwork, they tend to be people who take care of things. I don't see any signs of rust. However, what you describe sounds potentially possible in this case, as it seems to be seized (for lack of a better terms) and I'm seeing no reason for it not to move. It seems it would almost have to be the hub somehow. I have wondered if it was always set for square cuts and either not used for miter cuts or jigs were used for miter cuts, to avoid realignment issues. How do I force it without damaging it and exactly where should I put penetrating oil? I would really like to get this moving so I can properly align it, as I bought it to use, not to become an obstacle in the garage, which is small to begin with.


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## SawdustDiva (Mar 21, 2021)

de-nagorg said:


> Maybe a pin connecting the T handle, to the lock mechanism, has fallen out.
> 
> Check the linkages carefully.
> 
> ...


All the linkages appear to be fine and everything moves that looks like it should when I pull the lever.


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## de-nagorg (Feb 23, 2014)

SawdustDiva said:


> All the linkages appear to be fine and everything moves that looks like it should when I pull the lever.


As others stated, lube the swivel joint, and see if it moves.

Maybe the previous owner installed some kind of pin, bolt, or device to lock it in the 90 angle position.

Have you read the manual carefully to see if maybe that was an option?


ED


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## SawdustDiva (Mar 21, 2021)

de-nagorg said:


> As others stated, lube the swivel joint, and see if it moves.
> 
> Maybe the previous owner installed some kind of pin, bolt, or device to lock it in the 90 angle position.
> 
> ...


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## SawdustDiva (Mar 21, 2021)

Well, it appears Firebird Hank and -nagorg were right - I took off the miter indicator and shot some Tri-Flow in after I came home and had dinner. I went back out a few hours later, and I saw no evidence of dripping from there, making me think there has to be some old grease that isn't allowing it to. I took off the back cover, and this is what I saw:







My guess is that this gunk has probably been there since 1983 and this is what it looks like in 2021 - I don't think the back cover has ever been off and I suspect the previous owner never moved it to do miter cuts. I've gently scraped and cleaned off all visible gunk. I sprayed some more Tri-Flow and now I can see places where it drips down past the bottom arm bearing. According to the manual, the upper and lower bands are arm bearings and the middle band is the retaining ring, which is over the arm latch (if you look carefully, you can see it just peeking out from under the retaining ring). I'm thinking there is likely also gunk behind all three of them. If it doesn't free up later today, I think I'm going to have to remove the arm from the column. This isn't what I want to do, but I may have to. I clamped the arm control lever down to allow me to use both hands. Since I still have the trim assembly off, I might be able to use a 2x4 to apply some leverage, which would give me a bit more power to potentially move it with, and yet not damage anything. Then, maybe, just maybe, I can start getting it aligned and get the new table installed.


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## ChuckTin (Nov 17, 2014)

I had one of these RAS from Sears, same era, possibly same model. It died from sawdust build up in the motor. So maybe you should be giving your saw a good once over in the motor as well as the arm locking mechanism.

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## SawdustDiva (Mar 21, 2021)

ChuckTin said:


> I had one of these RAS from Sears, same era, possibly same model. It died from sawdust build up in the motor. So maybe you should be giving your saw a good once over in the motor as well as the arm locking mechanism.
> 
> Sent from my Pixel 4a using Tapatalk


That actually sounds like a good idea. It would make sense to do that before I align it, as no one has time to do things over. I've never done that before, so any links/directions/tips/suggestions you have would be greatly appreciated.


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## ChuckTin (Nov 17, 2014)

Air compressor to blow away the loose stuff, a small paint brush to break up the surface stuff the air doesn't budge and a light rubber hammer to rattle loose some more. Apply once, "rinse and repeat". I wouldn't go into the motor unless I had to.
For anything like a more involved effort I'd look for a youtube video.
Other than that I can't help, sorry. Once the RAS was gone I replaced it with a Contractors Table saw and a Compound Miter saw.

Sent from my Pixel 4a using Tapatalk


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## SawdustDiva (Mar 21, 2021)

ChuckTin said:


> Air compressor to blow away the loose stuff, a small paint brush to break up the surface stuff the air doesn't budge and a light rubber hammer to rattle loose some more. Apply once, "rinse and repeat". I wouldn't go into the motor unless I had to.
> For anything like a more involved effort I'd look for a youtube video.
> Other than that I can't help, sorry. Once the RAS was gone I replaced it with a Contractors Table saw and a Compound Miter saw.
> 
> Sent from my Pixel 4a using Tapatalk





SawdustDiva said:


> The paperwork with the saw says 1983. I bought it because it was well cared for and it had some dust on it, but nothing ridiculous. When they have the paperwork, they tend to be people who take care of things. I don't see any signs of rust. However, what you describe sounds potentially possible in this case, as it seems to be seized (for lack of a better terms) and I'm seeing no reason for it not to move. It seems it would almost have to be the hub somehow. I have wondered if it was always set for square cuts and either not used for miter cuts or jigs were used for miter cuts, to avoid realignment issues. How do I force it without damaging it and exactly where should I put penetrating oil? I would really like to get this moving so I can properly align it, as I bought it to use, not to become an obstacle in the garage, which is small to begin with.


You were right on the money! Further down this page, I posted a photo of the grease from probably 1983 that had aged and hardened into gunk. I did some gentle scraping, a bit of cleaning and spraying, and quite a bit of waiting. I also loosened the rear nuts just a bit and moved the saw down to provide a bit of wiggle room, didn't have to really force it, but moved it back and forth several times. I retightened the nuts, readjusted the arm control wheel, and it moves back and forth when I move the arm control level smooth as can be! Thank you! Even though I don't see much for dust, I'm still going to blow out the motor tomorrow, just for good measure. Then I can begin to align it and finally begin using it!


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## ChuckTin (Nov 17, 2014)

Great! And please be careful. Power tools deserve respect and that spinnig blade ... I made it a point to not allow distraction when I was using it.

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## chandler48 (Jun 5, 2017)

You mentioned "clamping" the miter control arm. You should not have to "clamp" anything. The control arm should pull back toward you and lock in an "open" position to allow for swinging of the arm. Mine is an older (1973) model and just uses a pull lever, but the action is the same, I would think.


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## SawdustDiva (Mar 21, 2021)

ChuckTin said:


> Great! And please be careful. Power tools deserve respect and that spinnig blade ... I made it a point to not allow distraction when I was using it.
> 
> Sent from my Pixel 4a using Tapatalk


Thank you - and I am always careful. I'm not afraid of heights, but I'm careful; I'm not afraid of electricity, but I have a healthy respect for it, and I'm careful. Power tools are fabulous - but I'm careful to avoid distractions, to not wear clothing which could get caught, and to know where I am in relation to the blade at all times. Accidents are usually preventable - it's when people get in a rush and don't follow proper safety procedures that injuries occur. I also take good care of my tools, as that can also contribute to safe operation.


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## SawdustDiva (Mar 21, 2021)

chandler48 said:


> You mentioned "clamping" the miter control arm. You should not have to "clamp" anything. The control arm should pull back toward you and lock in an "open" position to allow for swinging of the arm. Mine is an older (1973) model and just uses a pull lever, but the action is the same, I would think.


I only clamped it temporarily so I could see have both hands free to try to move the arm. Now that I have the arm moving freely, the arm lever operates as it should.


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