Radial arm saw problem

[CAPPER]

I recently bought an old CRAFTSMAN radial arm saw.

I am using this saw to crosscut 3" thick beams.
The right hand side of the cut is nice and smooth.
The left side is burnt.

With the yoke pivot latch engaged, it appears that the blade is at an angle to the slide. The rear of the blade is more than 1/16" left of the front. Behind the plastic yoke pivot latch cover, there are two bolts that maybe can be used to align the pivot latch.

Before I do something stupid, I would like some advice.
What should I do?
How can I make the adjustment needed to align the blade?

I have a dial indicator to check the blade.

[LCHIEN]

on a table saw, that would indicate the path of travle is not parallale to the blade. I would think the same on a RAS.
You have to align the blade to the slide but I don't know how to do that.

[just4funsies]

Most RAS's I have seen have facilities by which many of the adjustments can be fine-tuned. On my saw, there are slots for the screws at the mounting points on which the guide bearings rest. I have seen eccentric cams similar to those in the BT's SMT on other RAS's. I can't say for sure what happens on your particular saw, but it is possible that an owner's manual is available from Sears via the Web. It definitely sounds like your blade is cocked to one side, and it is probably the trailing edge doing the burning.

[Tom Hintz]

Capper,
It certainly sounds like the powerhead is not aligned correctly, dragging the back side of the blade.
See the link below for a procedure I used on my Craftsman RAS that helped keep it aligned and cutting well for long periods. An RAS, is you use it often, needs to be checked for alignment occasionally, just as we shojld our table saws also.

http://www.newwoodworker.com/squarerastble.html

[Jim Boyd]

Go here and look at the 4th reply. One thing most people miss is the first step he describes. Without which none of the others will work.
http://tinyurl.com/qnm4t

[dkhoward]

I have a 25+ year old Craftsman RAS and I still have the original manuals that came with it which have the full step by step instructions for squaring the whole machine. If you are interested I think I can scan them and email you a copy in PDF format.

[retired wrench]

Capper,,,,,bout all I can add to the advice given above, is that you can log on sears parts, give em the model # of the saw, and you can get a manual sent to you from them.......
My exp. with my later 70`s vintage craftsman RAS, is they can be touchy after a few yrs of use.....Theres a rubber bushing in the back, that the eccentric rides on, and I`ve found that can be a problem.
Also, in setting it up, you have to follow the directions very carefully, if you mess up one adjustment, all the adjustments that follow will be off.
I`ve replaced the motor, table, and a few other little parts, and adjust it maybe once a year or so. Its a nice compliment to the BT3-1 i have, I use it for dado work and ripping larger stuff mostly.

[LinuxRandal]

Some reccommendations. You might check your model # at OWWM (old woodworking machines) to see if they have the pdf of your manual. If it is an Emerson based machine (first three digits, 113 or 103 I believe) you might both call them for a copy of the manual, and check it against radialarmsawrecall.com.
Third, these can be a compliment to your tablesaw, I would check out the Mr. sawdust forums, and or the Dewalt radial arm saw group over at delphi, for things like blade specs, and how to build a better table for them (can make a huge difference). As I am still working from an OLD, OLD backup machine (awaiting warranty drive, untill then stuck on a 133 with 32mb) I don't have access to a lot of my addresses or #, so google will have to be your friend.