Posted: 7/1/2025 2:20:47 PM EDT
[Last Edit: Lexington][Edited]
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My daughter picked up some tools cheap so we could work on her house without getting everything new. One tool is a very old Craftsman model 113.29410 radial arm saw. Every function is color coded and it takes two levers or knobs to do tilt, rotate, slide, etc. The bevel function is stuck. I squirted it with WD-40 a couple of times and it is still stuck. See the side view. The blue knob is used to loosen the bevel, the handle is used to rotate it, and the knob is tightened to lock it again. It's the blue lever behind the handle that is tuck in the down position. I'm sure it is intended to be raised and pull a pin out of the rotating housing. Any ideas on how to dislodge it? Is there some other hidden thing that I need to know about?  
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You do know the user's manual is on-line, right? https://www.searspartsdirect.com/manual/10flpu4giu-000247/craftsman-11329410-radial-arm-saw-parts I didn't read it but it might provide the answer. . |
Gun control is not the answer. Gun control is the question. The answer is NO.
| Yes, I downloaded the manual previously and the bevel function is barely described, and doesn't cover the blue lever. |
The Second Amendment: Preserving our right to petition the government - with malice.
"I guess it comes down to a simple choice, really. Get busy livin' or get busy dyin'."
Virginia Is For Loners (™)
"I guess it comes down to a simple choice, really. Get busy livin' or get busy dyin'."
Virginia Is For Loners (™)
| Rescue me! We returned the new sliding compound miter saw to Home Depot to save $300. I will be installing long vertical runs of PVC trim on the exterior of the house and I like to use plain scarf joints to join midpoints. |
The Second Amendment: Preserving our right to petition the government - with malice.
"I guess it comes down to a simple choice, really. Get busy livin' or get busy dyin'."
Virginia Is For Loners (™)
"I guess it comes down to a simple choice, really. Get busy livin' or get busy dyin'."
Virginia Is For Loners (™)
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I don't have that model. I would assume loosening the big blue knob on the front would free up the locking lever also blue to go with the also blue arrow. Have you tried loosening it all up and giving a wiggle while trying to move the lever? Just barn storming as I have no idea. |
| I am away from the saw for now but will be back at it on July 4. I tested all of the color coded functions in their lever/knob pairs and they work. As I recall, I loosened all of the blue-coded stuff and exerted pretty good upward pressure on the stuck lever. I think more WD-40 is in the future. It is just too simple of a design for it to be anything else (famous last words). The lever-and-pin setup is visible from the housing, and the top of the pin shaft is open. That's where I have been spraying WD-40. And the pin shaft is cone shaped. It shouldn't be stuck. |
The Second Amendment: Preserving our right to petition the government - with malice.
"I guess it comes down to a simple choice, really. Get busy livin' or get busy dyin'."
Virginia Is For Loners (™)
"I guess it comes down to a simple choice, really. Get busy livin' or get busy dyin'."
Virginia Is For Loners (™)
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UPDATE: I am sure you have all been waiting for the resolution to this problem. It took more WD-40 and some extra leverage and bingo! the stuck pin released. I now have a fully functional radial arm saw from yesteryear. Squaring it is a PITA, but my project doesn't need precision. I am off and running! I would really rather have kept the new Ryobi sliding miter saw, but we are having a little fun doing home exterior repair on the cheap. |
The Second Amendment: Preserving our right to petition the government - with malice.
"I guess it comes down to a simple choice, really. Get busy livin' or get busy dyin'."
Virginia Is For Loners (™)
"I guess it comes down to a simple choice, really. Get busy livin' or get busy dyin'."
Virginia Is For Loners (™)
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Originally Posted By Lexington: UPDATE: I am sure you have all been waiting for the resolution to this problem. It took more WD-40 and some extra leverage and bingo! the stuck pin released. I now have a fully functional radial arm saw from yesteryear. Squaring it is a PITA, but my project doesn't need precision. I am off and running! I would really rather have kept the new Ryobi sliding miter saw, but we are having a little fun doing home exterior repair on the cheap. I have an older version of that saw my dad bought used back in the 70s. I built a lot of stuff with that saw. Radial arm saws are useful, but can be very dangerous! Kickback is an issue, be careful and watch your fingers! |
| Indeed. I came across the kickback issues when I was researching this saw. Info stated that a lot of fingers have been lost because the blade is so exposed and the multi-compound cuts cause weird things to happen, again from blade exposure. I am mostly cutting PVC trim at 90 degrees, with a few scarf joints for longer material. |
The Second Amendment: Preserving our right to petition the government - with malice.
"I guess it comes down to a simple choice, really. Get busy livin' or get busy dyin'."
Virginia Is For Loners (™)
"I guess it comes down to a simple choice, really. Get busy livin' or get busy dyin'."
Virginia Is For Loners (™)
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Been trying to find one of those for my old man. When I was a little kid, dad built furniture as a hobby. He and an old man/buddy would design and build stuff and then sell it for material costs. Some of my fondest memories were being in his wood shop with the smell of wood and cigar smoke. Cancer and old age keep him near the house. I've been trying to "rebuild" his old workshop over time (he sold off all his old/irreplaceable tools decades ago). I got him a sliding miter box. He doesn't like it! He wants his old sliding radial arm saw. |
"History teaches us that men and nations behave wisely once they have exhausted all other alternatives."-Abba Eban
"I like it both ways, but still mainly mouth it" -gonzo_beyondo
"I like it both ways, but still mainly mouth it" -gonzo_beyondo
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Originally Posted By IndyGrendel63: I have an older version of that saw my dad bought used back in the 70s. I built a lot of stuff with that saw. Radial arm saws are useful, but can be very dangerous! Kickback is an issue, be careful and watch your fingers! As a kid, I was ripping a 2x4 with my dads old radial arm saw. The blade grabbed and sent the 2x4 through the garage wall.  Might be why they're nearly impossible to find at Lowes or any other retailer. |
"History teaches us that men and nations behave wisely once they have exhausted all other alternatives."-Abba Eban
"I like it both ways, but still mainly mouth it" -gonzo_beyondo
"I like it both ways, but still mainly mouth it" -gonzo_beyondo
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Originally Posted By Lexington: Indeed. I came across the kickback issues when I was researching this saw. Info stated that a lot of fingers have been lost because the blade is so exposed and the multi-compound cuts cause weird things to happen, again from blade exposure. I am mostly cutting PVC trim at 90 degrees, with a few scarf joints for longer material. The kickback and the blade wanting to suddenly jump through the wood at you can be reduced A LOT by using the proper blade. The blade should have a negative tooth angle. Almost all commonly available blades have a positive tooth angle. I ordered one online (Amazon I think) and it made a huge difference. Getting everything adjusted properly is also crucial. And I'm not talking about the knobs and levers and such you use to adjust bevel, angle, etc. I'm talking about the bolts and screws that hold the saw motor on the carriage, and the table to the frame. If the saw head is "dog tracking" as you're pulling it through the wood, it's always going to bind/kick back. That's an assembly problem, not a knob/lever problem. I have a compound miter saw and a radial arm saw. I still find myself using the RAS more than the miter saw. Once they're dialed in properly they're a joy to use. They do take a little more time and attention than a modern sliding compound miter saw, though. |
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Originally Posted By Gunner226: The kickback and the blade wanting to suddenly jump through the wood at you can be reduced A LOT by using the proper blade. The blade should have a negative tooth angle. Almost all commonly available blades have a positive tooth angle. I ordered one online (Amazon I think) and it made a huge difference. Getting everything adjusted properly is also crucial. And I'm not talking about the knobs and levers and such you use to adjust bevel, angle, etc. I'm talking about the bolts and screws that hold the saw motor on the carriage, and the table to the frame. If the saw head is "dog tracking" as you're pulling it through the wood, it's always going to bind/kick back. That's an assembly problem, not a knob/lever problem. I have a compound miter saw and a radial arm saw. I still find myself using the RAS more than the miter saw. Once they're dialed in properly they're a joy to use. They do take a little more time and attention than a modern sliding compound miter saw, though. Originally Posted By Gunner226: Originally Posted By Lexington: Indeed. I came across the kickback issues when I was researching this saw. Info stated that a lot of fingers have been lost because the blade is so exposed and the multi-compound cuts cause weird things to happen, again from blade exposure. I am mostly cutting PVC trim at 90 degrees, with a few scarf joints for longer material. The kickback and the blade wanting to suddenly jump through the wood at you can be reduced A LOT by using the proper blade. The blade should have a negative tooth angle. Almost all commonly available blades have a positive tooth angle. I ordered one online (Amazon I think) and it made a huge difference. Getting everything adjusted properly is also crucial. And I'm not talking about the knobs and levers and such you use to adjust bevel, angle, etc. I'm talking about the bolts and screws that hold the saw motor on the carriage, and the table to the frame. If the saw head is "dog tracking" as you're pulling it through the wood, it's always going to bind/kick back. That's an assembly problem, not a knob/lever problem. I have a compound miter saw and a radial arm saw. I still find myself using the RAS more than the miter saw. Once they're dialed in properly they're a joy to use. They do take a little more time and attention than a modern sliding compound miter saw, though. Huh, I didn’t know about the tooth angle thing. The original blade that came with the saw (still have it in the cabinet) was just plain steel, no carbide teeth (they look like claws) anyway, no wobble or anything like that in my saw, but it seems no matter how much I adjust it or tinker with things I can’t get it to cut perfectly square. The dovetail on the back of the post (IIRC) is where you can adjust the angle, it’s close but not quite square. That being said, I have built a lot of bookcases and tables with that saw. I barely use it anymore, pretty much done building stuff like that but I can’t bring myself to get rid of it. |
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@OP I know of two people that lost a hand to a radial and a third that lost a hand and died. I come from a family working in farming, carpentry, electrical, framing, plumbing, heavy equipment, and mechanical repair. None of them , knock on wood, have ever had a serious injury. None of them own a radial saw. Proceed with extreme caution on that radial saw. |