Sears table saw/ will not run// rant

wfw

Member
My son's table saw bogged down the other day
cutting on a piece of wood and now will not run.
model is 315.218050. I have looked and looked for
a reset button to push and there is none. I called
sears and was told that when the motor pulls to
much current it will burn up the switch to protect
the motor. In my opinion this is a stupid idea.
now we will have to replace the switch. BTW I have
power on the outlet. there is a battery charger
plugged in it and it works fine. Thanks for
looking

frank
 
(quoted from post at 19:23:17 08/29/13) My son's table saw bogged down the other day
cutting on a piece of wood and now will not run.
model is 315.218050. I have looked and looked for
a reset button to push and there is none. I called
sears and was told that when the motor pulls to
much current it will burn up the switch to protect
the motor. In my opinion this is a stupid idea.
now we will have to replace the switch. BTW I have
power on the outlet. there is a battery charger
plugged in it and it works fine. Thanks for
looking

frank
afety device........keeps you/him from cutting fingers off! :wink:
 
I went through three older Craftsman table saws in as many years, burned out the motors on all three. If yours is belt driven it would be easy enough to fit another electric motor to it, if it is direct drive or flex drive I would sell the parts on eBay and scrap the carcass. Some parts seem to be in some demand. I now have a Delta and am happy with it, there are many decent tablesaws to be had.
Zach
 
Do you have an extension cord on the motor and it plugs in to an outlet near the switch? IF so, just take an extension cord and plug the motor in by passing the switch. Motor doesn't work, bad motor.

If motor is bad, take it apart and see what happened. You may have a burnt connection on a wire inside the motor. Some sears motors are 110/220 volt motors so there is a place to move wires around.
George
 
Got one sitting in the shop that the switch to kick on the start cap is bad and the new parts are super expensive. I suppose you could rope start it if brave?
 
The shaft drive saw is junk.Motors burn out because dummies run dull saw blades.Too cheap to pay 2 bucks to a good saw sharpener.I had the same motor on my saw for 45 years.
 
Voltage drop is the killer of table saws. You have to be sure you have a circuit that can provide 20 amps with very little voltage drop, otherwise the saw is sure to burn itself up cutting tough wood. If your son is using a 15 amp/AWG14 circuit, he'll probably burn it out again. 12 gauge wire is a minimum, and if the saw is in an outbuilding, the feed to the building needs to be big enough supply 20 amps with minimal voltage drop.
 
I have one motor with a momentary contact push button switch for a starter, that would work fine on a table saw, for people that understand motors. Otherwise there are external load sensitive start switches, I have one of those on a grinder, I think it came from an old fridge.
 
I have a few start capacitors in my shop that cost 6 to 10 bucks.Hardly super expensive.Sears has a 30.00 minimum shop charge.I used to charge 3 bucks plus part to change a capacitor.
 
Hi Its not a bad cap, that would be easy, its the current switch affair that switches it out of circuit when amps drop. Wasn't available here so I got an electronic one but it doesn't seem to sense and switch right.

Wiring is wonky on these saws vs a normal 120 v motor too.

The windings test out at right resistance but won't start right.
 
>25 amps will run a 5 hp motor on a 240 volt line.

Which may be true but has nothing to do with the matter at hand. This is an inexpensive direct drive saw, probably rated 15 amps @ 120 volts. Try to feed it with an undersized circuit and it's going to burn up.
 
The direct drive saws are some what lighter duty than a comparable belt driven saw. They fill the need of a lower cost saw that does not take up as much storage space. I have had one for over 20 years and it has held up well. I try to limit how hard I push the motor so it does not bog down and draw the maximum current: i.e. sharp blades, and shallower cuts in steps or slower feed rates. They were never intended to do the same work as a $1500 Unisaw.
 
Which is why a used Unisaw is such a good deal. None of this stuff to deal with, just need to find one with a good fence. The one I bought had the then-crappy factory fence. 30 years of professional use later, almost no repairs and it's still worth what I paid for it.
 

I would rather replace a switch than the motor. Certainly wouldn't save any fingers though LOL.
 
well, If you volunteer to haul a Unisaw to my next flooring job or even decking job, then I'll be happy to use one and prove how "tight I'm wrapped." Otherwise I'll successfully use my dewalt contractor table saw like I have been for quite some time.

Every tool has a place and a time. Just my 2 cents.
 
(quoted from post at 01:11:52 09/04/13) well, If you volunteer to haul a Unisaw to my next flooring job or even decking job, then I'll be happy to use one and prove how "tight I'm wrapped." Otherwise I'll successfully use my dewalt contractor table saw like I have been for quite some time.

Every tool has a place and a time. Just my 2 cents.
I normally hate cheaply made tools. One exception is my elcheapo table saw that I use on trim and flooring jobs. At 27 pounds it's very handy to have on a jobsite.
 

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