Old Craftsman 20" Contractors Question.

[Randy]

Greetings:

This is my first post and beg forgiveness, in advance, if I violate any of the board customs or traditions.

I'm trying to help out a neighbor who has a busted scroll saw and is not comfortable on the Internet. He has a old Craftsman 20" contractors scroll saw model #113.2364300. I think it is somewhere between 10 and 15 years old. He used it for a couple of years and one morning it would not turn on.....totally dead.....no hum, no buzz, no nothing. He set it in a corner and forgot about it.....Just that kind of guy?? He set it out for a yard sale at $15; but it did not sell and was headed for the trash heap. I hate to see that happen and since I like to tinker and repair things, I told him I'd look into the possibility of getting it running so now I am looking for some help from you guys.

He thinks it might be the board of the VS system....I haven't looked at it so I don't know. Might be something as simple as a broken wire or a blown fuse?? I can check the thing out pretty well, electrically and mechanically...no problem there. What I would like to know is:
1. Are there any known common problems with this saw?
2. If it turns out that the VS controller is bad, would they still be available from Sears or the original mgf.(Emerson Electric) or some third party parts supplier?
4. If the VS system is bad, could I buy something like a router speed controller and wire that in to run the saw??
5. Are there any other questions I should be asking and what are the answers to them.
6. Is this saw worth putting out some money and effort to repair or should it be converted to a boat anchor??

Thanks for any help that might be forthcoming.

BTW, I did look at the brushes and they are just fine. Randy

[ZooZoo1]

Randy, you might be able to get some answers by contacting Rick Hutcheson at [email protected]. He has about every saw ever made and likes to tinker with them. Toby BOD SAW

[CanadianScroller]

I do not know the electronics of that saw, but I have seen a problem common to many scroll saws when they wont start.
Dust often collects in the on off switch. That would be the first place I would check.

I just did a google search for that model of saw, it looks similar to the Delta.
You may try looking in that direction too

[SharonW0111]

Randy--- I own a Craftsman and the problem may be in the VS part--I know my old one would have a fit like you are mentioning and it was there - a simple twist in the wire ..You may can fix it yourself just look in and see but you should be able to still get the part from Sears - just call and get the parts department--but try to have the part number if you can get it - did he by chance still have the manuel that came with it? -it would be listed there.depending on whp you get in the department to help you some clerks will look it up for you - some do only as much as they have to ( if you get my drift ) Good luck on getting your saw going - I may suggest that you may want to try to fix it yourself and save the price of a repairman- they are pretty easy for a tinkerer to fix.
Sharon

[Randy]

Thanks for your help!!

[Randy]

Just some follow-up for any who are interested. I did contact Ric and he was very helpful in providing me with information to troubleshoot the problem. Unfortunately, the old "time squeeze" has caught up with him and he is not doing that type of repair work anymore.

I did check with Sears and the circuit board is still available but runs nearly $200. With as many comments as there have been about problems with the circuit board on this saw, I am very concerned about buying another one and having it crap out, too. Seems like it might be more prudent to take that money and put it toward a better saw??

Anybody want this one for parts??

After looking at the circuit board more carefully, it turns out that there is a little transformer on the board that is defective.....probably a ten dollar part?? Unfortunately, schematics are almost impossible to come by and I have no way of knowing exactly what the specs are for this particular part so I don't have any way of replacing it. Looks like a perfectly good $300 saw is going to become trash for lack of a $10 part....what a waste!!!

Randy

[Trout]

on-off switch..

I have a 2 year old Craftsman that's on it's 3rd switch..
I had the first one replace under warranty and when that one let go I put on a $2 toggle switch...

Trout

[Randy]

I "WISH" my problem was a $2 switch!!

[William Young (SE BC)]

Hi Randy;
I have got some good help over the years with older tools from asking around in this site.

http://www.owwm.com/

Hope this helps.

W.Y.

[Rolf]

If there are numbers on the transformer you could look that up (google) if not try to find voltage numbers on the PC board somewhere and get a sutible sub for the transformer. I am sure it steps down the voltage from 110 to something less. DIGI KEY is an online electronics parts place.

How do you know the transformer is bad? Did it burn? Or are the windings open?

[Neal Moore]

Randy...chances are that, if the transformer is burned, something down stream has shorted causing excessive current. There's a better than even chance that there's more damage to the board than is evident.

[Randy]

Hi Randy;
I have got some good help over the years with older tools from asking around in this site.

http://www.owwm.com/

Hope this helps.

W.Y.

Thanks. I have that site bookmarked; but didn't think about posting there.

[Randy]

If there are numbers on the transformer you could look that up (google) if not try to find voltage numbers on the PC board somewhere and get a sutible sub for the transformer. I am sure it steps down the voltage from 110 to something less. DIGI KEY is an online electronics parts place.

How do you know the transformer is bad? Did it burn? Or are the windings open?

Rolf: No numbers on the xformer.

I looked for voltage numbers on other components and found only one....16v on a capacitor. Not sure that is enough info to suggest what xformer to use?

Xformer windings are open. No burning. In fact, for a while, I could actually make the saw run by pushing and twisting the xformer; but it has totally quit now. I removed the xformer from the board and put a meter to it.....open windings. Not sure what else to try right now??

[Randy]

Randy...chances are that, if the transformer is burned, something down stream has shorted causing excessive current. There's a better than even chance that there's more damage to the board than is evident.

In most cases, I would totally agree; but in this situation, I feel reasonably sure that it is just the xformer.(see previous post) Any other thoughts would be highly appreciated. I hate to lose this saw for want of a $10 part!!!

[workin for wood]

I wouldn't give up on that saw yet. I have a craftsman 20" saw that was built in 1961 and it still works great. over the years I've had to modify some things similar to what your talking about. The router speed controller sounds like the right direction. I would begin by testing the parts that you do have to be sure they work first. I'd begin by bypassing the switch and the speed control to make sure the motor runs. If it does, I'd wire it to the switch without the speed control. If that works then I'd junk out the controller and replace it with something else. The router controller is good, but sometimes you can find high voltage dimmers at the big box stores too. Make some adaptations. My craftsman is running off a household light switch, to a dimmer switch and into a dryer motor, with a belt from a 342 oldsmobile. Seems odd, but it runs like a champ. Every so often I have to take out the guts and clean them because the gaskets are bad causing dust to gum up the cam shaft, but I've got that down to a 15 min job and then it's good for a few hundred more hours. I've built some great intarsia's on that saw. It's junk for fretworks though, there's no tension adjustment...this saws older than that technology i guess.