RAS pops fuse.

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NCGrimbo

NCGrimbo
Corporate Member
I bought an old, used Craftsman RAS about 2 years ago even though it pop a fuse at the old owners house when I test ran it. I got it home and I was just getting it set up last winter when I was laid up for a while. Now I've finally gotten back to wanting to get it fixed. It is still poping a fuse when the blade cuts into the wood, but it ran fine while I was setting up the new table top. IE: It cut through the 1" fence and scored the table top without any noticable problem. It's currently wired for 110v, but it can be wired for 220v easily. It's got two connections on the motor that get switched and then I have to rewire the cord for the 220v outlet.

My question is this: Do you think it will it stop poping a fuse if I go to 220v since the draw will be fewer amps? I'm thinking about trying that this weekend if you all think it might help but I'd like to not spend the money on the new plug and outlet if I don't have to. (I've got to wire a new outlet since the one installed was a dryer hookup, not a powertool type hookup.)

Thanks,
NCGrimbo
 

Sully

New User
jay
If it were me I would try to figure out why it is popping a fuse 1st before wiring it for 220. It shouldn't be doing that on a regular basis unless you are cutting extra thick/dense stock.

Do you have it on an extension cord?
Is there anything else running on the same circuit that pops the fuse?

J
 

MarkE

Mark
Corporate Member
You also need to check the amp rating of the circuit you have it plugged into against the amp draw of the motor. I have a few tools rated at under 15amps that will trip a 15 amp breaker during startup and when under heavy load.

The old circuit for the dryer is likely a 30 amp, 220 volt. If you did switch the RAS to 220 and it trips that circuit, then you probably have a bigger problem with the motor on the RAS.
 

mkepke

Mark
Senior User
Also check that the blade is sharp and the saw aligned (are you getting burning in your cut) ? Both put extra load on the motor.

You could also try measuring the amperage draw with no load. A high reading could indicate the bearings need to be replaced. The no-load draw should be just a couple amps e.g. <5A.

One other thought - does this saw have a brake and is the brake sticking ?

-Mark
 

Gotcha6

Dennis
Staff member
Corporate Member
Bad bearings are usually a cause of startup loading. Also, motors require an overcurrent protection and circuit wire sizing set at 120% of their nameplate full load amperage rating to compensate for startup torque loading. Check both of those.
 

NCGrimbo

NCGrimbo
Corporate Member
Thanks for the fast responses. I'll try to give more info/answer the qyestions.
If it were me I would try to figure out why it is popping a fuse 1st before wiring it for 220. It shouldn't be doing that on a regular basis unless you are cutting extra thick/dense stock.

Do you have it on an extension cord?
Is there anything else running on the same circuit that pops the fuse?

J
It's not on an extension cord. Plugged right into the socket.
Nothing else is running on that circuit,

You also need to check the amp rating of the circuit you have it plugged into against the amp draw of the motor. I have a few tools rated at under 15amps that will trip a 15 amp breaker during startup and when under heavy load.

The old circuit for the dryer is likely a 30 amp, 220 volt. If you did switch the RAS to 220 and it trips that circuit, then you probably have a bigger problem with the motor on the RAS.

I just went out to measure the amps using my "Watts Up" device and it flashed 40.2 amps then settled in at 8.5 or so with no load. I can't see the meter while cutting, so I don't have a reading for under load. I'll see if I can get on this weekend.

All of the 220v circuits are 30amp as you expected. Do I need these to be increased? My Delta cabinet saw runs on one of the 220V circuits.

Also check that the blade is sharp and the saw aligned (are you getting burning in your cut) ? Both put extra load on the motor.

You could also try measuring the amperage draw with no load. A high reading could indicate the bearings need to be replaced. The no-load draw should be just a couple amps e.g. <5A.

One other thought - does this saw have a brake and is the brake sticking ?

-Mark

Blad is sharp, but bot brand new and I've got it aligned.

Under noload, the amps read 8.5 or so.

Now here's the kicker. I just cut a 2x4 and it did not trip the breaker. I'll try some more cuts this weekend and see if the problem still exist.
 

timf67

New User
Tim
I have my dad's old Craftsman RAS, and growing up we used to pop breakers occasionally. It usually happened when cutting oak or other hardwood while running a shopvac on the same circuit. If you have a 15 amp circuit, those old RAS's will be running right on the edge and hitting a knot or running something else on the same circuit can cause the overload.
 

MarkE

Mark
Corporate Member
If the motor spikes to 40.2 amps on startup using 120 volts, it will probably do fine on the 30 amp, 220 volt circuit, with the startup amps split to 20.1 amps on each leg. It probably won't draw any more than that under normal load.
 

DaveD

New User
Dave
Fuse or circuit breaker? 15 or 20 amp fuse/circuit breaker? 15A fuse will probably be the most tempermental. I agree with the other posts that 15A 110 is very marginal.

You should be able to run that saw, assuming its a 10" or 12" typical Craftsman just fine on either 20A 110 or 220 volt circuit. I have a 40 year old 12" 220V Craftsman on a 20A circuit breaker. The blade should come up to speed almost instantly (for all practical purposes).
 
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