Craftsman 113 Table Saw Question

[DeepBarney]

I bought a 113.299xxx table saw recently. Needed some cleaning up and a bit of work, but it seems like it'll be pretty serviceable for my limited needs. My question is should the mount the motor attaches to be fixed or left loose so it can pivot? I'm referring to the single bolt that passes through the radiused slot on the mount, if that makes it more clear. It was tightened down when I took ownership of it, but I don't trust the previous owner to have had it right based off a few other things they'd screwed up on it.

My thought is it should be just loose enough to allow the motor to pivot so as not to over tension the belt when the blade is raised. The position and weight of the motor keep the belt tight (enough) regardless blade height. Is that wrong?

[goaliedad]

I have my dad’s old Cman table saw- the motor pivots freely and always worked fine.
I never thought about it much- it was always loose

[Redman]

I bought a 113.299xxx table saw recently. Needed some cleaning up and a bit of work, but it seems like it'll be pretty serviceable for my limited needs. My question is should the mount the motor attaches to be fixed or left loose so it can pivot? I'm referring to the single bolt that passes through the radiused slot on the mount, if that makes it more clear. It was tightened down when I took ownership of it, but I don't trust the previous owner to have had it right based off a few other things they'd screwed up on it.

My thought is it should be just loose enough to allow the motor to pivot so as not to over tension the belt when the blade is raised. The position and weight of the motor keep the belt tight (enough) regardless blade height. Is that wrong?

I have a 113.xxxxx saw. The motor must be allowed to pivot in order to maintain belt tension. Raise and lower the blade and note the motor at each position. Here is a link to a 113.xxx manual. Motor mounting starts on page 18.

https://www.scribd.com/doc/34908444/Manu...20-and-750

[DeepBarney]

Thanks guys for confirming my suspicion. I'll keep it loose. And many thanks for the link to the manual, that's going to be very helpful.

I think I'm going to make up a new mounting plate for the motor. Something out of heavier steel. Mine sits such that the pulley end twists in towards the table a few degrees and if I grab it I can make it flex more by hand. It's only a few degrees and probably isn't a major deal but I sure would like to have the works be a little more rigid and square.