One of the (older, if that is not redundant) woodworking club members has a 'vintage' RAS that he wants to pass to a son.  Apparently, it's not running now.   I asked him to look for a reset button somewhere on the motor (usually red).  Another place to check is the switch.  I have a non-contact voltage detector that I can use to check wiring and switch.  And I have a VOM.  Beyond that, I'm stretching my knowledge.

 

Is there any other thing to check that's a common problem?  I have not seen it yet, so don't know the age, mfr, or model.

Switch failure is common. Still requires testing to be sure, not guess.  Always fun to check those small switches.

You pretty much covered what you could check without seeing it. Check continuity on the cords if they look aged. With a little luck it might just be a missing yellow keyed safety switch.

Just a note here. Craftsman did have a recall for specific models of their RAS's, They were paying $ 150.00 for the returns. The recall may have ended by now.

Al, not every one knew about the buy back and some of the guys I know went in to the business of finding the old saws at garage sales and where ever they could find them for a few dollars then send them to Sears for that recall. My folks tried to get me to take their saw for it was still good but I said nope not my kind of toy. It was about that age. I did go and bring back a two axle trailer full of wood working stuff for my step dad was a carpenter for about 40 years...all antiques and they are in my way every time I try to get in my shop I'm tripping over his stuff.

I had one until recently and the reset button was on the top of the motor under the slide yoke.  It quit running once. I blew the motor out with air and it started running again.  I believe the centrifugal switch was held open with dust sucked in by the cooling fan.  It really was a good running saw.  

I know this is really obvious, but is the plug outlet working? Blown fuse or tripped at the panel? Just to add another.

If the machine will start giving it a spin under power check the start capacitor.

Another guy and I were there this afternoon.  It was running 240V.  Outlet worked, wiring getting juice.   Turned it on and it just buzzed.  Hit the reset button and it ran for about a second then stopped.  Hit again and nothing.   We put a blade on and rotated by hand.  It hung up on one part o the rotation for about 15 or 20 degrees.  Took off the housing and full of sawdust both nothing obvious.   We concluded it was probably not a bearing or it would likely bind during full rotation.  Probably a glitch in the armature that's rubbing somewhere.   The other guy had replaced his motor 3x with used / salvage motors.   He knew this was not a model on the recall (which I believe has either ended or the price went down, or Sears is out of business).  Taking it to a motor shop would likely cost more than it's worth for them to even open it up.   So RIP.

I'd check the for play/movement in the shaft. Worn bearings and brushes in older equip will alter accurate cuts. It may not be worth saving if it has extensive use.

I am not sure of the age, but the owner said when he was "a child in England" during "the war" (later said it was 1940) he was given a few tools.  He used to build a large deck surrounding a large inground pool, so I'd say, yes, it has seen a few cuts.

12 hours ago, kmealy said:

  He knew this was not a model on the recall (which I believe has either ended or the price went down, or Sears is out of business). 

The recall is still going on, but the payout has been reduced to $50. It was only for certain Emerson saws (models numbers start with 113) and only certain sizes (generally 10" or less). Emerson was the funding source for the recall. None of that helps your friend, of course.

15 hours ago, kmealy said:

Another guy and I were there this afternoon.  It was running 240V.  Outlet worked, wiring getting juice.   Turned it on and it just buzzed.  Hit the reset button and it ran for about a second then stopped.  Hit again and nothing.   We put a blade on and rotated by hand.  It hung up on one part o the rotation for about 15 or 20 degrees.  Took off the housing and full of sawdust both nothing obvious.   We concluded it was probably not a bearing or it would likely bind during full rotation.  Probably a glitch in the armature that's rubbing somewhere.   The other guy had replaced his motor 3x with used / salvage motors.   He knew this was not a model on the recall (which I believe has either ended or the price went down, or Sears is out of business).  Taking it to a motor shop would likely cost more than it's worth for them to even open it up.   So RIP.

 

Blow the sawdust out, sounds like the centrifugal switch may be hanging up. The buzzing could also be a weak start capacitor.

I just saw this post and I'll put in my 2 cents.

Check the armature and brushes for glazing. The armature will look black (should be brass and shiny) and the brushes (contact surface) should be dull black, not shiny.  To clean the armature rub the commutator bars with a pencil eraser, either on the end of a pencil or a pink school eraser. To fix the brushes gently, very gently scrape the contact surface with a small sharp knife blade, you are only trying to get the top layer of hardened carbon off, thousandths of an inch thick.

I've seen one motor that the commutator bars were fouled and I had to clean the spaces between them.