Owner's Manual 12 in. COMPOUND MITER SAW Double Insulated Model No. 315.212120 Save this manual for future reference. CAUTION: Read and follow all Safety Rules and Operating Instructions before first use of this product. Customer Help Line: 1-800-932-3188 • Safety • Features • • • • Adjustments Operation Maintenance Parts List Sears, Roebuck and Co., Hoffman Estates, IL 60179 USA Visit the Craftsman web page: www.sears.
• Table of Contents ........................................................................................................................................... 2 • Warranty and Introduction........................................................... _.................................................................. 2 • Rules For Safe Operation ........................................................................................................................... • Glossary .......................
Thepurposeof safetysymbolsIs to attract your attention to poulbio dangers. The safety Symbols, and the explanations with them, deserve your careful attention and uhderstanding. The safety warnings do not by themselvse eliminate any.JFlanger.The Instructions or warnings they give are not 8ubetltutee for proper accident prevention inseams. SYMBOL A MEANING SAFETY ALERT SYMBOL: Indicatesdanger, warningor caution. May be used in conjunctionwith other symbolsor pictographs.
RULES FOR SAFE OPERATION (Continued) USE THE PROPER EXTENSION CORD. Make sure your extension cord is in good condition. When using an extension cord, be sure to use one heavy enoughto carry the current your productwill draw. An undersizedcord will cause a drop in line voltage resultingin loss of power and overheating. A wire gage size (A.W.G.) of at least 14 is recommended for an extension cord 25 feet or less in length. If in doubt, use the next heavier gage.
RULES FOR SAFE OPERATION (Continued) ALWAYS SUPPORT LONG WORKPIECES to minimize dsk of blade I_nching and kickback. Saw may slip, walk, or slide while cutting long or heavy beards. NEVER reach to pick up a workpioce,a piece of scrap,or anythingelse that is in or near the cuffing path of the blade. AVOID AWl(WARD OPERATIONS AND HAND POSITIONS where a sudden slip couldcause your handto move intothe blade. ALWAYS make sure you have good balance.
RULES FOR SAFE OPERATION (Continued) ALWAYS STAY ALERT! Do not allow familiarity (gained from frequent use of your saw) to cause a careless mistake. ALWAYS REMEMBER that a careless fraction of a second is sufficient to inflict severe injury. MAKE SURE THE WORK AREA HAS AMPLE UGHTING to see the work and that no obstructions will interferewith safe operation BEFORE performing any work using your saw.
BladeDiameter Blade Arbor No Load Speed Rating Input Nat Weight 12in. CuttingCapacity with Miter at 0°/Bevel 0°: 5/8 in. 4000 RPM max widthx resultingheight 120 Volts, 60 Hz-AC Only 15 Amperes max width x resulting height 5-1/2 in. x 2-1/2 in. Maximum CuttingCapacity with Miter at 0°/Bevel 450: 41 Ibs. YourCompound Miter Saw has been shipped completelyassembled except for the blade, miter lock handle,and dust guide. 7-7/8 in. x 2-1/2 in.
Thefollowing labelsareonthemitersawwithlocationsindicated, Restorelowerbladeguard andsecurelytightenscrew beforeuse DANGER: DO NOT REMOVE ANY GUARD. USE OF SAW WITHOUT THEIS GUARD WILL RESULT IN SERIOUS INJURY. tRNING/ ADVERTENI • • • • • • FOryour safety, read owners manual beforeoparutln Wear eye protection, Keep bends Outut path of saw blade. DOnot oparath saw without guardsin place. O0 not perlorm any oporutlonIreahad. Never roach around the saw blade.
Thefollowing itemsare included with yourCompound Miter Saw: • SawBlade- 12in., • 5 mm Hex Key Wrench • Miter Lock Handle • 6 mm Hex Key Wrench • Dust Guide • Blade Wrench • • 10 mm Hex Key Wrench Owner's Manual BLADEWRENCH F IOtam HEXKEY SAWBLADE DUSTGUIDE ,_ 6mm HEXKEY 5 mmHEXKEY MITERLOCKHANDLE A WARNING: Fig. 2 The use o! attachmentsor accessoriesnot listedmightbe hazardousand coud cause serious personalinjury.
KNOW SAW YOUR COMPOUND MITER CUTTING CAPACITIES See Figure 3. When the miter angle (raRer table) Is set at 0° and the bevel angle Is set at 0°: Before attempting to use your saw, familiarize yourself with all operating features and safety requirements. Your saw win cut materials up to: max width x resultingheight 7-7/8 in. x 2-1/2 in. _i When the miter angle (miter table) Is set at 45 ° and the bevel angle Is eat at O°: WARNING: Do not allow familiaritywith your saw to make you careless.
CARRYING HANDLE SPINDLE See Figure 4. See Figure 5. For convenience when carryingor transportingyour miter saw from one place to another, a carrying handle has been providedon top of the saw arm as shown in figure 4. To transport, turn off and unplug your saw, then lowerthe saw arm and lock it in the down position: Lock saw arm by depressing the lock pin. A spindlelock button has been provided for locking the spindlewhichkeeps the blade in your saw from rotating.
POSITIVE STOPS ON MITER 30 in. TABLE Positivestops have been provided at 0 °, 15°, 22-1/'Z', 31.62_, and 45° on beth the left and right side of the mitertable. BEVEL LOCK 21-3/4in. KNOB The bevel lock knob securely locks your compound miter saw at desired hovel angles. Positive stop adjustment screwshave been provided on each side of the saw arm. These adjustmentscrews are for making fine adjustmentsat 0 ° and 45 °. Sea pages 18 and 19. ELECTRIC BRAKE Fig.
_, TO INSTALL WARNING: To prevent accidental startingthat could cause possibleserious personal injury, assemble all parts to your saw before connecting it to power supply.Saw shouldnever be connected to power supply when you are assemblingparts, making adjustments,installing or removingblades, or when not in use. WARNING: A 12 in. blade is the maximum blade capacity of your saw. Never use a blade that is too thick to allow outer blade washer to engage with the flats on the spindle.
LOWER BLADE GUARD ARROW BLADE BOLT COVER • Wipe a drop of oil onto inner blade washer and outer blade washer where they contact the blade. & WARNING: If inner blade washer has been removed, replace it before placing blade on spindle. Failure to do so couldcause an accident since blade will not tighten properly. • TO _k (s) ONSPINDLE TO TIGHTEN INNERBLADE WASHERWITH DOUBLE'D"FLATS BLADEBOLT OUTERBLADEWASHER wm.
Note: Many of the illustrationsin this manual show only portionsof your compound miter saw. This is intentionalso that we can clearly show points being made in the illustrations.Never operate your saw withoutall guards securely in place and in good operating condition. FRAMING SQUARE FENCE MITER TABLE r CUTTING A SLOT IN THE ZERO CLEARANCE THROAT PLATE In order to use your compound miter saw, you must cut a slot through the zero clearance throat plate to allow for blade clearance.
• • FENCE Using a 6 mm hex key, loosen the socket head screws secudng the fence. See Figure 16. Adjust the fence left or dght until the framing square and zero clearance throat plate are parallel. Retighten the screws securely and recheck the fence-to-table alignment. 6 mmSOCKET HEADSCREWS FRAMING SQUARE 6 mmSOCKET HEADSCREWS MITER BLADE TABLE MITER LOCKPLATE MITER VIEWOFBLADE LOCKHANDLE SQUAREWITHFENCE Fig. 17 FENCE Fig. 16 SQUARING FENCE THE SAW BLADE TO THE See Figures 17- 20.
• Loosen bevel lock knob and set saw arm at 0° bevel (blade set 90 ° to miter table). Tighten bevel lock knob. The edge of the square and the saw blade should be parallel as shownin figure 17. If the front or back edge of the saw blade angles away from the square as shown in figures 18 and 19, adjustments are needed. • • Using the 10 mm hex key provided, loosenthe socket head screwsthat secure the mounting bracket to the miter table. See Figure20.
PIVOT FENCE COMBINATION = SQUARE Note: These adjustmentswere made at the factory and normallydo not require readjustment. TRAVEL BLADE VIEW OF BLADENOT SQUARE WITH MITER TABLE, ADJUSTMENTSARE REQUIRED Fig. 23 • Using a 10 mm wrench or adjustablewrench, loosen the lock nut securingpositive stop adjustment screw. Alsoloosen bevel lock knob. • Adjust positive stop adjustmentscrew to bring saw blade into alignmentwith the square. See Figure 24.
& DEPTH STOP ADJUSTMENT BEVEL LOCK KNOB cu'n'ING WITH MITER SAW & MITER PosmvE TABLE STOP ADJUSmENTLOCK NUT(S) Fig.25 • Lowerthebladeintothezeroclearance throat plataof the miter table. Check blade clearance and maximum cuttingdistance (distance from fence where blade enters) to front of miter table sloL • Readjust if necessary. WARNING: Do not start your compound miter saw without checking for interferencebetween the blade and the miter table support.
• •• STRAIGHT CROSSCUT Slowly lower the blade into and through the workpiece. See Figure 26. Release the switch triggerand allow the sew blade to stop rotatingbefore raisingthe blade out of workpiece. Wait until the electricbrake stops blade from fuming before removingthe workpiece from the miter table. BEVEL CUT See Figures27 and 28. A bevel out is made by cuttingacross the grain of the workpiece with the blade angled to the workpieca.
_1= WARNING: To avoid serious personal injury, keep your hands outside the no hands zone; at least 3 in. from blade. Never perform any cutting operation freehand (withoutholdingworkplece against the fence). The blade could grab the workpiece if it slipsor twists, \ • Before tuming on the sew, perform a dry run of the cuttingoperationjust to make sure that no problemswill occur when the cut is made. • Grasp the sew handle firmly, press the lock-offtab down, then squeeze the switchtrigger.
TO MAKE A COMPOUND YOUR MITER SAW: • • CUT WITH Pull out the lock pin and lift saw arm to its full height. Loosen the miter lock handle. Rotate the miter lock handle approximatelyone-half tom to the left to loosen. • Press the miter lock plate down with your thumb and hold. • Rotate the controlarm untilthe pointeraligns with the desired angle on the miter scale. Release the miter lock plate. • • Recheck miter angle setting. Make a test cut in scrap material.
• • • • Before tuming on the saw, performa dry runof the cuttingoperationjust to make sure that no problems willoccur when the cut is made. Grasp the saw handle firmly, press the lock-offtab down, then squeeze the switch trigger. Allow several secondsfor the bladeto reach maximumspeed. Slowly lower the blade into and through the workpiece. See Figures29 and 30. Release the switchtdgger and allow the saw blade to stop rotating before raising the blade out of workpiece.
CUTTING COMPOUND MITERS To aid in making the correctsettings, the compound angle seffingchart below has been provided.Since compound cuts are the most difficultto accuratelyobtain, trial cuts shouldbe made in scrap material, and much thoughtand planningmade, priorto making your required cut. PITCH _U_BER OFSIDES OFmDE 4 I 5 I 8 I 7 8 I 9 I 10 0O M- 45.00O M- 36.00 ° B- 0.00O B- 0.00 ° M- 30.00O B- 0.00 ° M- 25.71° B- 0.00 ° M- 22.50° B- 0.00O M- 20.00O M- 18.00O B- 0.00O 13" 0.
cu'rI'ING CROWN MOLDING LAYING MOLDING MITER TABLE Your compound miter sew does an excellentjob of cuttingcrown molding.In general, compound miter sews do a betterjob of cutting crown moldingthan any other tool made. ON THE See Figure32. To use this methodfor accurately cutting crown moldingfor a 90 ° inside or outside corner, laythe molding with its broad back surface fiat on the miter table and againstthe fence. In order to fit properly,crown molding must be compound mitered with extreme accuracy.
Whencuttingcrownmolding bythismethod thebevel angleshouldbe set at 33.85 °. The miter angle should be set at 31.62 ° either dghtor left, depending on the desired cut for the application.See the chart below for correctangle settingsand correct positioningof crown moldingon miter table. The settings in the chart below can be used for cutting All Standard (U.S.) crown moldingwith 52 ° and 38 ° angles. The crown molding is placed fiat on the miter table using the compound features of your miter saw.
_k EXTENSION WARNING: When servicing, use only identical Craftsman replacement ports. Use of any other part may create a hazard or cause product damage. CORDS The use of any extension cord will cause some loss of power. To keep the loss to a minimum and to prevent tool overheating, use an extensioncord that is heavy enoughto carry the current the toolwill draw. GENERAL A wire gage size (A.W.G.) of at least 14 is recommended for an extension cord 25 feet or less in length.
& WARNING: To ensure safety and reliability,all repairs -- with the exception of the externally accessible brushes -- shouldbe performed by a qualified service technicianat a Sears store to avoid risk of personal injury. BRUSH REPLACEMENT Your saw has externallyaccessible brushassemblies that should be periodically checked for wear. Proceed u follows when replacement Is required: • ,_ WARNING: Failt_reto unplugyour saw could result in accidentatstartir_lcausing serious injury.
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CRAFTSMAN COMPOUND MITER SAW - MODEL NUMBER 315.212120 ---, I number in all correspondence regarding your COMPOUND MITER SAW or when ordering repair The model number will be found on a plate attached to the motorhousing.Always mentionthe model parts. SEE BACK PAGE FOR PARTS ORDERING INSTRUCTIONS PARTS LIST FOR FIGURE A KEY NO. PART NUMBER DESCRIPTION QUAN. 1 976512-001 Flat Washer ..........................................................................................
CRAFTSMAN COMPOUND MITER SAW - MODEL NUMBER 315.212120 11m 21 8 7 23 24 r_ 29 49 30 \ '\, 32 52 50 42 54 41 39 Figure B 37
CRAFTSMAN I COMPOUND MITER SAW - MODEL NUMBER 315.212120 The model number willbe on aordering plate attached to the motorhousing. Always mention the modelnumber in all correspondence regarding your COMPOUND MITER SAWfound or when repair parts. SEE BACK PAGE FOR PARTS ORDERING J | INSTRUCTIONS PARTS LIST FOR FIGURE B KEY NO.
CRAFTSMAN COMPOUND MITER SAW - MODEL NUMBER 315.212120 17 16 SEENOTE"A" O O 18 c_ 7 4 2 Figure C 6 \
CRAFTSMAN COMPOUND MITER SAW - MODEL NUMBER 315.212120 I The model numberwill COMPOUND'MITER SAW be found or when on aorderingrepair plate attachedparts. to the motor housing.Always mention the model number in all correspondenceregardingyour SEE BACK PAGE FOR PARTS ORDERING INSTRUCTIONS PARTS LIST FOR FIGURE C Key No. Part Number Description 1 980296-001 Blade Bolt .........................................................................................................................................
For in-home major brand repair service: Call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week 1-800-4-MY-Home s, (1-800-469-4663) Para pedir servicio de reparacibn a domicilio - 1-800-676-581t In Canada for all your service and parts needs cell - %800-665-4455 Au Canada pour tout le service ou les pibces For the repair or replacement parts you need: Call 7 am - 7 pm, 7 days a week 1-800-366-PART (1-800-366o7278) Para ordenar piezas con entrega a domicilio - 1-800-659-7084 For the location of a Sears Parts and Repair Cent