I am not sure what is going on with craftsman. I had a table saw that the motor went bad in two weeks, I took it back for a replacement and have had it for two years. Works great. I seen other people complaining about the same problem with craftsman. Maybe they need better quality control. Was this a new toll. If so you have a warranty just go get another. If it is used maybe te previous owner was hard on it. Even though it is a 5.5, it is still designed for home use. Maybe the guy was cutting into stuff he shouldn't have. It sounds like the motor to me