Do I need a RAS?

[p8ntblr]

Would a RAS still benefit me if I already have a 12" Sliding CMS and Tablesaw. I wouldn't have even considered it but someone I know is practically giving one away. Will it be any use to me or is it just my tool addiction getting the best of me?

[LCHIEN]

Would a RAS still benefit me if I already have a 12" Sliding CMS and Tablesaw. I wouldn't have even considered it but someone I know is practically giving one away. Will it be any use to me or is it just my tool addiction getting the best of me?

I think a TS and CMS fulfil the same needs as a TS and A RAS.

The three things a RAS does are
(1) Dados where you can see it as you cut - good feature
(2) Can rip a board - but not its best point and some say not the safest either
(3) crosscut

for the room and the safety I'd take the TS/CMS combination.
Then again there's lots of people say they love them.

[jking]

Since you have a 12" SCMS & a table saw, the only situation I could see is if you make cabinets and cut the same size dado frequently. The SCMS will have nearly as much crosscut capacity as a RAS. The table saw will serve you better for ripping.

[cwsmith]

I agree with the previous answers. I've owned an RAS since 1974 and I love the tool. But from what I've seen of the SCMS, it duplicates the number one performance characteristic of the RAS... the "crosscut"! It also does it without the need to frequently check and adjust, which is the weakpoint of the RAS.

I've never had a problem with ripping on the RAS, but many do and I agree that there are kickback concerns. The table saw is the better tool for rips, IMO. There are other cuts that seem obviously dangerous on the RAS and box joints are almost impossible on the RAS (neither efficient or safe anyway).

I do love the fact that with the blade above the work, and in combination with the work fixed against the fence, you can cross-cut dadoes rather precisely. But that said, I'd question whether taking up the extra space in your shop would be worthwhile given that singular advantage over what you presently have.

I hope this helps,

CWS

[LarryG]

I "came up" using a radial arm -- one was always the centerpiece of my dad's shop, rather than the usual table saw -- although I've not used one in years. I agree with the previous posters that if you already have a sliding CMS, an RAS would be a low priority. If you had a fixed-head CMS, the priority might go up a little. No CMS at all, and assuming you wanted a tool for in-shop use only, then an RAS would arguably be a better choice than any type CMS you might buy. (A huge advantage of a CMS its portability, such as for trim carpentry on a job site.)

A lot of people tout the RAS' wider crosscut capacity, typically around 16". While this looks on paper, and also while admitting that More is almost always Better, I personally question just how big an advantage this is. Wall cabinets top out around 12" - 14" ... an SCMS will handle that. Base cabinets are 21" - 24" (or more, for computer workstations), which is beyond the range of an RAS. A lot of the furniture in between -- dressers, night stands, blanket chests, etc -- are around 20" deep; the RAS can't handle that, either. So while the extra crosscut capacity of an RAS sounds good, I think that feature's actual usefulness in real-world woodworking situations is considerably less than it would seem.

[BigguyZ]

I got my RAS before I got my TS. I never did or would use it for ripping, but for crosscuts I was extremely happy to have it. It's not bad to have as a dedicated shop saw. If you decide you want it, I'd make the SCMS a worksite-only saw. Mount it to a miter saw utility vehicle and leave the RAS set up for a dedicated shop station.

[coach]

About the RAS

I have had a Ridgid 12" scms for several years now. Although I like the capacity, I think it gives up some accuracy because of the amount of head flex. I never noticed it laying base molding and trim, but when I moved to boxes and picture frames, the scms was not getting it done.

I was fortunate to find a great quality Delta Model 10 RAS in like-new shape. Now that I have it set up and in use, the scms is being sold.

I did get a 12" dual bevel non-slider for portability and contstruction type cuts The RAS will get a lot of use for shelf dado cuts, cross-cuts, but never for ripping.

[SARGE..g-47]

I was in your position several years ago as the opportunity arose to get a RAS from my BIL free. I turned it down and here's why!

The RAS has to have dedicated space to be truly effective. It's weight makes it basically a fixed machine and if you do long stock support has to added to both sides. It's a great cross-cutter but you won't get glue line rips as you can on the TS and has risk in that scenario. The TS is made to rip.. cross-cutting is a spin-off of what it can do, but ripping is it's forte but better suited for both than the RAS.

So.. I dedicate my TS with a 24 T rip blade and use it for what it was originally designed for.. ripping. So.. that leaves crosscutting open and the solution in my case is the SCMS and not a RAS.

I have a 10" SCMS sitting on a mobile stand with one of those portable stand tops mounted to it. I threw away the legs on the portable stand. This week-end I will have a 12" SCMS replace the 10" as the 10" has been sold. Same cross-cut capacity with both, but the 12" will handle stock almost 5" thick as opposed to 4" on the 10" mitre. I ran into that problem several weeks ago with some 4 1/2" kitchen table legs. I have run into it on more than one occasion.

Here's my solution to cross-cutting which has to have a space of 4 feet to sit in my shop. But capable of extending support to 10' when the extensions are out full range. The mobile base has a shop vac on board under-neath, so sawdust is minimal.

So.. Four feet taken that can be 4' anywhere in the shop. Capable of cross-cutting 16' stock with on-board features I added. On-board saw-dust control. And last but not least, by releasing two quick release nuts the SCMS can be lifted off the mobile base and moved to say my back deck where it can perform molding cutting duties inside the house when those little honey-do projects pop up. And they do if you are married.

The SCMS with a little creativity is just much more flexible IMO! If you have tons of space.. the RAS has a place and especially in cabinet shops. But I don't have a cabinet shop, I have what used to be called the garage but now the wood-shop! ha.. ha...

Regards...