radial arm saw enhancements

[toolguy1000]

i got tired of havnig to always move something whenever i needed to make even simple crosscuts (my shop is currently a shared 1 car garage and i insist on being able to also park a minivan in it once all the tools are stowed away). so after tuning up my 1963 C-man RAS, i realized that with a different dust collection hood and an extension table, i could use it in it's stowed position. the DC hood was made from some melamine i had lying around and the extension table was made from a broken piece of 3/4" ply from HD for $0.51. the table was also covered with some 1/4" mdf i had lying around to pretty it up.

the DC hood attaches to the ap400 through a 3x4" toilet flange with a portion of the flange removed to get it as low on the new hood as possible. the table extension is removable for access to the cabinet it's attached to and the table saw can be rolled out without having to remove the table.

while i realize that RASs have fallen from favor, i find mine to be extremely effective and accurate. i crosscut a 1x10 as thin as i could and the resulting offcut was 3/128" thick and did not vary at all over it's 9 1/4" width.

and here is a link to a video demomstrating the new hood and a crosscut displaying the saw's accuracy:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8In_nKqW1DA

[cabinetman]

Nice setup...very clever. For the record, the RAS hasn't fallen from my favor. BTW, that collection of wiring and outlets looks very interesting.
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[LCHIEN]

I wonder if a box like that with a side exit would help my miter saw... Most hoods i've seen have a back exit for the hose which of course limits how close to the wall you can get. the miter saw throws most dust back from the blade like a RAS.

Interesting you-tube video. Didn't know you could cut a piece of wood just lying there w/o clamping... Learn something just about every day.

If you don't like those little pools of dust in the corners and along the sides, consider a small bevel along the sides and a small (1" or so) right-angle pyramid placed with the peak in the corner. Just make a Bevel/miter cut off an corner of a 2x4.

[Bill in Buena Park]

Nicely done Joseph. I especially like your choice of melamine for the box; can't imagine much dust sticking to that. Was your choice of side-mounting the DC outlet driven the proximity of your ducting?

On favoring the RAS, my vote is with Mike - still in favor here, and can't imagine not owning & using; I had a RAS before my TS, and still love its versatility and ability to crosscut/miter/bevel/dado, especially on large, wide, heavy planks without having to move the workpiece.

Loring, I've got my RAS DC box set up with the outlet in the bottom - helps eliminate the "projection from the back" issue; still trying to figure out how best to mount something similar on my miter saw, which is bolted to one of those Ridgid MSUVs - I think it would work very well.

[toolguy1000]

LCHIEN...regarding the unsupported cuts, i am copying someone else who posted a video of progressively smaller and smaller cuts. i still usually secure workpieces, just to be safe. as far as dust accumulation in the box is concerned, the melamine sheds it quickly. the dust shown is the most that ever accumulates.

bill...the side discharge was dictated so i could leave the RAS against the rear wall of the garage, thereby enabling me to use the ras without moving it and also parking a minivan in the garage.

regarding the RAS's usefullness, i didn't use it much until i took the time to really tune it up. now, with the ability to use it without having to go throught the hassle of moving it and hooking up the dust collector, it'll be getting more use.