Radial Arm Saw

[LCHIEN]

[QUOTE=Turaj;538878...

What brand and model is it? Older Craftsman (without a blade guard) have a recall for a retrofit guard (or money back if no retrofit available).

One last point. If you decide to keep it, make sure you have an appropriate blade (negative pitch?). Regular blades make the saw 'walk' towards you as you cut.[/QUOTE]

That's "negative Hook" - it pulls the wood down rather than trying to lift it up as it comes out the back...

Yes, the craftsman saws some of them had a 50 or 100 dollar bounty if you return the motor head to them (rendering it harmless). Details here.
Some saws they'll send money for the motor. some they'll send you an improved guard.

That saw may be worth more dead than alive!

[cwsmith]

I've been using an RAS since high school (I'm now 71), when my shop teacher introduced me to a "safe saw". When I was 14, I witnessed my Dad loose a few fingers to a table saw. That Fall, my choice was 'Metal Shop', and I didn't take 'Wood' until my Senior year. Table saws scared the he!! out of me and my shop teacher took notice that I stayed well away from them and he questioned me about it. That's when he introduced me to the big 12" DeWalt RAS saw.... It was a "SAFE saw" because you could see the blade and could feel and see how the blade was cutting as you pulled the cut and essentially directly controlled the saw along the arm. I got a couple of hours of training from him. Big advantage is just seeing that blade do it's cutting, as everything is above the table and nothing is hidden from view.

I bought my Craftsman 10" RAS in the spring of 1974. MY FIL was a hardware manager at Sears, and when he returned from a Chicago tool meeting he gave me a call and told me that if I wanted a good RAS, now was the time, as it was the last of the cast-iron column Emerson saws that they were going to get. Everything after that would have a cheape "fabricated" column.

So, I still have that RAS and I still love it... its my favorite tool. Today, it is mostly dedicated to cross-cutting and I use my BT3100 (first table saw for me, purchased in 1995). But, I've ripped plywood (with homemade jig to help me with the weight), lot's of board stock, etc. on my RAS; but without doubt, ripping is best down on a table saw. For many years the RAS was my only stationary tool and I built a 18 x 25' deck with it, ripping and cross-cutting stock. (All the rail uprights were ripped from 2 x 4 PT stock.) Tables, book cases, desk, shutters and much remodel work was done on my RAS exclusively.

At cross-cutting, angles, bevels, and compound cuts, it is hard to beat the RAS. In my shop, I have the RAS fence set up with a scaled, adjustable stop which enables me to precisely cut any number of pieces at exactly the same size. Though I have a Ridgid 10" CMS, it does not work nearly efficiently as my RAS and worse, for bevel cuts, I cannot get the darn thing to cut either accurately or consistently.

Tuning is a challenge with the RAS, as there are so many points to alignment. But once done, it holds it's setting very well. Much has to do with the condition of the saw, but since I bought mine new, it has always been maintained well. The table surface is wood, usually chip-board. Because the blade must cut into the table surface about an 1/8 inch, you should always place a 1/4 inch sacrificial cover on top of the table so as not to damage/destroy the table over time. Replace the sacrificial cover as often as needed.

Problems with the RAS are well documented... mostly because of lack of training IMO. One inherent problem is 'self-feeding'. On a table saw, you worry about kickback, but on an RAS it's the self-feed challenge which will result in what is often referred to as "climbing". On an RAS, you always pull the cut. That is you keep the saw positioned behind the fence, position the stock against the fence, and then toggle the saw on, pulling the carriage forward into the stock to execute the cut.

One must understand how the RAS (or any power tool) works and what forces apply when in operation. On a pull-cut, the leading edge of the RAS blade is turning down on the stock which forces the stock back against the fence. If you pull the cut too aggressively, the teeth can't cut and it therefore will try to climb on top of the stock, rather than slice through it. (It really isn't much different than if you try to push stock too rapidly into a table saw... as it will choke the blade and in turn the blade will want to push back.) On a RAS, the blade will 'self-feed' if allowed too...much like a powers wheel will advance. Much of pulling the RAS carriage forward, is feeling how the cut is performing and to some degree you must control the "advance", to keep it from feeding on it's own.

When the cut is done, you can toggle the saw off and then push it back behind the fence, though I have a tendency to push the carriage back behind the fence and then turn it off.

As one other member responded, he was told to pull the carriage forward and then "PUSH" the cut backwards. With all due respect, that is just wrong as there are some safety concerns to be had with such action. First and foremost being you got a turning blade well forward on the work surface and with any attempt to adjust the stock at the last minute, you are in high danger of loosing your forearm. The action of the blade also will have a tendency to lift and throw the stock backwards too (Said to be a problem with the CMS, if you don't trigger the blade off before you lift the carriage after the cut.) I've seen people do this and it scares the he!! out to me; and I've had more than a few arguments about the issue. Some have even argued that the originator (DeWalt) designed it that way, but I have a DeWalt book and they exclusively teach the "Pull-cut". (I've even seen people mounting the blade on backwards... hey, what are you going to do, people just will do whatever they want.)

I've found the self-feeding problem much more prevalent cutting 2" thick stock, as a I don't seem to notice it much with 1" stock. Often recommended, is putting a 5-degree negative hook blade on your RAS or CMS, as that would greatly reduce or perhaps eliminate the tendency to self-feed. Problem I find with that is simply not finding such blades locally, and being old-fashioned, I'm not much for ordering stuff on the internet. (This 'self-feeding' problem is a good reason why I'd never use a dado on my RAS... as I think that force would be much more prevalent.)

Ripping on an RAS, is no-doubt NOT the kind of thing I'd recommend. Though possible, the table saw is so much better for that. If you do want to do it, you must lock everthing down very tightly on the RAS... locking the carriage into proper position on the arm, and always feed the stock into the back of the blade!

In any case, I hope I will always have an RAS in my shop as cross-cuts are just so easy and more efficiently done on it.

I hope this helps,

CWS

[capncarl]

I've seen several older radial arm saws for sale locally this year. One that I would have loved to bring home was a very large, all cast iron, probably 5 hp unit that came out of an old building supply store back when they cut a lot of wood to size for the customer. No obvious wear or movement nowhere but the power cord was as big as a water hose and had 4 or 5 wires. There was no nomenclature plate on the motor so I just had to assume it was 3 phase and had to leave it there.
capncarl

[cwsmith]

I want to add a note regarding the 'dangerous reputation of the RAS'. While I really like mine, and have used one for decades, there are simply things that I won't do with it, even though it might have been promoted at some time in the past. One of those ?? for me is using things like shaper heads. First off, I don't like shaper heads at all, but out there, above the table, on an RAS is simply NUTS, in my humble opinion. I've never used a dado blade either... simply doesn't feel comfortable with me. (And I think that applies to any tool... if it doesn't feel comfortable, then don't do it.)

IMO, much of the scary history of the RAS came from really dumb articles like the picture that was posted of a guy cutting sheet stock with the blade in that suicide position... good way to sever your naval all the way back to your spine!. (I have no idea how he could have gotten the carriage in that position anyway!) For a good part of the 50's and 60's the RAS was treated much like a Shop Smith. Seems like everybody published some new way or position that the RAS could be used. There were options galore, including sanding discs, power-take offs, lathe-lake accessories and even some nightmarish things that my brain has long-ago forced from my memory.

Then there were the so-called improvements of the 80's and 90's in which auto-return cables were attached to the carriage and even digital displays of the blade height. Some where in that time, a number of manufacturer also produced some rather cheap models. On the Sear's Craftsman models, a lot of control features changed too. The power switch was moved to up on the end of the arm, as was a T-like handle which enabled you to unlock the arm. A lot of these features just seem frivolous to me. My particular model has the power switch right there at the carriage handle where it can be thumbed on or off... why in the world would any designer want to relocate it to an out-of-reach position is beyond me! (May they thought you could hit it with your shoulder or something.)

In any case, over the years the RAS has gotten a lousy reputation of being dangerous. One that I don't think it deserved. However, they are rarely seen anymore. Ridgid dropped it's last model somewhere around 2004 or 2005. Craftsman still sell them, but they just seem bulky and cheaply made. I haven't seen a DeWalt since the early 2000s'.

To a very large extent, the SCMS has replaced the idea of the RAS. Much lighter, portable, and does cross-cuts of almost the same width without the adjustment hassles, but you can't change the depth of cut on a SCMS. For the contractor, it's really a no-brainer, you can get a SCMS in and out of your truck and into action in a fraction of what it would take to move an RAS into place. You don't get the features of an RAS, but you do get simple board crosscuts easily.

Like mentioned early by another member, there is a recall because of there was no lower blade guard on earlier models like mine. There is no retrofit for my particular Craftsman model... but really, that blade is right there, you can see it, hear it. Not much different than a table saw without the guard, I guess. Anyway, the RAS in my shop is much more valuable to me, than the $100 for sending in the carriage.

So, if you do decide to buy this RAS, do a lot of reading and feel free to ask questions... and be careful.

CWS.

[schloff]

Ever since I got my RAS, I've pretty much let my 12" Porter Cable MS collect dust, so to speak. Once a decent RAS is tuned in just right (it takes time to get it just right), they are very accurate. I've cut 9" wide cedar boards into an octagon with precision with mine a few times. Hardly any fitting required. I've never had mine "walk", but I am pretty alert when I have it spinning. More than my table saw, even. Not sure why, just habit I reckon.

[tfischer]

In any case, over the years the RAS has gotten a lousy reputation of being dangerous. One that I don't think it deserved. However, they are rarely seen anymore. Ridgid dropped it's last model somewhere around 2004 or 2005. Craftsman still sell them, but they just seem bulky and cheaply made. I haven't seen a DeWalt since the early 2000s'.

This company evidently has the rights to the old Dewalt designs and still makes them:
http://originalsaw.com

[trungdok]

Ever since I got my RAS, I've pretty much let my 12" Porter Cable MS collect dust, so to speak. Once a decent RAS is tuned in just right (it takes time to get it just right), they are very accurate. I've cut 9" wide cedar boards into an octagon with precision with mine a few times. Hardly any fitting required. I've never had mine "walk", but I am pretty alert when I have it spinning. More than my table saw, even. Not sure why, just habit I reckon.

I think RAS is slightly safer than the table saw mainly:
1. We tend to be more mindful of it since we see it and actively pushing it whereas on the table saw we are pushing the work piece.
2. No binding of the work piece against the ripping fence, but then that's because we don't usually rip with the RAS.

[poolhound]

If you like your sliding miter saw then you may not have a lot of use for a RAS. Some will even maintain a constant distance up so they can be used to cut tenons on long boards with lots of passes. I put a little 1/4 dado setup on my Ryobi RAS to do this. I also use it to crosscut things my non-slider 12 inch CMS won't cut. It's good to about 8 inches and the RAS will go a little over 12. I don't do angles on my RAS but I used to. It will do it but it's a lot easier to adjust the CMS. One thing I like about my CMS/RAS combination is I can put them closer to the wall than any slider I've seen. My Ryobi will also flip over and take a router bit. I've tried it but it didn't work well. Maybe it would with a really light cut.

At the end of last year I treated myself to the Bosch CM10GD 10" Dual-Bevel Glide Miter Saw. The glide mechanism is awesome and lets you set the saw virtually up against the wall. It has nearly a 12" cross cut capacity and also has a depth lock feature that would allow you to nibble away at tenons or lap joints. Unfortunately while it does work, in theory, with the blade mechanism just 'sitting' on the stop the actual depth of cut depends on the downward pressure you put on the handle and you cant really get a very uneven result. With so many alternative ways to make tenons I am not too concerned and for lap joints nothing much beats the dado in the TS. At some point a sled to use with my dado setup would really make lap joints easy.

http://www.boschtools.com/Products/T...spx?pid=cm10gd