another problem solved on craigslist..

[Neal Clayton]

people seem to be paying anywhere from 400-600 for these on craigslist and ebay in like-new condition, and since i've recently run into the problem of not having enough room between the walls to cut dadoes in extra long window frames i figured this wouldn't be a bad investment for the low end of that price range to cut frames with.

only problem...man does the blade that delta sends with these suck. i'm assuming the blade i got with it was the one the original owner got with it, they're a high end cabinet/millwork shop around here and said the saw was too small for their needs so they rarely used it after buying it a couple years ago. it was thin enough to flex pretty badly on the 4x4 i was using for test cuts, so i figure i'll get a new TS blade and throw my old 60 tooth WWII on this.

[Jim Becker]

Congrats!

WW-II may not be what you want in tooth geometry for the blade on a RAS... ;) Way too aggressive.

[Neal Clayton]

what would be the preferred blade be? i've used other people's RASs before, but never owned one, so i'm kinda flying by the seat of my pants on blade selection for this thing ;).

[Chris Padilla]

Be sure to get a blade specifically designed for the Radial Arm Saw (RAS). I believe they have a negative hook so as to not launch the saw/board into your face (or something like that).

[Rob Diz]

Be sure to get a blade specifically designed for the Radial Arm Saw (RAS). I believe they have a negative hook so as to not launch the saw/board into your face (or something like that).

What he said.

The last thing you want is for the blade to want to grab during a cut.

[Paul Demetropoulos]

Yes, negative hook angle blade a must.

If you put a dado set on it start out with light cuts and practice with it until you get the feel of how your saw cuts. An aggressive cut with a dado blade can cause the blade to ride up on the workpiece.

That said, I love my RAS, very fast for cutoff and dadoing.

[Derek Hansen]

What he said.

The last thing you want is for the blade to want to grab during a cut.

Ah...so that's why I've been having that problem with mine. I never really thought about it requiring a different type of blade.

[Jim Kountz]

If the workpiece is narrow enough I use a push motion instead of pulling it across. I know there is alot of debate on this but it works for me and I feel better doing it so thats how I do it. No different than a sliding miter saw.

[David DeCristoforo]

"...No different than a sliding miter saw..."

Actually, it is very different. On a miter saw, you can position the stock against the fence and whatever end stop you are using, then bring the saw head forward, lower the blade and push through the cut. On a RAS, you have to hold the saw head out from the fence with one hand while you position the stock behind it with the other. That's the dangerous part.

[Craig McCormick]

I had a Dewalt RAS for years. I built most of the furniture in our house with it. I also built a grandfather clock for my parents 45th anniversary. I never used any special blades. Ripped and crosscut on it all the time. No grabbing problems, nor riding up.

I sold it when I purchased my Robland X31 Combo machine. I wish I would have kept the Dewalt. I may purchase another.

AZCRAIG

[Jim Watts]

Forrest makes one, in case you're partial to their products:

http://www.forrestblades.com/chopmaster.htm ($143)
http://www.woodcraft.com/product.aspx?ProductID=811869&FamilyID=20024 ($136)
http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=11099 ($130)
http://www.google.com/products?q=forrest+chopmaster&btnG=Search+Products (Froogle)

[Craig McCormick]

I had a Dewalt RAS for years. I built most of the furniture in our house with it. I also built a grandfather clock for my parents 45th anniversary. I never used any special blades. Ripped and crosscut on it all the time. No grabbing problems, nor riding up.

I sold it when I purchased my Robland X31 Combo machine. I wish I would have kept the Dewalt. I may purchase another.

AZCRAIG

I always used a combination blade = Freud, Vermont American, etc.
I am going to purchase another RAS to use in conjunction with my X31

[Ron Jones near Indy]

Freud makes a great blade for the RAS. Yes, the negative hook is MUCH better for this application. I'm sorry that I don't know the Freud number for this blade, but a quick check at Amazon will yield the proper blade.

[Jim Kountz]

"...No different than a sliding miter saw..."

Actually, it is very different. On a miter saw, you can position the stock against the fence and whatever end stop you are using, then bring the saw head forward, lower the blade and push through the cut. On a RAS, you have to hold the saw head out from the fence with one hand while you position the stock behind it with the other. That's the dangerous part.

?? Ok not trying to be a smart a** but that makes no sense at all. Other than the fact that the SCMS head can pivot up and down its exactly the same procedure. Stock against the fence, push a spinning blade in towards the fence to make a cut. Now then if one is goofy enough to try and reach behind the RAS blade while its running then yeah, thats different. I would just hope no one is that stupid.

[Jim Becker]

Jim, I think that David was referring to a previous comment about using a push technique on the RAS and I agree with him that pulling the head out, positioning the workpiece and then making the cut back toward the fence is a cumbersome and potentially dangerous method because the blade guard wasn't designed for it. With the SMCS, you have the pivoting head and a guard setup for this type of cut. But I could just be speaking out of hand, too...I'm just visualizing as I don't own either type of tool... ;)

[David DeCristoforo]

"...think that David was referring to a previous comment...I could just be speaking out of hand, too..."

Yep... that's what I was saying.

"...Now then if one is goofy enough to try and reach behind the RAS blade while its running..."

So do you pull the head out to the end of the arm, hold it there while you get the stock behind the blade, then reach over to turn the saw on then reach back to hold the stock and make the cut? I'm not trying to be a "smart a**" either but that sounds pretty cumbersome. But maybe a bit safer than getting the material positioned behind a running blade. I only mentioned it in the first place because I have known people who "are that stupid"... (not implying that you are) and who would not waste a second thought before doing something like this.

[Jim Kountz]

So do you pull the head out to the end of the arm, hold it there while you get the stock behind the blade, then reach over to turn the saw on then reach back to hold the stock and make the cut?

Of course not, that would be dangerous. On my old delta RAS the trigger is right there on the handle, you just flip it on/off with your thumb.

[David DeCristoforo]

"... the trigger is right there on the handle..."

Ahhhh... a trigger! (Smacks self in head!) Well that would be a big help. Mine (50's DeWalt) doesn't have a trigger so you would have to reach up up where the switch is (on the side of the arm).

[Neal Clayton]

well after messing with this thing a bit and squaring it up, the trigger might be one of few well thought out parts of delta's design ;).

the blade guard is the worst i've ever seen, i see no way to add or remove a regular blade, much less a dado, with the guard in place, it seems you have to completely un bolt it to change blades. so it will get tossed and replaced with something else.

and delta accomplishes the trigger on the handle by having a wire run out the right hand side of the arm, and down to the handle with a ton of slack in it. i could potentially see it getting caught in the blade, so i'm gonna have to pin it to a sweet spot in the arm where it still has enough travel but not enough slack to drop to the table, somehow.

other than those two horrible design flaws it works ok, but i don't see how this passed delta's QC department when they designed it however many years ago.

[Jim Kountz]

the blade guard is the worst i've ever seen, i see no way to add or remove a regular blade, much less a dado, with the guard in place, it seems you have to completely un bolt it to change blades. so it will get tossed and replaced with something else.
Neal this is typical of RAS. Most of them I have ever used requires you to take the guard off to change blades.

and delta accomplishes the trigger on the handle by having a wire run out the right hand side of the arm, and down to the handle with a ton of slack in it. i could potentially see it getting caught in the blade, so i'm gonna have to pin it to a sweet spot in the arm where it still has enough travel but not enough slack to drop to the table, somehow.
I think someone has "modified" your saw. Mine has no wires running out or around the handle, its all enclosed.

other than those two horrible design flaws it works ok, but i don't see how this passed delta's QC department when they designed it however many years ago.

You'l get it all figured out Neal, good luck with it and keep us posted on your "fixes"!!

[Jim Dunn]

Jim, I think that David was referring to a previous comment about using a push technique on the RAS and I agree with him that pulling the head out, positioning the workpiece and then making the cut back toward the fence is a cumbersome and potentially dangerous method because the blade guard wasn't designed for it. With the SMCS, you have the pivoting head and a guard setup for this type of cut. But I could just be speaking out of hand, too...I'm just visualizing as I don't own either type of tool... ;)

I have to agree with Jim here (we Jim's have to sick together:D). I have used a RAS and SCMS and find that the blade guard situation on the RAS is minimal if used to push against the material. Also I could never imagine that the RAS could be turned 90 and used to rip with without the addition of some extra guard of some kind.

[Fred Hargis]

Freud makes a great blade for the RAS. Yes, the negative hook is MUCH better for this application. I'm sorry that I don't know the Freud number for this blade, but a quick check at Amazon will yield the proper blade.
I had used the Freud LU91 for years on my RAS, and found it made a HUGE difference in ease of use. It is a blade with a 5°negative hook angle....others have been mentioned as well.

[Curt Harms]

I had used the Freud LU91 for years on my RAS, and found it made a HUGE difference in ease of use. It is a blade with a 5°negative hook angle....others have been mentioned as well.

I'm using a Freud -5 degree hook blade on a RAS. If there were a greater negative hook available it might be better still. As I understand it, the forces generated by negative hook teeth are more vertical, down toward the table vs. horizontal, toward the operator with a positive hook blade. There's less tendency to "self feed" (force the blade forward) and scare the crap out of the operator.

Curt

[Ralph Barhorst]

I use a Woodworker 1 blade on mine and it works great.

[Jerome Hanby]

I had used the Freud LU91 for years on my RAS, and found it made a HUGE difference in ease of use. It is a blade with a 5°negative hook angle....others have been mentioned as well.

Looks like that blade is a thin kerf. Does the RAS have the same concerns a Table Saw would have with the thin kerf?

[Neal Clayton]

You'l get it all figured out Neal, good luck with it and keep us posted on your "fixes"!!

actually in searching around on the internet for potential replacements for the blade guard, i found other people complaining about that long wire as well. seems to be a common complaint. i noticed there are two revisions of this model (33-830), maybe that's what they fixed in the second one?

if the blade guard were even 1/8" wider it wouldn't be a problem for changing single blades, you can actually flex it enough to get the blade out without complete disassembly of the guard. in fact that might be a solution, if i stack a couple of washers between the guard and the motor that might let the single blade come out at least.

[Jim Kountz]

I have to agree with Jim here (we Jim's have to sick together:D). I have used a RAS and SCMS and find that the blade guard situation on the RAS is minimal if used to push against the material. Also I could never imagine that the RAS could be turned 90 and used to rip with without the addition of some extra guard of some kind.

I guess we have very different saws or something. I had mine for 24 years, it was one of the first tools I ever bought and actually just recently got rid of it for space issues but still Ive logged countless hours on it in the past and I use several SCMS on a daily basis on my jobsites so I too have actually used both. Millions of times probably. I guess Im not getting the guard issue you guys are talking about. On my SCMS when you push the head down the guard retracts and the entire bottom half of the blade is now exposed. 180 degrees of open blade right? Ok with my old RAS this is pretty much the case all the time except for the worthless little metal guard that lifts and slides over the workpiece as you push the blade through the cut. So again there is the entire bottom half of the blade exposed when making a cut, direction has nothing to do with it and doesnt change a thing, the blade is still exposed on both types of saw while making the cut. I mean dont get me wrong its not like I used the RAS this way ALL the time, its just I preferred to use it this way when I could because I liked the push action instead of the pull due mainly to the climbing effect that RAS possess.

[Dick Strauss]

Isn't the Forrest WWI designed for use on a RAS? If so, it might be a good choice...

Scott Spencer also recommended to me an Infinity 010-060 blade that has a +5 degree tooth geometry. This blade isn's so agressive and is a good general use blade for the TS as well (according to Scott).

I ended up with a WWI on my C-man RAS but haven't cut a single piece of wood on it yet.

[Fred Hargis]

I think it does...and so for the years I had mine (a 10" circa mid-70's Craftsman) I ran that blade with stiffners...That saw got recalled, and the replacement (an older Dewalt) will have the same blade, but in an 8 1/2" size without the stiffners (stabilizers, whatever you choose to call them).

[Matt Ranum]

I had used the Freud LU91 for years on my RAS, and found it made a HUGE difference in ease of use. It is a blade with a 5°negative hook angle....others have been mentioned as well.


Thats the same blade I run on my Delta RAS since I bought it new, 10 years ago. The original blade it came with lasted about a day before it was taken off and put in the cabinet where it still sits today.

[Randal Stevenson]

people seem to be paying anywhere from 400-600 for these on craigslist and ebay in like-new condition, and since i've recently run into the problem of not having enough room between the walls to cut dadoes in extra long window frames i figured this wouldn't be a bad investment for the low end of that price range to cut frames with.




While some recommend a negative hook angle blade designed for crosscutting only, and others recommend a Mr. Sawdust designed Forrest WWI (available by talking ONLY to Charles at Forrest), if I read you right, the one recommendation that no one gave, is a DADO blade. That is what you said you bought this for, correct?

[Neal Clayton]

yeah, it'll get used for a cut-off saw when my SCMS isn't nearby but dadoes are the primary function in mind. i've been using a freud 208 dado set for awhile on my PM66, as well as my stepfather's RAS when i couldn't fit something between the walls on the TS, and don't have any complaints about that blade. i considered getting the 10" 5/8 arbor set that forrest sells, and while i think the PM66 could handle it, i think that might be pushing the limits of weight on a ~1.5hp RAS motor so i'm planning on sticking with the 8" freud set i have.