ShopCraft Radial Arm Saw

[Kyle Brooks]

I was wondering if anyone has any info on these brand of saws. Are they good or bad. I do some small woodworking and was wonder if I should spend $45 on it or not?

[Bob Aquino]

Stick with the old Dewalts and Delta's, specifically the ones that have the solid cast iron arms. Examples are the Dewalt MBC/MBF and GP's to name a few. Leave the Craftsmans, Wards, etc. alone. The Dewalts and Delta's will hold their settings once adjusted, the others wont. You can find the Dewalts and Deltas for about the same prices as the lesser models, so hold out till one comes along.

[Michael Prisbylla]

I have a DeWalt RAS as my only saw, so I'm pretty devoted to the things. That said, I have to agree with the other poster that you should hold out for a DeWalt or a Delta. I'm told that the old (cast iron arm) Craftsman ones are OK, too, though I have no first hand experience with them. After having owned a late 60's vintage Craftsman, I can tell you that a lesser quality RAS will drive you absolutely insane because it refuses to stay in adjustment. With the Deltas (at least the old ones) and the DeWalts (ditto) this is not an issue, they hold their settings and all cuts are dead on repeatable to an accuracy of .002" if you do things right. Plus, if you watch out they're not that expensive. I have 3 right now and haven't paid more that $125 for any of them.