David Winer
03-07-2011, 10:54 AM
A: SUPER GLOAT!
Reading, mostly from this forum, about all the excellent old radial arm saws “out there,” it seemed like a good idea to consider a replacement for my 40 year old Craftsman 12-inch. I set out to find one. Since radial arm saws are generally in disfavor as unsafe and inaccurate (wrongly, but I won’t digress here) they come on the market frequently at remarkably low prices for such potent machinery. My criteria in the search would be 12-inch blade, 220 v., single phase, cast iron arm, ready for use without need for significant restoration.
Lots of entries in Craigslist out there, but I eventually narrowed the search down to three types I could welcome into the garage: either the older DeWalt round-top, the newer DeWalt 790/7790 series, or a Delta turret model. I knew that patience would be required to wait for the right saw to appear, and soon discovered that a lot of others are watching for the same opportunities. I stepped up the frequency of searches and extended the area to half a day’s drive. Naturally, before traveling to a far-off saw I would have first to be convinced that inspection would result in a buy. My first such foray was a disaster. That DeWalt 7790 turned out quite rusty, and needed serious repair—so I returned from four hours of driving empty handed.
Last week a good listing came from a last-minute-before-going-to-bed search in reasonably near cities in Pennsylvania. I called the seller next morning to hear the 14-(!) inch Delta was in good shape but I got him to promise to send some good pictures so I might be convinced. That night my inbox was filled with fifteen large, high resolution shots of what looked too good to be true: a beautiful cast iron everywhere machine without visible flaws. The seller didn’t know the model number, but the current Delta 33-401 seems to be like it. I had no trouble with his asking price of $300. The saw was so tall that a low open trailer would be needed. At almost 900 pounds I had to make a ramp so the two of us could roll the saw on. The trip to Harrisburg and back last Saturday was quite an adventure.
Oh, it came with two very nice high-tooth-count carbide-tipped 14 inch blades, one for cross-cutting and the other for ripping. And a moulding head cutter. And the anti-kickback device for ripping. The arm is long enough to cut either way about 24 inches. (Ooooh.) Clicking parts into the fixed detents gives a solid, unmovable feel (quite unlike I am used to with the Craftsman). The tracks in the arm are perfectly smooth.
The bad: I added a new electrical plug because it was equipped with the type for a clothes dryer. The arbor wrenches are missing. The wheels are far to puny for such a massive machine.
I’m now busy detailing the saw for bits of dust from cracks, smudges, that sort of thing.
The attached should hold the usual doubters who say it didn't happen unless there's a picture.
Reading, mostly from this forum, about all the excellent old radial arm saws “out there,” it seemed like a good idea to consider a replacement for my 40 year old Craftsman 12-inch. I set out to find one. Since radial arm saws are generally in disfavor as unsafe and inaccurate (wrongly, but I won’t digress here) they come on the market frequently at remarkably low prices for such potent machinery. My criteria in the search would be 12-inch blade, 220 v., single phase, cast iron arm, ready for use without need for significant restoration.
Lots of entries in Craigslist out there, but I eventually narrowed the search down to three types I could welcome into the garage: either the older DeWalt round-top, the newer DeWalt 790/7790 series, or a Delta turret model. I knew that patience would be required to wait for the right saw to appear, and soon discovered that a lot of others are watching for the same opportunities. I stepped up the frequency of searches and extended the area to half a day’s drive. Naturally, before traveling to a far-off saw I would have first to be convinced that inspection would result in a buy. My first such foray was a disaster. That DeWalt 7790 turned out quite rusty, and needed serious repair—so I returned from four hours of driving empty handed.
Last week a good listing came from a last-minute-before-going-to-bed search in reasonably near cities in Pennsylvania. I called the seller next morning to hear the 14-(!) inch Delta was in good shape but I got him to promise to send some good pictures so I might be convinced. That night my inbox was filled with fifteen large, high resolution shots of what looked too good to be true: a beautiful cast iron everywhere machine without visible flaws. The seller didn’t know the model number, but the current Delta 33-401 seems to be like it. I had no trouble with his asking price of $300. The saw was so tall that a low open trailer would be needed. At almost 900 pounds I had to make a ramp so the two of us could roll the saw on. The trip to Harrisburg and back last Saturday was quite an adventure.
Oh, it came with two very nice high-tooth-count carbide-tipped 14 inch blades, one for cross-cutting and the other for ripping. And a moulding head cutter. And the anti-kickback device for ripping. The arm is long enough to cut either way about 24 inches. (Ooooh.) Clicking parts into the fixed detents gives a solid, unmovable feel (quite unlike I am used to with the Craftsman). The tracks in the arm are perfectly smooth.
The bad: I added a new electrical plug because it was equipped with the type for a clothes dryer. The arbor wrenches are missing. The wheels are far to puny for such a massive machine.
I’m now busy detailing the saw for bits of dust from cracks, smudges, that sort of thing.
The attached should hold the usual doubters who say it didn't happen unless there's a picture.