DeWalt RAS Gloat

[Cyrus Brewster 7]

I just picked this DeWalt RAS up last night for $50. It starts up perfect and shows no signs of corrosion. The guy I bought it from received it from his father who purchased it new in 1955 - I have attached the original bill of sale - pretty neat.

From the tips I have received regarding questions about this purchase, I plan to re-wire the entire saw and also replace the bearings. I hope new ones are not hard to find. One other thing I would like to find is a new decal for the blade cover (and possibly an original guard that goes on the cover).

This RAS will be going next to my SCMS in the station I built for it a couple of months ago. With a little reinforcing of the bench and a couple of new pieces of hardware, this old beauty will breath new life.

Thanks to everyone for the earlier tips.


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[Jon McElwain]

I am not a huge RAS fan, but that is one piece of iron I would love to own. $50????? Wow.

[Jim Hill]

I agree with Jon! I'd sure like to have that for $50. You did great!!!

[david brum]

Cyrus, there is an online forum dedicated to fixing and using these saws http://forums.delphiforums.com/woodbutcher/start. The guys over there will help walk you through the process. You might also want to look at the Mr Sawdust book http://mrsawdust.com/"]http://mrsawdust.com/. It was written by Wally Kunkel, one of the early adopters of Dewalt RASs in the '40s. He tells you exactly how to adjust and use the saw to maximum advantage. He goes through all kinds of methods for making unique cuts as well.

You can order the motor and roller bearings from Accurate Bearing http://www.accuratebearing.com/. They work with Dewalt owners all the time and will know what you need.

You can dowload and print your own replacement decals here http://wiki.vintagemachinery.org/Decals.ashx#DeWalt_11. You may need to play with sizing them and getting the color just right before you print them, but they come out pretty well.

As a final note and nosy reminder, get a dedicated RAS or CSMS blade. RASs already have a tendancy for the blade to self-feed and walk toward you as you cut. The more angle on the blade's teeth, the more tendancy to self-feed. I haven't used one, but some of the enthusiasts think that the Freud LU83 is the best deal.

[Aaron Berk]

$50?

Dude, not fair!


U Suck

[Tom Rausenberg]

Very nice. You will love that saw. My old dewalt has pretty much replaced my scms. It does everything better. (except for portability) As David said, a good blade will really make all the difference on your saw. A blade with a negative hook angle will greatly reduce climb cutting. I bought one of these for mine:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Onsrud-MTR-10-126-60-10-Miter-Saw-Blade-w-60-Teeth-/220913621133?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item336f7a588d

They're VERY good blades, and at dirt cheap closeout prices.

[Thomas Hotchkin]

Cyrus
Great find, and price is even better. You said that you are going to replace bearings, check out Dewalt Radial Arm Saw delphi website that Dave Burm listed, great info there that will save you a lot of time. New carriage bearing are spendy, but you can overhaul them very easily. Tom

[Cary Falk]

Cyrus,
Nice looking saw. I have a couple of articles on restoring and aligning the Dewalts. PM me if you are interested.
Cary

[Peter Quinn]

Think of Beauty. Work safe and enjoy that. David has pointed you spot in the right direction, I'd follow all his suggestions. Wolfe Machinery may also be a resource for repairs should they be neccessary.

[Neil Brooks]

DING ! DING ! DING !

As 2011 draws to a close, this may be a nominee for Gloat of the Year !

I sent you a PM with some other RAS resources ... if you're bored ;)

[Cyrus Brewster 7]

Cyrus, there is an online forum dedicated to fixing and using these saws http://forums.delphiforums.com/woodbutcher/start. The guys over there will help walk you through the process. You might also want to look at the Mr Sawdust book http://mrsawdust.com/"]http://mrsawdust.com/ (http://mrsawdust.com/%22]http://mrsawdust.com/). It was written by Wally Kunkel, one of the early adopters of Dewalt RASs in the '40s. He tells you exactly how to adjust and use the saw to maximum advantage. He goes through all kinds of methods for making unique cuts as well.

You can order the motor and roller bearings from Accurate Bearing http://www.accuratebearing.com/. They work with Dewalt owners all the time and will know what you need.

You can dowload and print your own replacement decals here http://wiki.vintagemachinery.org/Decals.ashx#DeWalt_11. You may need to play with sizing them and getting the color just right before you print them, but they come out pretty well.

As a final note and nosy reminder, get a dedicated RAS or CSMS blade. RASs already have a tendancy for the blade to self-feed and walk toward you as you cut. The more angle on the blade's teeth, the more tendancy to self-feed. I haven't used one, but some of the enthusiasts think that the Freud LU83 is the best deal.

Thanks for these links. I just ordered the book, registered on delphi and copied the decal. Before I buy the bearings, I will check the condition of the ones currently on the saw - not hoping for much though.

[Cyrus Brewster 7]

Very nice. You will love that saw. My old dewalt has pretty much replaced my scms. It does everything better. (except for portability) As David said, a good blade will really make all the difference on your saw. A blade with a negative hook angle will greatly reduce climb cutting. I bought one of these for mine:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Onsrud-MTR-10-126-60-10-Miter-Saw-Blade-w-60-Teeth-/220913621133?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item336f7a588d

They're VERY good blades, and at dirt cheap closeout prices.

Tom,

Of all of thing I do on the internet, a purchase from ebay is not on the list. Is there a way to buy several of these blades without without bidding?

Thanks for the link - BTW.

[Tom Rausenberg]

Tom,

Of all of thing I do on the internet, a purchase from ebay is not on the list. Is there a way to buy several of these blades without without bidding?

Thanks for the link - BTW.

Unfortunately, I don't think so. At least not at those prices. There is not a lot of bidding competition, if that is your concern. I bought three different blades, the RAS blade, a glue line rip blade, and a dado set, and got them all at the opening bid price. All three are superb, by the way.

[Dave Norris]

I"d work on the bearings a bit before replacing. The grease gets hard in them, and they seem like they may be bad. A soak in something for a week can loosen them up nicely. Same with the motor working on it, not soaking!). Not sure what you had in mind, but the motors rarely (in my experience) need re-wired. New cords sometimes...

[Neil Brooks]

I"d work on the bearings a bit before replacing. The grease gets hard in them, and they seem like they may be bad. A soak in something for a week can loosen them up nicely. Same with the motor working on it, not soaking!). Not sure what you had in mind, but the motors rarely (in my experience) need re-wired. New cords sometimes...

I think that's all good advice. Very little harm in trying.

In the case of my MBF, the insulation on the wires FROM the windings TO the ... whatever it's called (Klaxon something ?) -- basically -- circuit breaker -- AND the motor-to-frame AND frame-to-wall outlet cords were shot.

Missing/broken/split/electrical taped insulation, primarily. Wasn't worth the risk, for ... I think .... $50 in parts that it cost me (did the labor myself) to swap 'em out.

New copper windings on these saws, today, are something like .... maybe $700. Pretty sure THAT's not important ;)

[Homer Faucett]

Ditto the advice on checking out the wiring. All the insulation on my 1950's GE was cracking and disintegrating every time you moved the saw. Definitely worthwhile to take apart and replace . . . and wasn't too expensive.


I think that's all good advice. Very little harm in trying.

In the case of my MBF, the insulation on the wires FROM the windings TO the ... whatever it's called (Klaxon something ?) -- basically -- circuit breaker -- AND the motor-to-frame AND frame-to-wall outlet cords were shot.

Missing/broken/split/electrical taped insulation, primarily. Wasn't worth the risk, for ... I think .... $50 in parts that it cost me (did the labor myself) to swap 'em out.

New copper windings on these saws, today, are something like .... maybe $700. Pretty sure THAT's not important ;)

[Cyrus Brewster 7]

I"d work on the bearings a bit before replacing. The grease gets hard in them, and they seem like they may be bad. A soak in something for a week can loosen them up nicely. Same with the motor working on it, not soaking!). Not sure what you had in mind, but the motors rarely (in my experience) need re-wired. New cords sometimes...

Thanks for the advise on the carriage bearings. I will give it a try. The motor spins fine - I will check the run-out when I get a chance. As a matter of fact, the motor takes at least 30 seconds to stop. I hope this is normal.

[david brum]

20-30 seconds is a pretty good spin-down time for an older RAS. A longer time indicates dried out bearings. The original bearings on my MBF took forever to spin down, then started to howl. After I replaced them, I was surprised at how much faster a new set of bearings slows the blade.

[Cyrus Brewster 7]

20-30 seconds is a pretty good spin-down time for an older RAS. A longer time indicates dried out bearings. The original bearings on my MBF took forever to spin down, then started to howl. After I replaced them, I was surprised at how much faster a new set of bearings slows the blade.

Next time I fire it up (it is several pieces now) I will listen for noise.

[Homer Faucett]

20-30 seconds is a pretty good spin-down time for an older RAS. A longer time indicates dried out bearings. The original bearings on my MBF took forever to spin down, then started to howl. After I replaced them, I was surprised at how much faster a new set of bearings slows the blade.


Just remember that a 14 inch blade will have more inertia than a 9 inch blade. Expect longer spin-down on your bigger DeWalt. My GEs take around a long time to stop with their 16 inch blades.

[david brum]

Just remember that a 14 inch blade will have more inertia than a 9 inch blade. Expect longer spin-down on your bigger DeWalt. My GEs take around a long time to stop with their 16 inch blades.

Homer, I'm pretty sure that all the GW series saws use 10" blades.

[Paul McGaha]

Cyrus,

That is really nice. A lot of tool for not a lot of money.

Congratulations.

PHM

[Karl Card]

Congrats... good find. The more I learn with the RAS the more I like them. Very versatile machine.

[Homer Faucett]

Homer, I'm pretty sure that all the GW series saws use 10" blades.

Sorry, got this one mixed up with a thread about a DeWalt GA someone recently picked up. Sorry about that, as my understanding is that you're right--the GW series were all 10" blades.

Even my GWI with new bearings takes longer to spin down than my MBF did. Yes, I've had far too many DeWalt RAS's in my time, and have started to thin the herd a verly little bit.

In my experience, the rollerhead bearings never get enough wear to justify replacing--only soaking in diesel, drilling, and regreasing, if even that. The motor bearings are a different story.