Is this worth having in my shop?

[Steve Mathews]

I don't have a radial arm saw and saw this on Craigslist. Is this worth having in my shop? And if so, what's a fair price for it?

309169

[jack forsberg]

3 phase or single phase?

[Matt Day]

I just picked up a 33-891 (a younger version of that saw I think) for $150 on CL. I'm restoring it now and looking forward to using it.

[John McClanahan]

I have the 10 inch version of that saw. Nice saw. I'm glad I have it over the DeWalts.


John

[Larry Edgerton]

I had a 16" version of that saw and it was a good saw. I sold it to buy an OMGA with more cut capacity, but it was a good saw. That one appears to be in decent shape. I sold mine for $2200 but it was close to perfect.

[Bradley Gray]

I have a 14". Super smooth cuts. Mine is 3 phase - only cost $300.

[Joe A Faulkner]

There isn't a right or wrong answer here. It depends on a number of factors. How much room do you have? What power tools do you already own? What kind of projects do you normally do. Given the type of work you do, is a large, shop-bound, radial arm saw a good fit? What size lumber do you normally work with?
I frequently buy 10' and 12' length boards. Rarely do I buy anything wider than 12". On occasion, I do some trim carpentry. I have a small shop z(22x22). So in my case, a sliding compound miter saw was chosen over a radial arm saw - at one time I had both and gave the RAS away. I use the SCM to break down stock, and for most of my cross cutting. If you already have a table saw, and don't yet own an SCM or a chop saw, and you want something for breaking down stock and making miter cuts, then this might be a great addition. If you want something a bit more portable then you might consider an SCM instead.

[Rich Riddle]

Many people consider them outdated and use sliding compound miter saws instead of radial arm saws. Radial arm saws have a longer pull and can cut very true. They can also make dado cuts, but they would not be my first choice for that function. They sure do take lots of space. My friend now owns the one that formerly graced the shop. Just didn't utilize it enough to justify the footprint. If you have the space, they can be great.

[Brian Henderson]

If you have the space and have a use for it, sure, it's worth having in your shop. I loaned mine to my uncle about 20 years ago and he's still got it in his garage, which tells you how often I use it. Every time I think I ought to go get it back, I realize what a pain it will be to rent a truck and drive close to 150 miles round trip and forget about it again.

[Lee Schierer]

I have a Radial arm saw and I use it less than 10 times per year. They are not very accurate no matter how much you tune them. Even with good blades you tend to get a lot of tear out as the back edge of the blade proceeds into the piece of wood lifting the grain. Control of crosscuts can be tricky to learn as the saw will want to self feed even with a negative hook blade. Ripping is inherently dangerous because the tips of the blade are just barely out of the wood into the table and the back teeth will tend to lif the piece being cut. In my opinion it is a good saw for construction work, not so hot for cabinet making.

[Ed Aumiller]

Have both a good table saw (PM66) and a Sears RAS over 40 yrs old... use the RAS all the time...
Bought a 16" Dewalt for cutting to length next to sawmill... was great but MUCH too large for in woodshop.. so ended up selling it..
Also, the arbor is probably 1" which means if you have 5/8" blades you will need to buy more blades, etc...

[ken masoumi]

If I had the luxury of owning a very big garage,I would consider buying a used old style Dewalt RAS which would be used for Dado cuts only ,but since I don't have a shop that big,I have settled for a Bosch SCMS which is no slouch when compared to many miter saws or radial arm saws.

[Steve Mathews]

3 phase or single phase?

Single phase

[Matt Day]

Regarding the space requirement, a 10/12" RAS doesn't really take up any more of a footprint than 10/12" SCMS. Correct me if I'm wrong, but think about the distance off the wall a SCMS has to be, the extension wings some have, etc and I think it's pretty much a dead heat. RAS's usually have a legs and all, but those can be removed and put on a cabinet if the space below is really that critical.

What size blade is the saw in question?

[Mike Schuch]

309169[

I am a really big fan of these Delta turret arm saws. All of them that I have ever used have been very accurate with excellent repeat-ability. I can't say the same about the Craftsman and the beat up Dewalt RAS's that I have owned... nor the SCMS's I have used. The indexing mechanism on the Delta turret arms are heavy duty and accurate. Even the 10" Delta turret arm saws are very solid with no flex.

I learned wood working from my father and the only stationary saw we had was a 10" Delta turret arm radial arm saw. I have a 16" Red Star turret arm RAS (predecessor to the Delta turret arm RAS). I don't think I have ever completed a project without using my RAS. But I think a lot of how useful a RAS will be to you depends a lot on how you work and how you were trained. For many guys a table saw is the center of their shop and a RAS is just wasted space. For me the RAS is the center of my shop and the table saw is just for ripping an occasional board. So, in my opinion, the usefulness of a RAS depends more on the user than the saw.