The $1000 Radial Arm Saw

[Rich Riddle]

A neighbor at the farm asked me what I thought a fair price was for a radial arm saw he had, an old Delta model not all that nice. I told him he could have my old radial arm saw if that gave him a clue. He "strongly" disagreed and listed it for a thousand dollars but is willing to accept $950. I tried to tell him they were not sought after these days, but he didn't believe it.

[Ben Rivel]

lol he'll figure it out.

[Matt Day]

I have a couple alerts setup that email me when there's a hit on CL. There's some moronic resale shop that has been selling a Delta Model 10 RAS for $945 for close to a year now. 3 phase, no table. I think I emailed them twice trying to nicely tell them they're asking about 5 times the market value of the saw. No response. Guess they have plenty of floor space!

[Marc Burt]

Mind if I ask how/where you set up these alerts?

[Brian W Smith]

We have an old one taking up valuable real estate..
.

Been considering what else could be made with it from a mad scientist sort of way.It's become quite humorous,for 6 months it may be a chainsaw sharpening idea.Still it sits...

Next itineration,make a belt grinder,lasts a few months.Then there's always the,mount a router on it notion.Still it sits.

Would say the above has been going on over 10 years.If someone came along with any sort of passion,which would have me questioning their sanity,I'd help them load it,and never look back.

[Frederick Skelly]

Well, you tried. Sounds like it's gonna sit there a while at that price. Another example of what Forrest Gummp's Momma always said....

[Mark Wooden]

Too bad, they're a much maligned machine. Yes, yes- there are quite a few that were just junk from the day they were made. And most of those that are used had the crap kicked out of them.But a well tuned RAS is a very handy machine. I have a 14" Delta 40B that is a joy to use. I knock down stock to length, cut multiples, easily layout and cut long steep angles, made miles of dentil mouldings, cut mitered stair stringers, on & on, etc., etc..
I wouldn't be without it.

[Michael Dye]

You'll like this one. I had a chance, many years ago, to purchase two 12" Delta/Rockwell RAS's at auction. Paid $200 for the pair. I changed the motor rotation on one, reversed the blade, installed a unique chip collector on the front, and use that saw for cross-cutting stock and cutting dadoes. The second one had a bad motor so, being a machinist, I fabricated a mount for a PC690 router and use it for cutting dadoes. Vertical accuracy leaves a bit to be desired, but if you take your time, it works well. Great use for two saws that would have ended up in the scrap pile.

[Ben Rivel]

Mind if I ask how/where you set up these alerts?
You can use the CraigsList Pro smartphone app to do it.

[Cary Falk]

I just sold my fully restored DeWalt GWI for $220 and happy to get that.

[Doug Garson]

I changed the motor rotation on one, reversed the blade, installed a unique chip collector on the front, and use that saw for cross-cutting stock and cutting dados.

Just curious, what is the advantage of reversing the blade rotation direction? Do you still pull the blade thru the cut?

[Steve H Graham]

PM me his address so I can jump on this bargain.

[Erik Loza]

When I was about 20, I really wanted a Toyota 4X4 pickup. There was one in the classifieds that I had my eye on. Went out, drove it, told the owner I was interested. An older gentleman. Told him I liked the truck but that his asking price was almost $1K higher than Kelly Blue Book valued it at, and would he be willing to make a more fair selling price? He looked bewildered and said his price was what the truck was worth to him. I walked away but always wondered how long he had to hold onto it for.

Erik

[Steve H Graham]

I bought a nice Hammond tube organ for $100, and the owner was glad to get rid of it. She originally listed it for $1000. Craigslist can be a harsh teacher.

Fifty years ago, the price was about $2600!

[Keith Hankins]

I tried selling mine for 5 years moved it twice. Finally told a friend it was his if he wanted it but I would not load it.

[Steve Peterson]

I bought a nice Hammond tube organ for $100, and the owner was glad to get rid of it. She originally listed it for $1000. Craigslist can be a harsh teacher.

Fifty years ago, the price was about $2600!

Radial arm saws and Shopsmiths seem to have the same problem. Just because somebody paid $1600 for it years ago, doesn't mean it is worth $1000 today.

Steve

[Rick Potter]

Actually, around here, clean ShopSmiths have been going up in value. Nice ones which include one accessory, like the band saw, list at roughly $750 to $1100. The ones that look like they have been outside under a blue tarp go for $3-500.

Getting back to the RAS, I recently bought a nice clean 40 year old Delta/Rockwell 12" turret for $350. Nice shape, needs minor work on the table, etc. It will become my second RAS, for dados and the like.

This one will replace a super clean JC Penny 10" turret saw (Rockwell), which is an absolute beauty, but turned out to be a bit underpowered for dado use on hardwoods.

[Bruce Page]

There's a guy on our local CL trying to sell a nice industrial Delta (5hp, 3ph) RAS for $1450. He's been running the ad for at least a year. It's a nice saw but you scroll down the same page and someone else is selling a not as nice RAS for $100.

[Peter Aeschliman]

Agreed with others- no sense in talking with him about it again. He needs to learn at his own pace!

[Erik Christensen]

my response to sellers like that is to very politely say "I don't dispute that this whatever is worth y$ to you but is only worth z$ to me. Here is my phone number if you ever decide to sell it close to z$ - thanks and best of luck" - as long as I remain polite and respectful things have ended well and I have had call-backs now & then :)

[Tom Deutsch]

That ad is a frustrating example of a real common misunderstanding of the way advertising and selling works. And it's a direct result of people who are not advertisers or sellers by vocation, training or nature having access to free advertising nowadays. The most common piece of research missing when people price their stuff is the knowing the market selling price - versus listing the highest asking price they have ever seen or just guessing based on what they paid new.
As for the value and utility of my 1948 12" DeWalt GP RAS, don't even get me started! ;)

[Michael Dye]

Especially when working with thicker stock, you have more control over the speed of the cut. The reverse rotation is tougher doing the dadoes, in part because of the splintering. But that is why I have the other machine with the PC690. I'll try to post pictures of that one.

[Garth Almgren]

Mind if I ask how/where you set up these alerts?
There are several ways to do it, but one of the easiest is to use a service like https://ifttt.com (If This, Then That). It lets you set up "recipes" where you specify the triggering criteria and the resulting actions. For example "If there is a search result on CL for widgets, then send me a text message (or an email, or turn on my wifi-controlled flashing neon sign, etc.)

[Daniel O'Neill]

There are several ways to do it, but one of the easiest is to use a service like https://ifttt.com (If This, Then That). It lets you set up "recipes" where you specify the triggering criteria and the resulting actions. For example "If there is a search result on CL for widgets, then send me a text message (or an email, or turn on my wifi-controlled flashing neon sign, etc.)
I was going to recommend ifttt as well. They have a smart phone app and you can get very specific. I've had one for a Dewalt 735x for a while but no hits on CL. EBay at retail but I'm looking for something cheaper. You can also create your custom search and just bookmark it. Every time you click the bookmark it will re-run the search. I would still go with ifttt though.

[Roger Feeley]

Could you make a really rough surface grinder out of it? Just mount a grinding wheel and build a table that moves left and right.
Something like that would be just about right to flatten the bottoms of my cast iron fry pans.

[Michael Sloop]

If his saw looks like this, PM quick!335732

[Rick Lizek]

Eric. The banks and insurance companies use the NADAguide to determine the value of a vehicle. The blue book is typically higher. I have no idea who uses the blue book.

[Mike Chalmers]

Eric. The banks and insurance companies use the NADAguide to determine the value of a vehicle. The blue book is typically higher. I have no idea who uses the blue book.


Everyone else?

[Wade Lippman]

I have a couple alerts setup that email me when there's a hit on CL. There's some moronic resale shop that has been selling a Delta Model 10 RAS for $945 for close to a year now. 3 phase, no table. I think I emailed them twice trying to nicely tell them they're asking about 5 times the market value of the saw. No response. Guess they have plenty of floor space!

The only thing more pointless than arguing with someone on a forum is telling a CL poster they are wrong. My wife tells me that if I don't like what people say or post, I should stop reading them. She might be right.

[Jim Dwight]

My general rule of thumb for CL is 1/2 of new. We sold my wife's John Deere rider at that price - not 1/2 of what she paid but 1/2 of what a new equivalent mower cost new with the accessories she had. But it was also the start of mowing season when people were in the market for mowers. We had lots of calls. I also looked at the other adds and we were in the low end of the pack. Not the cheapest but not the highest either. And it had low hours.

I sold a nice woodstove for abou 25% of new. But I didn't think that market was as good as the mower market. The first guy who looked at it wouldn't pay that and I sent him away. The next couple were thrilled to have it. The paint was also nicked a little on the top.

I sold my DC for about 1/3 of new with a dented cartridge filter which I didn't include in the calculation. Again I thought that was a limited market. I sold it to a nice young man, the first to look at it. I had another guy offer me less without seeing it.

I still think 1/2 of then new pricing is a fair starting point but for stuff really in demand you may be able to go higher and if you want rid of the stuff and/or the market is limited, you should think of going lower. People that ignore that might get lucky, it only takes one buyer, but I think they will typically be disappointed.

I also like my radial arm saw but I probably wouldn't buy a new one. One of these days sliding CMS makers will figure out everybody doesn't want to have a 3 foot wide area for the saw and maybe they will kill off the RAS market entirely. If Hitachi were to move the bevel knob off the back of theirs, for instance, they would about be there. I don't know why they ignore this. For a saw in the shop, needing more than 2 feet width is an issue. Kapek may be there but it is hugely expensive.

[Wade Lippman]

My general rule of thumb for CL is 1/2 of new. We sold my wife's John Deere rider at that price - not 1/2 of what she paid but 1/2 of what a new equivalent mower cost new with the accessories she had. But it was also the start of mowing season when people were in the market for mowers. We had lots of calls. I also looked at the other adds and we were in the low end of the pack. Not the cheapest but not the highest either. And it had low hours.

I sold a nice woodstove for abou 25% of new. But I didn't think that market was as good as the mower market. The first guy who looked at it wouldn't pay that and I sent him away. The next couple were thrilled to have it. The paint was also nicked a little on the top.

I sold my DC for about 1/3 of new with a dented cartridge filter which I didn't include in the calculation. Again I thought that was a limited market. I sold it to a nice young man, the first to look at it. I had another guy offer me less without seeing it.

I still think 1/2 of then new pricing is a fair starting point but for stuff really in demand you may be able to go higher and if you want rid of the stuff and/or the market is limited, you should think of going lower. People that ignore that might get lucky, it only takes one buyer, but I think they will typically be disappointed.


22' sailboats sell for 5% of new, while 16' sell for 30%. I want a small one, but it burns when I can buy a big one for less. (for those who don't know, a 22' will weigh 2200 pounds and a 16' maybe 400; so they are very different animals)

[Rich Riddle]

If his saw looks like this, PM quick!335732His saw looks nothing like that one. That's a saw.

[Dan Rude]

If his saw looks like this, PM quick!335732
Here's one near me, if you want one: http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/csw/tls/5437843821.html; There are a few 14" too. Dan

[John Schweikert]

This one must be clad in gold and rhinestones, they're asking $3500 for an old Dewalt: http://nashville.craigslist.org/tls/5541913470.html

[Earl McLain]

This one must be clad in gold and rhinestones, they're asking $3500 for an old Dewalt: http://nashville.craigslist.org/tls/5541913470.html

I bought a GWI about a month ago, no table or legs but with all 3 guards, both pawls and NO rust (paint mostly looks new). Had to replace the motor bearings, but with that, the table build (including stainless mounting hardware)--i'm less than 10% of the asking price of this one!! At 5" crosscut, it's within half a thousandth, same with the 45 deg miter--sweet machine and great motor but at $3,500 i'd be looking at a new Original Saw machine.

earl

[Gary Cunningham]

This one must be clad in gold and rhinestones, they're asking $3500 for an old Dewalt: http://nashville.craigslist.org/tls/5541913470.html


But it's VINTAGE!

[Roy Turbett]

A neighbor at the farm asked me what I thought a fair price was for a radial arm saw he had, an old Delta model not all that nice. I told him he could have my old radial arm saw if that gave him a clue. He "strongly" disagreed and listed it for a thousand dollars but is willing to accept $950. I tried to tell him they were not sought after these days, but he didn't believe it.

Depending on the model, the saw may very well be worth $975 for the right buyer. A new Delta 33-400 14" RAS that is comparable to my 1951 Delta 40B sells for over $5,700. To put it another way, a used Rolls Royce that is "not all that nice" may be worth more than a new VW. But its probably easier to sell the VW because the market is much larger.