Do you have a radial arm saw and do you use it?

[lowell holmes]

I have one that has not been used for years. Of course my table saw has not been used lately either.
The RAS is bit scary.

I'm just curious.

[Paul Follett]

Yes and yes but I only use it for crosscutting with carefull set up and the correct blade it works just fine.

[lowell holmes]

I vaguely remember cutting dadoes with mine. I put 1X12 wings on mine and I could rip on it.

[Vince Shriver]

I put 1X12 wings on mine and I could rip on it.[/QUOTE]

I admire your courage!

[Floyd Mah]

I used it recently for cutting floor boards (new) when installing a new floor in my home. Just crosscutting, but excellent for repetitive non-perpendicular cuts.

As for ripping, I don't know if there is any other tool in my workshop that is as close to being a javelin throwing tool (with just a few mods) as my RAS.

[Matt Mattingley]

I have a Sears craftsman that is about 50 years old with a 1/2 hp. motor. It is my go to dado machine for bookcases. I will never sell it. I am in the process of reducing its footprint and capacity.

It is only powerful enough to break down under 3/4 of an inch. But, I have used it for some pretty crazy wood machining. I actually really use it only about 6 to 10 times a year. But, I think I would feel lost without it. On the used market I would get less than $100. It’s worth more than $100 to me.

[Mark Blatter]

I have one that has not been used in quite a few years. However, once I finish my shop in the next month or so, I will be setting it up to use. I will use it for cross cutting longer boards to make it easier to joint.

[Ed Labadie]

DeWalt GE medium arm, another GE shortarm with powerfeed for ripping and last but not least a Delta Super 900.

FWIW, I can make angle cuts on the Delta that a miter saw can only dream of.

Yes, I use them on a regular basis.

Ed

[Andrew Hughes]

If I had space for one I would get the biggest I could find. I used to cut webs and cords for trusses on a Metra cut center line saw.
One of my favorite jobs ever.

[Warren Lake]

have no love for those sears things, had one long enough at the start. put the right blade on a radial as mentioned. Your arm should be straight not bent at the elbow when you use it.

[Mike Henderson]

No radial arm but a sliding compound miter saw.

Mike

[John K Jordan]

I have one that has not been used for years. Of course my table saw has not been used lately either.
The RAS is bit scary.

I'm just curious.

I have a Craftsman 10" I bought about 45 years ago. The saw was my primary power tool in three different backyard shops, quite flexible in function. I used it for crosscuts and ripping, perfect for dados especially crosscut dados - very safe and with the blade on top I could see the cut for dados. I used it to cut a lot of molding and picture frames. With a chuck it made a great horizontal drill press for dowel holes in the ends of long pieces. I used it with a sanding drum for curved things before I got a stand-alone drum sander.

The saw was quite accurate once I tuned it to suit me. I kept a piece of sacrificial 1/4" ply on the top.

I didn't think it was the least bit scary. I pushed crosscuts and dados instead of pulled, and made a variety of jigs and hold-downs for narrow stock and moldings. I'd be using it today if I had room in my new shop - I now use a PM66 and Bosch SCMS.

The RAS is now in my garage, on a sturdy wood stand, the first thing I built with the saw. It's up for grabs if anyone local could use it.

JKJ

[Darcy Warner]

4 in use, 8 more for back up.

[Charles Taylor]

I used up an '80s Craftsman (not a particularly stellar representative of its category, but it seemed worth the price I paid for it at the time) and replaced it with an old DeWalt. My dad's old Craftsman will probably find its way to me one day.

I don't use them as much as some of my other saws, but for me they're worth having in the shop.

[Ole Anderson]

I had a Montgomery Wards RAS that was the start of my woodworking shop about 50 years ago. Got lots of use, including its 20,000 rpm spindle. When I got my Grizzly 1023 15 years ago, I had to get rid of it as I didn't have room for both. Don't really miss it. It was nice for crosscutting wider stock than my 10" Milwaukee miter saw is capable of.

[glenn bradley]

Always seem to be two camps here. Those that wouldn't be without one (or more) and those that do all those things another way. Space is too limited in my shop to spare the footprint required. On the other hand I have a drum sander which takes up a large footprint ;-)

[Jim Becker]

No, I do not own a RAS nor have I ever owned one. If I was in the situation where I needed to do a lot of dado/cross cut in thick timbers, I'd probably like to have one and in that case, I'd try really hard to find an old-iron or equivalent of the more industrial and safer tools. No way would I use one of the various "consumer" versions--I've never been comfortable with them, but that's a personal opinion and not likely shared by all. And I'd never rip on a RAS, either.

[Steve Rozmiarek]

I have a nice old Dewalt GE, I got it within a few months of getting my sliding saw though, so the intended use of a dedicated cross cut dado machine became a function of the slider. It's a cool machine, and I'll keep it because I have the room for now, but it doesn't get used currently.

[Jerome Stanek]

I have a couple that I bought for special trim that only the RAS would work. Needed 2 as I had 2 crews installing. When Dewalt came out with the 12 inch compound miter saw I switched over to that. I only use them when I need to cross cut or dado I have one set up each way.

[Don Jarvie]

Delta 900 here set up for crosscutting only. I have a chopmaster on it and use a wobble dado blade as needed. It’s a pain to do miter cut since I would need 2 fences and moving the fences is a pain for a few miter cuts.

[Robert Engel]

Yes, only for Xcuts. I keep it on one setting and never change it.

Only the best or "old iron" saws can be reliably changed and expected to return to original settings.

I paint the table red 4" on each side of the blade as a reminder where to keep my hand.

[Cary Falk]

I have restored several over the years. I would probably have ne if I had the space. I just don't use one enough to justify the space.

[andy bessette]

My RAS is an indispensable machine for accurate crosscutting. Would never be without one.

[Rod Sheridan]

I don't own one however I've used larger commercial saws at work.

I have no need one for one as I have a sliding table saw.........Regards, Rod.

[Patrick Kane]

If i had the room, id love to have a large one. I currently cart a chop saw outside if im whacking boards to rough length. This becomes annoying for things over 9" width, because i have to flip them and cut again. Also, a miter saw isnt the most powerful thing in the world. One day ill buy one of the 14"+ blade RAS at auction for $100 and make it my dedicated rough work saw.

[Paul Schaefer]

I have a 1956 DeWalt MBF and wouldn't be without it. Makes clean, accurate repeatable crosscuts every time. It replaced a Craftsman square arm which did none of those things, and I was happy to see the back of the C-man.

I might replace the MBF with a 7790 someday for a little more depth and cutting power, but I couldn't see not having a RAS. From a standpoint of usability, dust collection and overall capacity it blows away the miter saw I used to own.

[Kim Gibbens]

I have a DeWalt 1030 round arm. I really enjoy this saw. Once set up correctly with a good table it is deadly accurate. My father had a small repair business as a second job and I can remember how excited he was when he bought his new Craftsman radial arm. i guess that's where I was first exposed to and learned to appreciate the radial arm saw. Though I am glad that I have the DeWalt as opposed to my dads' Craftsman.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I would dearly love to have one just for making dados. I would leave it set up just for dados.

[Art Tripp]

I have had a Craftsman RAS for many years and it gets frequent use in my shop (as recently as today). I use it as my primary crosscutting tool and it comes in handy for a variety of other tasks too such as knocking off the bad ends of reclaimed lumber prior to stockpiling (using an old blade) and more.

[Rush Paul]

I have a DeWalt 7790 (solid top cast iron arm, 3.5HP) with a 10" blade and a DeWalt Model 925. I use them for everything: cross cuts, bevel cuts, dados and ripping. The DeWalt RAS is the most flexible machine and my shop and the machine I trust most to get the job done. If you have a solid top cast iron saw, you set it up properly and you use the proper blade on it (like a Freud LU83 series or a Forrest Woodworker I ("Mr. Sawdust") TCP blade), its a safe reliable tool that stays solidly in adjustment.

[Matt Day]

Rush - 3.5hp is the ‘maximum developed’ hp. Do you think your shop vac is really 5hp? I used to have that saw btw, nice saw.

I’ve got a Delta turret 12” and use it on every project. Having an accurate crosscut machine is essential. Large reference face, minimal flex, decent capacity (16” on mine). I wouldn’t swap it with a SCMS, in fact if I had more room I’d get a bigger RAS especially since they are a dime a dozen at Auction.

[Tom M King]

I use two. One is set up for perfect 90's only, and the other keeps a dado stack on it. I also have a sliding miter saw. Very little crosscutting is done on a table saw here. The trouble with the RAS reputation is that too many were sold that were too flimsy. If the arm can flex AT ALL, or the roller carriage for the motor has ANY play in it, at all, a fine tool becomes a dangerous piece of junk. Some came off the drawing board as a piece of junk. A good, heavy, fine tuned one is a great tool to have.

[Jim Allen]

+1, wouldn't be without one.

[Bill Orbine]

The radial arm saw in my shop is an essential machine and used very often. The Tops saw is set up mainly for cross cuts.

[Marshall Harrison]

No radial arm but a sliding compound miter saw.

Mike

My to. A 12" SCMS. If I had the room I would get a RAS too. Maybe someday.

[Stephen Rosenthal]

Like Rush I have a Dewalt 7790 with a Forrest Woodworker I and use it for everything as well. Fantastic saw and very safe if used correctly. At some point I'll probably add a Dewalt G-series and set one of them up exclusively for dados. Someone gave me a Quick-Set dado blade (similar to Comet) that I've experimented with but would prefer a better blade. I have a Makita 10" slider on a Bosch gravity feed stand for when I need to bring the saw to the wood.

[ray grundhoefer]

back in the early 70's as a teenager I got a craftsman new for 200.00 . It had to be adjusted often , but I built a lot of furniture with it for about 30 years. Now I have a 1957 dewalt GW-1. have an early 50's unisaw to go with it . gave the craftsman to my brother for building decks.

[Phillip Gregory]

I have a medium arm DeWalt GE and use it frequently. I use it to do essentially all of my crosscuts, miters, and dados. I much prefer to do those tasks on the RAS vs. my cabinet saw.

Matt, most DeWalts had motors rated with an actual running horsepower. Many of the mid-1960s and later consumer level saws went to a "maximum developed" horsepower but the earlier ones did not, and none of the industrial ones did. The 7790 was one with an inflated rating and the best guess based on power draw and performance in comparison to the older GWI with an honest rating is that it is about 1 3/4 hp.

[William Bell]

Bought a Craftsmen in 1985. It was okay for rough framing but would wonder in the cut on hardwoods. As a result sold that and bought a DeWalt 7790 with 12 inch Forrest WW1 blade. Saw was purchased and set up in 1990. To this day it cuts at a perfect 90. Use it occasionally to miter. Returns to a perfect 90. Wish I had the room for a 16 or 20 incher. When tuned with the right blade they are safe and work perfectly.
I have seen some 16's in very good condition for $400.00. You can't buy A good SCM new for that money. Just my 2 cents.

[Bradley Gray]

14" delta/rockwell from the 50's.Use it every day.

[lowell holmes]

I made a cabinet with drawers that my saw is on. I attached 1X12 wings on each side with hinges.
I can move the saw out into the shop, prop the wings out, leaving about 10' of saw table.
This facilitates ripping boards on the saw.

[Alex Zeller]

I have my father's Craftsman 10". He bought it at a discounted price because the lift doesn't work correctly (was an easy fix according to him but never got around to it). I don't think you can buy parts for them now. It has it's place but I haven't used it in 30 years. I do have lots of memories of learning exactly how not to use it. My father loved to rip 2x4s down to 2x2s. My father would rope me into helping him. After proving I had the reflexes needed to dodge wood flying at me he decided that feeding them in from the other direction might be safer. At one point in time he actually broke the bolt that stops the saw from sliding off the track. It now has a bolt from the hardware store in it. Back in the 80s I made a real table for it with a clamping system. With the wood secure it's much safer to use. I do like using it with a stacked dado. That's one thing the sliding compound can't do so my only option is the table saw.

[Dave Zellers]

I have two- a Craftsman that I bought new 1975ish (First real machine!- a very big deal at the time) and a Delta/Rockwell from the 1960's that I bought used years later.

Every time I think "Well the Craftsman must need adjusting by now", I check it very carefully and it is always dead nuts on. Always. So I don't touch it and use it everyday in it's 90º cut-off position. I use it for fine cabinetry without even any hesitation. But I have a few other options- like multiple sleds for the table saw and a SCMS. The 15" cut I get on the RAS is hard to beat especially for long stock. It's impossible for me to put an 8' board on my sled.

I keep telling myself some day I'll set up the Rockwell as a dedicated dado but I usually end up using a router for that. Right now it's just taking up space. Space that I really could use but I can't bring myself to let it go.

I have a problem that way. Just like letting my Craftsman go would be like putting a 20+ year old dog/companion down. We're in this journey together. At this point, I have no doubt that saw will out live me.

[Dave Zellers]

After proving I had the reflexes needed to dodge wood flying at me he decided that feeding them in from the other direction might be safer.

Wait- What? Were you actually feeding wood into it from the front when you were ripping? No wonder people think these are dangerous.

[Matt Mattingley]

I have two- a Craftsman that I bought new 1975ish (First real machine!- a very big deal at the time) and a Delta/Rockwell from the 1960's that I bought used years later.

Every time I think "Well the Craftsman must need adjusting by now", I check it very carefully and it is always dead nuts on. Always. So I don't touch it and use it everyday in it's 90º cut-off position. I use it for fine cabinetry without even any hesitation. But I have a few other options- like multiple sleds for the table saw and a SCMS. The 15" cut I get on the RAS is hard to beat especially for long stock. It's impossible for me to put an 8' board on my sled.

I keep telling myself some day I'll set up the Rockwell as a dedicated dado but I usually end up using a router for that. Right now it's just taking up space. Space that I really could use but I can't bring myself to let it go.

I have a problem that way. Just like letting my Craftsman go would be like putting a 20+ year old dog/companion down. We're in this journey together. At this point, I have no doubt that saw will out live me.
I am with you here. How are the guys dato cuting well building a 96 inch shelf using a tablesaw or sliding chopsaw . My sliding tablesaw will not hold a three-quarter dado blade or any dato blade. My craftsman will.

My tablesaw only has a 24 inch fence. I don’t have a 48 or 52 inch fence. I do have a 5 hp motor and Max capacity of 18 inch blade. I do have a 16 inch dado stack that will trench 1 1/8. To use it, I will have to build a dado stack arbor.

Have guys put a dado head on their sliding chopsaw?

[Curt Harms]

A radial arm saw will make one cut that is difficult if not impossible on any other machine found in hobby shops - cutting deep notches. I built a couple light benches using 1 X 4s to form a grid. I wanted to notch halfway thru the 1 X 4 then mate the notches. the long 1 X4s would have been awkward on a table saw. The radial arm saw cut the notches in 2 passes very nicely using a stacked dado head. I maybe could have done it on a table saw but it would have been awkward.

[Alex Zeller]

Wait- What? Were you actually feeding wood into it from the front when you were ripping? No wonder people think these are dangerous.

It didn't come with any manual and YouTube was decades away from existing. Back then you just tried it and when it didn't work you tried something different (assuming you didn't loose your fingers). I was a teen doing what I was told back then. My father's line of thinking was that if you pushed it in from the other side the blade would try to lift the board.

[John K Jordan]

It didn't come with any manual and YouTube was decades away from existing. Back then you just tried it and when it didn't work you tried something different (assuming you didn't loose your fingers). I was a teen doing what I was told back then. My father's line of thinking was that if you pushed it in from the other side the blade would try to lift the board.

Zounds, scares me just to think of it!! I shudder every time I remember the boy I sat next to in 4th grade. I think he was missing five fingers out of the ten he was born with. This was from his dad's table saw. Ack.

When ripping (or cutting molding) on the RAS I always used a hold down. It was a strong wood fence clamped in the fence slot with four spring steel curved flat pieces that pressed down on the wood from above and in towards the fence from the front. Never had an "exciting" moment when using this.

JKJ

[Jim Mackell]

Crosscuts and dados, always with a slow gentle pushing motion. If it ever dies a good sliding miter saw would replace it.

[Bruce Zurbuchen]

Dad bought it before I was born. Delta Super 900, We've run thousands of board feet through it ripping and cross cutting. Now I only cross cut as I've brought a table saw; The table saw still scares me...

[Randy Heinemann]

Got rid of mine a little over 5 years ago but didn't use it much even at that point. It was a Sears bought in the late 1970's. Must have been a low point in their tool production because it would never stay setup square for crosscuts for more than a couple of cuts. Plus, while you could avoid problems if careful, it was still one of those tools that you always had to be on edge to be sure the blade didn't grab the wood and shoot the blade toward you. Gave up and junked it when I was offered compensation for a motor which was considered dangerous and defective. I use a Festool TS55 track saw and MFT table for crosscuts now; more capacity and squarest cuts ever for me. I still sometimes use my small table saw for crosscuts, but mostly the track saw and table.

[Jon Grider]

I have had several RAS. Currently a DeWalt 1030 round arm and a DeWalt 1400 C.I.. I keep one in the garage to break down long boards before bringing them into my basement shop. I had an old Craftsman RAS before I had a table saw. It did the job, but I still marvel that I still have all my digits after using a Rotary Planer attachment on that old Craftsman. That was my SOP for thicknessing stock and it still gets my pulse up thinking about it.

[Phillip Gregory]

Crosscuts and dados, always with a slow gentle pushing motion. If it ever dies a good sliding miter saw would replace it.

A RAS is supposed to be be started with the blade behind the fence and then pulled through the cut, not pushed. The manual for my DeWalt GE even says in bold, "You should never push the saw blade into the material. Instead, always pull the blade slowly and firmly across the material."

[lowell holmes]

I always use push sticks.

[Alex Zeller]

A RAS is supposed to be be started with the blade behind the fence and then pulled through the cut, not pushed. The manual for my DeWalt GE even says in bold, "You should never push the saw blade into the material. Instead, always pull the blade slowly and firmly across the material."

More than once I've had the teeth of the blade dig into the wood causing the motor come flying at you using that method. Pushing it with the board clamped down worked the best for me.

[brent stanley]

What blade are you using Alex?

[Ted Reischl]

Ripping on a RAS is like crosscutting on a TS. Just because you can, doesn't mean you should.

I use mine pretty much every time I am in my shop. Mine is tuned to make very accurate cross cuts. I also added the excellent dust collection to it recently. On the arbor opposite the saw blade I have a jacobs chuck. It usually has a fiber wheel in it for deburring metal parts or polishing.

Just used it today, not for woodwork, but to cut a bunch of concrete patio pavers. Put a DeWalt 7 inch diamond blade in it, worked REALLY well, the dc got it all too. Much better than standing out in the hot yard with a circular saw in a cloud of dust. There I was, in air conditioned comfort. . . .life is good.

Once a woodworker figures out that machines/devices that are touted as "swiss army" gadgets are just a bunch of hooey, woodworking becomes more fun. That is what the marketing folks do though, LOL.

[James Pallas]

Used an RAS for 50 years. I think I tried every attachment at least once. A well tuned saw is a great tool. Before SCMS saws they were the only way to do certain cuts with power and taking the tool into the work instead of the work into the tool. Those flimsy ones can get you hurt, too much flex. Even ran a rotary planer on one, that will make you squeeze your cheeks a bit. If you have lots of compound miters to do and a big stable saw I think they are way better than a SCMS. Difficult to haul to a site tho.
Jim

[Phillip Gregory]

More than once I've had the teeth of the blade dig into the wood causing the motor come flying at you using that method. Pushing it with the board clamped down worked the best for me.

There is something wrong if the saw wants to "make a run at you." Two things will cause this to happen, using an incorrect type of blade or the saw blade binding up in the cut. A low tooth count, heavily positively hooked blade such as a typical table saw rip blade can lead to climbing during the cut. A saw that is out of adjustment (particularly if it has noticeable heeling or inadequate rollerhead bearing preload) can, so can poorly held down warped stock that moves as it is cut, and in some of the chintzy units such as the later Sears units, the arm can flex and torque and bind up the blade.

[ray grundhoefer]

I used my old craftsman for ripping lumber and plywood all the time. Didn't have the internet back then so nobody told me it was terribly dangerous. Also had the 3 cutter craftsman molding head that I used a lot.

[Alex Zeller]

I'm positive that the tooth count was too low that was compounded by making a shallow cut. But being a teen I used what blades were there. In fact the blades he had were either fine steel toothed plywood blades and the really coarse tooth carbide ripping blades.

RAS serve a purpose. It seamed like in the 70s they became, as Ted said, a Swiss army knife. Sears managed to get the price down to a point where homeowners and hobbyists could afford one. When my father bought his he had a small cast iron table saw that had to sit on a stand so the motor could hang down(he made one out of 2x4s and plywood). The weight of the motor kept the belt tight. If I had to guess the top was 12" x 18" at most. He also had an all aluminum Skill circular saw. So having a lot more real estate to work with and no real experience it made for the go to tool for ripping boards and plywood. He even had an adapter for the opposite end of the motor for router bits and a molding cutter blade set that came with multiple shape cutters. It was a different time back then. He had two electric drills, a 3/8" B&D (the one with the really short cord) and a huge monster 3/4" all aluminum B&D (that I have hanging up on the wall of my shop). The only other woodworking tool he had was an all aluminum jigsaw.

[Jim Allen]

Ripping on a RAS is like crosscutting on a TS. Just because you can, doesn't mean you should.

I also added the excellent dust collection to it recently.

Any chance of seeing the DC system? I have a 40 year old Craftsman and Sears sold a dust collector back then and it works pretty well.

[Robert Cherry]

I also use my RAS all the time, but only for 90 degree cross-cuts. I like the long cross cut capacity and after careful setup I have mine dialed in to nearly a perfect 90 degree cut. I have a sliding miter saw set up next to it (sharing the same cutting surface) for angled work. Another bonus is that the dust collection is far better on the RAS than my sliding miter saw. I run a cross cut blade with a negative hook angle to minimize the tendency of the blade to want to self feed into the cut.

[Ted Reischl]

Any chance of seeing the DC system? I have a 40 year old Craftsman and Sears sold a dust collector back then and it works pretty well.

Don't have a picture handy Jim, sorry. But, here is a link to something similar to what I built. Mine is about twice as tall. It is unbelievable how well these work. A lot of guys plumb them from underneath. Mine is from on top.

Here is one from Frank Howarth, mine is very similar:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IcGy2Esy74o&t=101s

[Jim Dwight]

My standard shop setup, used in the current and previous shops, is a 12 inch CMS (not a slider) side by side with an old Ryobi RAS (the one they recalled). The CMS will crosscut 8 inches. If I need to do 8-12 inches I use the RAS. It has a negative hook blade on it and cuts fine. I also use it to make tenons in long stock with a dado blade. I only use 1/4 or at most 3/8 of cutters but with the RAS and a shoulder plane, it is quite easy to make tenons in headboard/footboard pieces and long table aprons.

I've never ripped with it and do not plan to. The dust collection is terrible and it is noisy but it works for me. I see no need for a slider, and it would take up more space.

[Jeff Ramsey]

Yes, I've a US made 12" Delta and use it frequently (crosscuts only).

388818

[Bruce Wrenn]

If you ever have to rebuild some gable end vents, only a RAS will do. A CMS won't lay out flat enough to make compound cuts. Used to be a shop in next town that built custom vents. They had two RAS, one set for each end cut. Own a Delta Super 900, 12" Delta turret, and CI Sears. Gave away my old aluminum Sears one.

[jack forsberg]

I like mine for trenching and tenon work . This little Delta does ok with the Wadkin head but the 18 Wadkin cc has a 6” arbor for bird mouth heads 4” wide .
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lcn2ksnMc04

[Barry McFadden]

I have a Craftsman 12" radial saw from the 80's...bought it new and still use it all the time. I don't understand all the "dangerous" comments. Like any tool, if used properly, there is no problem. In all the years I've had it I might have had 2 or 3 kickbacks from ripping warped wood but with the anti-kickback pawls adjusted properly the wood doesn't go "flying across the shop"...it remains on the table and you just turn the saw off and sort it out...

[jack forsberg]

Any chance of seeing the DC system? I have a 40 year old Craftsman and Sears sold a dust collector back then and it works pretty well. a drop box works good here is my set up
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59FZaGEyx4Y

I have since I upgraded the guarding to be much safer.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BXwIR9DnNKh/

[Joe Jensen]

I have a 14" Dewalt that is extremely heavy and well built. Once I got it aligned to a perfect 90 degree cut I tightened the column up to lock it in position. Did that 20 years ago and it's still a perfect 90. Having a blade with a negative hook angle is critical to safe operation on a Radial Arm saw. A negative hook angle will push the wood down and back against the table and fence. A table saw blade will pull the wood up off the table and towards you. The opposite is true too. Running a negative hook angle blade on a table saw is dangerous as it will push the wood up and away from you. I have never used a cheap RAS, only the Dewalt. It's a dedicated crosscut station and I love it for that.

[Rick Potter]

DeWalt 12" 7790. I never move it from 90*, and have it set up on a bench with chop saw, Kreg Foreman, and drill press all in the same plane and fence location. Note the space for cutoffs below the saw table.

https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipPimIcWY3iBc3Jbgxw4C7YWQhwftWjGn0GTnh9f



Mine is set up for maximum crosscut of 16 1/2" on 6/4 wood. That is why the blade hangs over the fence a bit, and the blade guard is positioned as it is.

https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipOfHBp-iIJheR-Rkdy8hNkCGR84DCoFGixkZi5e

[Rick Alexander]

I have a Dewalt 1948 model long arm (forget the ID). Probably my favorite tool to use but it's dedicated cross cut - easily handle any cut up to 24 inches and absolutely dead nuts accurate. Scarry to use because it's got a 14 inch blade on it (I think it actually can take a 16) but as long as you follow the rules it's safe. Very good power - I think that's key to avoiding any sort of climbing problem - plus a negative hook blade. I use the Woodworker I on mine - very nice cut.

[Doug Walls]

I have a 10" Craftsman RAS that I made a custom "T" track table for, This thread shows my RAS table top. https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?253204-Radial-Arm-Saw-Table-Modifications&p=2720332#post2720332

With the "T" tracks & hold-downs or feather-boards ripping & other some-what risky operations are now very easy & safer.

Doug

[lowell holmes]

The answer to my question is obviously yes. :)

I will roll mine out and fire it up again.

[Phillip Gregory]

I am with you here. How are the guys dato cuting well building a 96 inch shelf using a tablesaw or sliding chopsaw . My sliding tablesaw will not hold a three-quarter dado blade or any dato blade. My craftsman will.

Europeans banned dado stacks under one of their "health and safety directives," and thus newer European saws were made so they can only accommodate a single blade. Only older European saws are able to use them as they were made pre-directive. You have to either find one of those, get one of the few old industrial iron American sliding tablesaws made, or get one of the typically smaller Asian semi-clones of the European sliding tablesaws to use a dado stack. Most of the full-sized Asian sliders can't even handle a dado stack as they are too closely based on the current European models.


My tablesaw only has a 24 inch fence. I don’t have a 48 or 52 inch fence.

I have a cabinet saw with the long (52 inch) rip fence rails. Technically I could cut a dado anywhere in a 9' 8" long piece of stock, but you still run into the issue that it is cumbersome to push a long piece of stock widthwise across a cabinet saw. Anything longer than about 3-4 feet wide is cumbersome to push across a cabinet saw.


I do have a 5 hp motor and Max capacity of 18 inch blade. I do have a 16 inch dado stack that will trench 1 1/8. To use it, I will have to build a dado stack arbor.

A 16" dado stack? Wow! Largest dado stack I've seen was a Popular Tools 14" unit that had a price tag of $650. I run a 12" Freud stack dado on my DeWalt GE and that is a pretty big dado stack, although reasonably sized for a 7 1/2 hp saw designed for 16" to 20" blades.


Have guys put a dado head on their sliding chopsaw?

SCMSes typically cannot handle anything except a single blade as their arbors are too short.

[Jeff Duncan]

Used a 10" Craftsman for years and used it daily. Then last time I moved shops I picked up a 16" DeWalt to get around the 10" saws limitations. With a sharp blade and 7-1/2hp spinning it she cuts through thick stock like butter. I bring in everything rough and sometimes the lengths and thicknesses are too big for anything else. I have a 14" jump saw, but that only gets me to about 9-10" wide or so. Two weeks ago was building a project that required milling down 16/4 thick sapele, 11" wide and 12' long..... not getting that on my slider! The DeWalt cut through it no problem and was a joy to use on stock that large.

I think they're great tools, but also believe to each their own. If you don't like a machine then I won't be the one to tell you why you should. Stick with what your comfortable with and enjoy the tools you have:)

good luck,
JeffD

[jack forsberg]

Europeans banned dado stacks under one of their "health and safety directives," and thus newer European saws were made so they can only accommodate a single blade. Only older European saws are able to use them as they were made pre-directive. You have to either find one of those, get one of the few old industrial iron American sliding tablesaws made, or get one of the typically smaller Asian semi-clones of the European sliding tablesaws to use a dado stack. Most of the full-sized Asian sliders can't even handle a dado stack as they are too closely based on the current European models.



I have a cabinet saw with the long (52 inch) rip fence rails. Technically I could cut a dado anywhere in a 9' 8" long piece of stock, but you still run into the issue that it is cumbersome to push a long piece of stock widthwise across a cabinet saw. Anything longer than about 3-4 feet wide is cumbersome to push across a cabinet saw.



A 16" dado stack? Wow! Largest dado stack I've seen was a Popular Tools 14" unit that had a price tag of $650. I run a 12" Freud stack dado on my DeWalt GE and that is a pretty big dado stack, although reasonably sized for a 7 1/2 hp saw designed for 16" to 20" blades.



SCMSes typically cannot handle anything except a single blade as their arbors are too short.
Dado stacks on tablesaws Are not against regulations As long as proper guarding is in place. it’s just that Europeans find that dodoing on the table saw is the realm of amateurs. Dadoes and rebates are done on the spindle molder far safer machine and anything way in the center with the router.
And here I could have given Matt the 18 inch stack but he insisted on the 16” stack . What he didn’t tell you is that the machine is a direct drive motor and I has to clear of the house. But I needed two dado stack 2 inches wide to blow ymy hair back like a rockstar.

[Doug Dawson]

Two weeks ago was building a project that required milling down 16/4 thick sapele, 11" wide and 12' long..... not getting that on my slider!

For something like that, which probably doesn't come up very often, a good hand saw would IMO be the preferred option.

I like my DeWalt 780 SCMS for the "small" stuff.

[Phillip Gregory]

Dado stacks on tablesaws Are not against regulations As long as proper guarding is in place. it’s just that Europeans find that dodoing on the table saw is the realm of amateurs. Dadoes and rebates are done on the spindle molder far safer machine and anything way in the center with the router.

I remember reading it was illegal to use a dado blade on a table saw in the EU. I did some looking again and apparently it is in fact true, due to both the mandatory blade brakes often not being able to stop a heavy dado stack within the mandated 8 seconds and also that the guards typically have to be removed to perform a dado cut and removing the guards is against regulations. The Europeans have also made non-chip-limited tooling illegal to use in a manual feed situation as well. Dado stacks with the "European-style" chip limiters in the gullet do exist, although most sold in the US are not and would be illegal to use in the EU unless you are using a feeder.

Like you, I use my shaper for rabbets and grooving as it yields a much better quality cut. It is also easier to guard the cutterhead and dust collection is much better than using a dado stack on a table saw.


And here I could have given Matt the 18 inch stack but he insisted on the 16” stack . What he didn’t tell you is that the machine is a direct drive motor and I has to clear of the house. But I needed two dado stack 2 inches wide to blow ymy hair back like a rockstar.

You can run into that issue with a radial arm saw as well since essentially all of those are direct drive. The smallest dado blade my GE can run is a 10" blade as an 8" blade barely extends below the bottom of the motor housing. The 10 hp version of my saw with a larger motor housing size requires at least a 12" dado stack.

[Matt Mattingley]

I remember reading it was illegal to use a dado blade on a table saw in the EU. I did some looking again and apparently it is in fact true, due to both the mandatory blade brakes often not being able to stop a heavy dado stack within the mandated 8 seconds and also that the guards typically have to be removed to perform a dado cut and removing the guards is against regulations. The Europeans have also made non-chip-limited tooling illegal to use in a manual feed situation as well. Dado stacks with the "European-style" chip limiters in the gullet do exist, although most sold in the US are not and would be illegal to use in the EU unless you are using a feeder.

Like you, I use my shaper for rabbets and grooving as it yields a much better quality cut. It is also easier to guard the cutterhead and dust collection is much better than using a dado stack on a table saw.



You can run into that issue with a radial arm saw as well since essentially all of those are direct drive. The smallest dado blade my GE can run is a 10" blade as an 8" blade barely extends below the bottom of the motor housing. The 10 hp version of my saw with a larger motor housing size requires at least a 12" dado stack. just curious for the European woodworkers if this is true. I thought 10 seconds stop Time was mandatory for any machine. I know European table saws are generally not set up for provisions for dado stacks. Europeans think table saws are not shapers. I wonder if the extra inertia exceeds the stop time. I’m still curious the stop time requirement in Europe?

Yes, Jack did give me a 16 inch dado stack. It was custom-made by “FS tool” for 18 inch machine. I’m going to try to stop this under eight seconds on a direct drive PK. It will be used in slider clamped position. Is a 16 inch dado head 1 1/4” wide scary???

Almost nothing scares me anymore. The only thing that scares me is stupidity!

[Warren Lake]

had a sears at the beginning and did a few things with it. Then mostly for cross cutting rough lumber. It was pretty lousey for that, under powered and it kicked out a heat sensor reset thing then have to wait for some period of time and press the button for it to come to life again, My skill saw has more balls than that saw had.

this post is on the other radial arm saw thread, didnt realize there was a second one and site doesnt work right for me so cant erase it,. Jim if you see it will you remove my post, I can only see it logged off, l0gged on my post is gone so cant edit or remove it.

[jack forsberg]

just curious for the European woodworkers if this is true. I thought 10 seconds stop Time was mandatory for any machine. I know European table saws are generally not set up for provisions for dado stacks. Europeans think table saws are not shapers. I wonder if the extra inertia exceeds the stop time. I’m still curious the stop time requirement in Europe?

Yes, Jack did give me a 16 inch dado stack. It was custom-made by “FS tool” for 18 inch machine. I’m going to try to stop this under eight seconds on a direct drive PK. It will be used in slider clamped position. Is a 16 inch dado head 1 1/4” wide scary???

Almost nothing scares me anymore. The only thing that scares me is stupidity!
that's right 10 sec unless hand or foot braked . can be extended to the time it takes a machine to come up to speed . this is to reduce run down accidents . here is the full doc

http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/wis16.pdf

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regs on tooling PUWER 98

https://www.axminster.co.uk/media/downloads/wwork_PUWER_98_selection_of_tooling_for_use_with_h and_fed_woodworking_machines.pdf

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i run the illegal tooling have a look


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k87WRWWFV_s

as said with proper guarding its not illegal . start/stop grooving is though .

389102

full doc

http://www.hse.gov.uk/woodworking/crosscut.htm

[jack forsberg]

just curious for the European woodworkers if this is true. I thought 10 seconds stop Time was mandatory for any machine. I know European table saws are generally not set up for provisions for dado stacks. Europeans think table saws are not shapers. I wonder if the extra inertia exceeds the stop time. I’m still curious the stop time requirement in Europe?

Yes, Jack did give me a 16 inch dado stack. It was custom-made by “FS tool” for 18 inch machine. I’m going to try to stop this under eight seconds on a direct drive PK. It will be used in slider clamped position. Is a 16 inch dado head 1 1/4” wide scary???

Almost nothing scares me anymore. The only thing that scares me is stupidity!
that's right 10 sec unless hand or foot braked . can be extended to the time it takes a machine to come up to speed . this is to reduce run down accidents . here is the full doc

http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/wis16.pdf

389100

regs on tooling

389101

as said with proper guarding its not illegal . start/stop grooving is though .

regs regarding affective guarding

https://www.iso.org/obp/ui/#iso:std:iso:13857:ed-1:v1:en


389102

full doc

http://www.hse.gov.uk/woodworking/crosscut.htm

[John K Jordan]

Your picture of the saw guard is very similar to what I always used on my RAS when ripping, grooving, or making molding, except I hand four springs, two on each side of the blade. Holding down the wood makes those operations perfectly safe. I can understand why some consider the RAS if they didn't use hold-downs.

JKJ

[jack forsberg]

Your picture of the saw guard is very similar to what I always used on my RAS when ripping, grooving, or making molding, except I hand four springs, two on each side of the blade. Holding down the wood makes those operations perfectly safe. I can understand why some consider the RAS if they didn't use hold-downs.

JKJ
john did you know that Wadkin had a riving knife for there saw in the 50s


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjPCyttzrPc

[James Biddle]

I was surprised to see an SCM radial arm saw when looking through their online catalog the other day. I never hear about anyone buy new, just used.

[Larry Edgerton]

I have a newer Omga RM700 and it does not allow a dado stack so I copied the setup from a Minimax sc10 that allows use of a dado. Don't use it much any more as I bought a panel router, but it works.

[Jim Fuller]

I have a delta that was bought in 1950! I use it some, but I use it mainly for a specific task, such as wide boards, dados, and such. The only reason I don't use it any more is the miter saw is faster to set up and will cut thicker wood and has a better dust vent on it. You can do stuff on a radial arm saw you can't do on a miter/sliding miter saw.

[Joe Calhoon]

We have 2 radial arms in the shop. A older Dewalt 12” that gets used only for rough crosscut and breakdown of timber. This gets used a lot as every piece of wood we use gets cut to rough length and rough ripped to width before further processing.
In the last 30 years the 12” Dewalt has been in and out of the shop twice. We put in a 16” Dewalt for a while in hopes I could get it to cut square consistently but that did not work out and took up too much space. The 12” came back in for a while till we replaced it with a up cut saw in the hopes of having a consistent square cutting saw. It did cut square but soon found out it it was limited in the width it cut and we were having to get the skill saw out often. So it went out and the Dewalt back like a bad penny... We only have room for one crosscut line in the shop.

I had been looking for a Graule radial arm and finally came up with one. They are known for accuracy and safety. It is a great saw, positive in all adjustments, good dust collection and blade guarding and can cut 5 1/2” thick with a 14” blade.
the Dewalt has earned its keep and we put both saws in line and still use the Dewalt for rough cutting to save the blade on the Graule. We use the sliding saw though for most angle and square cross cuts that require precision. Most dadoing and grooving is done on the shaper. We have a 16 to 30mm adjustable groover that fits our sliding saw for cross dados and trenching.

In it’s day the radial was the go to saw, not so much any more. My uncles had a lumber yard and planing mill in the 50s, 60s and 70s. They used a big radial for both crosscut and ripping. My dad used a radial for both ripping and crosscutting in his construction business. I think it is rare to see one on a job site now.

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389226
389227

[Darcy Warner]

Fairly similar to a unipoint, which is my favorite

[Bill Berklich]

10" Craftsman - works like a champ and would not trade it. I like it better than my 12" Delta Chopsaw for most work.

[Brett Baum]

I grew up using my dad's 12" Craftsman RAS. He passed away 13 years ago but I've still used it for working on things for mom when I visited. Now she's moving and I don't have room for it at this time. I really wish I did as there's lots more I feel I can do well with that over my Ryobi BT3000 table saw.

[Peter Christensen]

Brett take it apart and store it. They can easily be broken down into three pieces. The metal base, the post/arm and the carriage itself. I have an old Dewalt 9” that I have like that.

So far that makes my 9” the smallest saw mentioned in the thread.

[Kevin Perez]

I’ve owned several good (i.e., vintage, cast iron) RASs over the past 15 years. My current one is a 1959 DeWalt MBF. It is my go-to saw for cross cuts and angle cuts. It’s a but underpowered for wide dados, which is too bad, but I like it so much I don’t want to swap it out for a larger model. I never use it for ripping, but properly set up, and using the guards and pawls, it should be about as safe as a table saw.

[Jeff Duncan]

For something like that, which probably doesn't come up very often, a good hand saw would IMO be the preferred option.

I like my DeWalt 780 SCMS for the "small" stuff.

Preferred in a hobby shop..... not when one needs to pay the bills;) Don't get me wrong, I use handsaws at home all the time, kind of a relaxing change of pace. But at work they rarely see use, only for small odds and ends that are quicker to cut with a Japanese style saw then to turn on a powered saw. I had that sapele cut to rough length, jointed, planed and ripped into 2 blanks in the time it would have taken with a decent handsaw;)

JeffD

[Doug Dawson]

Preferred in a hobby shop..... not when one needs to pay the bills;) Don't get me wrong, I use handsaws at home all the time, kind of a relaxing change of pace. But at work they rarely see use, only for small odds and ends that are quicker to cut with a Japanese style saw then to turn on a powered saw. I had that sapele cut to rough length, jointed, planed and ripped into 2 blanks in the time it would have taken with a decent handsaw

I think "which probably doesn't come up very often" is the operative phrase. When you're in production, it would have been a no-brainer to spend thousands on a good megasaw.

BTW, few people nowadays have used a _good_ western-style crosscut saw, _properly_sharpened_. It can be a revelation, and very quick. You should check it out. Companies like Bad Axe still make them, but the old Disstons etc are still around (and are usually in desperate need of sharpening.) The hardware store doesn't.

[jack forsberg]

Preferred in a hobby shop..... not when one needs to pay the bills;) Don't get me wrong, I use handsaws at home all the time, kind of a relaxing change of pace. But at work they rarely see use, only for small odds and ends that are quicker to cut with a Japanese style saw then to turn on a powered saw. I had that sapele cut to rough length, jointed, planed and ripped into 2 blanks in the time it would have taken with a decent handsaw;)

JeffD
+ 1 Jeff as good a hand saw is the very best (bad ax) cost more than a big saw. i got these saws (wadkin CC) with 4 dado stacks . sold one stack and paid for the saws . sold one of the saw and made money . so my saw cost nothing with 3 stacks 16" by 2" wide .

389513

[Dennis McCullen]

Brett take it apart and store it. They can easily be broken down into three pieces. The metal base, the post/arm and the carriage itself. I have an old Dewalt 9” that I have like that.

So far that makes my 9” the smallest saw mentioned in the thread.

I also have a DeWalt 9" RAS that I bought two years ago and I love it. It is a 1959 and I believe the model is 925. I put a new red 8-1/2" blade on it and use it almost every week, despite a lull in woodworking. I sold my old Craftsman bought in 1978 about five years ago and missed the ease of dadoes and simply cutting stock to length with a great view from the top. I recently placed it in line (and height) with my 12" Makita miter saw bench to utilize the support of the tables from both tools. You can tell from the pic (I hope to upload) that it was found in the wild and had to be hog-tied to get it home! HA!

[phil harold]

I have a 12” old iron Dewalt
Accurate
Powerful
Smooth
Great place to store wood on

[Peter Christensen]

Dennis mine is the, maybe older, rounded arm version like the one in the link.
url (https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwjUkvaMupzcAhXIHjQIHb9IC0EQjRx6BAgBEAU&url=http%3A%2F%2Fvintagemachinery.org%2Fphotoindex %2Fdetail.aspx%3Fid%3D1741&psig=AOvVaw2u_r9rWAdOKR0D5nNyOFJv&ust=1531584241341425)

[Dino Achilleos]

New guy here

Picked up a used Delta 10 (33-990C) last week. Just finished making retractable wheels for it, as it takes 2 to move it. Looking forward to getting to know it after, making a table, setting / squaring it up, and finding a project to christen it with. I'm thinking a simple picture frame . . .

As an aside what blade do you use with your RAS?

[Phillip Gregory]

As an aside what blade do you use with your RAS?

Currently I use the 15" version of CMT's 219 series sliding compound miter saw/radial arm saw blade. It is a 100 tooth -5 degree hook 4xATB + raker tooth blade with a 0.126" kerf. This blade was apparently made for a Hitachi miter saw. It was locally available and relatively inexpensive for a blade that is appropriate for my 16" saw. It works decently but is not awesome, I'd compare its cut quality to a typical 50 tooth thin kerf combination blade in a tablesaw. Not bad, but nowhere near as good as the Freud LU85 I use in my tablesaw.

[Jim Allen]

As an aside what blade do you use with your RAS?

This is what I use:
http://tinyurl.com/y7rge8oj

[Darcy Warner]

Just picked up a little dewalt mbf on the original roll around metal cabinet.

[joseph mansker]

I have a 3 hp, 220v, single phase DeWalt 14 inch long arm in my shop, made in the late 50s, early 60s. It's set up for crosscutting, up to 26 inches, and does a great job. Very accurate and smooth. You won't believe this but I bought it for $40 at a tool and die plant auction. They used it to cut their pattern stock so it was never used a great deal. My lucky day.

[Doug Walls]

I bought it for $40 at a tool and die plant auction.
Yeah that's a great deal!, Good find!

Sounds like one of those "Being In The Right Place At The Right Time" type of deals. :D

Doug

[Steven Powell]

I have an old Dewalt RAS and it works great. Try to do as much crosscutting as I can with it and only use the table saw for ripping and dados

[stu senator]

Had a sears but it took a stiff elbow and even then sometimes I got a climb cut on a crosscut that often stalled. I guess I got to old to use it safely so I got rid of it.

Sears has a recall on a lot of them. Google under sears radial arm recall. They give $100 for the carriage and motor shipped in a box they supply and pay postage for. This was last year.

I did not want to sell something I considered unsafe.

I also sold the steel table the saw was on on craigs list so if you do sell a recalled unit that should be your base price with no extra effort.

Stu

[John Lifer]

Not One, but I have TWO.... Walker Turner from the 1940s. One is earlier than the other one by a few years, one single phase 220 motor, the other one is three phase I run off of a VFD. Yes, Crosscut a LOT on both. 1x material, wide MDF (14") and other stuff as needed. Way easier than using my table saw and I don't have a miter saw. Craftsman I had, I loaned out never to see it again, and a cheap Lowes brand died and I never replaced with another. RAS way safer than those things anyway.