Two RAS one bench

[Dan Chouinard]

Are there any threads discussing side by side radial arm saws sharing one bench?

[roger wiegand]

Given enough space no reason it shouldn't work, but I think you'll find that only a vanishingly small percentage of folks have even one RAS, much less two.

[William Chain]

Haha, speak for yourselves. I have 7 RAS in the garage at the moment. Yes, you can build a common table. Complication is one levels the table relative to the arm, so two saws may be a slight problem. If you’re just doing crosscuts, no problem so long as the depth of cut relative to the table surface makes it through the material on both saws. Doing dadoes will require a finer calibration though.

Putting the saws side by side and making a table to span the two out of one sheet (two layers I’d strongly suggest), you can. At that point I’d probably span both saw tables with unistrut to address table sag, and go from there. See Frank Howarth’s videos on YouTube for a variety of benches and setups for multiple RAS setups.

I myself am working on expanding my mitre station to include a DeWalt 1030RA and a 7790 as large crosscut and dadoe stations with a large common fence with a tape and flipstops. I’m putting them on opposite ends of a common table (with a kapex in the middle) so I should be able to minimize the leveling problem but fine tuning tables
to the individual arms then each whole saw relative to the common table. Ridiculous? Yes. But I have the room do build this luxury.

[Dan Chouinard]

Right on William. Not concerned with what maybe fashionable!

[Charlie Velasquez]

A number of people on the Delphi DeWalt forum have done this. But like William with multiples, it often works better to have one saw on wheels unless you have an extremely long workshop. So, two in the bench, one on wheels... three altogether? But even three wouldn’t get you in the top ten at that Dewalt group.
I had to get rid of my 2nd and 3rd when I downsized to a small 12x16 that I share with my wife’s garden/lawn tools. Gave one to my brother-in-law. Gave the other one to another member of the Dewalt forum... I think that put him at..... wait for it.... 84 saws. But he is kinda into it a little more than most. ;)

As William suggests, if just for dadoes and crosscuts, adjust the table to be parallel to the travel of the saw wrt the dado saw.

Visit the forum, they will give you lots of insight wrt doing this.
You have to register, but it’s free.
http://people.delphiforums.com/snotzalot/sawdust/faq.htm

[William Chain]

I post over there too.

I think Leo is up to 86 now. He’s an anomaly for sure, and patient zero for Dewaltitis.


A number of people on the Delphi DeWalt forum have done this. But like William with multiples, it often works better to have one saw on wheels unless you have an extremely long workshop. So, two in the bench, one on wheels... three altogether? But even three wouldn’t get you in the top ten at that Dewalt group.
I had to get rid of my 2nd and 3rd when I downsized to a small 12x16 that I share with my wife’s garden/lawn tools. Gave one to my brother-in-law. Gave the other one to another member of the Dewalt forum... I think that put him at..... wait for it.... 84 saws. But he is kinda into it a little more than most. ;)

As William suggests, if just for dadoes and crosscuts, adjust the table to be parallel to the travel of the saw wrt the dado saw.

Visit the forum, they will give you lots of insight wrt doing this.
You have to register, but it’s free.
http://people.delphiforums.com/snotzalot/sawdust/faq.htm

[Dan Chouinard]

I have been using my grandfathers 3/4 hp DeWalt for the past 10 (or is it 12) years. Love that saw but my siblings will not let me take it to my new shop. Just recently bought a DeWalt GP
12" 2hp capable of crosscutting approximately 16" and believed to be from 1939. It will be set at 90 degrees permanently and primarily used for cutting face frame and door parts to length.
I also just purchased a 2019 Original Saw Company 12" 3 hp 3 phase contractor RAS capable of crosscutting 24". This too will be set at 90 degrees and be used primarily for crosscutting plywood.
Both saws just landed in the new shop but have yet to be powered up as electrical in the shop not quite finished.
The Original Saw Company Saw was purchased in what was claimed to be like new condition barely used by a shop that was made an offer they could not refuse from CVS. I paid less than half of what the saw costs brand new. My associate and I however discovered yesterday that the crank at the top of machine that raises and lowers the motor does not do so. Crank just turns with no results.
Provided this issue is solved I may be building a single bench for both RAS that share a common fence. Having no experience with such a setup I can foresee hurdles that need to be overcome.
One is getting two saws calibrated and true to a single fence seems to be a bit of a challenge. Another is designing a flip stop measuring system that can accommodate two saws. Does one tape extend to the left for one of them and the other to the right for the second saw?
Having said all that, its possible that the larger RAS may be a bridge to a future sliding table saw which would make that saw redundant. If building a single bench for two RAS is overly fraught with peril
perhaps that saw gets its own bench. This solution is less than desirable but can be considered.
As always any thoughts/suggestions from you fine folks would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Dan

[Dan Chouinard]

Thanks for heads up on Delphi.

[William Chain]

Multiple bits here but let’s dive in.

Those saws will be about the same height so a unified table will totally work. Getting them squared to a common fence will be easy. It’ll take time but it’ll be easy. Once you see how the arms are adjusted to the column collar, you’ll get it done. It’s two screws that need to be turned in opposite directions to fine tune the set stop, and then a pair of set screws to hold the setting. The GP is great. A little TLC and it’ll live forever. I’m concerned you dramatically overpaid on the OSC saw. Those are essentially patent copies of the old Dewalt GA’s and GE’s. But if you’re happy, whatever. The crank for the column adjustment may well be a trivial repair but could also be a big problem. Take a look up the column from the bottom while your buddy turns the crank. See what you see.

[William Chain]

And yes, you can build a fence with the tape reading right to left or left to right. All commercially available, imperial or metric or both.

[lowell holmes]

I made drawer cabinet with three drawers. The saw sits inside the cabinet. I attached 1x12x36" boards to the side of the cabinet using door butts.
I put 1x2 strips on the side of the cabinet that I use to place diagonal boards to hold the hinged board level with the saw table. This give me about 10 feet of horizontal table. I always use a push stick to complete the cut. The diagonal boards are 1/4. The whole thing is on casters.

[William Chain]

A member of the delphi DeWalt forum has a similar setup for an MBF, including custom lighting and a frankensaw swap out. And he did dust collection. I believe he has videos on Youtube describing the lot.


I made drawer cabinet with three drawers. The saw sits inside the cabinet. I attached 1x12x36" boards to the side of the cabinet using door butts.
I put 1x2 strips on the side of the cabinet that I use to place diagonal boards to hold the hinged board level with the saw table. This give me about 10 feet of horizontal table. I always use a push stick to complete the cut. The diagonal boards are 1/4. The whole thing is on casters.

[Dan Chouinard]

Just got off the phone with a very helpful gentleman named Dave at Original Saw Company trying to diagnose issue. Awaiting a return call from one of his associates to confirm buts sounds as though there may be something broken in the column. He also informed me that this is a 2015 saw not a 2019 as advertised. I paid $2400 cash. He does not feel like I grossly overpaid but there is an issue to be solved. He did assure me that this is an appropriate saw for my intended use but I am pissed about being misled about the history of this saw.
William, my associate is not currently here with me and the saw so unable to try your suggestion. If I do manage to get this saw issue repaired and get both saws on one bench does one tape read to the left and the other to the right or is there a way to get both tapes reading from the left even though both blades are not at the same starting line? I dont know how better to articulate that question but there it is.

[William Chain]

oof... can you take it back? The Delphi forum guys can help you find a comparable saw for under $500.

how about an inspection mirror? Like a mechanics mirror. Either a broken part or the threads have backed out or come loose on the elevation screw.


Just got off the phone with a very helpful gentleman named Dave at Original Saw Company trying to diagnose issue. Awaiting a return call from one of his associates to confirm buts sounds as though there may be something broken in the column. He also informed me that this is a 2015 saw not a 2019 as advertised. I paid $2400 cash. He does not feel like I grossly overpaid but there is an issue to be solved. He did assure me that this is an appropriate saw for my intended use but I am pissed about being misled about the history of this saw.
William, my associate is not currently here with me and the saw so unable to try your suggestion. If I do manage to get this saw issue repaired and get both saws on one bench does one tape read to the left and the other to the right or is there a way to get both tapes reading from the left even though both blades are not at the same starting line? I dont know how better to articulate that question but there it is.

[james manutes]

On You Tube Frank Howarth has a dual saw / 1 table with dust collection in the fence that really works . Worth a look .

[Dan Chouinard]

Daves associate Gary from OSC did indeed call back as promised. . I had already left the shop but had shot a quick video with my phone of myself turning the hand crank that Gary was able to view.
Gary has offered to walk me thru the process of finding issue tomorrow when i am back in the shop.
I do have a 30 day return option for this saw. The owner of the tool business in MA however is apparently out of the office for a few days. Interested to hear what he may offer towards repair of saw before I tell him to come and take it back.
James, I believe the youtube video of Frank and his two saws does not cover the measuring aspect of his setup. His fence incorporating dust collection is way cool.

[William Chain]

Yes, the video from Frank conspicuously skips the leveling part of the process, but it is nonetheless a great series on his build. His dust collection setup is superb - I built a version of that using a pipe connection above the table. I'd recommend something similar no matter what you end up doing, and it need not be CNC fancy.

I strongly suggest you go get your $2400 back and meander over to the delphi DeWalt forum - we'll get you hooked up with a comparable old iron saw for a fraction of what you just spent with all the capability you are looking for. Plenty of fish in the sea in the NH/MA area, and plenty of expertise on the DeWalt forum to get you through any needed restoration or TLC on the old saws.


Daves associate Gary from OSC did indeed call back as promised. . I had already left the shop but had shot a quick video with my phone of myself turning the hand crank that Gary was able to view.
Gary has offered to walk me thru the process of finding issue tomorrow when i am back in the shop.
I do have a 30 day return option for this saw. The owner of the tool business in MA however is apparently out of the office for a few days. Interested to hear what he may offer towards repair of saw before I tell him to come and take it back.
James, I believe the youtube video of Frank and his two saws does not cover the measuring aspect of his setup. His fence incorporating dust collection is way cool.

[Dan Chouinard]

Thank you William for the advice and the offer. I may have to take you up on that. Let me see what tomorrow brings.
Update;
The owner of the business that I bought the saw from did call me late this afternoon. He claimed ignorance to the date of build and said he just relied on the information he received at auction where he bought two of these saws. Yes thats right, he had two of them. He would be willing to swap the machine he sent me for the 2nd one he still has for sale. I am going to go thru the exercise tomorrow with Gary from The Original Saw Company to determine nature of issue. Those findings will determine my next move.

[William Chain]

No worries, the Delphi guys are all super helpful. Good luck tomorrow.

[Dan Chouinard]

My attempts to register over there at delphi seem to have been unsuccessful but it just may be a 24 hour wait period before access granted?
No one has chimed in on the two saws one bench measuring system question. My hunch continues to be that the left saw has measuring tape that extends to the left and the right saw has tape that extends to the right. To complete that thought, when using left saw left hand is holding stock against fence with right hand on saw. When using right saw right hand is on stock and left hand is on saw.
Its the only way my tiny brain can see this working

[Charlie Velasquez]

Depends on how far apart the saws are... but remember....

Never cross your arms....

[William Chain]

I buy track sections in four ft lengths. I built my fence with the measuring tape increasing away from the blade in both directions. In between the saws I’ll have a point where the tapes meet (and if necessary I can do math). I always have my left hand on the stock and my right operating the saw. That way I can always see where my hands are while the blade moves. I usually put a red stripe (in the form of a removable sacrificial surface strip) down the middle of the blade path and consider that a no-go zone. The safe alternative is to install hold down clamps behind the fence that reach over and hold the stock. Then you can always have your hands in a safe position.

and yes, the delphi forum has a 24h registration waiting period to combat spammer and bots.

[William Chain]

this. Yes.


Depends on how far apart the saws are... but remember....

Never cross your arms....

[Rick Potter]

Not very good at computers, but I managed to show a shot of my setup a while back. Not having any luck today. Maybe a computer literate could find it.

Mine is a 7790 for the main one, with a chop saw next to it, both mounted on a workbench with a common fence that goes off on the left side. The second Craftsman (dado) setup is still on a stand, set up on the left side, with a fence that lines up, but leaves the saw mobile if necessary. I do not worry about flip stops on the dado saw, as I just line up marks on the fence cutout.

I change, or move the dado fence each time I do a project, so the cutout is exactly where the dado will go...no measuring.

I also have a Kreg Foreman in the lineup on the bench....gives me a support for long boards.

PS: My 7790 is locked in the 90 position, and I can crosscut 16+ inches with it. Use it for most crosscuts.

[William Chain]

I’ll have to look for that photo. Repost if possible, that sounds exactly like my intended target setup.

[Dan Chouinard]

Good morning, having slept on this issue and after a conversation this AM with my associate Michael, I am taking Williams advice. Just got off the phone with the gentleman I purchased the saw from and he is sending a truck next week to take the saw back with full refund. I will take his word that he was misled at the auction where he bought two of these saws and there was no intent on his part to deceive.
I also called The Original Saw Company this morning to thank them for their time yesterday and have nothing but good things to say about them. I am now focused on getting my beautiful Dewalt GP up and running.
I appreciate all you guys who participate on this forum.
Thanks,
Dan

[William Chain]

Good move! All the expertise at the Delphi DeWalt forum will get your GP in fighting shape in short order.

[Dan Chouinard]

I can hardly wait to make the first of what I hope to be thousands of cuts with my new GP. I bought it from an old iron lover on the MA south shore. He restored the machine and it looks and feels beautiful but he no longer had room for it. Wish I knew how to post photos here so I could show it off. I will certainly refer to the DeWalt forum if any issues are found.

[William Chain]

Sounds like you’re in good shape with the GP then. Power up! Got a good blade?

[Dan Chouinard]

There is a fine tooth blade on the saw. Time will tell if suitable. Would you like to recommend any particular blade for cutting face frame and door parts primarily?

[William Chain]

Can you be more specific? What blade is on there? You have a 1" arbor there, so you will need to be mindful of that when ordering a blade. The dewalt forum guys are going to direct you to an FAQ there on blades, but the general advice is seek a Forrest Woodworker I with the TCG, the so-called 'Mr. Sawdust' blade. Be prepared, it ain't cheap. You won't have to order another one unless you plan on rip operations, but you've already indicated you want to do crosscuts and at 90 degrees. Contrary to most perceptions out there, you do not necessarily need a negative hook angle blade - the Mr. Sawdust blade in fact is a positive hook angle. There is a host of advice on blade selection on the dewalt forum - check the FAQ and look at your budget. There are Freud offerings as well that folks like and recommend.

[Dan Chouinard]

With the Original Saw Company RAS being returned, the "bridge to a future sliding table saw" may have become much shorter. Michael and I are beginning to think we should build one bench for one RAS and continue crosscutting plywood with the track saw for the time being and move sooner than later on the purchase of a slider.
Who can point me towards the best sliding stop measuring system design for one saw on one bench. I had cobbled together a homemade jig in my dads shop on a t track with sticky back tape measure that worked just fine but open to better deign ideas if anyone cares to share.
Thanks

[William Chain]

There are several options for what you want - Incra and Kreg are probably the easiest to obtain and assemble. Reasonably priced, and you can configure the tape to your desires - both left to right and right to left are available, and you can go with built into the fence, or integrated into a T-track fitted into the table.

[Dan Chouinard]

Good morning,
The blade on saw has no indication as to its maker. It was my understanding that a negative hook blade was the best option for RAS. Nice to know thats not necessarily the case.
I viewed the video of Incra stop and was turned off by the wonky double knob tightening method they use. Kreg looks more appealing for my taste.
We decided to make three 30"base cabinets for the RAS bench. One will sit to the far left of 16' bench. Then there will be an open space for drop bin. The other two cabinets will be spaced enough for saw to sit between them with an open space under saw for scrap bin. To the right of saw blade we have about 8' 5" to side wall. For now we will just cleat wall to support bench top leaving the option for an addition base cabinet at a later time. I will have just under 8' to left of blade for a sliding stop but there is addition length for long stock as there is a sliding door adjacent to left of bench.
The bench top will be double layer birch plywood. The bottom layer 3/4" continuous and bolted to saw base. The top layer of 1/2" will be in three sections with the center section at saw replaceable to keep zero clearance back up for material being cut.
Any critiques or suggestions for improvement are welcome and appreciated.
Thank you

[William Chain]

Sounds like you have a solid plan. I use the Kreg system myself, I like it. There are two kinds of stops - a 'production' stop, which is fixed, and a flip-stop. I found that the flip-stop wiggled every so slightly so I returned that in favor of a second production stop. The double layer surface is good. I'd add a 1/4-in sacrificial layer on top of that, either hardboard or mdf. That way that surface is replaceable without major surface surgery, its cheaper than replacing 1/2-in ply, and its easy on the blades and slippy for stuff to slide across. The surface directly under the saw will wear a lot, you'll want the ability to replace that more often than not, and without having to redo all your leveling.

See how well your blade cuts. The blade is key, and can make your experience really smooth or really miserable. A lot of guys found that even an underpowered motor performs just fine with the right blade on there. If you can swing it, the WWI Mr. Sawdust blade (TCG) will be the last blade you ever buy for this saw. Slivers Mill has the goods and the know what they're selling, call them up and talk blades.

[Dan Chouinard]

Thanks for all your suggestions William. I have a sacrificial 1/4 hardboard topper on my torsion box assembly table. I like your idea for using it on RAS bench.
Speaking of assembly tables...on my wish list is a scissor lift to get it height adjustable. Getting on the knees for hardware install and door/drawer front fitting is not my idea of fun. We 95% of the time use full inset with tight tolerance so it would be wonderful doing that fitting standing up.
After all, if this was not fun I would get a real job!
Time to make some saw dust

[William Chain]

Its a fancy-pants addition, but I also wrap the whole surface with some kind of hardwood trim just to hide all the layers and make it pretty. Totally unnecessary, but it looks the part. :D

[Dan Chouinard]

Yes we will go fancy pants there. Michael Graf has done a remarkable job renovating the building ,it is gorgeous. It can be viewed on his Instagram page.

[Dan Chouinard]

Good morning,
We are ready to wire my Dewalt GP. I have been unable to register at the Delphi DeWalt forum. Was looking to determine how many amps does the 12" 2hp 220v GP draw. I have lost contact info of previous owner but he believed it to be made in 1939 and has serial # 31800.
Thank you

[William Chain]

Should be 11 amps on 220.

[Dan Chouinard]

Thank you William. Someone over at OWWM agrees with you.

[William Chain]

:) The right answer is the right answer.


Thank you William. Someone over at OWWM agrees with you.

[Dan Chouinard]

You know I appreciate you William but next time leave out the disclaimer "should" when sure of your response. Electrical is definitely not my forte and it is reassuring to get the same answer from two sources. The cabinets I made for the RAS bench have been installed and the machine is in place. Mike will wire it soon and when I get back from Michigan where my son is getting married on Saturday I can complete the bench top and cut a hole in the wall behind blade for the plenum. The dust collectors (looks like we are going to use two) will be located behind the wall where the RAS is located.
Thanks,
Dan

[Roy Turbett]

I am looking at the same issue of multiple saws in the same bench but am approaching it a little differently. Each table will get it's own primary top but the two saws will share a common sacrificial top. This will allow me to fine tune each saw individually. To get both saws coplanar, I'll either put levelers on the legs or use the method I used to mount my current saw. I put steel gussets in the corners of the base and drilled and tapped them for levelers that I adjusted match the cabinets on either side of the saw.

440310

[William Chain]

I can't leave out the disclaimer "should". My answer (and the owwm answer) makes the following assumptions - I assume you've correctly identified the saw as a GP. I haven't seen the photo of the column tag, but you've posted the model and a serial number. The previous owner says 1939. Indeed, GP's were manufactured from 1939 to 1948, but your serial number puts you square in the middle of 1944. During that time, GP's came in 1.5hp, 2hp, and 3hp flavors, and the 3hp in single and three phase (but the 3hp models and three phase of this particular saw come up much less often than the 2hp single phase). The motor plate will have all that information and the amp draw too, but you've asked the question so I'm assuming there is no plate, or its covered in too much paint to decipher what is there. This also all assumes you have the same motor that left the factory on that arm, or if it was ever replaced in its 80 years, it was replaced in kind. In any case, the draw of the single phase 2hp motors of the era is 11 amps on 220V service.


You know I appreciate you William but next time leave out the disclaimer "should" when sure of your response. Electrical is definitely not my forte and it is reassuring to get the same answer from two sources. The cabinets I made for the RAS bench have been installed and the machine is in place. Mike will wire it soon and when I get back from Michigan where my son is getting married on Saturday I can complete the bench top and cut a hole in the wall behind blade for the plenum. The dust collectors (looks like we are going to use two) will be located behind the wall where the RAS is located.
Thanks,
Dan

[Dan Chouinard]

William my appreciation for you has grown.
:)