Radial Arm Saw ?????

[Steve King]

I have the opportunity to pick up a Delta RS 830 radial arm saw at a real good price. I don’t have a RAS and really don’t need one but at this price I can’t pass it up. My question, how much room should I allow for the right side of the saw? I am thinking about putting the saw to the right of my miter saw station leaving me lots of room for the left side of the saw, kind of like the setup that Norm has with the miter bench and storage he built.
Thanks,
Steve

[Dick Parr]

Steve,

I have about 6 feet to the right of my RAS and about 14 feet to the left. I did what you suggest and put them in line and at the same height. I had a couple of 16 foot boards and was glad to have the room to cut. I don't use mine much but every time I think I am going to get rid of it, I need it for a project whether its for dados or just cutting big pieces down to workable size. So I just keep it since it is already there. I share a nice stack (3000 bft) of red oak with a friend of mine and a good number of those 10 foot boards are 14”-16” wide, and trying to man handle and cut those on a table saw by my self is too much like work.

[Fred Voorhees]

Hell Steve, if you are getting it for a great price - pick it up. I actually had a freind give me a Craftsman RAS about a year before I even built my shop. It now happily resides as a "built in" within my nearly thirty foot long workbench. Pretty much right in the middle of the run, so I have roughly fifteen feet on both sides of it. Like many, I don't use it all that much besides for crosscutting to length. I occasionally use it for dado'ing larger pieces. In fact, I just used it within the last week to dado six 4x4 cedar posts which are being utilized for some arbor type clothesline supports.

[Tyler Howell]

With all the talk about Crapsman and TS gate. :rolleyes: I started on one of those RAS bad boys. :((Bad joints, bad ripping, bad dados, bad cross cutting and bad miter joints).....
I rehabbed 2 houses, built a garage and a bunch of toys for my kids with it.:p
I was very proud of it and what it helped me do. Ignorance is bliss!:o
Enjoy it. A RAS has a valuable place in a shop. I use mine to stack stuff on. All joking aside it can provide a valuable sevice.

[Kelly C. Hanna]

I have the opportunity to pick up a Delta RS 830 radial arm saw at a real good price. I don’t have a RAS and really don’t need one but at this price I can’t pass it up. My question, how much room should I allow for the right side of the saw? I am thinking about putting the saw to the right of my miter saw station leaving me lots of room for the left side of the saw, kind of like the setup that Norm has with the miter bench and storage he built.
Thanks,
Steve

I bought two older Craftsman RAS's to make one.....spent $200 on both then about another $80 on parts.....got one pretty close to good, but decided to rehab a panels saw frame I found for $50....(sold both of them on ebay for a total of $475). All the panel saw needs now (after scraping priming & painting) is a new motor and dust hood ($600).

Anyway, I had 12 feet to the right and 8 feet to the left open space and the table was 60" x 20" with a stationary fence and 17" crosscutting capability.