10" like new rigid ras worth $300.00 ??

[gato markham]

I was offered a RAS for three hundred. Besides if it is in good shape is it worth the price? I know RIGID does not make the RAS any more. I do not know when they stopped making it,if parts are available. I assume they were made by emmerson which made machines that seemed high quality. My main want is to make daddos I can see not upside down on table saws or long setups with router.

[Loren Hedahl]

What you do is pull the saw carriage out to the end of the arm of that Ridgid saw, then see how far it the blade might travel right and left as you shake it.

Then go find the oldest, dirtiest, rustiest, most abused DeWalt and perform the same test. You might want to try it on an older Craftsman or Delta also.

Doing this test is a cheap and dirty test to see how rigid each saw really is, nameplate designation non-withstanding. It is also an indication as to how precise your work will be, once you acquire the saw.

Then you are in a better position to assess the true value of the saw.

A good radial arm saw will make very accurate cuts of all types and serve you for a lifetime, no matter what the naysayers declare and how badly they have been maligned.

[John Shuk]

I doubt that the Rigid saw is that much of a departure from the Craftsman saws that are all over the place. I can see you getting a comparable saw for less without much of a wait.

[Brian Clevenger]

I don't believe that saw to be worth $300. It is basically the same Emerson/Craftsman that you see on Craigs list for $100 everyday.

The best radial arm saws I've been around have been old Rockwell and even older DeWalts.

[Steve Schoene]

I wouldn't buy any radial arm saw whose current (or recent) selling price was under $1,000. The cheaper saws--Craftsmen and the like--just aren't beefy enough to be able to hold settings well. Stick with a miter saw, or sliding miter saw.

Alternatively spend a whole lot more for a decent quality RAS such as the 12" Delta, or for a really good quality saw such as the ones from the Original Saw Company.

Or find one of the quality older saws. If you can deal with the 3 phase motors many of the best ones have, you can get them cheap, in otherwise good condition. But in good shape with single phase motors, you will still pay quite a bit more than $300.

[Wade Lippman]

I wouldn't pay more than $150 for it. There is an endless number of perfectly good (well, maybe not very good, but good as new...) RAS on CL for that amount.

[Mike Spanbauer]

Where are you located Gato? I've a DeWalt MBC that I'm going to be selling very soon. It's a 9" model with a 1/2hp motor (don't let that hp rating fool you, it'll cut a modern day 1.5hp saw in half).

Cast iron arm, rigid, repeatable accuracy... of course, it weighs a bit, hence my question as to your current location.

pm me, perhaps we can work something out.

mike