Pull or push a radial arm saw?

[Brian Marks]

I can't seem to find an answer to this...

The instruction manual for my Makita sliding compound miter saw states that I should first pull the saw back and then push the saw through the wood, and this seems to be consistent with the operating instructions for other SCMS.

However, I've been watching Norm on the New Yankee Workshop, and when he uses his radial arm saw, he pulls the saw through the wood. And most of my internet searches confirm that pulling is the proper method for RAS.

So the question is, why would the two techniques be different? The RAS and SCMS are basically the same as far as the rotation of the blade relative to the fence and wood. Why should you push one and pull the other?

Thanks.

[Darnell Hagen]

The SCMS has a hinged head. Pulling the saw can allow it to ride up on the workpiece and take a run at you.

[glenn bradley]

Right. Different tools, different procedure. Pull the RAS, push the SCMS.

[Jerome Hanby]

I had some guy try to demo one of the Dewalt RASs I bought by pulling the blade out, pushing the material behind the blade, and trying to push it back to cut. Scared the willies out of me. I think half the reason I bought it is so he couldn't kill himself with it

[joseph j shields]

I know this will start a war but...

I had a RAS for many years and always pushed the saw through the cut. (BTW-if you do push.... you can set the fence back further and get about 2-3" additional cutting capacity)

I started the traditional way of pulling, but I meet an old-time woodworker from Europe and he said they usually push the saw through the wood in the old country. (I have not be able to verify this) So I tried it and found I had much better control by pushing.

I never had a problem and my saw always stayed true.

The problem with pulling the saw is the saw will climb and you have less control. In addition, the climbing is often what pushes you saw out of alignment.

The way I view it is if pull your saw... it would be like pushing your wood backwards through a table saw. The wood is moving in the same relative direction as the blade... not a good situation.

YMMV

-jj

[Scott Vantine]

I use an older Craftsman RAS that in the instructions tells you to push the blade through the material, NOT to pull it through!

[Jamie Buxton]

Climb cutting scares me. A catch or a pinch is going to kick the saw toward me. If I owned a RAS, I'd push it.

[Loren Hedahl]

For cross cutting narrow board, the limit being about 6 inches, I pull it through. I always use a blade designed for cross cutting, with a hook angle around 4 to 5 degrees and keep it sharp.

For cutting wider stock or plywood, I like to mark my cut line with a pencil then score the wood fibers along the line with a sharp knife. Using a fresh fence and a push cut you can be extremely accurate over the widest cut, since you can see before you cut exactly where the blade will enter, then exit the cut.

So, pull is OK for narrow stuff, but push is better for wide. If I had to settle on only one type it would be push.

[Jerome Hanby]

I had a RAS for many years and always pushed the saw through the cut. (BTW-if you do push.... you can set the fence back further and get about 2-3" additional cutting capacity)

Maybe I'm looking at this the wrong way, but wouldn't you lose the same 2-3" off the front?

[Richard M. Wolfe]

Cut with the rotation of the blade into the wood. All radial arm and miter saws I've used took a push cut.

[Jeff Duncan]

I cut on the pull stroke, in the overall scheme of things much safer when you think about it.
On the pull even if the saw grabs and comes at you it's not going to jump off the machine and get you. In fact on smaller saws like the ever popular Craftsmans' the worst case scenario is the blade will jamb in the cut. I also use a sharp blade designed for the RAS which minimizes grabbing.
Now if your pushing you first pull the saw out then carefully slide your workpiece behind the blade, losing BTW a lot of your depth of cut, turn on your machine and make the cut, now wait for the blade to stop, slide the next piece behind, turn the saw on.....your not sliding it back while it's running are you Yeah a lot of extra wasted time for what I would consider a less safe procedure. B/C you know your going to get tired of waiting at every cut and your going to end up feeding the board behind while it's running.
At the end of the day do whatever you feel comfortable with, but it's always on the pull stroke for me.
good luck,
JeffD

[Glenn Vaughn]

On my Craftsman RAS the rotation of the blade is the front is down and the back up. Pulling the saw will have the teeth pusing the wood towards the work surface - pusing the saw will have the teeth trying to lift the wood off of the work surface. It seems to me that pulling is safer than pushing. I imagine the same is true of SCMS as well (I don't have an SCMS).

On the RAS The blade will not be able to actually climb unless the arm breaks.

I have not been able to find a craftsan manual that says to push through the work insteade of pull.

[Chip Lindley]

Concerning the RAS Only (nada SCMS) cutting on the pull-stroke returns the blade to a theoretically safe position behind the fence after each cut. I find it unnerving to extend the blade on the arm for a push-stroke and insert the stock behind the powered blade. What If...??? Nobody starts/stops their RAS between redundant cuts! (or do they?)

The physics of an RAS and TS are, in fact, opposites.Think about it. RAS stock can and will be lifted up and kicked backward on the PUSH stroke. The worst that can happen on the PULL stroke would be for the blade to literally climb-cut the stock and jam to a stop! (under-powered 10" RASs) Bigger, more powerful RASs may actually keep cutting forward toward the operator if out-of-control. Control is the key. The operator controls the saw; the saw does not control the operator!

Using too coarse a blade on an RAS is inviting disaster. Negative hook blades are encouraged.

[Van Huskey]

I always puch on a SCMS and pull on a RAS. The trick with the RAS is don't let it get outta control, be ready for it to try to climb out of the board.

[Dale Oakes]

When I use SCMS I pull through only cutting in about an 1/8" to 1/4" into the top of the pc and push the saw back through to cut off. Seem to leave a good splinter free cut on the face and less chance of pinching or binding during cutoff. My 2-cents