Just bragging on a tool that usualy gets a bad rap

[Chris Padilla]

There are two things one does in woodworking:

Move the tool through the wood OR
Move the wood through the tool.

There will always be situations (and therefore the tools) to accomplish one or the other as one is usually easier, faster, and safer than the other.

[Aaron Berk]

So it always intrigues me when I hear folks commenting on the similarity's and interchangeability of Radial Arm Saws and Miter Saws. When it comes to which one should go in the shop, I say both!

I find them to be 2 DRASTICALLY different machines. I would relate a RAS to a production oriented tool, and the miter saw more of a custom tool. Now the SCMS and MS's can be used in a production setting (just ask any trim carpenter, myself included) but for large scale repetitive (batch) work I would never chose the Miter saw.

I feel that in the right hands a miter saw or RAS can be equally as accurate "cut for cut".

The 2 things that separates the 2 saws in my book are: motor & trigger
Being able to turn the power on and blow through a hundred cuts sets the RAS up a notch from the SCMS for production work.

And here's an interesting photo, this is my operators view. I can see any cut line and no lasers needed

Any way, just mumbling stuff before I head off to bed............101_4059.jpg

[Chip Lindley]

A SCMS is a portable tool. A "real" RAS is a stationary machine! And, that's all I'm gonna say about that...

You might hate RASs but this one has a motor bigger than most of your cabinet saw motors and a blade the size of the pizza your family ate last and will take two full 12" dado stacks if you want it too. It's 29" inch crosscuts trims up all but the biggest panels for me. I love it. I way overpaid compared to many of your RAS deas (1K) but it needed virtually no overhaul'n and is single phase so it was plug and run. I love it and that's all I care about...

Now That's what I'm Talkin' 'Bout Mike!!

An RAS is a very valuable tool if you have the space. The bad rap is usually associated with folks unknowingly installing the incorrect type of blade, not using it properly,and the problems that Sears/Emerson created by design.

I am sold on big powerful RAS's! My 7.5hp Rockwell rocks! So does my Delta 12"! Both machines together did not cost what Mike's Monster did!!

My '70's Craftsman 10" RAS served me "ok" until I rid myself of it. When set up for a perfect 90 degree cut, it did what it was supposed to do, but slowly. A 3/4 hp motor does not like crosscutting 4/4 roughsawn oak, 1-1/8" thick. IF the saw was ever changed to a miter or bevel cut (cringe!) there was quite a bit of trial and error to regain an exact 90 degree crosscut again. For that reason, I only deviated from 90 degrees on very special occasions. Those 10" Sears RAS's are meant for ply, softwoods and small trim. I got my $269-worth out of it over better than 30 years. I am sure the OP will easily get his $5-worth!

[Aaron Berk]

Yeah I got my five bucks out of it the moment I turned it on. I bought it from a yard sale with no electricity. My crapsman RAS bogs down allot, I almost bought a Dewalt MBF tonight. But I really want more than a 9" blade, so I'm waiting for a Dewalt GA model with a medium arm and 12" blade.

Stationary huh? That could be debated

[Chip Lindley]

(RAS) Stationary huh? That could be debated

Ok Ok! I will capitulate. A RAS can be very portable too! Here's an example on the Joplin MO CL:

RAS on Trailer.jpg

[Aaron Berk]

Ok Ok! I will capitulate. A RAS can be very portable too! Here's an example on the Joplin CL:

RAS on Trailer.jpg

That's AWESOME I want it!!!! no lie, Joplin where?






edit, ok I found it Sawmill on wheels, 14" Rockwell $1,495 man I want that. think he'll take $500? lol

[Callan Campbell]

Induction motor. Brushes will never wear out, because it doesn't have any! MUCH quieter operation than a SCMS.
Can run a dado stack, and does so from the top so you can see what's happening - unlike a table saw.
Can perform rip cuts.
Can perform cove cuts.
Can run on 220V (most of them)

Now to turn the question around, what can a SCMS do that a RAS can't?

Be easily carried from my basement to my backyard for working in better weather months like summer!. Ok, I admit it, it was the only thing I could come up with.... My first and last experience with a decent RAS was a huge old machine, 3 or 5HP I think. No blade brake, it just spun, and spun, and spun, on shutdown. No guard either, we were just VERYYYY careful around that massive blade...[smile]

[Chris Padilla]

So it always intrigues me when I hear folks commenting on the similarity's and interchangeability of Radial Arm Saws and Miter Saws. When it comes to which one should go in the shop, I say both!

Fully agree. My dream shop has a long wall with both tools set up on a long bench...perhaps the tools are ~4' apart.

[Rod Sheridan]

The one thing RAS's and CMS's do very well is take up shop space.

Since I have very little shop space I settled for a Hammer B3.

One place where I worked had a 10 HP swing saw with an 18" blade.

It was used to break down stock before it went into the gang rip.

I still have the occasional shiver thinking about that machine.

A good RAS is very good at some tasks, not so good at others. Just like almost every machine.

In my opinion it is however inferior to the sliding tablesaw for furniture making.......Regards, Rod.

[Randy Smith]

I also have an old DeWalt mbf that I rebuilt several years ago. I was using my miter saw for most of my crosscutting so the RAS was just taking up space. I made a few attempts to sell it over a couple years and it sold twice, but the sale fell through both times. Maybe it was destined to stay in my shop because I recently found a perfect use for it. With a dado stack on it, it is now my dedicated tenoner. The set up is quick and cuts are very repeatable. Love it.

[Neal Clayton]

Ok Ok! I will capitulate. A RAS can be very portable too!

mine is way more portable than that, two people is all it takes .

see the original sales brochure, it says lightweight and portable right there on it (about 300 pounds so those two poor guys are making it look easier than it is)

monarch.jpg

[Bill White]

I've had my RAS (Craftsman) since 1978. Good tune up and a good blade-----It works.
Just got my first TS 5 yrs ago. I didn't know that you couldn't do all the stuff on a RAS that everyone says is dangerous. I've ripped, mitered, dadoed, routed. My first year with the TS was the most fright filled of my life. Oh well......
What do I know?
Bill

[Ted Wong]

we had the same saw in our shop for years and I hated it.

[paul dyar]

I had a hard time in 1996 deciding between a scms and ras, the scms won out, but if I had the space and the money I would have both. My brother built his house using a ras.
Paul

[Rich Engelhardt]

mine is way more portable than that, two people is all it takes .

see the original sales brochure, it says lightweight and portable right there on it (about 300 pounds so those two poor guys are making it look easier than it is)

Chip,
My wife thanks you for that picture .
I got such a kick out of it I set it as my "wallpaper".
(I had a somewhat provocative picture of Fergie (the singer) that she wasn't at all happy about .)


Re: RAS vs slider..
I recently sold my jobsite table saw. I'm really thinking hard about replacing it w/a RAS.
<$100 to $150 can buy a very, very, very good RAS.
A "good" slider plus a "decent" jobsite table saw add up to a whole lot more $$.