Do you have a radial arm saw and do you use it?

[Alex Zeller]

I'm positive that the tooth count was too low that was compounded by making a shallow cut. But being a teen I used what blades were there. In fact the blades he had were either fine steel toothed plywood blades and the really coarse tooth carbide ripping blades.

RAS serve a purpose. It seamed like in the 70s they became, as Ted said, a Swiss army knife. Sears managed to get the price down to a point where homeowners and hobbyists could afford one. When my father bought his he had a small cast iron table saw that had to sit on a stand so the motor could hang down(he made one out of 2x4s and plywood). The weight of the motor kept the belt tight. If I had to guess the top was 12" x 18" at most. He also had an all aluminum Skill circular saw. So having a lot more real estate to work with and no real experience it made for the go to tool for ripping boards and plywood. He even had an adapter for the opposite end of the motor for router bits and a molding cutter blade set that came with multiple shape cutters. It was a different time back then. He had two electric drills, a 3/8" B&D (the one with the really short cord) and a huge monster 3/4" all aluminum B&D (that I have hanging up on the wall of my shop). The only other woodworking tool he had was an all aluminum jigsaw.

[Jim Allen]

Ripping on a RAS is like crosscutting on a TS. Just because you can, doesn't mean you should.

I also added the excellent dust collection to it recently.

Any chance of seeing the DC system? I have a 40 year old Craftsman and Sears sold a dust collector back then and it works pretty well.

[Robert Cherry]

I also use my RAS all the time, but only for 90 degree cross-cuts. I like the long cross cut capacity and after careful setup I have mine dialed in to nearly a perfect 90 degree cut. I have a sliding miter saw set up next to it (sharing the same cutting surface) for angled work. Another bonus is that the dust collection is far better on the RAS than my sliding miter saw. I run a cross cut blade with a negative hook angle to minimize the tendency of the blade to want to self feed into the cut.

[Ted Reischl]

Any chance of seeing the DC system? I have a 40 year old Craftsman and Sears sold a dust collector back then and it works pretty well.

Don't have a picture handy Jim, sorry. But, here is a link to something similar to what I built. Mine is about twice as tall. It is unbelievable how well these work. A lot of guys plumb them from underneath. Mine is from on top.

Here is one from Frank Howarth, mine is very similar:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IcGy2Esy74o&t=101s

[Jim Dwight]

My standard shop setup, used in the current and previous shops, is a 12 inch CMS (not a slider) side by side with an old Ryobi RAS (the one they recalled). The CMS will crosscut 8 inches. If I need to do 8-12 inches I use the RAS. It has a negative hook blade on it and cuts fine. I also use it to make tenons in long stock with a dado blade. I only use 1/4 or at most 3/8 of cutters but with the RAS and a shoulder plane, it is quite easy to make tenons in headboard/footboard pieces and long table aprons.

I've never ripped with it and do not plan to. The dust collection is terrible and it is noisy but it works for me. I see no need for a slider, and it would take up more space.

[Jeff Ramsey]

Yes, I've a US made 12" Delta and use it frequently (crosscuts only).

IMG_2056.jpg

[Bruce Wrenn]

If you ever have to rebuild some gable end vents, only a RAS will do. A CMS won't lay out flat enough to make compound cuts. Used to be a shop in next town that built custom vents. They had two RAS, one set for each end cut. Own a Delta Super 900, 12" Delta turret, and CI Sears. Gave away my old aluminum Sears one.

[jack forsberg]

I like mine for trenching and tenon work . This little Delta does ok with the Wadkin head but the 18 Wadkin cc has a 6” arbor for bird mouth heads 4” wide .

[Barry McFadden]

I have a Craftsman 12" radial saw from the 80's...bought it new and still use it all the time. I don't understand all the "dangerous" comments. Like any tool, if used properly, there is no problem. In all the years I've had it I might have had 2 or 3 kickbacks from ripping warped wood but with the anti-kickback pawls adjusted properly the wood doesn't go "flying across the shop"...it remains on the table and you just turn the saw off and sort it out...

[jack forsberg]

Any chance of seeing the DC system? I have a 40 year old Craftsman and Sears sold a dust collector back then and it works pretty well.

a drop box works good here is my set up

I have since I upgraded the guarding to be much safer.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BXwIR9DnNKh/

[Joe Jensen]

I have a 14" Dewalt that is extremely heavy and well built. Once I got it aligned to a perfect 90 degree cut I tightened the column up to lock it in position. Did that 20 years ago and it's still a perfect 90. Having a blade with a negative hook angle is critical to safe operation on a Radial Arm saw. A negative hook angle will push the wood down and back against the table and fence. A table saw blade will pull the wood up off the table and towards you. The opposite is true too. Running a negative hook angle blade on a table saw is dangerous as it will push the wood up and away from you. I have never used a cheap RAS, only the Dewalt. It's a dedicated crosscut station and I love it for that.

[Rick Potter]

DeWalt 12" 7790. I never move it from 90*, and have it set up on a bench with chop saw, Kreg Foreman, and drill press all in the same plane and fence location. Note the space for cutoffs below the saw table.

https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1Q...wftWjGn0GTnh9f



Mine is set up for maximum crosscut of 16 1/2" on 6/4 wood. That is why the blade hangs over the fence a bit, and the blade guard is positioned as it is.

https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1Q...84DCoFGixkZi5e

[Rick Alexander]

I have a Dewalt 1948 model long arm (forget the ID). Probably my favorite tool to use but it's dedicated cross cut - easily handle any cut up to 24 inches and absolutely dead nuts accurate. Scarry to use because it's got a 14 inch blade on it (I think it actually can take a 16) but as long as you follow the rules it's safe. Very good power - I think that's key to avoiding any sort of climbing problem - plus a negative hook blade. I use the Woodworker I on mine - very nice cut.

[Doug Walls]

I have a 10" Craftsman RAS that I made a custom "T" track table for, This thread shows my RAS table top. https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread....32#post2720332

With the "T" tracks & hold-downs or feather-boards ripping & other some-what risky operations are now very easy & safer.

Doug

[lowell holmes]

The answer to my question is obviously yes.

I will roll mine out and fire it up again.