radial arm saw

I have used the ras for dado cuts and it does work well. The main thing to be concerned about on radials is the grind of the blade you’re using. It needs to have a very low rake angle (ie 5 degrees or less) to prevent the blade from grabbing the work.

-- Tim -- http://tmuli.com

I a glad to see a review from someone who uses one and likes it. I have recently bought one and plan to use it primarily to cut half laps with a dado blade. On occasion when the miter will not make the cut I will switch over to a good quality cross cutting blade.

-- //FC - Round Rock, TX - "Experience is what you get just after you need it"

I should have mentioned, Forrest Manufacturing makes or will grind saw blades especially for the RAS. They have a stacked dado set that has a negative hook or rake on all the blades, including the chippers. Their blades are expensive, but I think worth it. I’ve been using them for about 10 years. They will also use their special sharpening process on any blade and it will cut better than when you bought it.
http://www.forrestblades.com/

-- Tim -- http://tmuli.com

I agree – that a RAS is extremely useful. I would never do without mine. I have a Sears classic – bought new ~1971. I used it for many table saw functions until I finally got a table saw awhile back. Sears tried to recall this saw but they offered no replacement – just a check for $100 if I sent in the motor. What was I supposed to do then? They were apparently concerned about lawsuits and the fact that this earlier model now comes with a better safety guard. For the work I do with it the existing guard works fine – after seeing the newer saws with their elaborate guards I think they could be less safe because all the new guards make it hard to see your workpiece.

One thing I did that helped was install a blade with a negative 5 degree pitch. This really helped reduce the tendency for the saw to want to pull itself into the work. If you want to use a dado in your RAS this is something you have to be careful of – all those extra teeth want to pull the saw ahead if you are using it in the cross-cut mode (not in ripping mode).

I made a much larger – and better table – for this saw than the original. It is more solid and supports work better. The next thing I want to add is the new Incra ruler / stop for compound miter saws and RAS’s. It allows you to set up their ruler to a precise distance from the blade so you can quickly determine cut lengths.

Thanks!

-- Rick - OC, CA

OLDEST tool in my shop but still holds PERFECT ALLIGNMENT Demands constant safety But I still have all my fingers and never had a kick-back

..dvdove

Hi Guys,

I am just finishing my first workshop, I have been offered a RAS and want to build it into my bench. Does anyone have any plans, ideas thoughts on the matter.

Thanks chaps, really appreciate it

-- Keep your tools sharp, your mind sharper and the coffee hot

I have an older model 113.1992 10”. I run mine on 220v and it cuts like butter. I have used it many times with a stacked dado and have had very good results on oak. I take smaller cuts so it doesn’t grab the wood and it seems to work fine.
You will go through fences and tops if you use it a lot but I think it’s a small price to pay, I love my RAS, but haven’t used it in a while, need to re-arrange my shop and build a new bench for it so I can get to work.

-- Bob K. East Northport, NY

I got the upgrade on the saw guard a few years ago and would not part with the RAS for anything.

-- WOOD/DON (...one has the right to ones opinion but not the right to ones own facts...)

My father gave & taught me to use one @13yrs old, still have it and use it. 33yrs, still have 10 fingers, safety is important with any machine. The RAS is the go-to saw in my shop.

-- Pretzel L8agn

I recently picked one of these up at a Sears store when they were selling off their floor samples—same price $250. I couldn’t pass it up. Mine needs a few replacement parts and I still need to get it properly installed into the workbench, but I plan to install a stacked dado blade in it and keep it primarily for half-laps and dados. Thanks for the review!

-- Patrick, Chicago, IL http://www.TenonAndSpline.com/blog

Yettiman,
Norn did a RAS built up bench a few weeks ago. might keep an eye out as it was pretty darn nice from what I recall. I also want to put in a full lenght bench for this and my miter saw, have plan ideas in my head but not on paper yet. Maybe a “custom tool bench” review (on any tool) would be useful for us “green” guys. I know I could look at something you guys came up with and maybe tweek it to fit my needs a little, or it could give me some ideas I had not thought about already. I have been thumbing through the “my shops” area for ideas already and plan to add mine once I can get some good pics to along with it!

Thanks for the comments guys. I am tring to put up some reviews on tools that are not already up. Kinda feels like I am tryiing to sell them sometimes when writing the review or that I am putting up info you guys already know about the tools, but I want to be as indepth as possible for the ones that don’t or have not seen them already. Also I am only a saw dust make not an English major so please excuse any mis-spelled words or poor sentance grammer ! : )

-- It seem's I just make scrap wood and saw dust most of the time !

The first thing my Dad told me about the RAS is “now this thing is gonna want to grab some” We never had an accident in the shop related to any power tools that I recall. My Dad made us clamp all our work in place even if it meant a little extra time. We also were instructed to go slowly through the cut, never take your eye off of the blade and let the saw do the work! He also told us not to be afraid of the tool and remember to always be ready for the unexpected.

Most power tool accidents, regardless of the tool happen for one of two reasons – the first being improper knowledge of how to use the tool and second is being in a rush!!

I was 14 when my Dad first turned me lose on one of these saws and I am still here to tell about it. The reason people give them a bad name is because they didn’t know how to use the saw to begin with and had too much pride to admit it in the firstplace.

Great review BTW!!

-- --Chuck

Thanks for the recall info link. I have this saw and I’ve never been sent anything by Sears.

-- Brian, Virginia Beach

I agree with grovemadman, stay alert.

-- Pretzel L8agn

I’ve use the same Sears RAS for the last 30+ years & never been even slightly hurt using it. I used to rip 45’s on long rough sawn cedar to make fake beams to hang on the ceiling & it was under powered and not the right tool for the job, but it was all I had so…

I’ve tried dados, but I REALLY REALLY do not like the saw for that use. Dado sets do not have the low rake needed to minimise the blade pulling into the work too fast to control.

Blade selection is all important for easy cutting on a RAS. I found out about 12 years ago that I never had the right blade. I got a Freud with a NEG 5 & it made me like the saw all over again. I set the saw up to only cut 90 deg. If I need any angles cut I use an add on wedge against the fence, or use the table saw.

If you keep your fingers out of the cut line I can’t see how you can get hurt making crosscuts with a RAS. Worst case is the motor stalls & you have to quick hit the off switch before the breaker blows. Moulding heads & dados could be dicey. I had a planer blade for the RAS but never used it—-too chicken!

-- http://www.grandprairiewoodworks.com http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6453794

This was one of the first saws I bought to use 30 years ago. I was so proud, set it up started to use it and it grabbed the wood and threw it across the room, so I tried it again and it threw it at me and hit me in stomach. I turned it off and read the manual. Loved the saw was scared of it got out of wood working for awhile and sold it and haven’t replaced it yet.

-- Ron Central, CA

I called the recall number after writing my response earlier and they are sending me my upgrade kit. I am the original owner and was never notified.

Another reason why LJ is so helpful.

-- Bob K. East Northport, NY

AWSOME !!! That right there made the review worth it !!

-- It seem's I just make scrap wood and saw dust most of the time !

Thanks runngt

Appreciate the nod to ole Norm..

I will look out for it

-- Keep your tools sharp, your mind sharper and the coffee hot

RickH “I made a much larger – and better table – for this saw than the original. It is more solid and supports work better”

What material did you make your new table top out of. I have a RAS and I want to redo the top, but I wasn’t sure if I should go with MDF. My RAS’s table is thicker then any MDF I could find.

Thanks,

I currently have two RAS in my shop (1953 and a 1958 DeWalt) the 10” one is set up with a dado stack and the 9” I use for every thing including molder attachments and the planer attachments. I also have a jigsaw attachment that uses a belt that hooks up to a pully mounted to the motor. there were many other attachments that came with the DeWalt power shop RAS. Some of these include a lathe, belt sander, router attachment, Planer, molder, a drum sander And a few more items that i cant think of a present. As for tables and benches you could check out Old Woodworking machines at google. Some of the older Dewalt manuels had a plan to build benches for the RAS. Also check out the Mr Sawdust book, you can purchase it online, you wont find a better book on RAS anywhere. To see my RAS check out my workshop

-- bryano

I have a DeWalt Power Shop 925. This is a saw that was originally manufactured in 1960: that makes it 5 years older than I am. I am the third owner of this saw, and I plan to keep it for a long time. The saw has a head that can be used as a shaper or a planer. In addition there are other attachments available for this saw: jigsaw, lathe, router, grinder, and sander to name a few. This was DeWalt’s version of the Shop Smith. I point all this out because I want to make a point, a radial arm saw is a saw, and my belief is that it should only be used as that. If you want to use it as another tool, I recommend you buy the other tool.

A radial arm saw is a power tool, and as others have pointed out, one needs to use it with caution as you would any power tool. If you respect the tool, and the capabilities of what the tool can do if it is misused, the RAS will not cause any harm. Know your limits, and the tools limits.

I am a radial arm saw user, not a power miter user.

-- Brian, Lebanon PA, If you aren’t having fun doing it, find something else to do.

I just bought this model gently used, if you can believe it, the table didn’t even have a cut in it and it looks like it came out of the box last week. I won’t get to use it until July when I get home from Iraq, but thanks for the great review.

-- Yogi Sez... Work like you will live forever...LIVE like you will die TOMORROW...

About 2 months ago i got a RAS 1990 Craftsman still in the box at an estate sale …nice and shiny new still.
I have used it about 5 times …today I put a 1/4in ply table cover over the recall table …(Oh yes along with the recall of the blade guard they sent me a new MDF table and fence …the old table (of which was not ever even cut into was made of pressboard/chipboard ..yesterday i was cutting my first dados and they came out very nice if i must say so …i had cut some just prev on my table saw ….I used a Freud Super Dado …very nice and tight cut ..Now the alignment of the saw and table is a bit of a test and challenge …as i have put the saw completely together as when i received it …it was still in the box …so my alignment skils are suspect …but i like the saw ..
And for runngt
there was an article in Woodsmith mag ..(I dont know the issue ) I have the Custom Woodworking series of 14 books 1999-2000 and that article is in my book (Shop Cabinets and Tool Stands ) and it shows a very nice wall unit RAS CUSTOM STAND 8’ long and very nice … i will try to scan the article for you ..it is 8 pages long …so give me some time …
Mike in Bonney Lake

-- Mike in Bonney Lake " If you are real real real good your whole life, You 'll be buried in a curly maple coffin when you die."

gator that would be great, I am still looking to build something (my design or copy cat) just don’t know what yet.

-- It seem's I just make scrap wood and saw dust most of the time !

hey runngt I found this on the SHOP NOTES site

http://www.shopnotes.com/plans/miter-saw-station/

it could certainly be made into a RAS station ….

did you get the notes i sent on the RAS 9 page Radial Arm Station ? what did you think of that one ??

-- Mike in Bonney Lake " If you are real real real good your whole life, You 'll be buried in a curly maple coffin when you die."

Thanks For the post and the link to them ,I just checked my saws Ser.# and found out I got one of them .I will call tromorow and see what they say. I have had the saw for almost 30 years, I never had any thing go wrong. I think I have used it in every way possable, It is really a good saw IF USED THE WAY YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO.SAFFTY FIRST. keep your mind on what you are doing. Other wise you are going to get hurt BAD. Tolls are as safe as how you use them.
Chuck

-- Chuck, wiswood2 www.wisconsinwoodchuck.com

Called this morning, she took my ser.# and mod.# ,name and adress an said they would ship a new guard ,table top and fience wed.and she gave m ashipping no. and order no. No hassel what so ever.thanks for the Info.
Chuck

-- Chuck, wiswood2 www.wisconsinwoodchuck.com

Called on monday got the parts on friday, Not only a new guard but new table ,brackets and handle, colplete with all the asscories.Thanks for the post.
Chuck

-- Chuck, wiswood2 www.wisconsinwoodchuck.com

I just went and got mine ordered. Thanks for the info!

-- //FC - Round Rock, TX - "Experience is what you get just after you need it"

I have had my Sears RAS for 35 yrs now. Thought many times on selling it but you cant get but maybe 75.00 for it. I finally put it on one of the MUV carts that Home Depot sells for about 149.00. At least I am getting a lot more use out of it on job sites especially if I get into vinyl siding, you can swing that thing to any angle you want when cutting siding to sit a gable end or a long rake.

-- Carpenters make some of the finest firewood there is !

Sears sell Ladies underwear.

They know nothihg about woodworking and a lot more about litigation.

Ask the tradesmen not Sears.

I’m keeping mine as I seem to be intelllligent enough to use it. (30 + yrs without a problem)

Bob

-- A mind, like a home, is furnished by its owner

I have a DeWalt 7754 10” RAS and a Delta Unisaw. The RAS was bought in 1980 to replace a Craftsman RAS.
I bought the Unisaw when the DeWalt quit running right in the middle of building my kitchen cabinets. I could not sell the DeWalt so I figured I would try to fix it. Apparently it died due to an electric failure and was easily remedied.
I took some classes from Mr Sawdust (Wally Kunkel) in teh 1970’s and he only used a DeWalt. I sure learned a lot from him. I use the RAS for cross cut work now that I have two saws. Ripping on the RAS is very dangerous and I never liked doing that.

As a cross cut it is very accurate. I always liked the fact that you can see the blade cut the wood.

I second the comment about getting the Mr Sawdust radial saw book. I built the table for my saw and it is dead flat and really works great.

About the only thing I do not like about the RAS is the dust. I have never been able to make a real good dust collector for it.

-- Bob, http://www.robertblaney.biz

The $100?
I grew up using one of these saws that belonged to my father. In the early 80’s, when I got my first home/mortgage, I naturally wanted to get the best all round tool I could afford, so I bought a RAS like my fathers, so I thought. The first time he visited my home after the purchase, I of coarse, wanted to show him my great new piece of equipment. I have to say I was a little, no a lot, let down by his reaction. As a very experienced, never knew the word “recession”, carpenter, with a heavy sigh, he said only two words “SINGLE YOKE”. Now I know my father well enough to know when he’s feeling uncomfortable, so I had him explain. To make a long story short, today I am more than “aware” of what an “inherent unstable design” is. I have first hand experience, pardon the pun, with the “AGGRESSIVE” nature of “SOME” of these saws.
Now before some of you get your “panties in a knot”, as a person who was
involved with rebuilding crashed helicopters and putting them back into flight service, I KNOW what precession is. Trained to conduct myself safely around “LETHAL” things that rotate and have witnessed the carnage of component failure and how it changes lives, forever! I know a little about machines.
SOME of these products are simply designed with substandard, inadequate components in order to increase profit margins for manufacturers and retailers, but, at what cost.
We are all old enough to know what that means. There is no doubt that there is/or aspiring to be/ an above average level of experience and intelligence within “LJ” and one look around your shop and you can honestly say “good”, “not so good” tool. The consumer business is a whole other conversation, not today!
The point here is that we all have a responsibility to use the tools, how ever we obtain them, in a safe manner. But when a manufacturer/retailer knowingly provides access to inherently dangerous products to it’s well defined customer base, one has to ask where do we/they draw the line. They know the profile of it’s users, people earn pay checks analyzing it , they also know profit! The tools that we put in our shops (I like to call it my “incubator of creativity”) are our responsibility, up to a certain point! Some of these
RAS simply need to be taken out of service “permanently”, not upgraded! Do not think for a second the manufactures of these tools don’t want some of their product out there any more. There is a “LONG TERM” reason. They know waving a $100 bill with one hand will get some of us to pay attention. The “REAL QUESTION” is what is the “OTHER” hand doing?
We can all do simple math! Millions of saws, what do you think this is costing? That number does not include the costs incurred in litigation both past, present and future!
One look at the numbers and it becomes mind blowing. How many of you have received that “up grade kit”? WOW, how much does that cost alone, never mind shipping! Why do they make it so convenient, phone and they’ll just leave it by the door!... “WHAT!” no one needs to sign for it, very strange how they want to “GET IT” in you hands so easily. They HAVE looked into the future and have painted different scenarios, draw your own conclusions. The quest to put a cost effective product into the majority of DIY hands has come at a price. Why has the retailer and manufacturer gone in separate directions? You know the departure wasn’t pleasant. There are a lot of questions, we are only being fed what they want us to eat, GUARANTEED!

Today I am involved in marketing. I make TV commercials, from local to national “super bowl” spots. I have worked for billion dollar companies. One can only imagine what is said behind closed doors. We have in the last ten years see profit margins sky rocket into other worlds, where do you think the money came from? What have they done and how do they control the way consumers think? If you feel that you have be some what “taken”, you have. It’s a sad reality, that we are all too aware of. But saying that, I feel an obligation to use the video tools a have at my disposal to do something positive. Again, not today!

As a past RAS user that has had an unfortunate experience I know all too well what it is like to have an forever life altering injury. The K-wires that held body parts together created a tract infection that left me looking amputation and death in the eye. In the animal word I would been left behind for the wolves or thrown from the nest.
Cruel but true.
It will never be a perfect world, but today because of current technology we all should have the benefit of better designed/ constructed products. It’s OK to put “some” of our “past” in a museum, lets remember and never forget the costs of being a human being. We have it good compared to some of those unfortunate folks from not so long ago. “GUARDS” what are they? Makes my skin crawl just thinking of what some people went though, my Grandfather one of them!
People often say to me “ lucky is wasn’t your good hand” Yeah, right! Lucky!
I look at it this way. If the “GOOD LORD” didn’t think it was needed, I wouldn’t have been born with it! All that I was born with is… good!
Don’t believe me? Tie your “not so good” hand behind your back and live like that for a day, you’ll never be tempted to make such a comment. I cannot help feeling nothing less than “immense compassion” when I see another disfigured human body.

So today I use another tool on a regular basis, let’s just call it a “MOVIE CAMERA”.
It is one of the most powerful tools I have ever used, and yes it was my father/mother
who put his 8 mm film camera in my hand as a boy. In closing and on a very personal note, it is without a doubt a great privilege to be able to have them both as parents.
Until next time, Be safe. Love life!

Now that you all know a little more about me, there is a wood show this week end in my town and I’m go’n !
“DANG” I feel like a school girl who’s been asked to the prom, YEE HA!

Zigg

The human hand is a masterpiece of mechanical complexity, able to perform fine motor manipulations and powerful work alike.

l

I use my old sears for crosscutting only and it does a good job. I agree they can climb into work so you have to stay very focused when using it and be extremely mindful of where your hands are at all times.

I always complete my cut and hit the switch and wait for the blade to spin down before doing anything else, same routine when ripping on the TS. Habit becomes automatic procedure. For me slow and steady is good.