Should I? Radial Arm Saw

Jarrett, Smitty-Cabinetshop has one of these i think. Check with him, he is a big proponent of RAS’s.

-- "With every tool obtained, there is another that is needed" DonW ( Kevin )

Hello Jarrett, DeWalt AMF is one of the finest radial arms ever produced. For a hundred dollars, if the saw runs well, I’d have it on the truck by now. Don’t see how you can lose, making furniture and doing the dadoes on this saw saves a lot of time. Have fun, make some dust.

If you get it, get this: http://mrsawdust.com/

-- stay thirsty my friends...

I can’t believe I threw one of these Dewalt greenies in the dump. Somebody gave it to me in pieces, I proclaimed it “junk” and out it went.
Stoooooo- NOD!!!

-- Every tree is a Chistmas tree with its gifts hidden inside.

Jarrett, I got to agree with Clark. That’s got to be a really good tool, solid metal and built in the USA. Sure it might need some TLC but I bet it’s miles better than anything Crapsman can offer.

Go for it!

That saw’s a beauty! If it sounds good and cuts true to square when you inspect it, i’d be hard pressed to pass it up. And it’s what I paid for my MBF a few years ago!

-- Don't anthropomorphize your handplanes. They hate it when you do that. -- OldTools Archive --

Well, unlikely the saw will cut much of anything true or square. It is missing the table rails, that will adjust the table true to the machine, properly hold the fence. Actually not a very good buy “in my area”.

Good eye about the lack of table slides. I’ll be sure to point that out during negotiations. I’m confident that I can come up with a good solution (even if its just track w/toggle bolts for now) looking over the old manuals and finally cashing in on the woodworking jobs/ remodeling help I’ve done for a friend who has a huge machine shop. If it takes me a bit of time to get her true, I’ll just use her as a workhorse to work up a few truckloads of salvaged oak and chestnut so I can get it all in the dry before winter gets any closer. ...then do a good rebuild of the saw over the winter.

Mr. Sawdust seems to be an awesome book. I’ll be sure to get a copy. Thanks for the lead.

-- Jarrett http://www.cattywampuswoodworks.com

Thanks to all for the help. Taking the truck to work today so I can hopeully bring the big ol gal home.

-- Jarrett http://www.cattywampuswoodworks.com

It’s hard to discern scale from those photos, but it’s clearly one of the large frame saws. If it’s 10”, it might be a GWI or 1030…some of the best ones made. Like someone else said, if it was me It would already be at my house. BTW, if you need a set of table cleats, I think I have a set that can be yours for the postage (I’ll have to find them first). One other thing, I have some pdf files, one is a cliff notes rebuild article…the second a dead nutz tuning prodedure that really gets them set. I’ll e mail them if you want (pm info for the e mail).

-- Our village hasn't lost it's idiot, he was elected to congress.

As much as I am not a proponent of RAS, I think this one is easily worth $100, even without the table slides. Those can be built in a number of ways. My last saw had angle iron mounted on the table with threaded rods with jam nuts where it hit the table. Worked pretty good, as these saws seem to come out of square from time to time.

If it doesn’t work out, you can always sell it for what you paid.

-- Tsunami Guitars and Custom Woodworking, Cleveland, TN

If you have the room they are a fine tool for crosscutting certain things. If you are pushed for room I would just have a miter saw and table saw. You can do a whole lot of things with a table saw including crosscutting.

helluvawreck aka Charles
http://woodworkingexpo.wordpress.com

-- If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away. Henry David Thoreau

Should you? yes, before I or someone else who is wanting one of the beautiful machines gets it.

-- Don't blame me, I voted for no one.

Sounds like this is too late, but make SURE you test it out first.

I had the exact saw and did not test it.

The motor was weak from the start and after a year or so finally became unusable.
Took to electric motor repair shop they said it would have to be rewound by hand- cost prohibitive.

If this is the same model it takes a 9” blade and I believe has a 3/4 HP motor, which is pretty weak anyway, IMO.

-- Everything is a prototype thats why its one of a kind!!