Never assume it is square.

A small bump will get my radial arm saw out of wack. Dosnt take much since a small difference at the attach point translates to a larger difference at the saw. The arme flexes some as well. I check mine every time I need close tolerances.

-- Bruce from Central New York

I happen to like radial arm saws, but you need to become an expert at setting them up, because they are constantly getting out of alignment and need adjustment. It’s a good idea to check it almost every time before you use it.

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

Well after listening to what you all have to say I’ll be checking the alignment alot more for now on. Even though it was a tableboard I hate to see something out of square. I considered taking it apart and re-sawing. But I am looking forward to getting some jigs finished and work on my first attempt at a dovetail project.

-- Jerry, Measure 10 times cut once. Set in the foothills of the Smokey's

Yup, Every time i want to use the RAS I slap a square against the fence and run the blade out with a tooth against it. It doesn’t get out of square often but I usually know when I did something violent to knock it out (like letting it run out too fast and bind)

-- Scott - Chico California http://chicowoodnut.home.comcast.net

Your RAS has to be square both vertically & horizontally but I would look for that bit of sawdust or wood chip that got in the way, very often that is the cause.

-- Grumpy - "Always look on the bright side of life"- Monty Python

The RAS should be pulled out and then pushed into the stock or piece to be cut. By pulling it into the work, one risks having it climb onto the board. Sometimes the board is too wide and the RAS must be pulled in order to cut the piece fully. I sold my RAS after purchasing a sliding table saw. I am thinking of purchasing another sometime in order to cut certain dados.

-- Oldworld, Fair Oaks, Ca

John

the blade for a ras (or a miter saw for that matter) should have a negative tooth angle to minimize the tendency to climb cut, and the tendency to lift the board off the table

-- Fred, Springfield, Ma

I think John has the Radial Arm confused with the sliding miter saw.

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

I prefer to push-cut with a RAS as well. That’s the European
way to do it. It’s more work because you have to
slide the stock in between the blade and the fence for
every cut. It feels much safer to cut this way though.

-- http://amherstcabinets.com - also a marketing consultant with expertise in direct response marketing for woodworking and online business building