radial arm saw/ is this saw useful

why should it not be useful ? However to comment on a specific saw we would need to know more about it And a few pics would help. If you’re asking about ras saws in general they are very good for many features but ripping although they say you can do this I would not advise it let us klnow more.Alistair

-- excuse my typing as I have a form of parkinsons disease

Assuming you are talking about a DeWalt? Some people swear by the name, I personally use other brands, but generally speaking radial arm saws do have a purpose. I leaned how to make raised panel doors on one some 20 odd years ago, among other things.

-- Respect your shop tools and they will respect you - Ric

I have one and love it, its an older model Craftsman and it is a pretty good saw. A lot of them can be fitted with attachments to one of the motor outputs and you can use it as a drill press and to make raised panels among other things. They show up on Ebay a lot if you look out. Like Scotsman said, you can rip with it but its very dangerous unless you know what you are doing.

dont have photo yet,It is a dewalt. I’m just new to this type of saw .I dont want to waste time or wood,so I thought I’d ask how to get the most out of it.

-- eric post, tallahassee FL

I have owned a Craftsman RAS for about 30 years. A RAS will safely handle cross cuts, compound miter cuts, dado cuts, and rip cuts…if you are careful. Every thing else is kind of a pain to do on a RAS. I’ve since added a cabinet saw that I use for ripping and some dado cuts. A sliding miter saw and table saw can replace all the functionality of a RAS. It’s all about money, space, and personal preference.

-- DaveH - Boise, Idaho - “How hard can it be? It's only wood!”

waht is the crosscut capacity on a 12” slide miter without lifting the material. 3/4” thick

-- If you build it, you will have fun!

I had a ras for years. After I sold it, I wished I had it back. There are so many things you can do with a RAS that you can’t do with a tablesaw.

-- Jerry--A man can never have enough tools or clamps

I have a RAS and I have built it into my work bench (see my shop pics) and love it. It is not the best brand but if you keep it in tune it will do many things. I cross cut using a stop for repeat cuts, and cut rabbits and daddo’s using a stacked set of blades. You can see what you are doing since the work piece is under the blade. I also cut half lap joints the same way and they are very accurate.

-- St. Louis - just a cut away from finishing!

I have one and I suprise myself with how often I use it to make larger crosscuts…

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

Comparing a RAS to a cut-off saw is not all that great. Sure cut-off saw’s can do many things that an RAS can do, but there’s many things that an RAS can do that the Cut-off saw can’t. I’ve never seen a cut-off saw cut Dado’s, nor replace ALL the functionality of an RAS.

Good Question – Chipster. ;)

-- Respect your shop tools and they will respect you - Ric

RAS all the way. I have an old school Delta that I wouldn’t trade for anything. Too versatile, unless you’re scared of it.
bbqKing

-- bbqKing, Lawrenceville

No matter I write this it’s gonna sound rude. Since you have enough disposable income to throw down on a saw you don’t have much of a clue about, I recommend you spend a few $$$ more and buy the RAS bible by Mr. Sawdust:

http://www.mrsawdust.com/comments.php

-- david roberts, houston area, "A little knowledge is a dangerous thing, but that has never been a problem for me."

I have had one for20+ years. If you keep in tune it can be one heck of a tool. I would not part with it for anything.

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

I have a DeWalt 925 power shop and I will not get rid of it. When it dies I will revive it. I use my RAS more than any other saw in my shop.

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

I’m going to be the odd man out. I had a 10” RAS for a few years and hated it. It was too hard to keep it in alignment and it just seemed to be the quickest way to cut off your fingers if you were not paying attention. It was the only piece of equipment in my shop that made me nervous every time I turned it on. When I installed the sliding table on my table saw, I sold it.

-- I don't make mistakes, only design changes....www.dgmwoodworks.com

RAS are nice to have and versatile but the range of adjustments
causes them to go out of whack. They are not to be trusted
for accurate crosscutting of cabinet panels in my experience.

For dadoing bookshelves they are great. Some joinery too. I have
set up a RAS as an overarm router a before and also with
a drum sander attachment.

You have to pay attention to the tuning and alignment of
all shop tools. RAS are generally prone to “drift” unless
quite heavy-duty. That is my experience. A craftsman
RAS is about as likely to drift out of square as an old
Craftsman contractor say = meaning you should bet on
the tool letting you down when you need square cuts.

Always watch out for your machines to betray you in
production runs, drifting out of alignment. Only after
you’ve had a machine for a long time should and it is
proven to hold settings… well, even then be watchful.

-- Would you like to recession-proof your present business using the internet? - my revealing 9-page free report gives you the straight facts: http://copymatch.com/rec/cap.html

its especially good at cutting your arm off

in the right hands…..........yup, very usefull!

-- http://www.furnituremann.ca/

thanks everyone,I just couldnt pass it up at 15 dollars from a man who needs to move because of health reasons ,so in my mind the money well spent.I have a miter saw and a table saw ,so I’m find a spot for it in my woodworking.

-- eric post, tallahassee FL

I had a craftsman RAS I tore apart, not a good tool in my book. After a small incident with it and time after time letting me down, it had to go.
Just my 2 cents worth.

-- Can't never could do anything, to try is to advance.

My Delta RAS is a dedicated 3/4” dado cutter… and a place to stack stuff…
btw – Anyone want a huge old Comet RAS?? ~16”? 220v single phase..

-- A thing of beauty is a joy forever...

I love my RAS. It’s a Sears and the first big tool I bought 25 years ago. It’s great for crosscutting if you have the room. Built mine in with an old miter saw so the same shelf holds wood for each.

-- Father of two sons. Both Eagle Scouts.

I recently got rid of a Sears model for a Delta turret model. I believe in the RAS and will always have one in my shop. That being said, I will NEVER use it for ripping, and only for miters if absolutely necessary. I have a CMS for that. Still, there is NOTHING better for dados and crosscuts. As long as you are careful, and patient, this should not be a problem. It is a great tool to have, if alligned and safely used.

Good Luck!

-- When you earnestly believe you can compensate for a lack of skill by doubling your efforts, there is no end to what you CAN'T do

My first tool was a RAS. With no experience I must say that I am glad to still have all my fingers ( and arm)
I think the RAS is a very versatile tool, and is definitely worth having, although extra care in operation is a must.
I now use a 16” Delta (3 phase) set up for cross cutting only. Will crosscut 28” wide, and stays true.

My wife got me a Milwaukee 12” Compound RAS for Christmas so I could do the trim work throughout the house and I love it. Its a monster and demands a lot of respect so I use clamps when ever possible to hold work in place. It is dead on every time and gives a very clean cut. Just be careful and keep your body parts as far away from the blade as you can.

-- Sell it here> http://woodworkerslist.com

You will find many uses for it. They’re great for storing stuff on or drying out finishing rags. Definitely the tool to have if you’ve got the room.

-- Just 'cause a cat has kittens in the oven, it don't make 'em biscuits.

Eric,

It is good that you bought the radial arm saw. It sounds like you got a very good deal. Now all tools have thier own individual uses. A table saw will do different things than a radial arm saw.

Really one of the biggest reasons that a person would have a radial arm saw is to make cross cuts and miters. The advantage of a radial arm saw is that it will make a much larger cross cut than a miter saw. Now I am in the business of making accurate cuts. While I make most of my cuts on a cnc, I will use radial arm saws quite often also. A well tooned radial arm saw can make very accurate cross cuts. It is much more accurate than my vertical panel saw and my table saw. The only way I can make a 90 degree cross cut on my table saw is with a T-square and I can only make about a 13 inch cut.

There are many different classes of radial arm saws. The most accurate will not have any play once the angle is set. Well it looks like I am going off on a tangent….........Sorry

The short version is that a radial arm saw is a good saw to have in addition to other tools like a table saw, and a miter saw. It really is not a “either or” type of situation.

Cheers,

Ben

Cheers,

Ben

thanks everyone, just got done restoring the paint and re greased the bearings.Works great,and I’m learning a lot in the process.thanks

-- eric post, tallahassee FL

Great thread…

I apologize …… This is a long post.

I’m so glad to find a post on RAS that isn’t full of gloom and doom, torn and mangled limbs and GREAT fear of this terribly dangerous tool, I mean really, who in their right minds would use such a tool?

I WOULD!!

This has been my only power bench saw since I bought it new in 1986. Yes it can be dangerous but it doesn’t have to be much at all.

When I went through high school we had a co-op program that taught us trades, I chose machine shop. We were taught caution and to respect the machines for what they were. It also taught me very careful setup.

These were high performance production shop tools (5 to 15hp), with little regard for those that didn’t grasp the danger of not understanding their strengths and weaknesses.

Part of your knowledge / learning were the INTIMATE DETAILS of how they worked, and how they HURT YOU.

We weren’t allowed to play, as kids are wont to do, around working students or equipment.

It makes me cringe when I see people trying to show safe operation holding a piece of stock down with a chunk of wood to keep their hands further from the cutting edge on a simple RAS cross-cut.

The only thing that I wanted to do that proved difficult and dangerous was ripping narrow stock on my saw. It made me angry that I hadn’t found a way to safely accomplish this seemingly straight forward task.

After asking the forum boards for advice most of what I got were stern warnings not to even attempt to rip thin strips because everyone knows that a RAS can’t do it.
WRONG!

A RAS can’t rip small stock with it trapped between the blade and the fence. As soon as the blade exits the end of the board the piece is pulled into the blade and bad things happen.

I resolved that problem by setting up a new fence on the outboard side of the saw motor

http://i708.photobucket.com/albums/ww85/parkerdudestl/Secondaryfence2.jpg

and that allowed my off-cut to be able to fall harmlessly away from the blade.

I also experimented with an Irwin brand 60 tooth thin kerf chop-saw blade and I found an instant boost in performance due to the smaller tooth cross section. Smoother cuts, reduced following, the saw has a lighter more nimble feeling through the cut.

I’m now ripping 4/4 red oak like it’s just butter, and the finish is sooooo much better.

I would really like those that don’t know to quit telling stories about the boogeyman, perhaps we can continue to learn safe ways to use our equipment.

Later,

-- dust control

I like the OP’s approach. Buy the tool, then wonder if it’s usefull. LOL.

-- ~ Inspiring those who inspire me ~

2 words on ripping with a RAS. Board Buddies.

Jeff

-- "Why don't you just buy one" says the wife about the current project.

as i did construction for years , the ras was the tool to have .
as i progressed and did larger and further projects ,
with up to 5 carpenters .
i had 3 ras set up with 8’ tables and made the table over hang past the saw in its full out position when ripping .
that way regardless of what happened , it never came out to bite you .
what i did was turn on the saw and gently lower it running to 1/8” below table top , cutting a grove for blade ,
and bringing it out to end and rotating it ( all under adult supervision ) , ( me ) ,and running it back to the fence
in both inboard and outboard rip positions .
this gave a grove for the blade below surface that came out to a circle that went to a dish shaped plow back to
( just almost ) the fence. let me add , that i NEVER changed the angle of the arm out of square to fence , if you want to cut angle , tack a stop and rotate to angle to cut .
this saves the fence and keeps the table clean from multiple cuts .
for dados , i made a sled with its own backstop that i drilled thru it and table and put dowels and glued them to sled
and slid it along saw fence till it dropped onto place and did my dados up higher than the saw fence , thereby saving it from trashing .
i learned safety first : 1-NEVER CUT CROSSARM ! material on left , pull saw with right hand , material on right , pullsaw with left hand . ALLWAYS holding material with other hand .
. 2- ALLWAYS STIFF ARM YOUR PULL ! that way you are at the end of the saw if it should
jump and come forward , you are still the same distance away from it . you kind of rock gently on your heels for wider cuts .
. 3- when ripping , ALLWAYS PUT GUARD DOWN TO WORK AND TIGHTEN ! this way it wont let the saw lift the work and trap it and throw it at you .
. 4- when ripping , ALLWAYS USE A PUSH BOARD LONG ENOUGH TO PASS BLADE AND CLEAR THE WORK FROM SAW , then pull back keeping to fence , or hold securely and stop saw .then remove . make this wide enough to push both pieces thru saw .
.
by using the saw like this , you can set it square and true , and never change these settings and only need to check them when you want to do something important .
and keep the arm tracks clean of sawdust , it can make the saw wobble in the same place in it’s travel .
.
i never owned a table saw until i got a shop after 10 years of working !
as all tools , they were made for specific things . use them as intended , and you will increase your capabilities
and options .
today , they would have you bellieve that their tool will do everything , some do , but not as well as a tool designed to do 1 or 2 things dedicated .
work safe , and enjoy !

-- david ,new mexico ,allheart