# radial arm saw



## hootr (Mar 28, 2009)

good idea or bad???
i was making some oak threshhold for a friend, when i cut my stock to length he ask me why i didn't pullthe radial arm out and push is through the stock, like a sliding compound. duh!!! i tried it and had much better control. 
i've had trouble in the past with 8/4 oak or walnutwith the saw trying to climb or race at me and ruin a piece of high $$$ wood. never been hurt but that's the first thought when a tool takes control
am i missing something?


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## thelt (Feb 23, 2009)

I use a combination of Radial Arm, Table and sliding compound saws on just about everything I do. The only thing I won't do again is use a dado blade on the Radial Arm Saw. I didn't feel like I had the control I should have.


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## Julian (Sep 30, 2008)

If you use a quality combination blade that's designed just for sliding compound/radial arm saws you'll get beautiful cuts without the saw pulling itself through the board.


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## SnowyRiver (Nov 14, 2008)

I used to always use the miter saw for cut offs if the wood wasnt too big. I started using my radial arm saw and like it much more. As long as its tuned up and square, and has a good blade, it works great. The only cut I wont do on the radial arm saw is ripping a board lenghtways. I tried that once and it was kind of scary.


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## pitchnsplinters (Dec 26, 2008)

Definitely push the RAS through the workpiece.


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## Chipncut (Aug 18, 2006)

I've had a radial arm saw since 1965, & I've used it only by pulling.

I'd be afraid to change my way now. It doesn't sound safe to me.

Besides that you can't see what you're doing by pushing.


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## pitchnsplinters (Dec 26, 2008)

The saw wants to climb "over" the workpiece toward the operator. Neither pulling nor pushing will prevent this.

Your arm is infinitely better at stopping motion moving away from your body than it is at stopping motion coming toward your body. I'm sure you have been pulling on something and have it break away, it's nearly impossible to stop your arm's motion (I have hit myself in the face a time or two). It's quite different when pushing.

That being said, I would much prefer to have my arm cocked (muscles tensed in the pushing direction) and pushing the RAS through the workpiece if the blade attempts to kick back. If you are pulling on the RAS, and the blade wants to climb, all the motion is in the wrong direction.

I would prefer to have a slightly obscured view of the workpiece (you certainly can see what you are doing) rather than poor control of the saw.


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## SCOTSMAN (Aug 1, 2008)

I was told in no way to push a ras pull it only there are special push saws but seemingly not a job for radialm arm saws so find out more from the so called experts before doing thios has to do with climbing and the way the blade is spinnibng it might lift the wood up as it climbs anyway seek in formation from dewalt etc before continuing this please please please Alistair


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## pommy (Apr 17, 2008)

im with Alistair i was only ever shown to pull a RAS something to do with the way the blade is turning

So please pull and never ever push


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## pitchnsplinters (Dec 26, 2008)

Let me start by saying that I totally agree with Scotsman and pommy.

The RAS' home is next to the column. A feature of many modern (built in the last 20 yrs) RAS' is to have an auto-return feature which retracts the blade to the column if you release it after a cut. Aftermarket kits are sold if your saw was not outfitted with an auto-return system by the manufacturer.

The cut should start with the blade near the column, pulling the saw through your work.

Pull, pull, pull the saw.

My previous post was not intended to be taken seriously. I feel like a real twit now for ever having posted it in the first place. Sorry to my fellow LJ's.


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## Ottis (Apr 17, 2009)

I to agree with pommy and Scotsman. Another reason to pull is hang up, if you "pull" your saw through the wood and for some reason it hangs in a knot or whatever, the wood is already locked against the back of the table and can go no where. If you "Push" the saw through the wood and it hangs up, it can jerk the wood up into the saw motor. I saw a young man do this once, as soon as he got about a inch in the wood he hung up and darn near broke his wrist because the board whipped up so fast.


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## kiwi1969 (Dec 22, 2008)

does your friend have all his limbs? Radial arm saws are designed to be pulled only. think about it, you want to expose the blade then push a piece of stock between it and the fence with one hand!? Yes it will always want to climb on thick stock. Try raising the blade and taking a smaller cut before resetting the depth, or flip it over and cut again. Dado,s are safe to use ,again don,t get greedy with your cutting depth. The saw will only come out as far as the arm so it,s unlikely to get you unless your standing to close or directly in front which you shouldn,t be doing anyway.


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## spanky46 (Feb 12, 2009)

30 years I have been pulling mine and I won't be changing anytime soon!!!!


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## hootr (Mar 28, 2009)

thanks for the feedback
i'll keep pulling and make multiple passes, do that with the router all the time, just never thought of it on the ra saw
this is just one of the great things about these forums


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## Adon (Apr 29, 2009)

I push with the RAS when cutting small pieces of aluminum. It seems to make cleaner cuts. It's very rare that I do this tho.


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## toddc (Mar 6, 2007)

One thing that nobody seems to have mentioned is that a negative hook tooth blade is to be used with a RAS.

The teeth do not pitch forward, they lay back at a negative angle and this greatly minimizes the aggressive nature of pulling the saw through your stock.


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## Newton (Jun 29, 2008)

I would argue that pushing the saw through the work would be in violation of it's intended use. It used to be, and may still be, that Sears attempted to market all of it's tool as "multi-purpose". They had attachments that turned their radial saw into an overarm router! I think thay even had an electric pencil sharpener that doubled as a gas povered chain saw! Seriously, I would never consider using a power tool in ANY way other than it's intended use. The people who design them are smarter than me.


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