# Delta 900 radial arm saw accessories



## wetdog88 (Oct 29, 2012)

I just purchased a Delta 900 (not super 900) radial arm saw BW-7414 w/ original stand and manual for next to nothing ($50). I bought it primarily to use for dado cuts for furniture, boat reprair and musical instrument building. What is so exciting about it, is that except for the cracked casing on the external wiring, it does not need restoration. Original paint, no rust, all knobs intact, all adjustments working perfectly, motor smooth and quiet. It's like it has been in a time capsule since 1958. What is intriguing are all the accessories available for it when manufactured, like molding knives sanding attachments etc. So my question is: Does anyone have a source for the original accessories?


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## toolie (Mar 16, 2011)

welcome to the forum. that buy sounds like a gloatable deal and the custom here is to share pictures of all really good deal tools. so, where are the pics of this time encapsulated super deal?


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## MonteCristo (May 29, 2012)

A radial saw is not a very good dado cutter given it's desire to climb cut. You have to back the saw thru the cut if you want to survive the experience. And then accuracy is a real problem - these saws are really a carpentry / construction tool - good for cutting timbers to rough length but that's about it.


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## wetdog88 (Oct 29, 2012)

Okay, I'll get some pics happening.

Dwight, what do you mean by "climb cut." It's clear you haven't used a quality RAS. This may be true of the Sears-Craftsman grade junk that has dominated the market, but I've used these solid older RAS to cut many dados and love them. I like the way you can line up the cut as you can see where you are cutting. Also, dadoing toward the end of a long boad or timber with a table saw is problematic because the entire board has to be moved. They can be done with a router set up as well, but when one has many dados to cut, moving the jig every time is time consuming. I guess I'll have to edit my profile to let you know, just because I'm new to this forum, I'm not new to woodworking, having been involved for over 50 years. Furniture building, cabinet making, home building, boat building, stairbuilding and musical instrument repair and building are some of my skills.

Also, when making a dado only partially accross a board it's difficult to see where to stop when using a TS. And yes, there are situations where a TS is the tool of choice. My current project is building teak cockpit gratings for my 35' ketch. That is after I warm up making a CD cabinet for the music room.

When it comes to RAS you love 'em or hate 'em. I guess Dwight falls in the later category.


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## MonteCristo (May 29, 2012)

*wetdog88* - Actually I love my two RASs but after I put a sliding table (a good one) on one of my table saws, I have all but abandoned the RAS except for rough cuts. I do have a Sears saw but the other RAS is a top-of-the-line Delta. Neither saw can be made to cut as accurately as the TS with a slider, especially if you dare to change the saw orientation off cross-cut. By "climb-cut" I mean the tendency for the saw to pull itself thru the wood. Backing thru means the chances of chipout are much higher, especially on something like red oak plywood. I agree that without a slider on the TS the RAS would be used for some other cuts.


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## wetdog88 (Oct 29, 2012)

*Dwight,* Thanks for the info, I'd love to see a pic of your sliding table.


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## wetdog88 (Oct 29, 2012)




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## wetdog88 (Oct 29, 2012)

Here are some photos. I've used it now and its everything I'd hoped. Notice it pivots from the center of the arm giving it great stability even off 90 deg. Also notice it will swivel to use as a horizontal boring machine or a pin router but I'd need a chuck. Okay so there is minor rust. But it has been used so little it actually has the original wooden top from 53 years ago as i've compared it to the pictures in the original owner's manual. I'd love to get a chuck for it but it would need to be 5/8" LH thread. Any leeds on a chuck?


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## wetdog88 (Oct 29, 2012)

Silly me. I've just realized that because of the rotation direction, boring or routing with standard bits would be impossible unless there was a simple way to reverse the rotation of the motor. Shucks! Well I still have a terrific dado machine and can't wait to get stared on the CD cabinet.


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## Bobin29 (Oct 10, 2010)

Wetdog88, I am thoroughly enjoying your postings on the Model 900. On Sat the 3rd I was at a swap meet and a couple (they must have been cleaning out a property) had one just like yours in a BIG pile of stuff. I asked the man what he wanted for the saw and he said he brought it as an after thought and really didn't know. He asked me to make an offer. I had a 20 dollar bill and so I said I've got 20. He turned to his wife and said how about 20 for this thing? She said OK. So I guess we had a deal. I was not sure what I'd bought but if the saw was a total wreck then the table with its elevatable wheels would be worth 20. I loaded it up and brought it home and started to get the cobwebs and mice poo off of it. The wiring was very dry ( I live in the Mojave desert) and cracked. I plugged it in and switched it on, and heard a hummmmm. Turned it off quick and tried to spin the arbor. Rough to turn at first but a couple shots of WD40 and it turned nicely. Gave it another shot of electricity and it spun up to speed just like it should. Quiet too. I don't think that the electric wire replacement will be too hard although I wish Delta and De Walt too put their switch under your thumb so you don't need a third hand so to speak. I'd put pictures up but I can never get the @#$%^ computer to do it. Actually it's probably me. Maybe my son can show me how to do it, but in the meantime enjoy your Model 900, I'll enjoy mine. By the way my serial number is BP6190. Any idea when it was built? Bob


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## wetdog88 (Oct 29, 2012)

Bob,
According to the web site: vintagemachinery.org/mfgindex/detail.aspx?id=1141 your machine was made in 1956. These smallish 9" machines are really interestingly powerful and robust for their size, and surprisingly accurate. It seems that things went quickly toward bigger is better, with the Super 900 then on to the more popular 10" RASs. Then cheap RASs hit the market, quickly sullying the name as they are so inaccurate they are hardly worth using for anything other than cutting 2×4s in half. One reason I bought this one is that I have a big stash of 9" high quality carbide blades. I also just purchased a good 8" Freud dado set which set me back about 5 times the cost of my saw. ITWHO the RAS is not well understood by most woodworkers. High quality ones like these should be considered by folks on a tight budget setting up small shops, especially because these fine old saws can be had for next to free.

We often go with what we know and my woodworking mentor taught me on a RAS. He was a backwoods Alaskan native; an accomplished cabinet maker, carver and hand-tool user. He wouldn't let me touch a power tool until I had become proficient with a hand saw, bit and auger, and chisel, including how to hand sharpen them. His contention was that if you had to choose between a table saw and a RAS, the RAS was the way to go. I realize this is not the majority opinion in the woodworking community. I prefer to have both TS and RAS though both mine are smallish by production shop standards. As I'm retired I'm not really interested in turning out multiple households full of cabinets and furniture. Frankly, building boxes quickly bores me and how many chairs and tables can one use? Now boats and musical instruments are a different matter! Enjoy your saw.


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