radial arm saw vs. compound miter saw

[Larry Blanchard]

My sled has a couple of grooves for clamps - problem solved.

[-MIKE-]

You still have to hold it down, unless your miter slots are t-track or something. In any case, I guess we're all set up differently and come up with ways to make things easier for our particular set-ups, which is the real sign of a good woodworker. :-)

[Scott Lurndal]

yep, and crosscutting a 96" board on a tablesaw, even with a sled, makes me nervous][*]. In my Dad's shop[**], I'll use the RAS. In my shop[***], I'll use a router to cut the dadoes. We both have cabinet saws, but neither of us have sufficient space on either side of the TS to crosscut dadoes with a sled on long stock.

[*] too easy to c*ck it a bit and screw up the dado. [**] Basement [***] Garage

[Leon]

Or support the long panel with a "same thickness as sled" strip of wood. I cut 8' lengths of 1x8 lumber with my sled and often 6' hangs past the right side of the sled. I simply put a narrow strip under the panel/on top of the extension table, to hole it up.

[Leon]

Precisely! ;~)

[Leon]

I am going to add that when I cut long dado's across long panels, on my TS, I use a helper to insure that the panel stays against the fence.

Do this a few hundred times and you get pretty accustomed to performing that cut.

With out a helper I would agree that the RAS would be easier for some dado's.

[Leon]

True, but with proper set up, cutting that on a TS repeatedly might be faster on a TS. You do have to be more careful but my wife and I do dado cuts on wide panels on the TS with just about every job I do. And I hardly give her any instructions except to push on the end of the panel to insure constant square contact with the fence.

Doing with only one person would absolutely put me in the RAS camp but my previous RAS could not do dado's as long as what I do with my TS.

I think we were talking dado's on long panels, probably not possible with a track saw. ;~)

[whit3rd]

With the right attachments, a radial arm saw can do planing and act as horizontal borer, neither of which is a table saw capability,

As a one-man crosscut saw, the RAS can be replaced with cheap (and light) miter saws, but not easily by a table saw.

[Electric Comet]

in the war department manual i linked to there are pictures of an old dewalt radial arm saw and it looks like they attached a router bit to it and used it sort of like a shaper

they also show it being used for ripping and plowing

i had never even heard of plowing in woodwork context so that is a new term for me

[John McCoy]

Electric Comet wrote in news:nn6jpi$oio$2 @dont-email.me:

It's usually spelled "ploughing" in this context, and now-a-days is usually only used when referring to cutting a groove with a handplane (which, predictably, is called a "plough plane").

John

[Scott Lurndal]

Like my trusty Stanley #46, which can plow dadoes[*] in addition to grooves.

[*] Using knickers to prevent tearout.

Or these, which come in both right-hand and left-hand versions:

[sauer.ashton]

You need to buy (or at least borrow) one or the other depends on the type o f task you'd need. Both works differently. Table saws work perfectly when c utting huge pieces of wood especially plywood but if you need to have angle d cuts, the RAS works better. Maybe it will do you good to read something l ike the link below to fully understand, too.

[Leon]

Cutting miters on a TS is no problem at all for the experienced and with a decent miter gauge. I have no problem cutting miters at all with my TS and Incra miter gauge.

And with a sled, like the Dubby, miters on a TS are easy even for a novice.