RE:Table Saw Help

[Don Dando]

There are as many opinions as there are woodworkers. There is no right or wrong answer to your question for so many reason such as your intended use, space available, funds available etc ad inifinitum. So... Here is my OPINION. It is generally accepted that a radial arm saw unless it is a very expensive precision machine can be troublesome. With a stop pin at the back post to set the saw at 90 degrees, 45 degrees and others there must be some amount of clearance to allow the locking pin to be inserted and removed from the locking position. One thousands of clearance CAN equal 1/4 inch or more off of the 90 degree setting and you must then use a square to reset the saw each time you change it. Many people have concluded that these saws are good for rough in use but not generally real accurate work where angle changes will be made frequently. Plus the length of the arm limits the width of a board that can be cut.. There are a lot of opinions on the topic but I'd summarize it by suggesting that you not consider one.

A table saw in my opinion is a "must have item". It is more flexible in it's applications.

A miter saw is a valuable tool. I have 2 Dewalt's though they are not sliding.

Naturally the whole and real question is over the long term, what will you be cutting? If mostly 4X8 sheets of plywood this can be cumbersome on a table saw and even dangerous. So a vertical panel saw is the solution.

To summarize the whole thing IN MY OPINION... I'd start with a table saw and a miter saw. These will do a lot of work for you.

The next question is how much should you spend and that is a double edged sword. One thought is buy now what you can afford and get started on the hobby, upgrade later if the hobby really catches on for you. Yet the other side of sword says buy the very best you can even extending yourself some and you will have good tools that can do much better work for you and strengthen your interest in the hobby. But it does not sound like you're inclined to spend $3000 on a Powermatic saw at this time. But if you did, your results would be much better than a $100 saw and yield more rewarding projects.

Bottom line, like all the rest of us, you have to do some serious soul searching, financial planning, and consideration of just how far you expect to take the hobby and proceed as best you can.

Now there you go, a lecture instead of a simple "buy one of these and one of those"!.

Don Dando

[Bruce Barnett]

Why not get a table saw and make a miter sled?

[Doug Miller]

Hey, Rumpty, you listening to this?

Garbage. Assuming a 24" long arm and a 4" diameter column (which means approximately a 2" radius to the locking detent), each 0.001" of slop in the detent translates to 0.001" * (24 / 2) = 0.012" error at the end of the arm, or approximately 1/80 inch. You'd need to have an arm FORTY FEET long before the error amounted to 1/4 inch.

While far from perfect, the angle settings on the typical radial arm saw are considerably more accurate than the factory-supplied stock miter gauges on most table saws. Just as the use of a high-precision aftermarket miter gauge improves the cut accuracy on a table saw, so will the use of appropriate jigs and fixtures improve cut accuracy on a radial arm saw.

My RAS can crosscut boards up to a bit over 13" wide. That's wide enough for me. YMMV.

And I would summarize by suggesting that people who don't use radial arm saws should refrain from commenting on what they can't do.

Agreed -- a table saw is a must-have. But so is *either* a RAS *or* a compound miter saw.

More garbage. A vertical panel saw is *a* solution. Sawhorses, a circular saw, and a good edge guide is another solution -- one which fits into the budgets of most folks a whole lot better than a vertical panel saw does.

*And* a band saw.

[trs80]

[Oughtsix]

I use / have used my 1947 Redstar 7 1/2hp 16" turret arm radial arm saw for:

1) Cutting brick 2) Cutting metal tubing and angle iron to make my own chop saw 3) Scoring retaining blocks so I could shear them with a chisel 4) Cutting PVC 5) Cutting plexiglass 6) Cutting sheet metal 7) For 90% of the cuts I make in wood. 8) Dado's 9) Cutting tenons 10) Cutting miters etc...

I use "Old Green" my powermatic cabinet table saw for

1) Ripping

I grew up learning woodworking on my dads Delta 10" turret arm RAS. Until a year ago (50+ years of woodworking) he has never owned a table saw. The bench on his Delta RAS is about 9' x 4' and it is easier to rip sheet goods on this RAS than a table saw without a lot of extra supports. I paid $600 for my table saw and only $400 for my RAS. I would part with my table saw long before I would part with my RAS. That being said not everyone has learned how to use a RAS properly. At the same time I have not learned how to make the most of my table saw, I have never had too I have a RAS. My first RAS (a craftsman) did leave a lot to be desired as far as accuracy but it did do a nice job once I learned how to tune it up. Once the play was adjusted out of the column by loosening one of the hex bolts on the back and tightening the other even the craftsman returned to 90 without having to check every time the arm was moved. A good blade (Freud is my choice) makes a world of difference when is comes to making accurate cuts.

Everyone has their own preferences. A mastery of the tool in use is the key to success. I don't know where you learn to use a RAS properly if you don't have a father that can teach you?

[David Starr]

Oughtsix wrote: > A good blade (Freud is my

I learned how to use a RAS from a John DeChristoforo book "Power Tools". My father used a table saw, so I didn't inherit much RAS lore from him.

David Starr

[sweet sawdust]