Surely the great majority of my cuts are plain crosscuts, I don't do all that many miters. Last picture frame I cut on it was many years ago. But I can set the tool to rip, or set the blade horizontal for grooving or molding head work, and have the autostops get the tool back to crosscut position and cutting square again. And yeah, I too put a square on a test cut before cutting that nice fresh wood for that new project. Measure twice, cut once....
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Don't know--haven't looked recently. New, out-of-the-box, probably $2-3k. But, I bought this at auction 20+ years ago for about $250. It did take adding a 3-phase converter for another $150 so overall I have something like $500 in it...
However, one can almost always find them for essentially throwaway prices if looking seriously because too many uninformed have been given such propaganda as is bandied about here so they have become unpopular.
Of course, like anything else the "get what you pay for" mantra holds; the cheap Craftsmans and some of the small DeWalts and similar were/are simply too lightly built and deserve their reputation.
Again, as I told somebody else banging on RAS, they're two different tools for differing purposes. I'm not denigrating the SCMS for its place; simply standing up for the RAS in its place.
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I hear that... When I was living in the states and my shop was the neighborhood gathering spot, I'd always catch someone leaning on the RAS table... there goes the tuning again.. *sigh*
mac
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I got tons of help here at the rec when I got my RAS and a great piece of advice was "don't move the head out of 90 degrees unless you have to..
I looked at maybe 5 or 6 people's shop made angle jigs and built my own.. pretty much leave the head alone unless I'm ripping.. Pretty much just some sheet stock with fixed or adjustable "fences" on it..
mac
Please remove splinters before emailing
What do you see as "its place"?
It sits in its dedicated long bench awaiting its calling when required
-- just like the cabinet saw, the miter saw in its bench, the jointer, the shaper, the planer, ... All/any can serve in a pinch to do some of the tasks of the others--which is most convenient/best is dependent on the size of the work and the specific task at hand.
For the most part, the RAS is the "rough/heavy work" guy, of course; now. However, for the first 5 years or so, it was the _only_ stationary power tool and it served for all of the above on everything I did. The jointer was the second, and those two served for almost another five. At that point, I began to have sufficient resources to expand, adding the planer and shaper next, ...
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I'll add that if I were to start over again, I'd go at it the same way
-- the heavily-built 12" or larger RAS would be the first thing I would buy, and build as long a worksurface bench for it to sit in as I had room for.
The only difference in progression now vs then would probably be the addition of a heavy plunge router as early on as could--back then was before their time...
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Why do you have a miter saw if you have an RAS that adjusts precisely and stays in tune?
Yeah, that's one thing that's bugged me about mine--the table being held in alignment by friction. IOne of these days I've got to do something about that.
Strictly crosscuts for my RAS. I have a shaper for molding and a router table for grooving. I will soon have a SCMS for ......................miters. I once used my RAS for ripping and my immediate thought was......... only in an emergency. I don't have an opinion as to whether it's dangerous or not. it's just that there are other easier ways. I would rather mount a circular saw underneath a table and clamp a guide for ripping. As a matter of fact that's what I did before the purchase of a table saw.
Max
To upset you, apparently... :(
If you can't understand specialty usage, then I don't know I can explain it.
I actually bought the miter saw when doing interior trimwork so I could set it up on remote job sites. Having once gotten it, could see no reason not to keep it.
Again I'll reiterate -- if one is pressed for space or doesn't ever do large, heavy work and has other ways to accomplish their objectives, sure one can do without the RAS. Same can be said for any other tool--the 18th century masters and earlier did without any of it and managed somehow...
At this point I'm done. There are reasons for both -- whether any particular person/shop has justifiable reasons is up to them.
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Should have known I'd be living in the past...
New looks like about $5k for nearest to what I have that is currently being manufactured...
Last auction I went to about two/three years ago now, however, the same saw as I have went for roughly $750 iirc at a surplus auction of stuff from several government facilities. I believe this saw came from a Navy facility --
I went because of the old Oliver 24" jointer, but the auction was in TN and had only that one weekend to remove items from the site and didn't have enough of a vehicle w/ me to be able to move it. Being 1100 miles, it was essentially impossible to get to KS and back in time to get it...the killer is it sold for $150. Needed new bearings, motor, and some other work, but was complete w/ fence, etc., ...
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And, just to flog a dead horse, curiousity got to me---there are at least two similar machines on eBay currently although one is 12" rather than 14" that were at $200 current bid when I looked. Both single-phase which is somewhat unusual but probably more convenient for most...
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I think I'm about to... lol
A friend talked me into NOT selling the RAS and is drawing up plans for a new table and fence that will have solid, allen screw adjustable, supports and things.. Don't know the specifics, but sounds promising.. He said it would be "infinitely adjustable" and keep in tune.. I guess now I'm going to have take the covers off and clean/adjust/oil the rollers on the arm..
It might also help that everything but the lathes and band saw are out of the shop and in the carport now, so less chance of visitors leaning or leaving coffee rings on it..
mac
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Used, Craigslist, Ebay, lots of 'em for $100-$200. You gotta sort out the good cast iron models from the cheapy stamped steel ones, but a bit of looking will turn up a good unit. Don't have a clue what a decent new one might cost.
David Starr
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