WHERE2FIND radial arm saw attachments for routing, sanding, shaping, dadoing, etc.....

[Courtney Thomas]

I inherited a Craftsman 9" radial and am wondering if attachments & modifications are available for it to allow functions other than sawing.

Thank you, Courtney

[Tom H]

Radial arm saws are rare anymore because of the introduction of sliding miter saws and too many radial arm saw accidents.

You can still buy one but they are expensive. Sears still sells one for about $650.

For a Sears Saw you can go to Sears Parts (

) and type in your model number to see whats avaliable. sometimes they show attachments on their parts lists.

Or, you can go to ebay at (

and see what you can find used.

Good Luck

[tom_murphy]

Your saw most likely has an accessory drive on the motor opposite the blade arbor. On my old Craftsman 10", it's as simple as threading a chuck onto the drive. Note that the saw operates at MUCH slower speed (RPM) than is suitable for most routing applications. I did have some success with this method though before I got a router. Be sure to read the manual or one of the books on the subject to learn the safest technique.

Tom

[Courtney Thomas]

Thank you for your help.

sears Parts had nothing but there were several items on Ebay. My saw is

9". How can I tell if the moulding heads, etc. will fit it ? They advertise as being for a 10".

Thanks once more, Courtney

[LRod]

Sears only made two size molding heads that I recall: 3" and 7" (roughly). Either will work on your 9" saw.

I also don't remember Sears selling a dado set larger than 8" (few manufacturers do), so any of those will fit, too (so long as the arbor size is correct).

The limiting factor in either of those cases will be the power available for the amount of material you'll be trying to move. Several light passes vs a couple of heavy ones, which wouldn't be an issue with a higher HP 10" saw, should be the rule of the day.

[Woodhead]

Beware of the molding head cutter. I have a deep hole in my garage door where one of the cutters came off when a piece of lumber started chattering. I was using a push stick from the side or it would have been bloody.......

[Courtney Thomas]

RE: routing & molding head usage

Courtney

[L d'Bonnie]

The key word is saw. Use it as a saw and it will probably keep you happy for years. Use it for anything else and it will probably break something, very possibly you.

When something goes wrong, your work is trapped between the table top and a substantial mass turning at 3000+ RPM. The only way out is back the the way it came. Guess where you're standing.

I have a molding head for my radial arm. The last time I used that molder it sent piece of lumber through two 1/2" sheets of drywall, two sheets of 1/4" paneling and put a dent in the dryer in the next room.

I don't use it as molder any more. I use it as a good example of a bad idea.

[dadiOH]

Just some comments as you have already found accessories...

1. Routing - forget it, RPM way too low, too unstable too.
2. Sanding - assuming you have a shaft sticking out opposite the saw arbor, Sears' drum sander works well. You can also stick a 7-8" soft pad on there - you'll probably need a bushing to adapt the pad 5/8 > saw

1/2. Of course, you can also put whatever will fit on the saw arbor...I've used sanding plates there.

1. Shaping - any dado/molding head should fit and work well. Be careful of them though...
2. You didn't mention them but you can also get 3rd party rotary planers. They work but not very well...since they are cross cutting, they leave a very rough surface. Also cut a narrow path so it takes a long time to do much. I used to use one sometimes then use a soft pad (on the saw) to sand the rough surface. Better than nothing but not much.

-- dadiOH ____________________________

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