I'm looking through eBay for a molding kit for a Craftsman radial arm saw, it looks as though there is an older version that takes a single cutter and a current version that uses three cutters. Bottom line is that for the same cost you get more shapes with the older version. So is there another reason to choose one set over the other. BTW I've a couple of specific jobs I need to do with the molding tool but I don't expect it'll see a lot of use.
Thanks in advance,
Peter
Smoothness. Very little sanding needed with the three knife style. IMO it is also a little safer.
With three knives you get a smaller cut for each blade in one revolution of the cutter head. This is less stress on the cutter head and a smoother cut.
I found using the radial arm saw for moulding or ripping operations was just very dangerous without a lot of extra setup.
Depending on what you need there is a router shaper available from Grizzly for around $100.
You'd think a triple cutter may be smoother, but my single cutter (which I use on the TS) is more than smooth enough for me with some woods (e.g. pine or poplar). If you calculate the proper feed speed with the wood type etc., the single cutter may be even smoother, since there's no concern for blade alignment. But for hardwoods the triple cutter's smaller chips may be a better choice.
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