Radial Arm Saw not cutting well

[Frank Boettcher]

The negative hook angle for radial arm saws is primarily for safety, to diminish the propensity to climb that RAS exhibit.

[Charley]

It could be that you are running it on an excessively long 14 gauge wire from your electric panel - The saw requires about 12 amps running, but can draw about 20 on start-up. On a long wire it's resistance could rob you of the power that you need. Try to connect it to a heavy extension cord plugged into an outlet close to your electric panel or measure the voltage at the saw with it running - if not at least 90 volts (on a 120 circuit) you have a problem.

It could be that the blade is slipping - check the flatness of the washers on both sides of the blade and reverse the surfaces that touch the blade. I once had a saw with a cupped washer and if I didn't get it on right the blade would slip.

It could be that you have the blade on backwards - This sounds like a dumb suggestion, but I've now fixed 2 radial arm saws by turning the blade over. They cut a lot better afterwards. One was owned by a neighbor and the other by a guy that I worked with.

It could be that one of the capacitors in your motor is bad - some saws have both a start capacitor and a run capacitor. They're hard to test and not very expensive. Whenever I suspect that I have a bad one, I replace it. Your local electric motor shop can help with the replacement, testing, etc.

[mac davis]

Lets keep it simple... is the blade installed with the teeth in the correct direction...

I'm one of many people that have admitted this mistake... it's backwards from most saws so pay close attention to the arrows on the blade... The teeth on the bottom of the blade as you're making your cut should be facing away from you, towards the fence..

Mac

[mac davis]

remembering my problems when I bought a used RAS... belt could also be bad or loose... little sucker that didn't LOOK adjustable but was.. *g*

Mac

[Gwidman]

In addition to all the other excellent suggestions, check the brushes in the motor.

I replaced all extension cords in my shop with 10 ga cords years ago so I never have to worry about what's plugged in where.

gwidman

[George E. Cawthon]

He's talking about a radial arm saw. Not much chance that the saw needs 20 A. It sounds exactly like something is wrong with the motor.

[George E. Cawthon]

Got a point. Maybe he does have the blade on backwards. Only two possibilities, the (1) blade

-- dull, on backwards, or something, or (2) the motor-- burned winding, bad contacts, etc. But we already know there something wrong with the motor since it starts slow and takes a while to speed up.

Something is seriously wrong if he can't cut 3/4" wood rapidly.

[George E. Cawthon]

Maintain your position at all costs, even if it makes you look stupid.

Have you ever owned or used a radial arm saw to any extent? Doesn't sound like it.

[George E. Cawthon]

You could say that, but it wouldn't be true.

Likely. I have never bought a blade specifically for my radial arm saw, in fact, I doubt that they even made special blades when I bought my RAS. I never saw a Wards or Sears blade that said it was for a RAS. I have always used the same blades on my radial arm saw and table saw.

Using a table saw blade on a RAS does not result in what the OP described.

Not to put a fine point on it, but since most people here hate RAS and don't have them, where do people come up with all this nonsense about RAS?

[George E. Cawthon]

Burned or worn brushes or broken brush springs could explain the motor behavior but that may be just part of the problem. Simple enough to just replace brushes, assuming it is a brush type motor.

[EXT]

Could be dull blade, backwards blade, blade not tight, bearings dry and tight, brush motor with worn brushes, wrong voltage. You need to check each item out to eliminate them.

[Leon]

I could be wrong here and you seem to be an expert concerning RAS's but um I have not seen one that uses brushes. The only RAS motor that I have seen use induction motors, not universal motors.

[George]

You are. PowerKraft (Wards) saws did. 20K motors with an aux routing spindle. Not only that, had the switch in the hand grip intead of up on the beam. Mine's still crosscutting, but I quit ripping on it when I bought the table saw.

The described malfunction smells like capacitor or inertial switch, though, which would indicate an induction motor.

[Leon]

Well I should have said, that most are induction and that ones with brushes were an exception. I am with you on the thoughts of what may be wrong. Motors with brushes are probably about as rare as TS with the flexible shaft drive. They are out there but not the norm. Totally discounting however the knot head on "Woodworking" that thinks his Sliding CMS is a RAS.

[Doug Miller]

Belt?? That's a new one on me... never saw a RAS that had the blade mounted any way other than directly on the motor shaft...

[Doug Miller]

I know perfectly well what he's talking about, and it's quite *likely* that the saw needs a circuit wired with 12-ga or heavier wire (which implies a 20A circuit) in order for the blade to spin up quickly. A radial arm saw plugged into a 15A circuit will behave *exactly* as the OP describes.

[Doug Miller]

Do you actually have a point to make, George, or are you capable of nothing more than ad hominem comments? I've had a RAS for more than 20 years, it sees regular use... and I know from experience that it behaves in a similar manner to that described by the OP, when plugged into a 15A circuit. What experience, if any, with radial arm saws do you have, that would suggest the contrary?

[Sweet Sawdust]

I have seen one (1) RAS with a belt, can't remember the brand now it was some foreign make though. The motor was offset from the blade arbor about

[mac davis]

Yep.. surprised the hell out of me, too... When I got my Monkey Wards Power Kraft at a garage sale, I put a new blade on it an it cut ok, but really has the feel of a belt slipping... It couldn't be, of course, because I'd never seen a RSAS with a belt, either, so I didn't check that.. *lol*

Then I noticed that the center of the blade was about 3 inches below the center of the motor and dropped the end panel.. sure as hell, a little belt about 3/8" by maybe 8"... lol Loosened the bolts, dropped the blade down a bit and it was good to go.. Mac

[abukosky]

Sounds to me like the saw is wired for 220 volts and you have it connected to 110. Check with your father-in-law about the circuit he had it connected to or if he had the same problem. It may have been wired for 220 before he got it, expecially if he got it used.

Good luck.