radial arm saw vs. compound miter saw

The radial arm saw can also rip. A miter saw, slider or not, can not. Also, when not in use the radial arm saw provides more storage/assembly area.

Spoken like someone who has never used a RAS.

You can't dado (as opposed to grove) with a CMS.

You can't rip with a CMS.

You can't put a moulding cutter on a CMS.

forgot they can rip and that is a big difference

but i am not sure if that is a big enough selling point for potential purchasers

i have never ripped on a radial arm saw but i guess in a pinch it is a useful feature but i would not make it my go to method for ripping

of course you could rip thicker material than a skil saw

There is a ton of things you cannot do with a slider. Not the least of which is to use it as a sander, or buffer.

You can do all those things with a table saw.

Can you rip on your CMS?

I'd never buy one again but I have one (that needs to be put back together).

They're better at some operations than a table saw. The depth for dados and ploughs sets the thickness of the remaining material, rather than the material removed. Since, in a cross cut operation (cut or dado), you're not moving the material, it can be easier to get a good cut. There is a board you're cutting against (cleaner kerf - less tear out).

The downside is that rips are a bit scary, the reason I stopped using mine. If had mine come after me on a crosscut, too. That's pretty scary.

Cheap RASs (including all Crapsman) also aren't really stout enough, though. The arms flex.

The only big advantage of the RAS is its required floor space. They can be stuck up against a wall, which *really* limits the utility of a table saw.

If you cut from outside in they shouldn't come after you. That problem is inherent on RAS and sliding miter saws.

Actually, I'd never thought of cutting the opposite direction. It makes sense, though it makes setup a rather clumbsy operation on a RAS. A slider is even worse.

The trade off might be more tear out on the top side of the cut.

We talking about push instead of pull? If so, the work piece isn't being held firmly by the fence. Instead, the blade is trying to pick up the front edge; if it does, things could get nasty. Better to mitigate any tendency of the blade to climb by using a blade with a low rake.

Yes, the blade is trying to lift the board but it's still pushing against the fence. A climbing blade isn't exactly a fun time, either. These are the reasons I haven't used my RAS in over 20 years. I have a table saw, so I don't miss it.

I skim the surface on the way out, and lower on the way in. Easier to do on a slider since you don't have to crank it down.

But on wood cuts that don't matter I just make a cut going in.

use a hold down clamp, or your hand. I'd never let a board float under any circumstance.The blade only climbs on the way out, just like a slider saw does.

I've always been more careful with my table saw as it too can lift and throw wood under the right circumstances.

As far as I am concerned all power saws are dangerous, except a band saw perhaps.

OFWW wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

The bandsaw is just as dangerous as the other saws. It feels tame, but will slice through something without a second thought. It's much less likely to throw something, but that's the only bit that's really safer.

Puckdropper

You don't tend to feed as fast into a bandsaw (as a TS or RAS), so reaction time helps. Bandsaws don't tend to grab the piece and pull your hands into the sharp stuff, either.

They take their share of fingers though

True enough.

A *lot* of the amputations are by meat cutters. They operate the tools a little differently than woodworkers. The lacerations aren't such a bid deal. The only time I did a number on myself with my table saw, it was off. OTOH, surprisingly, there are a lot more than table saws, presumably because there are so many more (meat cutting) bandsaws in operation.