never bought a radial arm saw but they were once so popular
am sure this has never been discussed here before
guess everyone buys a mitre saw instead but i would take a radial arm saw if i saw one on the curb
good for large rough lumber
four bys and six bys etc
I don't think anyone is saying a radial arm saw is awful, horrible, terribl e, evil. It just doesn't really have much use for the vast majority of peo ple. It does some things very well. As you said, cutting large 4x4, 6x6, big rough lumber. Something very few people do much of. If I owned a sawm ill, I would likely have a radial arm saw sitting around because it can cro ss cut a 24" wide board that is 4 inches thick. But other than a sawmill, who needs that ability? A radial arm saw is good for cross cutting up to a bout 24" I think. 12" is the most almost anyone needs though. Crosscuttin g at 90 degrees only. Its not good to adjust the angle to 45 degrees or an ything else. Not accurate except at 90 degrees only. Don't think its safe or good at compound cuts either. Miter saws and sliding miter saws do eve rything the radial arm saw does, except more accurate and easier.
An analogy. Hammers. Compared to air guns. Everyone owns a hammer or man y. Cheap and easy to use. But if you go to a professional house building, construction site, you will see few hammers being used. Everyone will hav e one swinging from their belt. But not using them. Air guns are faster a nd better for nailing wood together. Take installing trim. An air gun can shoot a 15, 16, 18 gauge nail exactly where you want. Harder to precisely nail with a hammer a little trim nail exactly. Air guns are just better i n most cases. But like the radial arm saw, manual winging hammers are need ed in some specific situations.
To infinite ad nauseam, and all the tangents possible maybe!
Well, not dadoes & rabbets.
, except more accurate and easier.
The only reason I still have mine around is just for those two reasons. Al though I don't know why at this time... I haven't built but a handful of ca binets in the last ten years.
When I did a lot of office/warehouse finish outs they spec'd out "paint gra de" cabinets, and it was a snap to dado in the sides for permanent shelf pl acement. Likewise, turn the motor parallel to he fence and do rabbets.
Unless the fully spec the cabinets, I go to HD and buy their unfinished oak cabs, ready for paint. I take the doors off, spray the carcass, then the doors and reassemble. MUCH cheaper time/labor/material wise than building them from scratch at this point, and the customers are more impressed with getting the color they want than the quality of the cabinets. Besides, if the cabs are a bit flimsy, it is easy enough to reinforce the frames, drawe rs, etc. as needed.
Guess I should put the saw out to the curb for EC.
Robert
At one time almost as much as the SawStop.
At one time almost as much as the SawStop.
Gass sucks!
They are good for precision cutting of 1/2" and 3/8" steel plate.
Hey, how about a picture!
All 5 pieces of steel for this Soap Box Derby axle mount were cut on a radial arm saw. Everything from the large triangular piece on the bottom to the small rectangle on the top. (The piece running horizontal across the image is the axle)
You just have to make sure that you keep the sheet of plywood protecting the wall behind the blade very moist.
...snip...
...snip...
Not everything. It's pretty hard to cut a 12" wide, 3/8" thick steel plate on a miter saw. Put a metal cutting blade on radial arm saw and make multiple passes, increasing the depth of cut each time. It takes time, but if the plate is properly secured and you have a lot of patience, you can make some extremely accurate cuts.
Try cutting the steel for this on miter saw.
I cut metal with a hacksaw, jigsaw, or reciprocating saw. Its also possible to cut on a table saw. Just put the metal cutting, grinder blade on it and run the metal against the fence.
Several people have mentioned cutting dadoes and rabbets on the radial arm saw. I've heard that is deadly and dangerous. Not something I would want to do when I have a nice table saw to safely cut dadoes and rabbets.
The radial arm saw can do lots of things. You can rip on the radial arm saw too! It just doesn't do much well. Its mediocre and/or dangerous for many of the things it does.
Put a metal cutting blade on radial arm saw and make multiple
These cuts aren't dangerous because the blade can't be pinched. It's rips that are dangerous (crosscuts much less so).
Look at the edges on the pieces of steel shown in the image I posted. Do you really think you could produce an edge like that on a 3/8" thick plate with hacksaw, jigsaw, or reciprocating saw? Would you really try to cut pieces that small on a table saw?
There is no way you could produce those results with any of the tools you've mentioned.
Besides, your claim was that "Miter saws and sliding miter saws do everything the radial arm saw does, except more accurate and easier."
Bull. They can't do this:
Electric Comet wrote in news:oj3j2q$fi1$2 @dont-email.me:
Here's the problem: They can't be made cheap. A RAS can be a very useful addition to a shop, but you've got to buy a good one. The SCMS or even CMS can be made at a sub-200 price point and give "good enough" cuts, while a cheap RAS will never hold its settings.
My RAS is an old DeWalt I've tuned up and it's the most accurate saw in the shop.
These saws are easy to use incorrectly--do you start with the wood trapped between blade and fence and push the sawblade away from you? I saw people advocating that method on an internet discussion (I know, Bon Jour!). Positive or negative hook blade? When do you lock the carriage?
When something brown shorts worthy happens on a RAS (and I'm not talking about the UPS man), what usually occurs?
Puckdropper
Or try cutting dado's, or mounting a molding cutter, or do some horizontal boring, or. Ripping a board with a miter or sliding miter saw. I have done all of the above when I had a RAS.
[snip]
That's it in a nutshell. A GOOD RAS that's been accurately tuned/adjusted is a marvelous tool that can do just about anything to a piece of wood that needs to be done (save for breaking down a a large panel into something manageable, but that's why we have circular saws)
I've got an old Craftsman (ca 1968-69) that is a gem. Built cabinets, furniture, remodeling and new construction with it for years before finally landing a deal on a Jet Cabinet saw. Still have and occasionally use the RAS.
Seen folks advocating that push to cut as well. Scary. I always pull it through the cut and so long as you are bright enough to realize that the blade will have a tendency to "help" itself through the cut and work to counteract that, you're fine. If you aren't smart enough to realize it, then maybe you should find another hobby.
I know, but I'm not sure how to post blade jammed and motor cooking off. ;-)
You just need a GOOD Radial Arm Saw, and there was a LOT of JUNK sold as Radial Arm Saws. I had a cheap Craftsman round arm and I smashed it up before putting it on the ketrb. A good De-Walt, or even the expensive craftsman, is a TOTALLY different animal. My neighbour's old dewalt is extremely accurate, but ever since he had the motor rewound, if it gets overloaded it reverses, and kicks the work out of the saw - which DOES make it dangerous!!
I don't think anyone is saying a radial arm saw is awful, horrible, terrible, evil.
*** No only a Delta RAS is awful, horrible, terrible & evil. Most others are fine within their power and size specifications.
I actually did all of the above with a Craftsman RAS, new 1979 ish.
My neighbour's
Crap!
Heard from who? Do you own one yourself? Have you ever? If not then perhaps you shouldn't be arguing with people who do.
Based on what experience?
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