Radial saw / Sliding saw

[Tom M]

Why do you pull the saw into the work piece with a radial saw & push the saw into the work piece with a slidder?? Thanks for your 2=A2 Tom

[dadiOH]

Because of the way the teeth of the blade contact the wood.

With a radial, the teeth are trying to push the wood down and back towards the fence...*AWAY* from you.

With a table saw, the teeth are trying to pull the wood down put also push it toward you.

For the same reason, one cuts with good side up on a radial saw, good side down on a table saw.

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[Max]

Because you can. (G) Actually, the radial arm saw would be safer to use if it worked the same way. But, obviously, the design prohibits that.

Max D.

[Duane Bozarth]

Well, if doesn't physically push-cutting, but using it that way while "safer" in the sense of not pulling the saw into the material, it isn't as safe because the uplift of the blade when pushing tends to pick up the material and throw it. As someone else noted, I think, in slightly different wording...

[George]

Habit. You can just as easily extend the RAS and cut inward. Objections of others notwithstanding, it's the same cutting geometry. It does eliminate the tendency to climb and self-feed, the problem noted in another thread about knots.

It creates another safety problem in that you're pushing toward the hand that's holding the piece, and it's half hidden. Possibly half off.

[Ray_Manor]

When an RAS self-feeds it will jam and throw off alignment. On my vintage Sears, this would take a 1/4 hour to reset. Also, the RAS designers would have to build the machine strong enough to take the forces. Strength increases cost and weight. Weight reduces portability.

Not many RAS's being sold today.

[Max]

Hmm. Interesting view. Extending that logic to the sliding saws suggests that they're not as safe as a radial arm saw; an opinion that I would be reluctant to agree with.

Max

[Rumpty]

Use the correct blade (diameter and style) and your RAS won't jam. My DeWalt hasn't changed alignment in years and it get used commercially every day.

The chop saw has reduced the need for RAS's at construction site, they have not replaced them. Let's see Delta, Sears, Ridgid and OSC all sell radial arm saws, the best as sold by OSC. So, they are readily available

[Wilson Lamb]

[Ray_Manor]

I'm impressed. Dewalt's cost several times what that old Sears did. And weight, I'm sure you take that Dewalt with you to all your job sites. And accuracy, haven't "aligned it in years", when was that last time you ever check it? I've used those old Dewalts at lumber yards and can't remember a cut that didn't need redoing. Sure Dewalt made a good saw, but it had its limitation. By the way, "commercial use" does necessarily mean the tool is used for demanding operations. Hmmm, when was the last time you cut 8/4 or 14/4 quarter walnut or maple or for that matter ripped 8/4 into laminations?

The fact there are so few makers of RAS's is an indication just far miter saws have gone in eliminating them from the market place. Time was when Sears had a floor full of RAS's. No more. And what about the company that made the saw your so hopped up on - DeWalt. They are absent from your list of RAS makers. At one time they where considering the premier RAS manufacture. The RAS was the company's core product. Then the market for RAS's collapsed. Black and Decker bought them out. Kept the brand name and it excellent reputation. And trashed the rest.

Now just how "readily available" is that Dewalt RAS of yours? Dewalt sold out in 1989. Are you really going to try to tell us that the stuff on the market today is its equal, or better? That the performance of an old Dewalt will be matched by these models you so hastily recommend?

I think not.

Ray

[Duane Bozarth]

Ray [e-mail] wrote: ...

The OSC certainly...and the better/larger Delta's are still just fine as well.

Of course, they're pricey--but what isn't?

That there are fewer is indicative of the fact they are a more specialized machine and the advent of the chop/miter saw has mitigated the need for anything except larger ones for cutoff, etc., useage that is more tool than most hobbyists will want to dedicate to the purpose. For a commercial shop or particularly a architectural shop, I'd consider one nearly indispensible (and would dearly loath to part w/ mine even though I use it less frequently now for the first of the above reasons).

[J. Clarke]

Every woodworker does not carry a bunch of tools around to job sites you know. By your reasoning nobody should use a Unisaw because it's inconvenient to carry it to job sites.

If you're going to use that line of argument with Rumpty, you've picked on the wrong guy.

Perhaps you should run a sideline aligning radial arm saws for lumber yards. They may never have been set up properly in the first place.

Every tool has its limitations. So what?

don't know about rumpty, but it was a few months ago for me, only it wasn't walnut, it was lapacho.

So how many makers are there of miter saws? And what does the number of makers have to do with the utility of the tools. There aren't all that many makers of NMR scanners either, so I guess that doctors shouldn't use NMR scans.

What time was that? The local Sears seems to have as many as it ever did.

Actually, they are present in the form of The Original Saw Company.

Care to post the chronology on that?

Very.

Yep.

From OSC? Yep.

When you know for sure get back to us.

If you don't want to use an RAS then don't. But don't waste your breath an anti-RAS advocacy because if these are the best arguments you can muster you're going to make a fool of yourself.

If you want contentious religion take up Islam--the Church of Chopsaw is kind of silly.

[Michael White]

Tom M ( [e-mail]) wrote on Wednesday 06 April 2005 08:58 am:

Tom,

I think it's because you always want the spin of the blade such that it's trying to force the material away from the blade rather than being pulled into the blade.

BTW, there are radial arm saws out there that spin backwards, i.e. you push the saw into the work. I've got an Craftsman from the '70s that's built that way. Kind of convenient, actually.

[Rumpty]

Ray,

OSC bought the complete DeWalt product including all molds, spare parts. designs etc. from B&D, they produce a superb RAS which is a DeWalt in everything but name. There is a very strong aftermarket on used DeWalts. You can buy a 7790 for around $500 and you have an equivalent tom a $3,000 OSC.

I run a commercial furniture shop. We slice through 8/4 etc all the time, The last time I checked alignment was a few months ago when I replaced the complete table and upgraded to a two ply Mr. Sawdust table with steel reinforcement. Alignment was right on the money. I use the saw enough to know if it's out of alignment, you can tell by the cut alone if you are out. we also use our RAS's for moulding operations. IMHO you can't build furniture with out one!

[Rumpty]

Sweet! VBG