so a dummy buys a ras...

[Unquestionably Confused]

I, too, read that and wondered what the ....? Then I thought about it and must presume that George may be one of those who chooses to bring the RAS all the way out on the carriage and then push it back towards the fence with the board to be cut between the two.

But then I REALLY re-read it and figured that if perhaps George is somehow doing a "reverse" RIP on a RAS, maybe he does have a valid point about the RAS behing inherently dangerous. Just like others have made the point that the only real danger is the stupidity of the operator.

[Schroeder]

LOL!,...Well said,...and o-so-true!

Schroeder

[Doug Miller]

Perhaps attempting to use a radial arm saw in that manner explains the blind, unreasoning, panicky shouts of "Unsafe! Unsafe!"

It *is* unsafe when used like that. *Any* tool is, or can be, unsafe when used incorrectly. And again, we're back to the operator making the difference, not the tool.

No, that would *not* in *any* way be "a valid point about the RAS being inherently dangerous" - that would be a demonstration that using a tool incorrectly is inherently dangerous.

Now, on a "normal" rip on a RAS, the teeth at the leading edge *are* moving up... but ripping is not the normal mode of use for a RAS. Crosscutting is. And when crosscutting, the teeth at the leading edge are moving *down*, and exerting a *downward* force on the workpiece. Despite what George and Tom think.

Neither is a RAS the best tool for ripping. That would be a TS.

[CW]

When ripping, yes.

[Duane Bozarth]

Doug Miller wrote: ...

...

Only if you're climb-cutting while ripping on a RAS and that dangerous!

When ripping on a RAS, to feed against the rotation direction, the leading teeth are rotating upwards...

While I use a RAS a fair amount including ripping, it definitely requires setting the blade guard correctly to serve as the holddown while ripping...

[Grant P. Beagles]

It is sure more accurate for cutting dados in bookcase sides than a TS sled!

Grant

Doug Miller wrote:

[Doug Miller]

True - and that's part of the reason that ripping is better done on a table saw.

[Doug Miller]

or cross-cutting, which is the principal use of the tool

I won't dispute that.

[David]

Why do you say that, Grant? I've had no problem with accuracy on my Unisaw with rips, crosscuts, dados, whatever.

Dave

Grant P. Beagles wrote:

[George]

YEP. The proper procedure for ripping on every RAS I've seen is into the climbing teeth. Read the manual. If you've got one that's different, a lot of us would like to know. It's one reason why folks don't do it much if they have an alternative. The guard can be rotated forward to limit the lift on some (those with anti-kickback pawls), but the modern ones benefit more from a featherboard clamped to the fence, because they've got the semicircular blade guards.

Speaking of the fence, it is another reason why ripping on the RAS, even if you move it out from the wall to get better position, can be a bit troublesome. Too many people don't keep an uncut piece of slick-faced whatever available to reference. The cuts can trap the board due to a bit of misalignment, or catch a splinter, stopping the feed. Very frustrating. Also a temptation to unsafe reaching or forcing....

[Dave Hall]

Unless, of course, you actually use hold-downs attached to your RAS fence (which I have used in addition to setting the guard properly to act as a hold-down).

Dave Hall

[Duane Bozarth]

Well, I personally think it matters not a whig as long as one has either set up properly...I choose to rip on thr RAS precisely I have it set up such that it is the most convenient tool for the job in my shop arrangement...

imo, ymmv, $0.02, etc., ...

[Dave Hall]

They are talking about ripping on the RAS, not crosscutting. Usually in ripping on a RAS you push the board into the blade from behind where the blade is moving upward when it hits your board. Pushing a board into the front of a RAS blade set in rip mode will possibily cause the saw to grab the board and try to suck it into the blade. This often results in either a stall on an underpowered Craftsman RAS or "issues" with a more powerful RAS.

Dave Hall

[Steve Peterson]

A RAS has the good behavior to sit quietly (most of the time) in one place, along the wall just waiting to be used. A table saw in use requires enough space, on both sides of the blade (leading and trailing), for the workpiece to be pushed through. My Dad was a cabinetmaker for 40 years; his shop was laid out all around the TS, but it was about 30'x120'. I can't make the same commitment of floor space in my double garage, so I use a RAS. A lot of the rips I need to make are less than 30" long, so I use an auxilliary fence parallel to the blade travel. Clamped to the normal fence it gives a reliable reference that allows me to rip with the RAS used in its normal crosscut fashion. As I usually have it set up, I get about 16" of travel; by flipping the piece and cutting from each end I can make a safe, accurate cut about 32" long. When that isn't long enough, I usually use the bandsaw or a circular saw.

Steve

[Rumpty]

Tsk tsk tsk, not nice to lie!

[George E. Cawthon]

They do on mine when you rip wood? Otherwise you would have to hold back on the wood. Spin down when you crosscut.

[George E. Cawthon]

Trying to run a board in the wrong direction on a rip cut would be pretty evident to any aware person since the hold down and the kickback device on the saw blade shield would obviously be backward.

[CW]

Though I now have a table saw and haven't used a RAS in some years, I have ripped plenty on them. It is no problem and I never saw it as any more dangerous than on a table saw. Longer push sticks are mandatory. Never get inside the frame. The only way I see a tablesaw better for ripping the usual stuff (under twelve inches wide) is the table not being as smooth and nice on the RAS.

Unquesti> > >Doug Miller wrote:

difference,

[David]

Let me ask you something, Steve: are the rips good enough for glue ups? I couldn't get a quality rip from my old Sears TS, but my Unisaw with WWII lets me rip as smooth as a baby's butt and straight as an arrow.

Dave

Steve Peters> A RAS has the good behavior to sit quietly (most of the time) in one place,

[Tom Watson]

Would you care to rethink that statement?

Tom Watson - WoodDorker tjwatson1ATcomcastDOTnet (email)

(website)