Question about Radial Arm Saw

[rcarmac]

So I was just given an older (mid 1980's) Craftsman Radial Arm Saw. What I am trying to figure out is what place it serve if you have a table saw and a miter saw? Any thoughts?

Also, it appears this saw falls under a safety recall. Under the recall, they will either send me a new safety housing to go over the blade or give me $100 if I return the head saw blade unit. They send a box, shipping label and pay for shipment but basically makes the saw junk.

Which would you do. Is a radial arm saw useful

 

[Phil S]

If you have the room I would keep it. It is perfect for rough cutting lumber to length before you mill it and it because it can bevel and miter any angle it can makes cuts a miter saw cannot.

 

[John Harris]

I had an old craftsman given to me several years ago that I gave away. With a sliding compound miter saw and a cross cut sled on my table saw, I just didn't see the need for it.

 

[JohnW]

Regarding the recall: I did that about 10-12 years ago and received the blade guard AND a new 1" thick table kit. The table was a nice upgrade.

That being said, I would probably take the money. You already have a table saw and miter saw. IMHO The Craftsman RAS is not accurate enough for finish or final cuts so it offers few benefits to you compared to the space it will take up. I've spent a lot of time learning how to adjust it to square and it's design is not up to the task of staying square. There is just too much play in the yoke arm and carriage.

I would not recommend using the Craftsman RAS for anything other than square cross cuts. It will do much more but not in a safe enough manner for my taste. Some folks put a dedicated dado stack on an RAS which can be handy, but the table must be perfectly parallel with the yoke and that set up is very hard to do on the Craftsman.

That being said, I do use an RAS in my shop. This Dewalt has a cast iron yoke and is very stable. I only cross cut 90 degrees on it and keep it set up that way. I have 8' to the right and +12' on the left. Also have a longer fence now than as shown.

 

[Pop Golden]

​Ounce up on a time in a Galaxy far away I too had a Craftsman RAS. It never would stay accurate. I have had a Delta for a good many years very accurate, well built machine. A good RAS is much more accurate than a sliding miter saw. I have a compound miter saw (Bosch) which is dead on. a sliding miter's support rails let the saw deflect horizontally. I sold tools for several years and found this to be true on the majority of sliders. That big cast iron arm on a RAS is very solid.

Pop

 

[Rwe2156]

I would take the cash, save the base and scrap the rest of it.

They were (and still are) POJ's.

You've gotten by without it so far, right?

Pop, you are correct about holding adjustments. The better brands of sliders hold their settings very well.

 

[jlwest]

I have a friend who cut his left hand off using a radial arm saw. It was 30 years ago and probably mostly his fault. A good sliding miter saw works fine.

 

[Mr Woodie]

I have had a number of Craftsman (CM) ras's over the years. There are good ones and bad ones. The older 60's early 70's are the better ones. Talking CM here.
Sold my last CM one a few years ago, and now have a Dewalt 7790, 12" saw. Far, far, better than the CM.
That said, the CM ras's can do the job. One weak link in the CM saws is the arm lock. You haven't lived (or cursed enough) until you have had to take the arm off and repair the lock! I think the lock got damages by someone bumping into the arm.

A ras excels doing dados.
I ganged 4 - 2x4's together to cut 10, 1" x 1 1/2" dados in each piece. Took all of about 5 minutes to make all 40 dados! And that was making 3 passes on each cut, as I was using a CM ras, which is a little under powered for deep dados.
Try that on a scms! At least on one that under $1000.

To me just using a ras for 90 degree cuts is a waste of a saws potential. The Dewalt always locks back to 90 degrees with no problem. The CM was so so.
It's not a big deal to throw a square on the table before locking the arm.
People say a ras takes up too much shop space compared to a scms. I also have a Red Star (early design Delta copied) ras, that has a base that is 18" wide. I think my basic 10" miter saw is that wide.

Imho, a ras is a basic part of a woodworking shop, and wouldn't want to be without one.

Quality wise, the difference in an older CM ras, and an older Dewalt, is like the difference between an older CM ts, and an older Unisaw. They all do the job, but some do it nicer.

With the CM, you can always turn it in for the $100 bounty. Been there, done that more than a few times!

 

[junquecol]

The one thing a RAS can do that no other saw can do is cut the compound bevels on gable vent louvers. Most louver shops had one set up for left ends, and another for right ends

 

[ck1999]

First understand i tinker with tools and try to make something nice.

I use a ras a lot. I have a sliding miter but I like the larger table of the ras. My wife went to a yard sale they were selling the older craftsman for $10 she didn't know what it was and it did not have a table on it. I called about recall they sent me a new table and I was good to go. I do not rip with it. Until I saw something online didn't even know you could. I like mine and I also use it to cut lap joints. Like i said it works for me. I will buy another if this messes up. I bought a Diablo blade,that cuts a lot better then older blade.

Chris

 

[JimD]

I have a 12 inch CMS (not a slider) and an old Ryobi 8 1/4 inch RAS on the same bench using the same stops. I cut all angles and crosscuts through 8 inches wide on the CMS. I do wider crosscuts up to a little over 12 inches on the RAS. I also do tenons on long boards and lap joints on the RAS with a small dado stack. The little Ryobi is also on recall with a $75 rebate if I remember right for cracking of the plastic motor housing. Mine isn't cracked and I like it so I keep it. It cuts accurately but there is enough slop in the carriage I bias the motor a little to the left. With that adjustment of technique, it crosscuts very accurately. I use it for finish cuts.

A very important thing about RASs is a negative hook blade. You do not want it to climb but. It's inaccurate and dangerous. Normal crosscut blades have a positive hook angle and will climb cut on a RAS. But negative hook blades are not hard to find and necessary for safety.

I've never ripped on my RAS and never will. I have a table saw and track saw for that.

I don't love my RAS but I do like it and want to keep it in my shop. sliders take up too much bench depth for me. They also would not do the tenons and lap joints as well although some (I know the hitachi) can adjust their depth of cut. But it isn't anywhere like as easy as the crank on my RAS.

 

[Pop Golden]

Arguing about RAS is not quite but close to [FONT=&amp]Arguing about Saw Stop. You'll have fun fun fun till daddy takes the RAS away.

[/FONT]Pop :rotflm:

 

[Berta]

I had a good one. I would buy a sliding miter saw over it today. More accurate, safer. I look at them like a horse and carriage, cute, but I don't want one.

 

[golfdad]

I have one in the shop. Its still there because its part of the long bench that includes my Miter Saw. I do use it only for dado's though. My 2 cents is its stil more dangerous than Miter or Table saw's