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Radial arm saw

Started by Osric, December 03, 2008, 09:17:15 PM

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Osric

So the wife asked me what I wanted for Christmas and I told her a radial arm saw.  I said this primarily because I don't like my miter box....the angles aren't quite right and no matter how many times I break out the square, I can never even get a really good 90 degree angle.  I figured a radial arm saw would let me cut angles and also let me work with some larger pieces of wood rather than the 8-10" limitation I have now.

But the more I think about it, the more I wonder if this is a good substitute for a miter box.  Does the arm of the saw lock into place with accuracy, or since it is such a long arm, does it increase the likelyhood of the angle being off?


metalspinner

What brand of miter saw are you currently using?  That may be the trouble with it holding its accuracy.
I do what the little voices in my wife's head tell me to do.

LeeB

I bought a Bosch back in Oct. and am sure happy with it. I haven't used a radial since the early 80's, so I can't tell you much about them.
'98 LT40HDD/Lombardini, Case 580L, Cat D4C, JD 3032 tractor, JD 5410 tractor, Husky 346, 372 and 562XP's. Stihl MS180 and MS361, 1998 and 2006 3/4 Ton 5.9 Cummins 4x4's, 1989 Dodge D100 w/ 318, and a 1966 Chevy C60 w/ dump bed.

zopi

I haven't used one newer than about 1980 that I thought was better than scrap metal...but then I
have only used newer consumer saws...ick..

I know where there is a truly ancient Dewalt that I drool over...won't come off it though...

I kind of got away from using them..sold my old craftsman..bloody dangerous..I can do pretty much anything with table saw
and circular saw I could with an RA...
Got Wood?
LT-15G GO chassis added.
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And lots of junk.

Dave Shepard

I was talking to someone who runs a large flooring mill, they are known as Radical Harm saws there. :o

Wood-Mizer LT40HDD51-WR Wireless, Kubota L48, Honda Rincon 650, TJ208 G-S, and a 60"LogRite!

pigman

I have a radial arm saw and I think the thing is very usefull. It has a nice table that I lay my clamps and other tools on. I cleaned the table off last week just to see if the thing still worked.  ;D
Things turn out best for people who make the best of how things turn out.

beenthere

I use my RA (Rockwell Delta) about as much as I use the table saw. Both have their applications. Then too, I use the miter chop saws. (not what I call a miter box, as that is something different, IMO).

The limit is thickness of material to be cut.

Not sure Osric gave us a clear idea what it is he wants to cut square. Take a big RA to go over about 4", without flipping it over and sneaking up to meet the first cut.

But RA saws can be adjusted to cut very accurately. Often, they don't get that kind of attention.  ::) ::)    and if not adjusted to cut square....they won't.  :)

I have respect for the RA, but no more or less than the table saw. Keep a firm grip on the handle pulling into the cut, and keep the fingers out of the path of the blade...but that shouldn't be hard to figure out... ;D ;D
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

pineywoods

Radial arm saws have their limitations but used with a little common sense they are a very nice tool. I've had one for nearly 40 years. If you keep the limitations in mind, I don't see where they are any more dangerous than a table saw. I seldom use a table saw anymore.
1995 Wood Mizer LT 40, Liquid cooled kawasaki,homebuilt hydraulics. Homebuilt solar dry kiln.  Woodmaster 718 planner, Kubota M4700 with homemade forks and winch, stihl  028, 029, Ms390
100k bd ft club.Charter member of The Grumpy old Men

Dodgy Loner

Here's a link to a miter box.  Is that what you currently have?  Or do you have a miter saw?
"There is hardly anything in the world that some man cannot make a little worse and sell a little cheaper, and the people who consider price only are this man's lawful prey." -John Ruskin

Any idiot can write a woodworking blog. Here's mine.

Corley5

What about a sliding compound miter saw ??? 
Burnt Gunpowder is the Smell Of Freedom

ksu_chainsaw

 



This is the RAS that I had in the woodshop for my last job.  It was an OLD 16" saw, and it was only used for rough cuts.  I found that the sliding compound miter saw or the table saw with a home-made mitering jig was quicker and easier to use.

I would love to have the other saw that I had in the storage down there- a 14" Dewalt Industrial saw- made in the late 50's- but still new in the box.  The only reason that I opened the crate was to copy the serial number off of the saw- otherwise it was still wrapped up in the cosmoline and tar paper. 

Charles

Osric

I guess what I have is *technically* an miter saw.  My old man always called it a box, and I've picked up his speech evidently.

I have a Hitachi sliding compound miter saw.  The problem with it is that the angles don't lock into place (90-45-22.5 degree) like most do, so my angles never seem to be correct.  I think that the backboard is also offset a little, which tends to screw things up even more.  I got it at an auction for like $40....I'm guessing it was up for auction because the previous owner got tired of it.

I'll look around for a new 'used' compound miter saw and see what is out there.  Any brands I should stay away from?

beenthere

I have the DeWalt 12" sliding compound miter saw as well as the DeWalt 10" miter saw. Both have performed very well for me.
The 12" was set up in the room when the contractor added on a new addition to the house, so he and his crew used it to cut all the cedar panelling and trim (among other things). They liked it so well, mainly it's accuracy on the angles, that they purchased one for their own work. 

This summer I used the 10" to do all the trim for the new windows, and had excellent results on the angles. Not difficult to operate.

I expect there are others with equally good results.

I'm surprised the Hitachi doesn't lock onto those angles...possibly something missing?
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

Norm

I have the older Dewalt 12" slider and really like it. When I went to order one for my son it had been discontinued and the newer version of it got horrible reviews. I settled on the Makita 10" for him which I've used several times. I don't care for it simply because I'm so used to the 12" one I have, otherwise it is a very nice saw. I've read that the newer Hitachi's are pretty good too but have never seen or used one.

Dodgy Loner

A good sliding compound miter saw should be just as or more accurate than a RAS, and safer and easier to operate to boot.  I'm afraid it sounds like you got a lemon :-\.  Most Hitachi miter saws get good reviews.
"There is hardly anything in the world that some man cannot make a little worse and sell a little cheaper, and the people who consider price only are this man's lawful prey." -John Ruskin

Any idiot can write a woodworking blog. Here's mine.

DanG

Osric, this is going to sound almost blasphemous here among all of these wealthy hotshot woodworkers ::), but I've got one of those Harbor Freight 12" sliders, and I'm tickled to death with it.  I've checked it for accuracy every way I know how, and it is dead on.  They sell the thing for $199 regularly, but their typical sale price is $169, less than a third the price of major brands.  It is indexed for those angles you mentioned.  The little problems I've had are: the little laser quit soon after I got it.  The handle is poorly positioned, and would be a problem if you ran it for eight hours straight.  The color is ugly, but you wouldn't likely lose it in the forest. ;D  A screw came loose and let the guard mechanism jump the track, and it was a pain to put back together.  Otherwise, it seems to be a good tool, and is certainly priced right for the casual woodworker.  It is made in China, but I think all the others are too. ::)
"I don't feel like an old man.  I feel like a young man who has something wrong with him."  Dick Cavett
"Beat not thy sword into a plowshare, rather beat the sword of thine enemy into a plowshare."

bck

The first 15 of my 20 years having a cabinet shop I used a radial arm saw every day ( first one gave out after 10 years ) , thought you couldnt have a cabinet shop without one.  Then I built a sled for my tablesaw. never used the radial again. It sit still for several years without getting cut on then I sold it.  Radial saw gave good cuts but the sled on the tablesaw gave much better cuts. Plus you wouldnt have to flip a wide panel to cut all the way through it.  I would prefer to cut miters on a miter saw, I like the dewalt I am using now.

metalspinner

I see good miter saws on Craigslist all the time.  Some are in rougher condition than others, but plenty to chose from.  We had an estate sale in the neighborhood a month or so back and a friend picked up a brand new Dewalt 12" with a stand for $200.  Keep your eyes open.  There is plenty of good stuff on the used market. Lots of homeowners buy tools for one job in their house then get rid of it. ::)
I do what the little voices in my wife's head tell me to do.

DouginUtah

A couple of years ago I bought a SCMS (Makita LS1013F) through Amazon. It is used more for carpentry than woodworking so the accuracy is not all that important, but it can be set to make fairly accurate cuts.

The first time I used it, I unplugged it and the prongs stayed in the outlet.  >:(

A cut went bad and ended up breaking the plastic and bending a bolt on the (flip) fence.

One of the four rubber feet disappeared.  ???

I would look elsewhere to try to find a better saw if I were to be looking again.


(I got a "The page cannot be displayed" error message when I posted this.)
-Doug
When you hang around with good people, good things happen. -Darrell Waltrip

There is no need to say 'unleaded regular gas'. It's all unleaded. Just say 'regular gas'. It's not the 70s anymore. (At least that's what my wife tells me.)

---

Ironwood

Osric,

If you haven't found a REAL radial arm saw (RAS) yet, I have several freinds w/ heavy duty older units (all three phase) that could be had for 200-400 (Dewalts, Comets, possibly a Delta), there is no comparison to a miter box, these work horses are heavy duty accurate and cheap. They have fallen from many used dealers "buy" lists due to low demand for them. PM me and I can give you there info. Your only over in Ohio, just a short drive into western Pa. where I am.

        Ironwood
There is no scarcity of opportunity to make a living at what you love to do, there is only scarcity of resolve to make it happen.- Wayne Dyer

logwalker

 



  :) Here is my contribution to the Radial Arm Saw World. It has a full 8" depth of cut and about 24" crosscut. It swings a 22" blade and can rotate into a rip position. In a straight crosscut orientation they were made to swing up to a 46" blade for heavy timbers. The motor was slowed to 1800 rpm from 3600. I installed a hand crank on mine to bring out the head with control. It has a 7.5 hp motor. They are still made and cost about $10,000. I picked up mine from a steel fab shop for $500 with a huge in and out feed tables made of steel. Link to the Wolfe Machinery website:

http://www.wolfemachinery.com/index.htm
Let's all be careful out there tomorrow. Lt40hd, 22' Kenworth Flatbed rollback dump, MM45B Mitsubishi trackhoe, Clark5000lb Forklift, Kubota L2850 tractor

Ironwood

One I forgot to mention is the Monarch or later Northfield "Uni-point", they are superheavy duty miterbox "like" saws up to 20" blades. The overall design resembles what was the first 9" miterbox by Delta, the Unipoint predates it, but the 9" miterbox was the first step into a benchtop unit that we all know today as sliding miters. I have had several of the 9" versions. The Unipoint swivels left right AND the whole head assembly can then throw (lay over) left or right. WAAY cool for unique uses.

      Ironwood
There is no scarcity of opportunity to make a living at what you love to do, there is only scarcity of resolve to make it happen.- Wayne Dyer

Larry

I would like one of these...iffen I was rich and had a huge shop with room to set it up properly.

Original Saw Company

And it is made right here in the good old USA.

Since I'm not rich I would be looking at old iron as Ironwood pointed out.  Some super buys there.
Larry, making useful and beautiful things out of the most environmental friendly material on the planet.

We need to insure our customers understand the importance of our craft.

woodhick

I have a couple of radial arm saws for sale on another forum.  I will try to get information posted over here in the for sale area.  Both are Dewalts, one 16" and one 20".
Woodmizer LT40 Super 42hp Kubota, and more heavy iron woodworking equipment than I have room for.

getoverit

I have a dewalt radial arm saw and havent used it in years. I never could get the cuts accurate no matter how much time I spent on the setup. I finally gave up on it and switched over to the table saw.
I'm a lumberjack and I'm ok, I work all night and sleep all day

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