Are Radial Arm Saws Simply Out Of Fashion?
Well, I did it. I finally put my RAS up for sale on craigslist. For many years, it was my only "real" wood working tool, a 10" Craftsman that I bought new in 1980. I hate to part with it, but it never gets used anymore, and I sure could use the room.:(
Then I watch the latest episode of The New Yankee Work Shop online, and there is Norm, once again using a Craftsman RAS. This time with a dado blade making tenons.
Now, my saw is one of the dangerous saws that are on the recall list. Someone was thoughtful enough to list a warning on craigslist warning buyers of these saws, and scolding sellers for trying to sell something that belongs in the trash. Interesting though, is the blade guard looks almost exactly like a DeWalt RAS we have at work. No one ever seems to have a problem with the DeWalts, in fact they are the RAS of choice.:cool:
So, it got me wondering, have radial arm saws just gone out of fashion?
John
Not out of fashion at my house.
I have two, a DeWalt 12" 7790 that I use ALL the time for crosscuts up to
16". It hasn't needed realigning for at least 6 years. The other is a 1973 Craftsman I recently bought just for doing dado's in shelving. Works fine and is quicker than any other method I have tried. I call it my $200 dedicated dado machine.
Rick Potter