1985 Craftsman Radial Arm Saw

[Kent Adams]

Does anyone have an opinion on the quality of these saws? There is one for sale near me that appears to look decent from the pictures and is only selling for $150. I was thinking of getting a RAS for dedicated dado cutting. Hobbyist, not professional here.

[Bill Space]

Hi,

You don't mention specifics like blade size. I would guess it is a 10 inch since that seems to be the most common that I see on craigslist. I will tell you in the last couple years I bought two of these 10 inch Craftsman radial arm saws. One was in pristine condition and had the manufacture supplied safety guard on the blade. I paid $75 for this one.

The second one was in good condition but did not have the safety guard installed. That guard for the blade is provided free (including shipping) by Emerson, who is original manufacture of the Saw, if I remember correctly. It comes with a new saw table as well. Anyway, if you do buy a radial arm Saw made by craftsman, or I should say labeled by craftsman, you can call and get a free safety upgrade kit That gives you a rather nice guard that covers the blade. I paid $60 for this second saw which included some other items that weren't related to the saw, like torch tips for a cutting torch, for reasons unknown to me.

Prices vary by area. I live in the greater Pittsburgh area and see radial arm saws by craftsman advertised for $175, but I'm not sure if they sell. I see a lot more advertised for around $100 or less. My experience is that $100 or less in this area is probably the right price for a craftsman 10 inch radial arm saw. Where you live may be different…

Bill

[Kent Adams]

Hi Bill. Yes, its a 10" blade. Below are some pictures. It appears to be in good shape, I'm just unsure of the quality of these things for accurate cuts.

[Matt Day]

Pass. $50 maybe. Instead keep a look out for older dewalts or deltas.

[Roy Turbett]

I had a 1979 Craftsman RAS and gave it to a friend because I couldn't get it to consistently return to 90 degrees. It was also the subject of a recall (as is the saw you are considering). I received a new table and guard for the saw before I gave it away. Another friend gave me his Craftsman saw to make room in the garage for his new bride's car. It was also included in the recall but was too old for a retro fit. I returned the motor in a free shipping container that Sears send and received a check for $100. Also, the saw pictured above is not a 2 3/4 HP motor. Sears used "developed HP" to rate their motors. Problem is, no one knows what the term means and they were forced to stop using it because it is misleading.

I currently have a 1957 DeWalt GWI 10-12" RAS that is extremely accurate. But I had to do a full restoration that included refurbishing the carriage bearings, replacing the motor bearings, cleaning, painting, and building a new table. All told, I have about $250 in the saw.

[Kent Adams]

Ok, what about a new Dayton? It's a $3k RAS that the guy said he purchased because it was damaged freight? I don't have a picture of it yet, but its this model: http://www.zoro.com/dayton-radial-ar...98/i/G9173491/

Assuming the damage is cosmetic, he's asking $900 for it.

[Robert Engel]

IMO no to both of them.

Keep checking I would focus on an older model DeWalt or Delta Rockwell.

Any thought to a sliding CMS?

[Kent Adams]

Hi Robert,

Yes, I have one but I'm looking for something with more reach, so to speak. I've got my CMS for sale here in the classifieds, its practically new.

[Matt Day]

Never heard of Dayton (except the audio company), and would never pay that kind of money for a 1hp saw. If you really want a larger crosscut length, or reach as you call it, look at saws listed above 12". My delta 12" with a 10" blade will crosscut 3/4" material a bit over 16". Bigger the saw, bigger the crosscut capacity. These saws can go pretty cheap because 1) they're big size wise 2) likely 3ph.

[Bill ThompsonNM]

Ok, what about a new Dayton? It's a $3k RAS that the guy said he purchased because it was damaged freight? I don't have a picture of it yet, but its this model: http://www.zoro.com/dayton-radial-ar...98/i/G9173491/ Assuming the damage is cosmetic, he's asking $900 for it.

Interesting, it looks like the saw that Woodworkers supply is selling, but way bigger motors than 1 hp
If he's correct about the 1 hp, way too small for a RAS. (Think 1 hp table saw). Dayton used to be an electrical motor, controls, etc company. My suspicion is that it's now yet another Chinese manufacturing company judging from the saw.
Even e original was never known for power tools, just motors, etc.

[Mike Schuch]

My first stationary power tool was a Craftsman RAS of that vintage. After I figured out how to properly align the saw it was usable but I sold it as soon as I found a 12" Dewalt. I kept the Dewalt for about a year and a half then sold it when I found a 16" Redstar (predecessor of Delta Rockwell turret arm RAS). I have been using the Redstar for over 20 years now and still smile every time I power it up.

I agree with the others... $50 max for a Craftsman.

I love my 16" Redstar but be aware that any RAS 12" and above will most likely have a 1" arbor and dado sets for 1" arbors are pretty pricey! I have a 12" dado set that I paid $120 used off of ebay and think I scored the deal of the century. It only took me about 3 years to find a 12" dado set at a price I could afford. There are also some old mid sized RAS's with 3/4" arbors. Dado sets for a 3/4" arbor are a special order item.. ouch$$$! My 5hp Walker Turner geared head RAS has a 3/4" shaft. But I only paid $50 for it and I use it to cut metal with an abrasive blade.

I cut a lot of dado's on my Redstar RAS but there is a very big difference in cutting dados on a RAS then cutting dados on a table saw. On a RAS when cutting repeat dados on multiple pieces of stock the RAS will leave a constant thickness of material under the dado. A table saw will cut dados of a constant depth. I.e. I was cutting some dados in multiple 2x4's. Because the 2x4's were different thicknesses the dados were different depths. If I had cut them on a table saw the dados would have been all the same depth. For fine woodworking stock is usually planed to a uniform thickness so this difference is negated... it doesn't matter.

[Rick Potter]

That Dayton saw looks a lot like a couple of Italian brands. You might ask the owner where it is made.

My DeWalt 7790 12" has a 5/8 arbor, as did my 80's Delta 12". They did that so dado sets would fit. I use 1" blades on mine with a blade washer available everywhere.

I get a 16 1/2" crosscut with my 7790, which I highly recommend.



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[Terry Beadle]

I've got a Craftsman RAS from the mid-70's and it's given me good service and still does. IMO, the saw you gave pictures of is worth $100 and the cabinet it's mounted on is
worth about $50 ( on a good day...hoot! ). So $150 is a reasonable price to start from and maybe even finish on .

There's a good video that shows how to tune your RAS for great cuts. " Radial-Arm-Saw Joinery" with Curtis Erpelding. He really has a nice style of teaching and the video
covers how to set the saw up for very accurate cutting. He mainly sets the saw up for cross cuts and he has a jig or two that you can make for tenon cutting and even dove tails.
ISBN 0-918804-35-3

Good Luck !!

[Barry McFadden]

I bought a Craftsman 12" Radial arm saw in the mid 70's as well ..... still runs great... no problems with any setting or returning to 90 degrees...never had to replace any parts on it ... use it every week ...

[David Tolsky]

I love it when guys talk about a tried and true tool that they've been using for 20 years. It convinced me to by my 788 scroll saw used instead of a new cheaper built model. I have a lot of tools in my woodshop... and no RAS. I had a
bad experience with a Craftsman RAS from the mid 80's...of all my tools in the shop it seemed like the most dangerous. Perhaps it's a phobia, call it what
you will, but I constantly got kickback from it and it became no longer desireable. Since not having one, I haven't missed it either and can usually accomplish similar cuts on my table saw or CMS. I think it's just a "me thing" ��