Radial Arm Saw Evaluation/Recommecdation Needed

[Raymond Fries]

I am trying to help my brother find a replacement for a Craftsman that he says is a piece of ####. Well you know.

He is looking at this one (OMGA RN 450) which I am not familiar with. Any thoughts or recommendations are much appreciated. The saw is used in a production environment. Is this a good choice? Anyone have this saw that can offer user experience?

Can be purchased here: http://www.hermance.com/Industrial/N...Radial-Arm-Saw


Thanks for your help.

[John TenEyck]

I'm not familiar with OMGA though I know they have a good reputation. But the price is outrageous in my mind. You can find lots of old RAS for a few hundred dollars. I've seen beautiful resto's on here for less than $1K. Even if you have to put a few new bearings in really good saw, as long as the arm is straight and has no defects where the bearings ride and the motor is good, you should be well under $1500 all in.

John

There are 3 on WoodWeb's machinery exchange; two less than $1K. There are so many on C-List within 300 miles of me that I can't count them all; several really nice old Dewalts, all well under $1k.

[Darcy Warner]

Those Omga's are pretty decent, put a few new ones together. Rather have a nice old dewalt, wadkin or danckeart.

[Kevin Perez]

I third the recommendation of getting an old one off Craigslist or otherwise locally. I have a 1950s DeWalt MBF that I love, and had a Delta/Rockwell 12-RAS for a year or so quite a while back. I also used my father-in-law's old, cast iron Craftsman. The Delta was decent, but not as simple to use, and the Craftsman was only so so. The savings from buying one of these used is huge, and they typically only need adjustment which is simple, and possibly bearings/carriage guides which are inexpensive to obtain. There is a company online (maybe in Iowa?) that sells reconditioned DeWalts and their parts. I'd suggest going with a pre-1960 DeWalt; an 8-10" if you have a small shop or a 12" if you have a bigger one; if you have massive space and sufficient wiring, one of the ones like they have at Home Depot for cutting lumber would be stellar.

[Cary Falk]

I say an old Dewalt or old Delta Turret arm. I would love to have a long arm GA but I don't have the space. I have settled for a Dewalt 7790/790. Longest arm travel with a cast iron arm without getting into the large saws. I have passed on many large 14" and 16" saws that hade a 24" crosscut for under $300 just because I don't have the room.

[Darcy Warner]

I just bought another dewalt tonight. Later model round arm B&D dewalt era, 24" cross cut 16" 5hp 3phase. Really nice saw for under 125 bucks.

I lost count, think I am up to 10 or so.

[Warren Lake]

ive seen that brand in some 50 man shops but they are just used as cross cut saws. Dont think ive seen any of the shops do more than rough cut with radials in the break out area. The old guy said he knew one guy that liked and used radials for different things. He didnt give them any time. Like Darcy ive seen them at auctions for 150.00. The Omgas got more sort of 450.00 - 650.00 was offered two for 250.00 each busy at the time but should have got out and scouped one.

[Grant Nill]

I've heard good things about OMGA. You can definitely find good used ones out there. Buying new would be absurd. I echo what the others say about a DeWalt or Delta. I got my 18" 7.5HP 3PH Delta for $350. I only put a 15" blade on due to the cost of an 18". Any of the mentioned ideas will be much better than the Craftsman.

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[Jim OConnor]

OMGA is not in the same category as the saws described. It is an industrial quality machine with a higher powered motor and much better quality bearings. Yes, you can buy any of the saws listed, they aren't the same quality machine. I don't have one, have used two, wish I had one

[Darcy Warner]

OMGA is not in the same category as the saws described. It is an industrial quality machine with a higher powered motor and much better quality bearings. Yes, you can buy any of the saws listed, they aren't the same quality machine. I don't have one, have used two, wish I had one

Their chop saws are very nice, their RAS, meh. They don't come close to an older round arm dewalt, wadkin, unipoint, etc.

[Justin Ludwig]

I own a '95 OMGA RN450. Bought it for $300 on auction. She was well used when I got it. I have it set up for 90* cuts only and cables tied to the wall with cables and turnbuckles (an idea I robbed from another member's picture). It's a 4hp 1~ machine and serves me well. It needs to be rewound, but if I stand on one foot and don't look it directly in the eye, it spins up every time.

If he is buying new, he can't go wrong. I would prefer to be able to spin one up before buying used again. Mine has paid for itself a 10 times over in the 3 years I've owned it.

[Larry Edgerton]

I have an Omga RM 700, replaced a 18" delta with it, Hands down better saw than the old iron. Has served me well for 20 years and never broken. there are 8 bearings in a cross pattern running on replaceable SS ways. a much better system that the conical bearings on the old Delta. I needed the extended reach as well as needed the accuracy, and it did what I wanted.

Comparing a junkyard CL saw to an OMGA just shows a lack of knowledge.

[Darcy Warner]

I have an Omga RM 700, replaced a 18" delta with it, Hands down better saw than the old iron. Has served me well for 20 years and never broken. there are 8 bearings in a cross pattern running on replaceable SS ways. a much better system that the conical bearings on the old Delta. I needed the extended reach as well as needed the accuracy, and it did what I wanted.

Comparing a junkyard CL saw to an OMGA just shows a lack of knowledge.

Ok, sure. Never mind assembling new ones out of the crate and setting them up for people. The chop saws are great, never found anything special with their RAS for me to think they were better or would out last a dewalt, wadkin, unipoint, etc.

[Joe Calhoon]

I have an Omga RM 700, replaced a 18" delta with it, Hands down better saw than the old iron. Has served me well for 20 years and never broken. there are 8 bearings in a cross pattern running on replaceable SS ways. a much better system that the conical bearings on the old Delta. I needed the extended reach as well as needed the accuracy, and it did what I wanted.

Comparing a junkyard CL saw to an OMGA just shows a lack of knowledge.

I had a chance to set up and run a Omga at the shop in Bhutan last year Larry. They are nice saws and while I was there it maintained accuracy. I had a couple old big Dewalts and could never get them accurate enough for joinery work and only used them for rough cutoff.
My favorite radial is the Graule we now have. It cuts as square as our Martin slider and can cut 5 1/2" thick. We use the little Dewalt for rough cutoff to save the blade on the Graule.
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[jack forsberg]

now all you hear over on this side of the pond are the Delta or DeWalts . The better US saws are the Porter and monarch unipoint But the best vintage every made has to the from Thomas White in Scotland .





like joe's saw though these are not RAS there what are callled straight line cross cuts saw . bearing cartage are way wider at least 3 time as wide as a RAS cartage .

White also made a swing type saw (seen German makers with the same ) but with a back arm to keep the blade level with the table for trenching cuts

Stenner made a good saw to with the pivot point right over the fence slit and a dust shoot under the table




as was said the Unipoint is the best american saw but is not a RAS as you can see



many of the big old clunkers are just not capable of the operation of the typical RAS and can not configure in as many arrangement . This is what the Dewalt is know for. As these saw were around before the claim that they were invented by Dewalt .


and one for Darcy



now i think that all the bad about the old saws is there old and knackered . some like the Delta can be brought back by part replacement but the old dewalts with all those bearing most likely need the arm re-machined to get them up to sniff. the old Delts when rebuilt do cut clean and accurate work