New (to me) Radial Arm Saw

[Harold Balzonia]

I've never owned or even thought I needed a radial arm saw but I was at an auction and picked up a clean 10" craftsman saw for $35. It just needs a new switch. Easy enough to fix.... going by the serial number it was made around 1981 and it doesn't have any plastic bits on it, at all. Seems to be built quite well. Everything pivots, locks, twists and slides like it is supposed to.

my question for the RAS fans out there, why is a 10" RAS a good addition to a shop? What does it excel at that can't be equally accomplished by a 12" miter saw? Are they considered more or less accurate than mitre saws?

basically I'm looking for someone to convince me to keep it and use it, rather than fixing it and selling it off! Maybe if I keep the RAS, I can get rid of the 12" miter saw?

This saw does have an interesting threaded arbor on the opposite side of the motor from the blade side that I assume could be used to attach various sanding drums or other bits.(?) Please educate me and tell me what I need to know about these saws...

[Cary Falk]

I have had several RASs in the past. They have all been DEWalts and Deltas. They are great for crosscutting and dadoes for things like bookshelves. I have some interesting setups that would have been difficult on any other tools but those situations don't come around very often. Even though you can rip on a RAS, I wouldn't because it scares the bajebus out of me and I have a table saw. The threaded shaft on the other end is indeed for other attachments such as sanding disks, sanding drums and router bits.

Unfortunately Craftsman singlehandedly ran the RAS into the ground. There are a few of the really old ones that hold their alignment but I don't think on that was built in 1981 qualifies. You can tune it up and see. There is a recall on certain models worth $100 if you send in the motor and carriage that you might want to look into if it don't work out. RASs take up a lot of space that a lot of people don't have. I sold mine off for space reasons. I can do about everything it can do by other means. Good luck wity your saw.

[Dave Zellers]

My first shop tool was a Craftsman RAS purchased new around 1973, 4, or 5 ish. It is still the focal point of my shop. Almost every project begins with cutting rough stock to length there and because this saw is still crazy accurate, finished boards get their final cut there after switching to a sharp blade. Being able to cut 15 inches perfectly square so easily is not something I want to lose. The threaded arbor is for accessories like a 3" drum sander and a 3/8" drill chuck - I have both and don't use them much anymore but every once in a while I'm glad I still have them.

When it was all I had, eons ago, I would patiently put it through all its various paces making cuts of all sorts, but today with a shop full of tools, I leave it be to do what it does best- make dead on square cuts, year after year, without me ever adjusting a thing.

I also have an old Rockwell 105 Deluxe that I bought used about 30 years ago set it up right next to my Craftsman, aligned perfectly with the bench height but it just gathers dust. It does a very nice job, but no better than the very first tool I ever bought.

[Ben Zara]

Set it up and make a lot of test cuts. If it holds square that you got a great deal.

[Lee Schierer]

I have a 1970's vintage Craftsman Radial arm saw and it mostly gathers dust. It gets used occasionally when I have a set up on my TS that I don't want to mess up. My wife has been after me for years to sell it.

I have mine set up either for cutting dados or bevels 99.9% of the time.

[Jacques Gagnon]

Harold,

your post brings back memories. My first big tool purchase was a Craftsman radial arm saw in the fall of 1982. This is the tool that allowed me to make my first big projects (bed and dresser for my then 2 year old son) and many others after.

Cary mentioned the major downside (post 2) and Dave covered the accessories (post 3).

The one aspect I will add is that a radial arm saw better allows you to "see" what you are doing for operations that are not through cuts. They also allow you to use the bottom face (which often becomes the visible surface of the finished product) as the "reference face", which can be useful in certain projects.

Enjoy you "new old tool"!

[Robert Engel]

They have been largely replaced by sliding miter saws.

They are good for general rough crosscuts, but relying on them for off the saw perfect 90's is a bit iffy to say the least.

Yes, they can be dialed in just don't bump 'em. :-) For this reason, there aren't very many RAS "fans" unless you own the old iron.

Basically, I think you're stuck with it. I had one advertised for months and couldn't give it away.......

[David Eisenhauer]

On the other hand, my 1980 DeWalt 10" stays dead true on 90* (both ways) month after month. It is sort of like with my Unisaw fence - I forget to check for square for a couple of years because I never have to adjust it. I do not use my RAS any more for angle or bevel cuts, which admittedly definitely helps it stay square and one has to control the blade from climbing up on the stock when making cuts in thick material. But a RAS with a stop block system on a fence is great for repeated-length cuts. Also, mine is located in the middle of a 15'-16' long bench that allows me to cut in the middle of 16' long framing lumber if need be and is much handier for cross cutting than a TS is.

[Pete Simmons]

Check out - http://www.radialarmsawrecall.com/

You might be able to get some new parts free from Craftsman or maybe $100 for the motor.

I did it for one saw and got a new guard and table for free. Saw an old one at a yard sale that I thought might qualify for the recall, grabbed it and got the $100.

[John TenEyck]

Well I'm a fan, too, and for all the good reasons cited by others above. I have a mid 50's Dewalt 10" and it stays square/square month after month. It is my preferred way to make finish cuts to length. I specifically built it into a long bench with a stop system to be able to do that. Cut after cut square and identical in length. You could do the same with a miter saw if you built it into a long bench, but not with just the typical miter saw set up if the parts are very long.

A huge benefit to me is being able to handle oddball cuts without much effort. I've turned the blade horizontal and projected it through a temporary fence in order to cut the damage off a bowl rim. I've used it to make the vertical and horizontal cuts needed on the end of an arched door jamb that was about 7 feet long. I don't know how I could have done that one any other way except by hand and that wasn't appealing.

I wouldn't want to be w/o it. But I wouldn't want one that doesn't work right, either, so put that one through it's paces and then decide.

John

[andy bessette]

Set it up for making perfectly repeatable 90* crosscuts.

[lowell holmes]

My radial arm saw is on top of a wooden cabinet. I have 48"
1X12 wings mounted on the sides of the wood saw table.
They are attached with door butts (hinges). 1x6 boards about 4' long prop them up when needed.
I can safely rip long boards on the set up.

[John K Jordan]

my question for the RAS fans out there, why is a 10" RAS a good addition to a shop? ...

I don't do much flat work anymore but when I did I used my Craftsman 10" RAS a lot. Not only for cross cuts but for ripping, dados, making molding, raised panels, end drilling, and as a drum sander. I made lots of hold downs and jigs that were clamped in the fence slot. I found that with a little maintenance it was accurate and easy to adjust. The only tip I have would be to put a sacrifice layer on top of the table - I tacked down 1/4 plywood.

I still have it but it's in the garage instead of the shop doing service as a table. I'd give it to someone who could use it.

JKJ

[Harry Niemann]

So many people are afraid of these saws. There can be a kickback or forward if you do not have the correct blade. Be sure you use a negative or zero hook toothed blade. Table saws use a positive hook tooth and that can cause a problem on a radial. If you draw a line from the center of the hole to the tooth area, a positive hook leans over the line, while a negative hook tooth leans back from the line. They can be hard to find but a google search will bring them up.

[Art Mann]

I sold my late 70's Craftsman to some guy for $75. I really feel bad about ripping him off that way but he was happy to haul it off in spite of my best advice. Suffice it to say it had an incurable accuracy problem.