Craftsman RAS Table Dimensions

[Bill Yacey]

I'm using a 6" slot cutter, .020" x 300 teeth meant to fit a 1" arbor. I had a friend machine the arbor adapter which has 4" diameter stabilizer disks. He was over today, so we made a couple of test cuts in maple, and the slot width was at .021 according to a feeler gauge; I marked the arbor and the adapter so it can be put back in the same position again, should I need to remove it.
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[Bill Yacey]

I will indeed be using an indexing system. I made up a 3" wide x 3/8 thick aluminum jig with index notches milled into the edge for the indexing pin. All I need to do is double side tape the fingerboard blank to the aluminum piece, and I'm good to go. I was concerned about the lack of tooth set and the very fine tooth pitch on the blade, but it cuts just like soft butter without any sign of burning.

[Charlie Velasquez]

Since you did a test run, I assume you already made your table. But if not, I highly recommend watching Tommy Tompkins’s video on making a RAS table. There is not a lot involved, but the video gives a good visual representation of what a Mr. Sawdust table looks like.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=6TMBT45g_qg
The Mr. Sawdust design has been a staple for RAS enthusiasts for decades. All your work and all your adjustments will be referenced from the table. It is the starting point for all your accuracy. Don’t skimp on its design or construction.

I also recommend Brian Weekly’s video on aligning the RAS. (and his other videos)
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=EQ_HXSuh1PU
Making the very fine, accurate dadoes of consistent depth is possible on the RAS. But the saw needs to be aligned and calibrated, especially the adjustment of the table to the travel of the saw. The RAS motor is hanging from an arm connected to a column. The farther you pull the motor, the more torque is applied to that column, and down to the base. There will be flex. But the flex is consistent and can be accounted for in the alignment process.
Edit: Weekly demonstrates the adjustments on a DeWalt. The adjustments on your Craftsman may have its adjustment screws or clamps different than the DeWalt, but the process and the order will be the same.

There are a lot of RAS videos on the internet, most are crap.
These videos have been vetted by RAS users on the Delphi Dewalt RAS forum with decades of experience, and generally considered of good quality.

Good luck.

[Bill Yacey]

Thanks Charlie, I'll be sure to peruse these videos.
I haven't yet made any sort of table. For my test cut I just clamped down a piece of 8/4 maple to the steel base frame of the saw. My cut depth was only 3/16", which is more than required for a fret slot.

[David Buchhauser]

No, from what I can gather because it's late in the program, they'll offer $50.00 to destroy your saw.

That was years ago - the program is long gone.
David

[Alex Zeller]

My father bought a RAS back in the late 70s or early 80s. I think it was his first real woodworking equipment purchase. Up until then he had a very small cast iron table saw (the kind that the motor hung below and it's weight is what applied tension to the belt). It came with a particle board table that eventually he replaced. He got a door from a company that sold office doors. It was damaged so he got it cheap. It took awhile because most are fire rated and have a gypsum like material inside. The one he got was solid wood with a nice maple veneer.

[Jim Becker]

That was years ago - the program is long gone.
David

The web site and submission seems to still be active...see the link I posted above.

[Harry Niemann]

Be sure you use the correct blade type to avoid kick back. So many people think these saws are dangerous but they are not if you have the right blade. The blade must have a zero or negative hook. if you draw a line from the hole to the perimeter, the tooth must be straight or lean slightly back, not forward.

[Jim Becker]

Be sure you use the correct blade type to avoid kick back. So many people think these saws are dangerous but they are not if you have the right blade. The blade must have a zero or negative hook. if you draw a line from the hole to the perimeter, the tooth must be straight or lean slightly back, not forward.

This is absolutely true for general usage. The OP here is using a specialty blade that's extremely thin (.020") and smaller in diameter to cut fret slots for guitar necks, so the teeth are very tiny and not likely going to cause the same kind of issues that a regular size blade will.

[Tom M King]

I've used RAS's since 1965, and never had a negative, or zero hook blade on one. What has always seemed more dangerous to me, is people using sleds on a table saw with no safety box on the back. Yes, I still have all ten fingers, and also have never used any table saw with any kind of safety guard on it, nor have I ever known anyone that did, leaving out people I "know" from online.

[Jim Allen]

The negative hook blade makes a world of difference in the quality of the cut, though before changing (~ 5 year ago) I never had a kick back or any other problems using a positive hook blade.

[Bill Yacey]

I agree. The only time I have experienced kick back was with a saw that had an out of square fence that caused binding, or cutting with a very dull blade.

I can see the radial arm saw running away if the operator tries to hog it through the wood, or not having a firm, controlled grasp on the carriage handle.

[Phillip Gregory]

I use a big old ex-lumberyard DeWalt radial arm saw more than any other saw in my shop. I've run a number of different blades in it including a 12" stack dado and the saw has never tried to climb at me. The real keys are to get the saw properly aligned, have a saw that's sturdy enough to stay in adjustment, follow the advice on the blade guard to "keep saw sharp," and don't overload the saw.

You do not necessarily have to use a zero or negative hook blade, many have used combination blades with a modestly positive hook of +10 degrees or so without issues and note they work better for compound miters and other non-crosscuts than a zero or negative hook blade. I personally don't notice a difference in cut quality or aggressiveness between a negative hook blade like the -5 degree CMT 219 I have on my saw and a +10 degree blade like an old SystiMatic crosscut blade I got from the local saw shop on closeout. Do avoid the heavily hooked low tooth count tablesaw rip blades.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I bought mine, checked the recall website, saw the kits were no longer available and elected to keep it for tenon shoulders. I am very careful.

[Tom M King]

Mine gets used for tenon shoulders more than anything else too. I cut my RAS teeth on an underpowered 9", with a bent, dull blade when I was an early teenager. It belonged to my Dad, and he would just tell me to build something, not how to do it. I never took shop in school. I think I built a couple of hundred picnic tables with that saw, and other stuff too.

Finally, an old carpenter straightened the blade some, and showed me how to sharpen it. It worked a lot better after that. I think that was in 1963, when I was 13. A well set one, with a sharp blade is easy to use after that.