I would love to have this old radial arm saw. This is one of the good ones. I would get rid of my Dewalt miter saw in a heart beat. I just don't have the room. I am so sad!!! :crying:
Ken; I did a lot of ripping on my old DeWalt RAS (which I still have)...but I know a lot of guys here hate ripping with them.
The only close call I had was with an old Craftsman RAS with a wobble dado blade.
Accuracy didn't come close to my current Bosch SCMS, or my old Makita chop saw for that matter.
I had a chance to pick one up at an auction a few years ago for $75 but like you say, it would have taken up too much room and I already had an SCMS which would do most of what the RAS is good for so it didn`t make sense.
I had an Emerson/Craftsman that wasn't so good. Bought a Dewalt slider, it's pretty good when kept in tune--does work great for carpentry type stuff--mounted to a Bosch gravity rise stand. Last spring, I picked up a Dewalt GWI built in 1958. Replace the motor bearings, built a "Mr. Sawdust" (Wally Kunkel--if you buy an older RAS, buy the Mr. Sawdust book as well) table top for it. Accurate 12" crosscuts to with half a thousandth. Swap the fence and back table, and it will crosscut 15", if I change the back table configuration I think I would max out at 17" crosscut.
If I put a fresh kerf in the fence, I only need to make a tick mark on that edge, line it up to the kerf and cut. Set it to cut 15 degrees, I get 15 degrees. I've done a little ripping with it--much more comfortable on longer rips than balancing at the table saw, but I don't have my skill honed yet. I'm still exploring, but i'm getting better with it. Today I needed to cut dadoes to 1/2" remaining thickness on plywood--set the stack at 1/2" above the table and went at it, single brass set-up bar and no test cut needed. With my SCMS folded on it stand, its footprint is ony a little smaller than the GWI. It is, to be sure, much easier to roll the miter saw out to do construction work (decks, shed, etc), as I can get lumber delivered to near where i'm working. But for close work--i'm using the heck out of my RAS. Would love to try one of the Rockwell/Delta turret arms.
My rs is also long gone besides cross cuts it was a great storage table :wink:. Since mine was a old craftsman I turned in the motor for the $100 bounty offered by Emerson and turned the base into a work table. If my shop space magically increased I would get another one, I think they were a great item and did get a bad rap as being unsafe.
I have my father's old Montgomery Ward RAS. I too don't have the room to have it setup in the garage so it's tucked away in the shed as it has too much sentimental value to sell for the $50 I see them listed for on Craigslist. My second home in Georgia will have a real shop so I will set it up even if I don't use it often. These days a sliding compound miter saw would be just as good for most cross cutting. I have an older non-sliding Delta CPMS that's good for up to 5" so the RAS will be for wider stock. The RAS also has spindles for a drill chuck and 1/4" router collet that I have for it. The collet sells for more than the saw as I guess most have been lost over the years and are no longer available. I only have a few 1/4" shank bits that didn't come in 1/2". But I have in case I ever have the need/desire to use it.
So many good tools out there and so little room in my shop.
I even sold my 10" Rikon bandsaw which I thought I would never sell. I am just out of room. I bought an old Minmax S45 bandsaw, 18 inch, and it's a hog. As much as I like 2 bandsaws there is just not enough room now.
One good thing about a RAS is that you can put it against the wall. Most sliders need room behind them.
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