Replies

1. 
   dgreen | Nov 03, 2008 01:15am | #1

   Anyone besides me not able to see the picture?

    

    

   ................................................

   Men will never be free until the last king is strangled with the entrails of the last priest.
   ~ Denis Diderot

1. 
   heartwould | Nov 03, 2008 01:33am | #2

   Where is Forestgirl when you need her?  Let me try again:

   View Image

   View Image

   The current owner just told me that this machine is at least 50 years old and was used in a frame shop for many of those years.  He also says that the arbor is 3/4".  How much of a problem is it to find 10" blades with a 3/4" hole?

   Edited 11/2/2008 5:35 pm ET by heartwould

1. 
   | Nov 03, 2008 02:23am | #3

   Nope, can't see the pictures!

    

   Bob, Tupper Lake, NY

1. 
   heartwould | Nov 03, 2008 02:32am | #4

   Try this:

   
2. 
   rdasilva | Nov 03, 2008 09:18am | #5

   I believe that Forrest Blades will bore holes for custom arbor sizes when you purchase blades from them. It'll be a special order. http://www.forrestblades.com/service.htm

1. 
   heartwould | Nov 03, 2008 04:40pm | #6

   The Forrest blades are more than twice the price of the saw--before boring out the hole.  How much trouble would be caused by boring out the arbor hole myself?

   Edited 11/3/2008 8:45 am ET by heartwould

1. 
   rdasilva | Nov 03, 2008 05:24pm | #7

   I would think twice before trying to ream out a 5/8" to 3/4" with your trusty DeWalt hand drill ;-). You can try, but I wouldn't. Arbor holes must be very accurately centered and sized. They are cut on a vertical machine mill, not a simple drill press.You might look for a local machine shop. Many will resize an arbor hole for a small fee.

   Edited 11/3/2008 9:26 am ET by rdasilva

2. 
   RickL | Nov 03, 2008 06:54pm | #8

   "this looks to be one of the "original" radial arm saws."

   I have one of those saws. Nothing special and certainly not accurate. Definitely not the original radial arm saw!  Any  decent saw shop can open a blade arbor. You can get bushings so youi can still use it on other saws. Do not try to drill a blade yourself. You will throw the balance off.

1. 
   heartwould | Nov 03, 2008 07:57pm | #9

   In what way is the saw not accurate?  Does it wobble?  Is the blade not square to the work?  Does the arm "run"?

   The fellow who is selling it tells me that it has a 52" cutting capacity.  Is that true? 

   Bottom line, would I be better served to get something else?  The price is certainly within my budget, but it isn't worth it if it won't cut a straight line or if I can't get blades or parts for it.

1. 
   RickL | Nov 03, 2008 08:24pm | #11

    A real radial arm saw is more accurate and It's best to keep it set one way and not change the angle etc. The saw is basically a skil saw mounted on a steel tube run on roller bearings.

   Blades are simple to get whatever arbor size you need. As far as the 52" capacity I can't confirm. Less I believe as you need a fence and you have the blade diameter so the 52" travel isn't the actual cut capacity.   Have the unit in storage somewhere. Obviously the fruther out on the arm the more deflection there is.

   What exactly do you want to do with this tool????  Basic parts such as screws are available but not much else.

1. 
   heartwould | Nov 03, 2008 08:51pm | #12

   My hope is/was to be able to crosscut wide boards and some panels with it.  I asked the owner about the possibility of using a dado on it, but he didn't answer that question.  It sounds like another story of something that sounds too good to be true really was just too good to be true.

1. 
   scooter1 | Nov 03, 2008 09:17pm | #13

   Those old Comets are industructable and cheap. They probably weight 700+ pounds. Like any old piece of machinery, parts are an issue. When I bought an antique car, I bought a nice one and a second for parts. So I'd probably buy two Comets.For your use, my old DeWalt crosscuts 12 inches at 3/4 width (thicker boards, less cross cut capacity). I'd look for an Old DeWalt, a new Delta, a new Original Saw Company model (Made in Iowa). The old DeWalts have some value--all the Home Depots have the antique version--nothing new compares, save and except the Original Saw Company. If you have a decent table saw, a shop made cross cut sled might be the way to go. I have one too, but wouldn't trade my RAS for anything. It took me close to a year to find my DeWalt and I paid $500 for a 30 year old saw, probably more than the darn thing cost new.Regards, Scooter"I may be drunk, but you're crazy, and I'll be sober tomorrow." WC Fields, "Its a Gift" 1934

2. 
   heartwould | Nov 03, 2008 09:25pm | #14

   Unfortunately, my little shop doesn't yet have a table saw.  Using my cs for large cross cuts is less than fun.  My hope for the big, old ras was to increase the capabilities of the shop for not so much money.  Vain hope.

   What I guess I need to do is jump back into the work force for a time and build up a tool/shop fund.  Of course, My Young Bride has been sending out resumes for a couple of months with no responses to date.  We'll see how it goes.

3. 
   RickL | Nov 03, 2008 09:41pm | #15

   It's a handheld type circular saw mouinted on a tube.  Forget mounting a dado on it. You are looking for something else.

4. 
   heartwould | Nov 04, 2008 03:06am | #16

   I was afraid of that.  Btb, Forrest will sell me a bored out WWI blade for around $150 with shipping.  That seems like a lot of lipstick for an old hog.  Thanks for the info!

5. 
   RickL | Nov 04, 2008 03:30pm | #17

   Forrest isn't the only  source for bored out blades. Any good saw sharpening shop can take care of it and bore any blade you choose.  http://www.ridgecarbidetool.com is one of hundreds of places of places to go. Ridge supplies good blades.  Bushing for $5 will let you use the blades on any saw. I have dado blades bored to 1" I can use on standard arbors with the bushings.  My local saw shop as well as many other sell Skarpaz, Everlast, Freud, Amana, Timberline, etc and many other good brands which are perfectly fine and are used by professional shops all over the country.

3. 
   scooter1 | Nov 03, 2008 08:16pm | #10

   When I was building homes for a living, we had a saw, golly I forget the name, but I think it was a Comet.  A real monster.  It was so big.......

   How big was it?

   It was so big, that it had to be trailered from job site to jobe site.  Huge 4 foot arm that could cross cut 4x8 sheets of plywood with a single stroke, pulverize 4x4's and had 16 inch blade.  It wasn't terribly accurate, but that was a function of not being properly tuned and having a bunch of yahoos like me working with it.

   Here is a link for a smaller version in Ottawa:   http://www.usedottawa.com/classified-ad/7318331

   I looked into getting one for my home shop, but the arm has a 2-3 foot travel disance between the back of the saw and the wall.  But if you have the space, check out an old Comet.  That old Porter Cable or Rockwell is a clone of one of those old Comets. 

   Regards,

   Scooter

   "I may be drunk, but you're crazy, and I'll be sober tomorrow." WC Fields, "Its a Gift" 1934

   
   

   ---

   Edited 11/3/2008 12:17 pm ET by Scooter1 (Scooter1103)