Replies

1. 
   JohnWW | Oct 25, 2006 03:50pm | #1

   A radial arm saw "climb cuts" when it is used for cross cutting, which means the blade is pulling the saw into the wood as you pull the power head towards you.  In most other sawing situations, such as cross cutting on a table saw, the direction that the blade spins is opposite the direction that the wood is moving.

   Climb cutting is always a risky situation, if the blade digs in too hard the saw can kick towards you violently and be impossible to control, creating a risk of injury, tearing up the board being cut, and probably throwing the saw out of line. 

   A blade made for a radial arm saw has the teeth shaped to minimize the chance that the blade will grab.  Most of the major blade manufacturers have blades with the tooth geometry adjusted for use on a radial arm saw so you shouldn't have trouble finding the proper blade.

   If you haven't already invested in buying a radial arm saw I would strongly urge you to reconsider, they are not the best tool for furniture making and they are far too dangerous to ever be used for ripping, which means you will need a table saw or a band saw in addition to the radial arm saw.

   John White

1. 
   pilotlon | Oct 25, 2006 04:42pm | #2

   John,

   Thanks for the explanations.  I first learned my rudimentary woodworking skills on a RAS, and was never schooled on a table saw until just a couple of years ago.  By then, I had already purchased a well cared for, single-owner DeWalt 1200 RAS.  It's a beauty, and in excellent condition, and has been in my storage for about four years now.  If I had it to do over again, I would not have bought it, but alas....

   In the meantime, I have purchased a new Ridgid TS3650, which will be set up after the shop is completed early in 2007.  I'll keep the RAS, but use it for cut-off purposes, and not for ripping.  I just had never run across the information you posted about "climb out", but it makes perfect sense.  Thanks for the input.

   When things get set up next year, I'll post a picture of the RAS on OWWM.com.

   Lon