Awe and I thought a table saw was a place to stack my parts wile I was using my RAS
Radial Arm Saw.
Ok guys I’m joking.
I wasnt going to make a crosscut sled, but after watching this I might just do one anyway.
I’ve also got the idea I can use a tri squar to fine tune my radial arm saw so it’s always a perfect right angle. And a way to test it. My point is RAS have gotten a bad reputation someone should do a series on using one to do it’s full potential not just cross cuts. How many people have one in the conner collecting dust?
Replies
Mine is gathering dust, but as part of a Ford somewhere, after it was melted down.
A RAS was my first and only stationary tool for many years. How I still have all of my fingers, after "using one to do it’s full potential not just cross cuts," I will never know.
Sneaky guy! By marking the RAS question "Tablesaw" you got me to read it. I need to be more suspicious going forward.
I had one of those for years and finally got tired of dusting it. It sat on CL for 3 months until I found a sucke...errr...buyer.
Radial arm saws have pretty much been replaced by sliding miter saws for good reason. Many manufacturers quit making them years ago probably for safety issue. And for a good reason. With the exception of old iron and very expensive newer saws, the "consumer" saws are notorious for not holding settings and being underpowered.
Way back when the RAS were advertised as the "one machine that can do it all". Some of the advertisements are really quite amusing. Around that time ShopSmith came on the scene, too.
It all depends on what you expect of one. I converted to a sliding miter & I just gave my RAS away after $50 on Craiglist for a month with no bites.
That said, they do have a place in the shop. I used mine for rough cutting lumber for years and it served that purpose well. But it couldn't come close to the accuracy I get with a cross cut sled or miter saw.
I locked mine at 90 degrees and use triangles as a fence to cut miters. The day I find a 12 inch cast iron Dewalt or Delta, I will be giving it away.
I think the RAS gets a lot of respect and promotion from those who love them. They are a great tool for what they are made to do. This is true of most tools. When things get ugly is when you see folks trying to tell you how to or build a china hutch with nothing but a brad nailer and a RAS or build a house with nothing but a hammer and a router (I made these up). ;-)
We built a boat with a RAS, a band saw and a press drill . At the end out of 20 fingers we still had 19 !
RAS are not a bad thing but there are easier, more compact and safer alternatives for all they can do.
The problem with RAS is that whilst they can be used safely, they do have the versatility to be used very dangerously, and such was originally encouraged in their manuals. One tool workshop...
Stumpy did a good video on them: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHRwN99fGCY
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