RAS Question

Just to add my two cents: I agree with the info you've received e.g. always PULL into the cut and preferred blade is one with a negative hook. Have had my RAS for close to 30 years and no problems. A "regular" blade...will have a tendency to try and pull/race through the cut on it's own.

Yes pull it to cut. Chang blade to neg. hook and up grade your sheild. You can also adjust the drag on the arm to help keeping it from trying to climb.

Jim Pattie said:

Just to add my two cents: I agree with the info you've received e.g. always PULL into the cut and preferred blade is one with a negative hook. Have had my RAS for close to 30 years and no problems. A "regular" blade...will have a tendency to try and pull/race through the cut on it's own.

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Jim, your comment caught my attention. Changing topic a bit here (drifitng?). My compound/miter slider does that pull/race thing with the provided blade. Should I be looking for another blade? Or can the one I have be resharpened to the negative hook deal?

I was out all day yesterday (chasing some old machines) and missed all the fun. I am a fan of RAS and I agree with most of the others. The saw is meant to be pulled, not pushed. The fence is to far back and the blade should be behind the fence.

Freud makes a negative hook blade for the RAS. I think it is special order but not positive? Never seen it in the catalogs. I put a DeWalt miter saw blade on mine and I think it has a 0 degree hook. It is much better and doesn't try to climb nearly as bad, but it still pulls some. It is far superior to what it came with it but I suggest holding out for the right blade.

FRANK

I don't think they can be changed. It would take off a lot of carbide and most blades don't have enough.... well I don't think so. So I would say find a new blade.

Frank....CMS and SCMS, should also have negative hook blades. It's not worth, even trying to find someone to modify a 'regular' blade...just buy one instead. Your saw should have came equipped with a 0 degree or neg. hook one though.

This might help

Mark Duginske says you pull the blade through the wood for cross cutting

http://books.google.com/books?id=z-...DT4G&sig=7vJpnkqmwsXd1yBFcGU7eFXtjjY#PPA50,M1

Jay

Jim Pattie said:

Frank....CMS and SCMS, should also have negative hook blades. It's not worth, even trying to find someone to modify a 'regular' blade...just buy one instead. Your saw should have came equipped with a 0 degree or neg. hook one though.

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This thread has revealed another blank spot in my knowledge base. I had never heard of a 'negative hook' blade. And, I have never bought a round blade. With the ones laying around that I inherited and the one that came with the compound miter/slider there was never a need.
Now, the beginners question: Are new blades labeled "negative hook" or "regular"? If not, how would one know?

Actually you can tell by how far to the right or left you have to tilt you head before everything lines up Frank.

Actually here is a picture I took for someone else that asked this question. On the left is a negative hook & the right a regular blade.

Frank,

Here's some more info:http://www.generalsaw.com/resource/toothangle.html

Also check out the "more support" titles in the top right area.

Frank...The link Greg provided gives a lot of info. However, I'm sure that most of us (except the Pro's!)...would normally be hard pressed to readily identify blade types...other than perhaps 2 or 3 that we use all the time, etc. With that in mind...suggest you shop at only a tool specialty shop and buy only a trusted 'name brand' blade. It doesn't have to be the very top of the line...but remember...'better' blades have more carbide and afford more sharpenings, which allow for a longer useage period, without having to replace. I've found some companies describe the blade quite well on the packaging...but NOT always the case.

Greg, Jim, FW has proved it's worth again today. Thanks.
I'll be shopping for a new blade soon. That 'race' through the wood is very disconcerting. That means SCARY.

Frank,

The "race" can easily be controlled by adjusting the "tension" on the motor head to the Arm...and your accuired "sense and feel" as you pull the head through the board.

When you cut a board with a circular saw, you don't just keep "pushing through" with the same force after you reach the end of the cut, as you use at the beginning. If you are drilling a hole in a 1/2" board, with a 2" bit, you don't use the same pressure at the end, as you used to get started. Another analogy is learning to smoothly let the clutch out in a manual transmission.....You develop a "feel", and you will do the same using the RAS.

Hope this helps...

Freud makes a negative hook blade for the RAS. I think it is special order but not positive? Never seen it in the catalogs. I put a DeWalt miter saw blade on mine and I think it has a 0 degree hook. It is much better and doesn't try to climb nearly as bad, but it still pulls some. It is far superior to what it came with it but I suggest holding out for the right blade.

Jeff Horton said:

Jeff, almost, (if not all) major blade mfr's. manufacture a blade for mitre and radial arm saws, and they aren't special order. It's true that not all catalogue companies (such as Amazon, etc) show them in their catalogues or stock them, but they are still widely available. I know for certain that Freud, Forrest, Hitachi, Dewalt, Infinity, etc make them. They are sometimes listed as Mitre Saw blades, and if you get to the mfr's spec pages, you can see which hook angle they have, and this does vary from mfr to mfr., usually from 0* to -5 or -8* IIRC. Those same Spec pages will also give the Kerf thickness in thousandths so you can see if they are a thin kerf or full (or close to full) kerf blade, full kerf of (normally 1/8") being .125", (for those who don't know).

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