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My first ole iron

Jeff Horton said:
Your gonna love that saw! As long as something is not worn out it you will find it a big asset in your shop. I love mine and use it all the time.

OK. As for the switch I would try original saw. Might sign up on the DeWalt RAS forum and ask. you might find one there. Once you take it apart and can see it, it might be repairable. If it will come apart it might just be burned contacts and they can be cleaned.

I suggest Wally Kunkles(sp?) book on the RAS. There is more than meets to eye to setting up a RAS properly and his book covers it well. Actually the manual covers it pretty well too. It takes some time to get it aligned in all the axises. As for the table, if yours had the same table as my GP then I would suggest you go back with that. It's a clever set up and you can adjust the table and make it very flat and level and it should stay that way.

One of things I dearly love about mine is the repeatability. If I move the arm from 90 and bring it back, it locks right back in place every time. It took some time to dial it all in and get the adjustments right, but I have no fear of changing it and it not coming back square.

Again, your gonna love that saw!
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Jeff,

Mr Sawdust's book is on its way to me ;)

Thanks...
- Marty -
 
Jeff Horton said:
Marty, found some Dirty Paper on that saw for you. PDF files you can download.

Repair parts -8 pages

16 pages - Owner manual? For some reason I can't open this one.
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Jeff,

Thanks for the links. I found those last night, and have already downloaded both manuals ;) (Dirty paper, huh? :rolleyes: )

I spent quite a bit of time on OWWM last night, and found several pictures of my saw, in pristinely restored condition, in various configurations of setup, etc.

Thanks again...
- Marty -
 
Marty Walsh said:
Joe,
I also plan to add infeed and outfeed tables, with a long fence with built-in tape measures and stops to allow me to make repeatable accurate cuts. (Not sure if that's what the Bies does...)
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When I set mine up 15 years ago Biesemeyer had a fence system for radial arm saws. It looks a lot like their CMS fence system but heavier duty. Their factory was 10 miles from my house and they were willing to make custom sized tables. I think I have a 10 foot on the left and an 8 foot on the right. There is an aluminum fence with tapes on top, and hairline pointer stops. It looks like the stops might be the same as the ones they sell for CMS. Here is a link.

http://www.biesemeyer.com/miter_radial/index.htm

Once I got the saw close to 90, I snugged up the column (made it difficult to raise and lower) and then set it perfect. Once perfect, I tightened it all the way. I did this 15 years ago. With a 5 cut method, the cut-off was less than .001" off. I just checked it at Christmas and it was still less than .001" off. I think that means that on a 15" wide cut I would only be 1/5th of .001" off. Close enough for me :thumb:

Marty Walsh said:
Yes, my switch is at the end of the arm. Well, the original, non-functioning one is. The current working one is mounted under the table, hung off a contactor on the power cord.

I suspected Original Saw might have parts. I've been to their web site, but can't find anything but instructions on finding the serial number. Do I then have to call their customer service?
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You need to call them with the serial number. My buddy had a saw of your vintage that needed a switch and more. they had everything. Also, the saw came with some very heavy duty blade stabilizers. If your's doesnt' have them, order a pair as they are quite nice. I'm using a Forrest Duraline Hi/AT 5 degree negative hook angle blade and it works very very well. I ended up getting a 12" instead of a 14" blade on the advice of Forrest. They said the that unless I needed the extra 1" of cut-off width, the smaller blade would be quieter and may cut better. In hindsight, I'd spend the extra to get the larger blade and every inch of cut-off width.
 
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Marty Walsh said:
Vaughn,

Here's another reason I went used. Original Saw, who is now producing the Dewalt Radial Arm saws, is awful proud of the new version of this saw. Have a look "here" :eek: :eek: :eek:

Ole works for me... :rolleyes:
- Marty -
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Wow: Awhile back I was at an local auction where on of these saws went for $70. At the time, I thought Nah, don't need it. Looking at the price on the Original Saw site makes me a bit sick.

Joe
 
Marty Walsh said:
Another option I'm considering is mounting a dado stack on it and making it a dedicated dado cutter.

- Marty -
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That option, Marty, is another reason you Really got a good deal by buying an old one, 'cause I noticed that besides being "20" times the price of yours, the fact/spec list on the New "Original Saw", shows .........Dado N/A

I wonder why the new ones can't do Dados, maybe because of a different blade guard, or something????????:huh: :dunno: Makes me curious though.
 
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