Menu
What's new

Radial Arm saws

R

Rob Keeble

Member
Messages
12,633
Location
GTA Ontario Canada
I have a question why do radial arm saws seem so unpopular.

Every time i watch a Frank Howarth video i see how he makes use of his bank of setup saws and think to myself dialed in they got to be more accurate than a chop saw intended for a jobsite.
He also has two table saws so he is aware of what can be done on them.

Around me i can pick up a good half dozen incredibly cheap from a Canadian perspective and somewhere i recall i think Carol saying she sets it up as a dedicated dado machine.

Anyone every heard of the brand Tatry ?

What models are known to be good ole saws?

Not that i have the space at present but for future definitely an option.

Why dont guys that say cannot afford a table saw get a radial arm saw. I mean $50 Canadian which is $35 US heck how can one go wrong.
 
When my father had his professional wood shop his ras was probably his number one 'go to' tool for cutting wood.
My opinion is when so many cms came along at reasonable prices the need for the ras was almost eliminated for the small shop.
 
Rob Keeble said:
I have a question why do radial arm saws seem so unpopular...

What models are known to be good ole saws?...
Click to expand...

Ripping on a RAS can be a scary experience! Cross-cutting is okay, but a SCMS does just as well.

Problem with angle cutting is that the saw often doesn't return to its 'dead-on' accuracy setting afterward. Lots of tinkering involved in keeping it square.


Great for dadoing, though.

Old Deltas and Dewalts are considered to be among the best. They're also usually the priciest, though, for that very reason.


Never heard of Tatry. Maybe a TaiChi brand only imported to Canada?
 
Omga, older DeWalt and Original Machine Co are kind of what I'd consider the gold standard for these machines. The book "Mr. Sawdust Presents "How To Master The Radial Arm Saw"" is probably the most compete guide to the things available.

They lost popularity largely because of some mix of crappy inaccurate versions that became the common ones being sold, the rise of the vastly more portable CMS, and the general shrinking of the size of construction lumber. They also got kind of a bad rap because although you can do a lot of cuts with them some cuts can be a bit exciting.

If I had space AND was processing a lot of bulk lumber that needed crosscutting it would certainly be my go to saw. Otoh I have a 12" sliding CMS on a folding stand that takes up a fraction of space that a radial would take.. so for the nonce there's no reason to add one.


From a bit of looking around it looks like Tatry was the manufacturer that made at least a couple lines of DeWalt and B&D saws since perhaps sometime in the 60s (after the B&D buy out of DeWalt), I'd look pretty carefully at it especially if it's a lighter non cast iron rig.
 
I used my craftsman RAS for many many years. I ripped, cross cut, half lapped and did all sorts of stuff.

That was I was in my basement workshop and very limited space available. I would not have been able to have a SCMS and a Tablesaw. There was no room.

My RAS had a lot of inaccuracy inherent to the saw no matter what I did.

When I built my current shop, I opted for a table saw, SCMS, jointer, planer and all the rest of the goodies. At the time my income allowed some discretionary spending, and I invested heavily in my shop. There is NO WAY, I could do that again. At that time the RAS got sold.

In my opinion a RAS is a very versatile machine - but - also very dangerous. On more than one occasion I had the blade grab and come flying at me.

I don't have one any longer, but don't miss it, except to make a half lap. But I do have my CNC router for that now, which is far better at a half lap.
 
Too much footprint for what they do in many home shops. Frank's shop is huge compared to mine. I don't keep a chop saw in the shop for the same reason. YMMV..
 
I've got my dad's Craftsman RAS. It's been a work horse for all the years we've used it. I've seen Dad use it for mostly cross cuts, but also with doing dados and rabbets, and with a moulding head to do raised panels for cabinet doors. I've only used it for cross-cutting and dados since I've had it, but I primarily use it for only straight cross-cuts, I'll defer to the SCMS or jessem miter on the TS for anything with angles depending on the length.

I'd agree with most assessments here, that space is the main factor in it's demise. I've also had a newer, more cheaply made one that turned me off for years. I think if it weren't for getting Dad's I'd probably still not have one, but since I do have it and the room for it, I'll use it.
 
Dedicated dado maker in my shop. Its the old cast iron DeWalt. Tank of a model. But space or lack thereof will determine whether it will have a permanent home.

Rob, get the old cast iron model Delta/DeWalt or don't bother. Lesser saws do not excel at holding an accurate setup. As for angled cuts, SCMS is the way to go.
 
Wow thanks for all the valuable feedback. So glad i asked first.

I think i now understand why they going and so cheap. Strangely most of the ones around are Dewalt .
But i think i will stay well away.

Like Darren mentioned for cuts needing angles i think i am better off on the table saw with my Incra mitre gauge.
 
I'm not sure I'd buy one, but I like having and using the Red Star one I inherited from Sharons Dad. That thing is a beast.
 
I have to agree with everyone else. I used my RAS for lots of cuts until I bought a good Makita 12" sliding compound miter saw. There was no comparison between the two when it came to accuracy. At the time I purchased the SCMS I was doing segmented woodturning and needed really accurate angle and bevel cuts for the compound miters to fit together properly. The Makita did it right out of the box with very little adjustment. I was never able to achieve the same level of accuracy with the RAS.

My RAS sits there all forlorn and is only used when I have to rough crosscut something to length.
 
I ahve to chime in, asI love the RAS and will never be without one again. I blame the demise of the style on Sears. The Craftsman saws were not a very robust design. The had a wishbone type of gizmo that was supposed to hold the arm in place, over time that wishbone would spread open allowing the saw arm to move slightly...hence not holding itself steady. Because they were so popular, their inaccuracy was also assigned to otehr more robust saw...like the Dewalt cast iron models and the Delta/Rockwell turret arm. Then Dewalt was acquired by B&D, and they eventually "cost engineered" the design to compete with the junk from Sears; ruining a very good design. There are the inherent problems with an RAS, like making rip cuts, the floor space, etc. Generally you might do this once and the realize a table saw is much better. Also, putting a molding head blade on an RAS is, well, a breath taking experience.
But with a good saw (the ones mentioned earlier, a few other, or my favorite: a Northfield Unipoint) they can earn their place in a shop. But IMHO they are a compliment to the table saw and other tools, not a replacement. That was anther mistake Sears made, trying to sell them as a one-tool-for-everything tool, when most of the attahcments were as poorly made as the saw they marketed.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top