what are your opinions on radial arm saws? chop saw UPGRADE

[mike s]

finally i have replaced my rubbish B&Q chop saw with something a LITTLE better

before:

lots of wobble in every direction and lacking in power, not to mention capacity

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now i am the proud owner of a radial arm saw

solid, heavy and powerful

now i need to make a stand, make a better table and make it all nice and accurate



looking around the web i have come across lots of different opinions on radial arm saws; some people think they are the best thing since sliced bread and others think they are an expensive waste of space
what are your opinions?

i like it so far; it has a much larger cutting capacity that a sliding mitre saw, has a lot more uses and in this case was cheaper than a SMS.
i haven't had a chance to fine tune accuracy yet - any tips?
thanks

 

[Dodge]

I have a DW125 the same as yours and have been using it for about 25 years - very versatile and I would not be without a RAS in my workshop.

 

[mailee]

I have the Elu version of that one as my main cross cut saw and I also have a smaller Ryobi one.
I wouldn't be without mine either as it is such a versitile machine. I find it far easier cutting half laps on these
as the SCMS has to have a spacer behind it for the same cuts. I never make angled cuts on the RAS as the more
they are moved about the more chance they have of going out of true. My SCMS is used for angle cuts. I set mine up by using a scrap of 3 x 3 to set the blade vertical and at 90 degrees to the fence. I then repeat a cut with a piece of scrap MDF the full width of the table and to set the table level fore and aft I turn the motor without the blade on to a vertical setting so the arbour is just touching the table top and slide it out ensuring it just kisses the table for it's full travel. HTH :wink:

 

[eribaMotters]

Mike,
I collected my ELU 1251 a few weeks ago. I took it off the stand and dropped it into the well of my cross cut bench I had built for my previous Eumenia saw. I built an extraction box/dust hood at the back and ran some 4" steel ducting into this. It really kicks out some dust, and I found a vacumn cleaner attached to the top guard of the saw did little use. I took a day or so to do this and setting up. This time was well spent. I have a false 6mm mdf table over the main plywood table. The centre 50mm of this is sacrificial. I ran a trial cut in to this strip and then packed up/down the table so the depth of cut into this strip was even. I set a fence to this at 90 degrees using a roofers square. A trial cut on the end of a wide board was followed by me flipping the board over and seeing if another cut ran parallel. I then adjusted the fence accordingly. This fence is set to give the maximum cross-cut possible in an 18mm board. In front of this I have screwed a second fence, 45mm ? wide, that allows me to cut the full 68mm depth but obviously at a reduced cross cut width. Only thing i do not like about the saw is the guard to the rhs of the blade. I find this "catches" and does not allow the full depth of cut. I have removed it

Colin

 

[9fingers]

DW1753 here and I'm a great fan. I use it both for cutting and with a dado blade for trenching and tenon cutting on long workpieces.
Like Mailee, I keep it for 90 degree cuts to avoid time consumed resetting the angle of the arm.

Bob

 

[Hudson Carpentry]

I wouldn't do without a RAS now I have one. They are great machines and far superior to SCMS's for straight cross cutting. They safe no end of my time when I'm cutting very long and wide boards plus when cutting wide boards or panels I don't have to lump a cast iron sliding table onto the TS to cut it.

Angles are accurate but like have been said, once back in the straight position you have to test cut and feckle a little to bring it back to true.

So yes RAS is the way to go but don't through the SCMS out as it will be useful for angles and small profiles. Stupid me sold my SCMS when I got the RAS and regret it now. Im after buying a new SCMS.

 

[mike s]

thank you for all the replies
its a bit of a change having to pull the saw into the wood, the saw wants to bite into the wood and move towards me - very manageable but a little scary after using a chop saw since i started woodworking
the arm is very rigid so the saw cant be climbing(?)
i assume that the pushing toward the operator is just the nature of the beast?
as i say it is very managable and not a big problem, probably not worth mentioning, but id rather be the idiot to ask than the idiot not to know
am i doing anything wrong, can the grab be prevented or should my pulling arm just be a bit more rigid?
thanks

 

[9fingers]

Make sure you have the right sort of blade. RAS use negative rake blades. I prefer blades with depth limiters as well. Both help the dig in problem.
Try and keep your arm out stretched and rigid and for narrow-ish cuts, twist your waist and shoulders. For wider cuts you can combine waist twists with moving the body back and forth. It is just practise really to find something that work for you

Get the technique right before even considering using a dado blade!

Bob

 

[eribaMotters]

Mike,
you need a negative rake sawblade. If you were to draw a line from the centre of the blade out to its diameter, the front/cutting angle of the blade should slope backwards away from this line, and not forwards.

Colin

 

[mike s]

the 3 blades i was given by the previous owner are definitely not positive rake
what tooth count blades do you use?
i have a 40 tooth in the machine currently
dont get me wrong the drag is not a great deal - just a little more than being able to slide itself along the rail

 

[deserter]

We used RAS at college and the best advice they gave was to cut left handed, i.e. pull the saw with your left hand not your right, this puts your entire body away from the line of the blade and makes it near impossible to cut through your right hand which is now holding the workpiece. It feels odd at first but after a couple of cuts it works great and is surprisingly easier to control the motion of the blade.

 

[mailee]

If the pull on the cutting is a problem for you Mike you can always buy a return spring for the saw. I have one on mine which I bought on e bay. I have mine attached to the wall behind the machine with the cable connected to the yoke. It does help as it gives you something to pull against and helps prevent the saw climbing into the work. It still does on occasion though. I have also removed the guard on the right of the blade like Colin as I will never use the saw for ripping.

 

[srt]

Great thread Mike, im also the new owner of a RAS and looking for hints and tips,i also like the idea of posting pictures of your setup any other members willing to do the same would be great as you cant beat pictures for getting a better idea

 

[tool613]

I like them for a brake down saw. there also great for cutting tenons on log sticks and timbers. the best is there a dime a dozen that why i have 2.

I have a delta 40C from the 50s with a turret arm and control up from with a VFD for draking the blade. I have a Wadkin BRT that holds a 15" blade for deep cuts that is a fine saw too.I payed $143 for the delta and $160 for the Wadkin. That's what I call good saw for the money.

Oh ya i dabed some paint on them to look new :mrgreen:

jack

 

[mike s]

Great thread Mike, im also the new owner of a RAS and looking for hints and tips,i also like the idea of posting pictures of your setup any other members willing to do the same would be great as you cant beat pictures for getting a better idea

thanks
any pictures of your saw to share?

If the pull on the cutting is a problem for you Mike you can always buy a return spring for the saw. I have one on mine which I bought on e bay. I have mine attached to the wall behind the machine with the cable connected to the yoke. It does help as it gives you something to pull against and helps prevent the saw climbing into the work. It still does on occasion though. I have also removed the guard on the right of the blade like Colin as I will never use the saw for ripping.

i might try attaching a bunjee or similar to the saw if i get fed up with the climbing, i will give it a chance and see if it annoys me enough

We used RAS at college and the best advice they gave was to cut left handed, i.e. pull the saw with your left hand not your right, this puts your entire body away from the line of the blade and makes it near impossible to cut through your right hand which is now holding the workpiece. It feels odd at first but after a couple of cuts it works great and is surprisingly easier to control the motion of the blade.

that is a very good idea, i will definitely give it a go for safety's sake

thank you all for the replies

 

[mike s]

I like them for a brake down saw. there also great for cutting tenons on log sticks and timbers. the best is there a dime a dozen that why i have 2.

I have a delta 40C from the 50s with a turret arm and control up from with a VFD for draking the blade. I have a Wadkin BRT that holds a 15" blade for deep cuts that is a fine saw too.I payed $143 for the delta and $160 for the Wadkin. That's what I call good saw for the money.

Oh ya i dabed some paint on them to look new :mrgreen:

jack

nice saw, looks very clean

i payed £195 for my saw, im quite happy with the price as a SCMS with the same cutting capacity would be multiple times more expensive
seems like the RAS is going out of woodworking fashion so they are relatively cheap on ebay

 

[srt]

I ll get pics up Mike when i get my saw home

 

[hammer n nails]

hi what are you doing with your rubbish b&q saw just was looking for a cheap one as i don't yet have a chop saw

 

[mike s]

hi what are you doing with your rubbish b&q saw just was looking for a cheap one as i don't yet have a chop saw

keeping it for rough garden furniture and structure making, will also use it to cut down large lengths of wood that wont fit comfortably in the shop.

they sell at B&Q for about 50 quid
they have made it look a little more fancy but i expect its got the same specs
http://www.diy.com/nav/fix/power-tools/ ... w-10957623


a cheaper one:
http://www.diy.com/nav/fix/power-tools/ ... N-11537563