Used Tool pricing is interesting…

[Tapper]

Because the looks of the 33-285 just don't excite me very much.  There's a Delta 900 available for $250 about 90 minutes away. and there's a Super 900 available for $400 but that's a 4 hour drive each way.  There are plenty of Dewalts available, too, but I think I'd prefer the turret head Delta.  And I'm still wondering why I can't get perfectly straight cuts on my Bosch CMS.  I suspect the narrow kerf blades are the problem, but I'm hesitant to spend $250 for a Forrest Chopmaster just to see if that's really the problem.  

So, what would you all do?  I can be convinced.  

John

I have a 3 HP Dewalt GA "medium" arm (~24" crosscut) that I've almost completely rebuilt, including all new roller-head bearings and motor bearings. Not yet in service but hopefully in the not-too-distant future. I embarked on this project because of the reputation these old Dewalts have for accuracy and dependability. Will report on the results when I get it back running and all adjustments made.

There is a dedicated forum for Dewalt radial arm saws; obviously all there swear by them. The only other RAS I've owned is an old Craftsman model many of us had "back in the day." They were pretty pedestrian and were in constant need of adjustments to ensure square and accurate cuts. Never owned one of the Delta models, so can't comment. 

Doug

P.S. John, don't you have one of the smaller Dewalts in your shop now?

[JDuke]

Another one, this time higher than retail.

An X-carve CNC router, this is the newer model, but not the pro. The newer model runs about $2500 new and this person locally is asking $3000


I have sold several of the older model x-carves for around $1200 which seems to be the going price, I am thinking at 3K he will be sitting on this one a while.


I have been to auctions where people get into bidding wars and go well beyond the price of new items on several things, but in this day and age of information in your hand, I don’t get who is buying things at prices that are so close to or even above retail.  Do people not bother googling?

With the X-carve you can easily find the new price online, and with the Robland x31 that started this thread, google shows lots of people talking about a sub $1000 price for used machines.  

I guess if you absolutely have to have it right now, and have more money than sense…

Duke

Edit to add:

Looks like the price of the x-carve has come down, they start at closer to $1400 than $2500 now

[jteneyck]

I have a 3 HP Dewalt GA "medium" arm (~24" crosscut) that I've almost completely rebuilt, including all new roller-head bearings and motor bearings. Not yet in service but hopefully in the not-too-distant future. I embarked on this project because of the reputation these old Dewalts have for accuracy and dependability. Will report on the results when I get it back running and all adjustments made.

There is a dedicated forum for Dewalt radial arm saws; obviously all there swear by them. The only other RAS I've owned is an old Craftsman model many of us had "back in the day." They were pretty pedestrian and were in constant need of adjustments to ensure square and accurate cuts. Never owned one of the Delta models, so can't comment. 

Doug

P.S. John, don't you have one of the smaller Dewalts in your shop now?

I do, Doug, a GWI.  It has a 10" blade with a 1.5 hp motor and about 14" of cross cut capacity.  It's been a great saw that I've had for about 30 years.  I set it up specifically for 90 degree cutting, using an aluminum extrusion rear fence with tape measures L and R and a length stop.  It works smarvelously.  But it's a pain to reconfigure it for angled cuts. Over the years I've put a piece of plywood on the table when needed to raise the cut above the aluminum rear fence so I could make angled cuts.  And I've made angled cuts by using a triangle against the aluminum fence to hold the wood at the desired angle.  Both ways work and both ways have their own set of issues.  I'd prefer to leave the saw set at 90 degrees, which favors the triangle approach, but that requires precutting the part to nearly finished length to preserve cut capacity.  The small offcut, however, is easily pulled into the fence opening causing a jamb or other drama.  Those issues make the standard fence approach look better, but off course that means moving the saw head left, right, and back to center, and then verifying the angles are correct.

With a new saw I would set it up specifically for miter cuts and design the fence with that in mind.  I'd still have the issue of verifying the angles every time it's moved, but that's no different with most any RAS I've ever used.  In that regard, my CMS is better at locking in at standard angles, so good that I don't bother to check the angles unless I notice an issue.   

I'll probably spend some time thinking about a new fence system for the RAS I already own.  If I do decide to get another RAS, I'll have to think about whether or not I can integrate it into the same table and fence system with the one I already have.  In any case, there is no shortage of RAS's for sale within a 50 mile radius of me.  

Thanks for prompting me to think more about it.  

John

[Tapper]

Thanks for the clarification of your setup, John. Although I've yet to put my GA into service, these old Dewalt saws are "renowned" for their ability to hold adjustments and make repeatable cuts.

My thought is that you are on the right track by thinking of a new fence system. A wooden sacrificial fence could go a long way to solving most of your concerns, if I'm reading the situation correctly.

Let us know what you come up with as I'm sure there will be some tips we can all use!

Doug

[jteneyck]

Thanks for the clarification of your setup, John. Although I've yet to put my GA into service, these old Dewalt saws are "renowned" for their ability to hold adjustments and make repeatable cuts.

My thought is that you are on the right track by thinking of a new fence system. A wooden sacrificial fence could go a long way to solving most of your concerns, if I'm reading the situation correctly.

Let us know what you come up with as I'm sure there will be some tips we can all use!

Doug

My RAS was missing the "keystone" lever that drops into the machined ring on the turret that holds the arm at 45 and 90 degrees.  I bought one from Wolff (now defunct), who also put new bearings in the motor when I first got the saw.  Even with adjustment of the set screws that fine tune where the keystone indexes into the ring, however, the exact angle is not consistently 45 or 90 degrees, typically off by a fraction of a degree, but that's too much if you want angles as perfect as possible, like you can get with a well-tuned tablesaw sled.  So I have to check and adjust pretty much every time I move the arm, one reason I'd rather not move it.  

The angle adjustment on a RAS is inherently problematic.  They pretty much had no other choice than to use the turret, but it's a poor stepchild compared to how the angle is controlled on a CMS.  Think about it.  A couple of 0.001" in how that keystone sits in the turret results in a much larger error in angle than it does on the outer ring of the CMS.  I hope your GA works as it should but don't be surprised if it doesn't.  I've seen a few RA type saws where the saw is mounted to a base that rotates, much like a CMS.  Now that's a setup I'd like to have.  

If I rebuild the fence I'm going to have to look at the keystone and turret again to find a solution.  Otherwise, it will drive me nuts in a hurry.  

John

[Tapper]

If you need any parts for your saw, I have a source for good used parts. Not sure there are any new parts left for these saws unless you get lucky and find someone who has squirreled away some NOS rarities.

Good luck!

Doug

[EdL]

No radial arm saw has dead nuts accuracy when moved to cut an angle. I put a "set-up" disc on my Delta and fine tune with a machinists protractor.
My 2, 16" DeWalt GE's don't angle close enough. 1 is set for 90° cuts and rarely moved, the other has a power feed and is used for rough ripping.
Everyone puts the ras against a wall, makes it a pita to fine tune as all the adjustments are in the back. Deltas are in the front, easier to dial in.
A 1/2" key in a slot is not going to be accurate when you get to the end of the arm on a DeWalt. Deltas tapered locators are no better.

Ed

[Tapper]

Everyone puts an RAS against the wall because otherwise they are "space eaters" - just makes sense in most home shops.

Doug

[EdL]

You are not wrong...My GE's take up 25' of wall space...
8' roller table, saw, 8' roller table and the 2nd saw has a 80" door for a table.

Ed

[EvilTwin]

Getting back to the original post, I think lots of used pricing is off the wall with most people having no idea of what tools are worth or what they are even used for. Craigslist used to be the go to for finding machinery cheap but lately most shows up on FB Marketplace and those folks take the FB crazy to new highs (or Lows depending how you look at it) for pricing. My old rule of thumb used to be 50% of new in good shape, but now the new price can be so out of date that inflation has pushed up the used prices to near what the cost new or even more.

Some types of machinery seem to be going for much cheaper these days, like Unis and PM 66's since they dont have riving knives and the current generation must see them as "old stuff". I see lots of portable saws as well as old contractor types going for prices all over the spectrum. Sometimes you see high end Euro stuff like Robland or Inca but they tend to be far and few between.