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(11-09-2023, 04:22 PM)Bill Wilson Wrote: I have a Craftsman RAS that I've owned since the late 70's. It may not be the most precise tool, but it has served my purposes. For years I used it for any & all cross cuts &r miter cuts and the occasional dado & half lap joints. I've ripped on it a few times, especially when I first got it and didn't have a TS. Several years ago I acquired a 12" CMS. I have it set up next to my RAS. I still use the RAS for rough cross cutting & wider cross cuts and use the CMS for miters and bevels. I never made a cross cut or miter sled for my TS, as I never really needed one. The RAS will stay in my shop for as long as I have a shop. It has sentimental value as the first major power tool I ever got and it was a Christmas gift from my wife, back when we really couldn't afford it.
That sentence rings true, and probably for many other woodworkers, as we started out. A supportive partner made all the difference in acquiring some of the machines and tools I needed to start out.
John
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So true, except that my wife bought me a tablesaw which I returned for an RAS...Now it is table saws only for me...what a difference 35 years made...I did make my very first raised panel doors using the spinning planer gizmo/accessory, came out pretty well, for my very first attempt...Not going to lie, the RAS moulding cutter scared the bejebers out of me...
If any one is interested in one of the RAS conversion drill chucks, I believe I have one lying around...
Brian
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I’ve had an RAS for over 30 years now, can’t imagine making furniture without it, certainly not with a table saw. Mine has a custom setup, it sits against the one wall of my shop (garage) with extension tables on both sides - I can rip a 10’ board with no problem. Yes, I do rip cuts with my RAS, it has anti-kickback locks on both sides of the saw blade, never had a kickback. The only time I’ve know anyone to have kickback issues is when they do a rip and the blade isn’t parallel to the fence, then the blade catches and throws the board back. With the long table rips are safer than with a TS because the board is fully supported on both sides of the cut.
Crosscuts are a dream, and with a dado head mounted I can see just where the blade is going, how deep it cuts and, if I need to, I can to a crosscut/dado at an angle just by turning the arm to the right setting. It’s easy to lock in that right setting by using an adjustable angle jig: https://tinyurl.com/zpf47nah
Mike
I work on the 50-50-90 rule: If there's a 50-50 choice, I'll pick the wrong one 90% of the time! 
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11-12-2023, 02:10 PM
(This post was last modified: 11-12-2023, 02:41 PM by srv52761.)
Most Craftsman, as well the DeWalts, and others, could be set up to be extremely accurate. The rub is, they are so versatile there are a plethora of adjustments that need to be made. Not just the number, but the order the adjustments are made could affect its accuracy.
All machines will have some slop, they have to. But if you understand where and how your tool has slop, then you are good to go.
For example: if your tool has 1/16” slop on a crosscut and you know it, you can account for it by applying the same amount of directional pressure to always reach the same limit of the slop.
I suggest getting a copy of Jon Eakes book on Fine Tuning Your Radial Arm Saw. It is the acknowledged bible on setting up the RAS. Out of print, but a pdf version can be purchased on his web site
Next, join the DeWalt RAS forum; it’s free. This Woodnet forum is generally good, but the DeWalt forum is tool specific. While catering primarily to DeWalts, 99% of the information applies to RASs in general.
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(11-12-2023, 02:10 PM)srv52761 Wrote: Most Craftsman, as well the DeWalts, and others, could be set up to be extremely accurate. The rub is, they are so versatile there are a plethora of adjustments that need to be made. Not just the number, but the order the adjustments are made could affect its accuracy.
All machines will have some slop, they have to. But if you understand where and how your tool has slop, then you are good to go.
For example: if your tool has 1/16” slop on a crosscut and you know it, you can account for it by applying the same amount of directional pressure to always reach the same limit of the slop.
I suggest getting a copy of Jon Eakes book on Fine Tuning Your Radial Arm Saw. It is the acknowledged bible on setting up the RAS. Out of print, but a pdf version can be purchased on his web site
Next, join the DeWalt RAS forum; it’s free. This Woodnet forum is generally good, but the DeWalt forum is tool specific. While catering primarily to DeWalts, 99% of the information applies to RASs in general.
That’s good to know. Thanks for all the input guys.
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Try trimming the ends of a 20" wide web frame on your plastic-bodied chop saw. You'll quickly see the value of a radial arm saw.
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You are not wrong Bob.
Sadly mediun & long arm DeWalts are few and far between.
Ed<- has a medium arm GE.
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I wanted to make some 'egg crate' structures for a torsion table. 1 X 3 s needing slots cut half way thru the 1 X 3 s that fit into one another. A RAS with a dado blade did the trick nicely. A benefit of the RAS is that I could see the layout lines. To do the same thing on a table saw I would not have been able to see the layout lines so would have had to come up with another method to space the slots accurately.
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11-13-2023, 10:27 AM
(This post was last modified: 11-13-2023, 10:29 AM by jcclark.)
I have a radial arm saw that I use a lot, mainly to cut off long heavy boards.
But what I use for a really accurate & square cut on all my 24" wide cabinet sides
is a sled on my regular table saw. Works really well.
Works much better than my radial arm.
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I used RAS for years. A LARGE Dewalt that scared the crap out of me, a small Dewalt that we used on the job site and even a Craftsman that was in my first shop.
I am in the minority here but I wouldn't have a RAS in my shop. I don't know of anything it does that I can't do with my table saw, safer and more accurately.
But, keep it and see if you use it.
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