My "New" RAS

[tablesawtom]

That is a beautiful saw, You are going to love it. i have the same saw. I only use it for 90 degree cuts and know you can understand why. It is about two steps from my table saw, I have a very nice Jessem miter gage so I do angled cuts on the table saw. Congratulation, again you are going to love the saw.

Tom

[jteneyck]

Nice looking work, as always John! I do like that design; it just seems to be very efficient and a simple solution. I plan to use it when I get my GA up and running.

One quick question - With those larger holes is there any chance that a small cutoff slips by and gets into the collector?

Thanks,

Doug

I thought about that, Doug.  If it happens then those little pieces will either fall out in the low spot of the hose that feeds up to my DC trunk line or get sucked all the way to the cyclone and get spun out there.  In either case, they won't do any damage.  I've sucked up far bigger things through the wide open DC box I have on my other RAS.  I do think I'll add a little 1/4" shim under the bottom of the fence, though. That will move the slots up enough so there will be continuous support of the workpiece all along the bottom.  

John

It was a quick little job to add the spacer on the bottom of the fence.  I like it. 




John

[jteneyck]

That is a beautiful saw, You are going to love it. i have the same saw. I only use it for 90 degree cuts and know you can understand why. It is about two steps from my table saw, I have a very nice Jessem miter gage so I do angled cuts on the table saw. Congratulation, again you are going to love the saw.

Tom

Thanks Tom; I already like it a lot.  The carriage rides so smoothly in the arm and the arm swings easily and locks into place with no slop.  There's nothing not to like about it except maybe the on/off switch.  It's clever that the key comes out so it can easily be made child proof, but I'd much prefer a flip switch.  Perhaps I'll change it someday.  

I have the saw in its permanent spot now, I think.  I cut down a cabinet that was in the same area of my shop so that the top of the saw table is the same height as the bench top of my other RAS, so I have great support for long pieces on the right side.  I still have to think about what to do on the left side.  That's my preferred side to work on, too, so I'll have to give it some thought and attention.  A shorts storage rack sits just to the left of the saw, so that complicates what to do.  I'll figure it out.  

This is a photo of where the new saw is located.  



Same as you, Tom, my RAS's are just a couple of steps from my TS.  The jointer/planer sits to the right of the TS.  All my machines are just a few steps apart and close to the assembly bench you see beyond the TS.  I use a plywood bridge to feed stock off the TS directly onto that bench, too.  The older I get the more important efficiency of movement becomes important.  I have a knee that I think is going to need to be replaced soon, and is giving me serious negative feedback in the meantime, which serves to show me how important this is all going to get as the years pass.  You're a few years older than me, so I know you've figured all this out already.  

John

[Tapper]

Nice modification to the fence and a nice looking setup, John. Good organization is always important in a shop; not always easy to achieve. All my stationary tools are on wheels, which definitely helps in my shop. Even installed a set of retractable casters similar to these on my woodworking workbench. 

Doug

[jteneyck]

I should have taken Tommy Tompkins comments about the DC manifold only being used for 90 and 45 degree cuts more seriously.  Yesterday, I needed to make some cuts of unknown angle, which meant trial and error.  That was going to chew up the manifold so I pulled it off.  Of courses, sawdust went everywhere.  OK, this will never do.  So today I reconfigured it much the same as what I have on my other RAS, maybe just a little more elegant.  The good news is it works just as well, better on long cuts actually which I only determined after needing to make some the full depth of the table.  More importantly, it works at angle from about 80 degrees left to less than 45 degrees on the right.  If I ever need to go outside those limits, I'll pull it off (and then probably redesign it again). The moral of the story:  simple is good, a simple box and a simple fence.  





John

[Tapper]

Nice modification, John! Same basic concept without the cover on top and the fence with the holes in it. Looks like a winner!

I still like the simplicity of the angled box, which you retained.

Doug

[jteneyck]

Nice modification, John! Same basic concept without the cover on top and the fence with the holes in it. Looks like a winner!

I still like the simplicity of the angled box, which you retained.

Doug

Thanks Doug.  Well, if I have to go the further to the left side someday, it will become a box with two angles!

John

[steve64_64]

For the benefit of others, in addition to Tommy Tompkins, there is another gentleman on YT, Brian Weekley, that covers quite a bit of these old DeWalt RAS, including a nice dust collection system. I found him through the Delphi Forums, they have a dedicated forum just for these old DeWalts. Similar to WN, they have quite a bit of knowledge there if anyone is interested. Not sure I can post the forum link since it’s not affiliated with WN, but anyone can DM me if they want to check it out.

[jteneyck]

For the benefit of others, in addition to Tommy Tompkins, there is another gentleman on YT, Brian Weekley, that covers quite a bit of these old DeWalt RAS, including a nice dust collection system. I found him through the Delphi Forums, they have a dedicated forum just for these old DeWalts. Similar to WN, they have quite a bit of knowledge there if anyone is interested. Not sure I can post the forum link since it’s not affiliated with WN, but anyone can DM me if they want to check it out.

Yes, I've seen some of his videos.  I think he was the one who has what he calls a "broken fence", which I made.  It's used for cutting mating 45 degree angles.  I don't remember seeing one on his DC system, however.  I'll have to have a look.  

John

I watched BW's video.  He has a comprehensive approach, for sure, but I'd rather have a system where I don't have to change anything.  I'm OK if a little sawdust escapes.  If I were to start fresh, I think I'd just take what I now have and make the left side angled the same as what's on the right.  I have at least 300 cfm pulling through that 4" hose, which helps make up for the larger open frontal area.  Weekley's big box in the back would probably work fine by itself, too, if you hooked up two 4" hoses.  It's sort of amazing that he has so much room at the back.  Most of us have our saws as tight to the wall as possible.     

John