My New Year's Gloat

[jteneyck]

Happy New Year.  I hope you all have a healthy and happy 2025.  

I haven't gone to bring it home yet, so I hope there are no disappointing surprises when I see it in the flesh, but I bought this Dewalt GA medium arm saw yesterday for $300.  





3 HP, single phase.  The crosscut capacity is over 24", which is why I wanted it.  It is going to replace the big heavy tablesaw sled I now use for cutting wide parts.  Of course, it will do all the other things RAS's are so good at.  And with its nearly 4-1/2" depth of cut it might replace my chopsaw for vertical miters.  

John

[R Clark]

Cool.  




I love having a good RAS for cross cutting.

[fredhargis]

Those long arm saws are pretty rare. Good find, and it will be extremely useful.

[greenacres2]

That's a sweet looking saw...congratulations!!

[jteneyck]

Those long arm saws are pretty rare. Good find, and it will be extremely useful.

It's long compared to the standard arm, Fred, but Dewalt lists it as a medium arm.  It crosscuts about 26" and rips up to 34".  The larger GE saw was available in standard, medium and long arm versions.  The long arm can crosscut 31" and rips to 44".  

I was surprised to find this one in only 2 or 3 weeks of searching.  It's a long haul to go get it, but there were none closer and I'm getting too old to be patient.  

John

[stav]

Wow, that is a great looking machine.

[MstrCarpenter]

I have three DeWalts; and am planning to pick up a fourth soon just to save it from the scrap yard. DeWalt made some really big ones too; the production they achieved is quite impressive.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiGH0Qsu3ak

[jteneyck]

I have three DeWalts; and am planning to pick up a fourth soon just to save it from the scrap yard. DeWalt made some really big ones too; the production they achieved is quite impressive.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiGH0Qsu3ak

This will bring my total to three, but I have no intention of keeping them all after I get this one up and running.  I've seen that promo video several times.  Amazing saws and amazing logistics of how they did it.  It reminds me in some ways of how the Empire State Building was built in only a year or so.  Just incredible. 

I know what you mean about saving these saws from the scrap yard.  I'd buy and refurbish them just to keep that from happening, if I could at least break even on it.  But not many people appreciate the incredible versatility of these machines.  If your motivation is confined to trim work, a compound miter saw will meet all your needs.  Only a furniture/cabinet maker would appreciate having the added functions a RAS provides.  It's a little strange, however, that people will plunk down $1000+ on a Festool miter saw, that they have no plans to use outside their workshop, when they could have that capability and so much more in a RAS that costs 1/10 the price.  I just finished refurbishing an MBF for a friend.  I paid $50 for it and had less than $200 in it when I was done, including a new blade and additional on/off switch.  Some folks argue that a miter saw has built in settings for angles other than just the 45 deg on a RAS.  True, but those settings often aren't perfect.  I recently made an 8-sided box, so the miters were at 22.5 degrees.  Too bad the actual angle was not quite 22.5 degrees off my miter saw.  I had to release the detent and tweak the angle by hand until I got the parts to fit properly.  This is no different than on the RAS.  

John

[EdL]

I bought my 2nd GE (online auction) never paid attention to the arm length.....I was strapping it down in the truck bed and kept finding the arm in my way, wth?

After unloading, I noticed just how much longer it is than the standard arm saw

You'll get used to the crosscut capacity really quick, opens up lots of new options. It didn't take me long to order a 12" dado set for it, lol.

Ed

[jteneyck]

I bought my 2nd GE (online auction) never paid attention to the arm length.....I was strapping it down in the truck bed and kept finding the arm in my way, wth?

After unloading, I noticed just how much longer it is than the standard arm saw

You'll get used to the crosscut capacity really quick, opens up lots of new options. It didn't take me long to order a 12" dado set for it, lol.

Ed

Oh, the GE is one impressive beast.  I think they weigh over 800 lbs.  The GA is a lightweight at only 460.  The little MBF I just refurbished is 140, which seems like a lot actually for its size.  Have you ever seen a GP with the carrying handles?  



That must be what contractors used before miter saws. 

John