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Posted: 7/11/2022 9:18:38 AM EDT
With the features on new miter saws, is the radial arm saw obsolete?
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IA, USA
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Posted: 7/11/2022 9:22:07 AM EDT
[#1]
Depends on the cut. If you have a table saw then you can rip length wise but a miter won’t rip it’s only cut off.
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NC, USA
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Posted: 7/11/2022 12:24:20 PM EDT
[#2]
Originally Posted By shooter_gregg: With the features on new miter saws, is the radial arm saw obsolete? Honestly, yes they probably are. The only thing I could see getting a RAS for would be a dedicated dado cutter with a dado stack. Of course my first thought about getting one for that purpose is, OMG the dust! |
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Posted: 7/11/2022 12:43:16 PM EDT
[#3]
I have a very nice old school RAS in my shop. I use it for tons of stuff but I COULD use other saws. I'm selling it but I'll miss it. It cuts SO straight and true.
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VA, USA
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Posted: 7/11/2022 1:31:43 PM EDT
[#4]
No, the RAS is not obsolete. It you have limited space, they are great. Will do nearly anything a table saw can do, and everything a miter can. I have all three, and almost never use the miter or table saw. Mine is a Delta Rockwell 12 inch. I use it for resawing a lot.
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WI, USA
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Posted: 7/11/2022 1:54:02 PM EDT
[#5]
sliding table saw, kinda makes both miter saws and radial arm saws both obsolete.
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Posted: 7/11/2022 2:11:25 PM EDT
[#6]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By K1rodeoboater: Honestly, yes they probably are. The only thing I could see getting a RAS for would be a dedicated dado cutter with a dado stack. Of course my first thought about getting one for that purpose is, OMG the dust! Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By K1rodeoboater: Originally Posted By shooter_gregg: With the features on new miter saws, is the radial arm saw obsolete? Honestly, yes they probably are. The only thing I could see getting a RAS for would be a dedicated dado cutter with a dado stack. Of course my first thought about getting one for that purpose is, OMG the dust! |
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Posted: 7/11/2022 2:21:04 PM EDT
[#7]
Only things I can think of with RAS
PRO: Cuts straight and true CON: Cuts off your left hand |
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Posted: 7/11/2022 5:53:17 PM EDT
[#8]
I found an old Craftsman Radial Arm saw for a steal. Mid 1960s model, well built, very solid machine.
Had it for 3-4 years and gave it away as I never used it. |
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Posted: 7/12/2022 10:14:06 AM EDT
[#9]
I am thinking of picking up a used RAS.
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NC, USA
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Posted: 7/12/2022 4:20:19 PM EDT
[#10]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By shooter_gregg: How would you do box joints? I am starting to build my own beehives and related items. |
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Posted: 7/12/2022 5:01:20 PM EDT
[Last Edit: shooter_gregg]
[#11]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By K1rodeoboater: I've been doing mine on a tablesaw with a jig Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By K1rodeoboater: Originally Posted By shooter_gregg: How would you do box joints? I am starting to build my own beehives and related items. |
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Posted: 7/12/2022 5:05:41 PM EDT
[#12]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By K1rodeoboater: Honestly, yes they probably are. The only thing I could see getting a RAS for would be a dedicated dado cutter with a dado stack. Of course my first thought about getting one for that purpose is, OMG the dust! Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By K1rodeoboater: Originally Posted By shooter_gregg: With the features on new miter saws, is the radial arm saw obsolete? Honestly, yes they probably are. The only thing I could see getting a RAS for would be a dedicated dado cutter with a dado stack. Of course my first thought about getting one for that purpose is, OMG the dust! I actually went out and got a RAS for exactly that purpose day of a project, which makes me either very lucky to find one or tells you how many people are selling them. |
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Posted: 7/12/2022 9:24:51 PM EDT
[#13]
I've given away 2 high quality RAS because they were in my way.
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NC, USA
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Posted: 7/13/2022 9:42:54 AM EDT
[#14]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By shooter_gregg: Exactly. He was saying you could on a RAS. I don't see how it is possible.  .
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NC, USA
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Posted: 7/13/2022 9:43:49 AM EDT
[#15]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By mnd: I actually went out and got a RAS for exactly that purpose day of a project, which makes me either very lucky to find one or tells you how many people are selling them. |
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MO, USA
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Posted: 7/14/2022 12:41:40 PM EDT
[#16]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By shooter_gregg: Exactly. He was saying you could on a RAS. I don't see how it is possible. All you need to do is have a jig that holds the board vertically and low enough that you can make the notches with a ras. The table the saw is on needs to be narrower then the travel of the ras to allow for the jig to be mounted in the front of the table. It’s the same way I can do them on a cnc router. |
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Posted: 7/14/2022 12:53:43 PM EDT
[#17]
Low enough would be where I'm not following. Most of my box joints are on the end of nineteen inch boards.
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Posted: 7/14/2022 1:10:20 PM EDT
[#18]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Quicky06: All you need to do is have a jig that holds the board vertically and low enough that you can make the notches with a ras. The table the saw is on needs to be narrower then the travel of the ras to allow for the jig to be mounted in the front of the table. It’s the same way I can do them on a cnc router. Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Quicky06: Originally Posted By shooter_gregg: Exactly. He was saying you could on a RAS. I don't see how it is possible. All you need to do is have a jig that holds the board vertically and low enough that you can make the notches with a ras. The table the saw is on needs to be narrower then the travel of the ras to allow for the jig to be mounted in the front of the table. It’s the same way I can do them on a cnc router. My RAS can rotate the blade so it's parallel with the table. If you're doing a lot of box joints this sort of RAS would be easier than just about anything else since the stock can be fixtured to the table in the normal orientation so you don't have any real limits to length. |
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MO, USA
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Posted: 7/16/2022 6:48:00 AM EDT
[#19]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By shooter_gregg: Low enough would be where I'm not following. Most of my box joints are on the end of nineteen inch boards. Yet I bet your table for your ras is a lot taller than 19”. Your going to be mounting it vertically to cut the slots. |
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Posted: 7/16/2022 2:16:52 PM EDT
[#20]
I use a MS for construction type of work and a RAS for most crosscut woodworking tasks. I have a Uni-saw with an EB-3 and an lncra 1000se mitre gauge, but I get better accuracy from the RAS.
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Posted: 7/19/2022 12:09:59 AM EDT
[#21]
RAS are great for plowing massive dados for a pergola (like good ole Norm Abram used to do), cross cutting anything from a 2x4 to a 4x12, and IMO that's where their real usefulness ends. Pretty much every other task is accomplished more safely, accurately, and easily with other tools. If I had a shop bigger than a two car garage, say 1,000 sq ft or more, and I got a killer deal on a RAS (or better yet got it for free) I'd definitely have one in there for the rare times I'd use it. Otherwise, I'll stick with a table saw, sliding compound miter saw, and router (table).
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Posted: 7/28/2022 10:58:09 AM EDT
[#22]
If I had neither and was only going to buy one it'd probably be a nice miter
that said I've done a few cuts on my dad's old craftsman RAS and have watched him and my brother use it and it has worked fine and if taking normal safety precautions I don't see it as any more dangerous than any other spinning blade power saw. I know some people say they're super dangerous. |
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TX, USA
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Posted: 9/14/2022 12:34:27 PM EDT
[#23]
RAS usually got relegated to rough dimensioning oversized stock in receiving at most of the shops I worked in. Setup time just made it impractical for any specialty purposes and it just ended up dedicated to cutting stuff down.
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Posted: 9/14/2022 4:12:33 PM EDT
[#24]
Originally Posted By shooter_gregg: With the features on new miter saws, is the radial arm saw obsolete? I wouldn't say obsolete. If you've already got an old one or can find one cheap, just cinch it down at 90 to the fence and leave it there for doing cross cuts, period. That's what I did with my dad's old craftsman. |
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Posted: 11/14/2022 3:19:15 PM EDT
[Last Edit: Epidote]
[#25]
I used to sell the Montgomery Ward PowrKraft Model 84-2610 radial arm saws. I always wanted one--still do--but never had the space. They were made by Toolkraft in Massachusetts. They're only available used now. If you can find one.
If the users kept them in adjustment, they were surprisingly accurate. They used a high-RPM universal motor that made them really noisy. The benefit was that the saw head had two arbors. One turned at about 3450 RPM, and was for a 10 inch blade. The other, on the opposite side, turned at about 18,000 ROM and was nice for routing. I have tried low-RPM routing on other tools and it never worked out well. |
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USA
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Posted: 11/14/2022 3:34:25 PM EDT
[#26]
Can you control depth of cut with a sliding miter saw? To make dadoes for instance?
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MO, USA
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Posted: 11/14/2022 7:33:35 PM EDT
[Last Edit: Quicky06]
[#27]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By JohnClarkUSN: Can you control depth of cut with a sliding miter saw? To make dadoes for instance? You can on everyone I’ve used. There is an issue on my dewalt. You need to put a scrap pieces against the fence. When it’s elevated it does not go back far enough to cut the same depth all the way across. |
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Posted: 11/15/2022 6:11:08 AM EDT
[Last Edit: winddummy82]
[#28]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By K1rodeoboater: Yeah I keep mulling getting one because I keep having issues with getting perfect dados. I think it's more a technique/measuring issue than anything, but it's greatly annoying me.  not totally obsolete but close. I see a ras for accurate high production cutoff. never going to miter or cut crown with one. |
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Posted: 11/16/2022 12:25:50 PM EDT
[#29]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By shooter_gregg: How would you do box joints? I am starting to build my own beehives and related items. I don’t think you can raise the saw high enough on a RAS to do box joints. Since you will probably need to cut ends of boards that are nearly 20” and 16” long So either a router table with a Finger joint jig or table saw with the same. I really like the Incra box joint jig. Pricey but able to adjust easily for different thickness and finger sizes. I think Leigh and someone else has a dedicated finger/box joint jig (that they are marketing as for bee hive boxes) but they are made for router tables or table saws. |
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Posted: 11/16/2022 12:42:10 PM EDT
[#30]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By JQ66: I don’t think you can raise the saw high enough on a RAS to do box joints. Since you will probably need to cut ends of boards that are nearly 20” and 16” long Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By JQ66: Originally Posted By shooter_gregg: How would you do box joints? I am starting to build my own beehives and related items. I don’t think you can raise the saw high enough on a RAS to do box joints. Since you will probably need to cut ends of boards that are nearly 20” and 16” long Most RASs can pivot the blade so its plane of rotation is parallel with the table. Since the stock doesn’t move during the cut, your capacity is nearly unlimited. |
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OH, USA
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Posted: 11/20/2022 5:21:22 PM EDT
[#31]
Radial arm saws are obsolete and take up a ton of space. I think if someone has the room in a shop it could be useful though for breaking down lumber and other larger items.
Sliding miter saw can do about everything faster, compact, and accurate. Plus I feel they are safer. |
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USA
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Posted: 11/20/2022 6:04:47 PM EDT
[#32]
RAS is for breaking down stock and dado jobs. I use mine for dadoing thresholds when I build door frames and other large dado jobs. It hard to beat for those functions.
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NC, USA
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Posted: 11/30/2022 1:26:00 AM EDT
[#33]
Nothing beats the power of a classic Dewalt radial arm saw for crosscutting a wide thick board. I grew up around radial arm saws and all kinds of old school woodworking and metalworking machinery. I have a 1960s Craftsman radial arm saw (one of the ones that have been recalled due to lack of guards). No more dangerous than a sliding miter saw as long as you respect it and are always aware of where your hands and arms should be at all times. That being said, if I didn't have one, I probably would not go out and buy one and would get a sliding miter saw. I have run a lot of old school woodworking and metalworking machinery without guards or safety devices. I am not scared of any machine but I am always paying attention. Just let it slip one time and you will be pointing with a hook or worse.
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MO, USA
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Posted: 11/30/2022 7:41:29 AM EDT
[#34]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Jerret_S: Radial arm saws are obsolete and take up a ton of space. I think if someone has the room in a shop it could be useful though for breaking down lumber and other larger items. Sliding miter saw can do about everything faster, compact, and accurate. Plus I feel they are safer. Show me a sliding miter saw that can take a 3/4” + thick dado stack |
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Posted: 12/13/2022 11:05:21 PM EDT
[#35]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Quicky06: Show me a sliding miter saw that can take a 3/4” + thick dado stack Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Quicky06: Originally Posted By Jerret_S: Radial arm saws are obsolete and take up a ton of space. I think if someone has the room in a shop it could be useful though for breaking down lumber and other larger items. Sliding miter saw can do about everything faster, compact, and accurate. Plus I feel they are safer. Show me a sliding miter saw that can take a 3/4” + thick dado stack I'd do that kind of work on a table saw regardless. |
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MO, USA
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Posted: 12/14/2022 1:08:24 PM EDT
[#36]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By 68injunhed: I'd do that kind of work on a table saw regardless. Which works good with a sled, until you run out of blade height quickly. |
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Posted: 12/14/2022 1:58:23 PM EDT
[#37]
I have a nice miter saw and table saw. I never once thought, "gee whiz, I wish I had a RAS".
I have a single chick cat herding neighbor that has one. No other tools. Surprisingly, she still has both hands. |
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Posted: 12/16/2022 12:01:03 PM EDT
[Last Edit: 68injunhed]
[#38]
Originally Posted By Quicky06: Originally Posted By 68injunhed: I'd do that kind of work on a table saw regardless. Which works good with a sled, until you run out of blade height quickly. I suppose. I haven't ever done anything where that has happened yet. I can also set the edge at a given depth with my blade on my Bosch glider, turn the rest of the waste into a comb, break it off, and pare it down with a 1" chisel pretty damn fast, and with much less setup issues. |
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MO, USA
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Posted: 12/16/2022 12:54:28 PM EDT
[#39]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By 68injunhed: I suppose. I haven't ever done anything where that has happened yet. I can also set the edge at a given depth with my blade on my Bosch glider, turn the rest of the waste into a comb, break it off, and pare it down with a 1" chisel pretty damn fast, and with much less setup issues. I don’t know about your saw but on my miter saw if I do that I have to put an auxiliary fence in to hold the board s couple inches off the fence to do so. Otherwise the saw leaves a curved end to the dado The entire point being if you need to make a lot of dsw book shelf’s that are 18” deep, 8 foot tall with dado shelf’s ever 12”, there is no better manual tool option then a RAS and a dado blade to do all the dados. I say manual tool because a cnc router would do great while you take a piss. |
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Posted: 12/17/2022 10:41:44 PM EDT
[#40]
The last one I used was in Vo-Ag shop in high school.
BUT...my miter saw is not a sliding saw, and I admit, I love that the old RASs were built like freaking tanks. If I found one for $35 I'd be tempted to buy it, even though I have no room for it. (My shop has to fold up and roll away into a small space). Right now I have my grandfather's old drill press. I can't even remember the brand. It weighs about 350 lbs and is in the garage of a friend's house. Rusted top to bottom but I dream of getting it out and I bet it will run. I love old tools. 
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Posted: 1/10/2023 10:56:47 AM EDT
[#41]
This is the kind of information I was looking for.
Radial arm saw in joint making. The ability to rotate the blade to the horizontal is unique. |
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Posted: 1/10/2023 11:02:34 AM EDT
[#42]
Unless you already have a really good RAS AND are really pressed for space, cabinet saw + quality miter saw with infeed and out feed tables
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Posted: 1/11/2023 8:47:03 AM EDT
[#43]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By shooter_gregg: This is the kind of information I was looking for. Radial arm saw in joint making. The ability to rotate the blade to the horizontal is unique. The capabilities are there...in theory. But the reality, at least in my limited sample size of experience(3 different saws), is that it's not as simple as just flip it to all those different orientations, and just have it repeat back to perfect. I just sold off my 3rd saw because none of them would hold for repetitive use involving reorienting the motor/blade without needing regular(excessive to me) recalibration. |
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Posted: 1/11/2023 9:08:01 AM EDT
[#44]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Covertness: I found an old Craftsman Radial Arm saw for a steal. Mid 1960s model, well built, very solid machine. Had it for 3-4 years and gave it away as I never used it. I bought one off of Craigslist for a decent deal, and it's not been used in 3-4 years. |
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Posted: 1/11/2023 9:25:52 AM EDT
[#45]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By K1rodeoboater: Honestly, yes they probably are. The only thing I could see getting a RAS for would be a dedicated dado cutter with a dado stack. Of course my first thought about getting one for that purpose is, OMG the dust! I'd go router (guide bars and a router table) over a RAS as the router can be used for much more and would take up less shop space. |
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