OT - Anyone Still Using A Radial Arm Saw

[projectnut]

This is a little off topic as far as metal working is concerned, but I thought I'd ask anyway. I've been doing some repairs around the house including repairing the deck and permanent benches. I've been using my Dewalt 740 radial arm saw (circa 1975) for most of the cutting work. It still functions, but it's getting tired. On one of the last cuts a flat spring that helps hold the head at the proper mitering angle broke. It's a 3" long, 2" wide, T shaped affair about 1/16" thick with a hole at the intersection of the legs of the T.

I'm in the process of disassembling the arm and head to retrieve the piece still attached to the saw. Along the way I've found more problems like one of the pulleys for the head raise and lower system is loose on the shaft, the hand grip on the miter locking handle is deteriorating to the point it should be replaced, and the table needs replacement among other things. At this point I'm assessing whether or not to put more money into the beast. To top things off the saw is old enough that there are almost no electrical or mechanical replacement components available. About the only parts still listed are a few nuts, bolts, and washers.

My question is are these machines now considered dinosaurs? They seem to have been by in large replaced by compound miter saws. There are a few higher end brand machines available, but they list anywhere from $2,500.00 to $12,500.00. I'm interested in a good machine, but can't justify that kind of money for the use it gets. The Miter saws look interesting, but most are meant to be portable, and aren't nearly as stable as my current machine.

Bottom line I need to make the decision as whether to attempt to repair and refurbish the current machine, or let it go and invest in a new machine. Since I haven't bought a saw of this type in 45 years I could use some guidance as to what's available, what I can expect as far as quality and versatility are concerned, and what I need to spend to get a quality machine so if I decide to buy a new one I won't be kicking myself six months down the road.

 

[mmcmdl]

I have 2 radial arms , a double compound miter , table saws etc . I use the radial arms the most . They are both very old and built like tanks . Actually , one was my dads and he's been deceased for 52 years , so it's at least that old .

 

[Dhal22]

I use a basic table saw and 20 year old chop saw for around the house projects.

 

[tq60]

We had a craftsman with DRO that was okay while it worked but everything wss rolled sheet and somewhat sloppy.

Found an older one made from cast iron at estate sale for 20 bucks that only had s couple cuts in the table.

Cashed in the recall money on the dro one and am cash ahead.

They are all over the place if you look.

Price can be dirt cheap.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

 

[brino]

If I had the space I would definitely go with both!
I currently have a 10" compound mitre saw.

I looked long and hard at a radial arm saw (RAS).

For me it came down to two things:

1) The size of the machine. My entire shop (wood and metal) is only 20x20 feet. Until recently I had the compound mitre saw on an old microwave cart from my mother-in-laws kitchen. It recently moved to an even older rolling tool chest. Having most things moveable makes my shop work.

2) The size of the work-piece. If I was working on large timbers, I would go with the radial arm saw with good outboard support. There the workpiece is too big to hold.

Since I normally work on smaller pieces, the mitre saw was good enough.

-brino

 

[gerritv]

IMHO nothing available new will replace the RAS. I think I have a similar model, if you post some photos of the errant parts I will see what I have.
I got mine a few years ago from a friend who needed the space. A bit of TLC and it makes me wish I had gotten one a long time ago. Outside of ripping sheets (which has its risks) these are fabulous saws. I now seldom use my table saw.
Making a new table is not a big challenge. 2 sheets of 1/2inch MDF glued together. Bolt 2 pieces of angle to bottom, then cover the top with a 1/4 hardboard sacrificial overlay. Level/tram using the saw arm and you are done. You will need to sort out a fence, the book How To Master The Radial Arm Saw by Wally Kunkel has an excellent table design (I omitted the steel inserts, seems fine for my use)


There is a very active fourm at http://forums.delphiforums.com for RAS. Someone sent me a bunch of parts for the cost of shipping!

 

[brino]

sorry, double post.

 

[f350ca]

I have a 12 inch Delta radial arm saw, good solid machine. BUT use a 10 inch Makita compound saw for precise cuts in the cabinet shop. The Delta has the grunt for some timber framing work, making bracing mostly, but rarely use it any more.
Had a Craftsman 10 inch a long time ago, it was a joke. Underpowered and flexed like it was made of wet noodles.
Have used 12 inch compound saws and never saw the point of that expensive blade. The 10 inch will cut 4 inch material, a 12 inch still wont cut 6 inch.

Greg

 

[MrWhoopee]

I have a Craftsman, 70s vintage I think. I confiscated it from a friend who inherited it when he bought a house. I knew if I left it with him I would be visiting him in the hospital and he would probably never play guitar again. I use it all the time. They are very versatile, try ripping a sheet of plywood with a compound miter saw.

 

[projectnut]

I've seen quite a few Craftsman radial arm saws for sale. In this case I think they would be a step or 2 down. My Dewalt is cast iron, and still sound as far as wear is concerned. The only downside so far is parts availability. I'm sure I can make what needs replacement at this time. However there are literally no electrical parts available. Things like motor parts, switches and overloads are all but nonexistent. It also uses 4 specialized bearings to move the head in the track. They may exist under a generic part number, or under a different brand name, but since there's no identification on the bearings themselves it could take quite a bit of time to hunt them down. Right now I'm still in the exploration and decision making process. Once I get the thing totally disassembled and inspected I'll have to decide which route to take. As with most projects I expect this one to take a while to complete.

Right now we're out of town getting some things finished at the family cottage before winter sets in. There are also a number of things to complete at home before the weather turns. To further complicate things I'm going to have a hip replaced next month. I'm sure that will slow things down a bit, but hopefully it won't bring things to a halt. I've had a few other parts replaced in the past and recovery didn't take all that long and wasn't all that bad.

MrWhoopee I do agree that there are some people who shouldn't play with sharp objects, even with adult supervision. Many years ago I was helping a family friend pack things in his workshop so the movers could take them to his new house. I started to remove a picture from the wall and he yell to me "JUST LEAVE THAT ONE WHERE IT IS". I did and continued packing other things. When it cam time for a break I asked why that lone picture was still on the wall. He said it was covering a BOO BOO.

Apparently when he first got into woodworking he had purchased several machines and had them setup in the shop. After the setup people left he decided to try out the table saw. He started the saw and began feeding in a board from the wrong side. The saw blade caught the board and sent it flying across the shop. It made a nice hole in the drywall. The picture was placed there before his wife entered the shop that day for an inspection. He never told her why it was there and left it in place as a reminder. As far as I know it's still there today.