OT - Anyone Still Using A Radial Arm Saw

Been all pretty much covered here, but if one has the room for it, nothing is more versatile than a quality RAS. Nothing is more frustrating than the later cheaper Sears/Montgomery Ward models. As mentioned, the earlier Craftsman models are capable of better work than most hacks using them. I've used one for going on fifty years now and if used with care and common sense, it's an excellent machine.

Kids, don't try this at home. I was building a 4x4-framed garden house for my wife and would be needing to cut many timbers. The 10" blade wouldn't make the cuts, so I removed the guard and bought a 12" blade. With the workpiece firmly clamped to the table fence and resting on an extension roller, THINK, FOCUS, saw on, pull it through, back, saw off.

After getting over the original fear of pulling that unguarded 12" blade toward my nose, I came to realize it was actually a safer operation than trying to cross-cur or miter a long 4x4 on a table saw.

jack vines
 
I have a couple RAS (Radial Arm Saws) laying around.

This is my $40 Walker Turner 1100 RAS from the 50's. I have it setup with an abrasive blade for cutting metal. I have a 14" metal blade for it that I haven't had the guts to try out yet. The saw is a 3ph 5hp and I run it on a VFD so I should be able to dial down the speed a bit (default blade speed is 3000 rpm because the arbor is actually driven through an reduction gear from the motor to allow the arbor to be closer to the bottom of the motor for deeper cuts).

I also have a 1947 Red Star 7.5hp 16" big old RAS that I use for woodworking. Red Star was the original designers of the Delta/Rockwell turret arm RAS's before Rockwell bought them out. I am not sure if I have ever done a woodworking project that didn't go through the Red Star RAS for a cut at least once.
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In a previous post I mentioned 3 companies that still make radial arm saws. With a little more research I found there's actually only 1 company in the US still making them. That's the "Original" company out of Britt Iowa. There are still new Delta saws on the market, but the company has recently discontinued manufacturing them. OMGA (I originally spelled it Omega) is a US corporation. However their radial arm saws saws are actually built in Italy.

There does seem to be a variety of opinions as to which style saws are more accurate and safer to operate. Personally I've been using a radial arm saw for over 45 years with no problems. Others apparently have had different experiences, or have known people who have. Yesterday I stopped at a used equipment dealer thinking I might be able to find one for parts. The owner wasn't fond of them even though he has sold a few over the years. He currently had only a single 1960's era Craftsman machine in stock. He offered it to me as a freebee if I would haul it away. I thanked him for the offer, but had to pass. I didn't need another project at this point in time.

He also recommended a Hitachi compound double miter saw as a replacement for the radial arm saw. In his opinion it was heads above an RAS and other compound miter saws. When I got back to the house I did a little research on Hitachi and found they make a number of compound miter saws. So far the only double compound saw I've found is the C12HRS2 which is also discontinued. Apparently it has been replaced by the Metabo HPT C12HRS2. Does anyone here have any experience with either of these Hitachi or Metabo saws?
 
Most of the danger with a radial arm saw is with the operator, not the machine. Sure, any saw used inappropriately will bite you, but that is operator error. If you are new to a radial arm saw, or have not used one in a long time, find the operator's manual for it, or even for another machine or a generic "how to" and study it well. Think out carefully what you are doing and how the blade and lumber will respond to the cut. A clueless operator with a radial arm saw is an accident looking for a place to happen. A savvy operator will not likely get into trouble if the work is done correctly.
 
As with most things, in the end it's more about the operator than the tool. I bought my Craftsman RAS new in 75' and it has literally had countless thousands of feet of wood run through it when I was building homes, and is still being used regularly today. Replaced the table twice and the guide rollers once. I run it on 220, and removed the overload protector right after I bought it. I figured if it was going to fry the motor so be it, and I would get something better that would do the job. It's still running just fine 45 yrs latter. I have a plethora of other saws, but in If I could only have one, it would be the old RAS. Just my two cents, your mileage may vary. Mike
 
In my youth I lusted for the kind of radial arm saw and table saw my employers had in their cabinet shops. Space and money precluded me from buying such. Now I can afford anything I want but common sense tempers my decisions and I still have space issues. I have a Harbor Freight chop saw on a shelf and I haul it outside to use when I need it. The saw performs so well I see no reason to even daydream about something else. Same with a table saw, in my case a Ridgid, a $300 saw which folds spends most of it's days tucked in a storage space. For the light use they see professional tools make no sense.
 
I gave mine away.
Robert
 
After completely disassembling the saw and inspecting every part I decided that for the amount of wood working I do it would be most cost effective to rebuild the saw rather than purchase a replacement. The saw has been setting in a thousand pieces since late August. I've scoured the internet and found most of the parts I needed, and spent a few hours making those I couldn't find. Unless I get carried away with "upgrades" I should have less than $100.00 in purchased parts, and 4 hours in making new parts.

I started reassembly Friday, and so far things have gone smoothly. Things are a bit slower than I expected, but at this point I have the column reassembled and installed, all the internal components of the arm reassembled and the arm installed on the column. The next step is to install the carriage and motor on the arm, and begin all the adjustments.

Once the mechanicals are finished I'll install a new top on the table and square things up. Hopefully the saw will once again be fully functional within another week or so.
 
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Good call repairing it. There are some tasks a RAS really shines at. This week I had to cut 60 degree angles through planks that measured 3.5"x13". The compound miter saw didn't have the capacity to make the cut.54221.jpeg
 
I enjoy the negative opinions of the RAS since I gave my fathers 1962 vintage Craftsman one away. I needed room for other things. not having it still causes a pang of guilt since I used that thing all my life. While versatile, I found it didn't justify the space it took in my decidedly metal working arsenal. I still have a tables saw by choice which acts more as a table than saw :)

my vertical band saw (wood/metal) and cheap 10" chop saw get used a lot for wood, metal and plastic. When I did the trim in our basement, I'd say the RAS was a fantastic tool as it was quick to setup and easy to visualize.
 
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