Thread: Radial arm saw versus sliding miter saw

Originally Posted by 9Fingers

I'm leaning towards a radial arm saw but would probably have to buy a used on since the new ones I have found seem to be industrial sized and priced. Any thoughts??

I bought a GMC SCMS about 2 years ago, cost me A$300, Im very happy with it for the price.

Al

Man. There is so much serious industrial equipment where you live. I belong to the Old Wood Working Machine group on Yahoo. Here's a link to there homepage. www.owwm.com

These guys are fans of older, preferably cast iron machines. Every week radial arm saws get discussed, and there is a wealth of information on American built machinery. Great group, too.

Apparently there's something called 'craig's list', that is an online classified, plus the IRS auction site (no relation to taxation). and others. Frequently school boards will dispose of entire high school shops, and machines can be had for a bargain price.

If I lived there I'd have a garage full of cast iron. And a Hummer.

Oh yeah...I saw one on ebay, listed by a girl for her grand dad. Something got lost in translation, the item was listed as a "Radio Alarm" saw. I couldn't help myself (since it was in Illinois anyway). I told her the correct spelling and ruined some bidder's day-he thought he was on to a good secret!

I should learn to organise my thoughts better:

Makita has a quad slide SCMS just released- it will crosscut 12", but has a small footprint.

Do you think that pushing the spinning blade away from you is safer than pulling it toward you, as on a radio alarm?. Lots and lots of missing left thumbs want to know:eek:

Any "radio alarm" saw I've seen (from memory) seemed to be much more industrial than a SCMS. Correct me if I'm wrong but I also seem to remember that apart from sliding towards the operator to cut, the head of the saw could be locked at right angles but in the few places I've seen this, it was serviced by a large cutting bench. It did the job of a SCMS and a table saw.

Mind you, I guess even an old one would still be a good proposition if you have the room and got it for the right price. I remember going to a wood shop at Yandina on the Sunshine Coast some years ago. They only made stuff out of "real" wood (Windows & doors). No MDF or chip board in sight. I don't think any of the machines the guy had would have been made later than the 1950's. Sawdust everywhere!!! Fantastic..

Originally Posted by gregoryq

Do you think that pushing the spinning blade away from you is safer than pulling it toward you, as on a radio alarm?. Lots and lots of missing left thumbs want to know:eek:

remember radial arms have a tension wire to stop/minimise it comming at you and as the motor/blade is fixed in a solid housing unlike miter/scm that lift up and down making it easy to climb. a good old heavy duty radial is safer than a scm in mho. plus using them is completly different in stance and the use of a semi ridgid arm/shoulder on the radial that just pulling down on the scm

Here's my take:

I can only compare SCMS's made by Makita and Delta, and one true
piece of crap 1978 Sears Craftsman RAS. The Craftsman was one scary
unit, and had accuracy as well as safety issues. (later they recalled the guard asy). I like the SCMS's, the Makita by an approximate mile more than the Delta.

Turning the saw around for rip cuts is asking to be harpooned. The blade WILL climb onto the board and propel it at great speed into the nearest precious object. The blade spins at (I think) 3200 rpm, giving a tip speed of...ah....182 kph.

I would not hesitate to buy an old DeWalt or similar RA saw. A set of bearings and other maintenance on top of a cheap purchase price would give you a saw with another fifty years of service ahead of it before again requiring attention.

All of this assumes that you'll never need the portability of the scms, and that you have the wall space for the RAS and bench.

DeWalt sell a Radial Arm Saw, if I had the money I would love one of these. Here in Australia they sell them at Glenfords but could also be ordered from anywhere that stocks DeWalt. For those serious about Woodwork, buy yourself a Radial Arm Saw, for the hobbyists a SCMS will do you just fine.

I haven't seen a radial arm saw in a shop for over a decade for one real good reason... We used to call them radial arm eaters. I wouldn't have one in any shop if mine even if it were free.

Originally Posted by MathewA

I haven't seen a radial arm saw in a shop for over a decade for one real good reason... We used to call them radial arm eaters. I wouldn't have one in any shop if mine even if it were free.

I'll have the Radial Arm saw you don't want.

My perfect workshop wish list:

Rip Saw
Radial Arm Saw
Jointer
Thicknesser
Bandsaw
Dust Extractor
Router table
Workbench

Ive used a radial arm saw for years and wouldnt really want to part with it. Its not as versatile as a SCMS in that changing cut angles etc is more fiddly and time consuming but for crosscutting, and trenching with or without dado, they are just so good and never seem to go wrong. Also they are quiet due to the induction motor, at leat my Dewalt is. The cut quality is excellent and Ive got mine set up in such a way that dust capture is also very effective, something that can be a problem with a SCMS.
I will eventually get a SCMS but only when there is one available with trenching cut and an induction motor.
As a first buy though I would suggest you will find a SCMS a more suitable machine for multiple tasks and it will be cheaper than a RAS.
beejay1

http://community.webshots.com/user/eunos9

I've got a Dewalt 10" RAS ,one of the first serious saw's I bought all those years ago wouldn't swap it for quids.Admittedly I once thought of moving it on but am glad I didn't.

I also have a Elu SCMS which I also would'nt swap for quids because having them both gives me more versatility in the workshop.

Cheers

I cannot remember the last time i seen a Pro- Workshop with out a radial arm, and i have never once seen an accident with one. They are brilliant especialy the old Dewalts, Wolfenden or Nolex. They excell at cross-cutting rough sawn timber before its dressed. But you do need a SCM for the more delicate work

I saw the note on the Craftsman RAS, I have to add some comments here. If you have the cast iron column one, it's good. If you had the 2 piece aluminum one, they weren't as good. The cast iron ones were rock solid and very accurate in my mind if you set them up properly and checked the adjustment every so often. I last adjusted mine maybe 3-4 years ago and it's still dead on. The other thing is you need a negative rake blade on it, not a positive rake one like you'd use on a TS. Wrong blade and it will come after you. The RAS is great for crosscutting wide boards and doing long miter cuts.
The biggest complaint I have on a RAS is the lack of lower blade guards (I made my own) and the poor miter scale on it (CMS or SCMS guides are better).

If you can deal with that, then a RAS has a place in your shop and it's a good tool to use, if not then avoid it at all cost. I'll add, I've been gotten by a TS but never by my RAS in the roughly 30 years I've had one (and I do have a TS too along with a CMS). I do woodworking daily and I use them all virtually every day. I give them all the respect they should have and they've been good to me (even having been bitten a couple of times).

Paul