Should we buy a radial arm saw or compound miter saw?

[ebinmaine 67,274]

Up until about 3-1/2 years ago every cut I had made in a piece of wood was done with a hand skilsaw or table saw.

Four or five years ago I started to do a few more things around the house and light duty remodeling.

In the fall of 2015, I picked up an older Master Mechanic brand 8in chop saw.

It's about time to upgrade to a saw that will make a continuous cut in a 12 inch wide board.

We've found that Trina uses the saw as much or more than I do.

Both of us are only a little more than Rough Carpenter Grade right now and both of us are learning to hone our skills and precision as we go.

 

A single bevel, dual miter saw should be fine for us for the next few years.

 

This will be a Frugal budget purchase with a dollar amount in the $150 range or less.

 

So, what would you buy? And why?

[shallowwatersailor 3,213]

You might look at a Harbor Freight miter saw. I have had my 10 inch Harbor Freight saw for about nine years and it has served me well. Their 12 inch saw is even better as mine does not have the laser guide. One thing to add is a saw stand. It makes for much easier use.

 

https://www.harborfreight.com/power-tools/miter-saws/12-in-dual-bevel-sliding-compound-miter-saw-with-laser-guide-system-61969.html

 

https://www.harborfreight.com/power-tools/miter-saws/heavy-duty-mobile-miter-saw-stand-62750.html

[Racinbob 11,044]

I had a radial arm for many, many years before it was sold due to our move to Florida in 2000. Radial arms can be a tad fussy but as long as you keep things squared up the accuracy is excellent. A saw that made the move with us is a 12" Dewalt compound miter saw on a Ridgid stand. I've used it hard for 30+ years and the accuracy remains perfect. It handles 98% of what I do but it's not a sliding compound saw and the width it can handle is, of course, limited. Part of the remodel process  since we moved back was relocating the stairway which required cutting very expensive maple treads. I probably could have gotten away with cutting, flipping the tread and cutting again but the situation here could warrant a second saw (2 workshops). Already having the Dewalt I didn't want to spend the big bucks for a Dewalt slider but figured a lower end unit would be fine considering the limited needs I have for cutting wider stuff plus I have a good table saw when needed. I opted to get the 12" slider from Harbor Freight for I think about $140. Absolute complete total junk! Accuracy was impossible. I realize that Harbor Freight tools are a compromise but this is the first one I've ever returned. They do have some better saws now but they rival the price of a big name. Bottom line Eric, a cheap, inaccurate saw will frustrate you and hinder your process of honing your skills. With a limited budget you may want to keep your eyes open for a quality used one. 

 

Sorry John. We were typing at the same time and you posted before I was done. I don't mean to slam your saw. The 10" may be much better than the 12" but I wanted to be able to interchange blades. 

Edited March 22, 2019 by Racinbob

[953 nut 55,075]

I have a Radial Arm saw that has been collecting dust for years. It is a great accurate tool, but the compound miter saw is so much better that the only thing I do on the radial arm saw is cut tenons now. Mine is a Craftsman 10" compound miter saw which I have used for over twenty years. I added the laser guide and love it. I also bought the Harbor Freight stand for it and should have gone for the better one. The stand is OK, but not as strong as the Dewalt. 

If you plan to do any crown molding work you will LOVE the compound miter saw.

[PeacemakerJack 10,738]

When I was just out of high school, I worked at a lumber yard.  They had an industrial radial arm saw and massive built in fence.  We used it to cut custom lumber to length.  It worked great for that purpose.  However,  most of don’t have the space to have one big cross cut only saw.  A good sliding miter saw will do simple cross cuts with the best of them but also gives you the advantages of cutting miters (casing, base, crown molding, etc.) I’ve always been a big fan of quality tools and it often seems like you get what you pay for.  

Case and point, I was going to buy a belt sander for a recent project.  I went to the local box stores and looked at the best they had for about $150–I wasn’t impressed.  I decided to check CL.  I found an early 1990’s Bosch (probably a $350 tool) and I got it for $125.  A man was clearing out his fathers estate.  The tool was in really good condition and it built like a tank.  

 

I bought a 12” sliding compound DeWalt from CL last summer with stand for $350 with almost no perceptible wear on it and it works great! I’ll likely be using it today.  

 

If you narrow it down to purchasing a miter saw, then you need to compare price, features and ease of use...most of the good brands are quality tools...my .02 cents

[WHNJ701 4,165]

unless your a wood worker or have the space to have one set up i would pass on the radial arm saw.

I redid my 2 homes and tons of of other projects with my chop/miter saw.  it's light, easy to move, easy to store, and gets the job done quick.

[19richie66 17,500]

I have a Dewalt 12” compound miter saw. Does all I need and well worth the price. Pawn shops can be your best friends when looking for tools. 👍

[formariz 11,987]

The answers for your question are simple. However within that budget they get a little more complicated.  So, staying away from price right now here is my take on the options.

A radial arm saw belongs in a lumberyard. Its bulky, not precise,and most of all dangerous. Many years ago I spent about six months using one everyday for 10 hours a day. Stay away from them.

A miter saw is the way to go. Portable, precise, relatively safe, space saving, versatile. As far as brand, some people like them Red , some people like them Blue.Within the low price range most of them are probably OK for your purpose and frequency of use. As for features and capabilities, your price range is where things get limited . Quality wise  regardless of price , the Rolls Royces are the Makita and the AEG. Nothing in my experience in using them for over 40 years comes close. As for lower priced saws, probably the cheapest will be a Harbor Freight. I have never used one and would probably stay away from it. Stick with something you can get locally and well proven like a Dewalt.

Any one of them regardless of brand are very capable. Now, if you combine the saw with the proper stand to support the material being cut, whether bought or made than things get much better. Using them on the floor is not the thing to do. The other thing  to pay attention when you have it, is how you carry  it around. I know that many have a handle for one to do that with. Don't use it. Carry it by grabbing the saw underneath . You do not want to put any stress whatsoever on the articulating part of the saw locked or not. Carrying it by the handle will knock it off adjustment and eventually actually damage it. Treat them as a precision instrument. If you do that along with learning the proper way of using it will be a pleasure to use specially if you do crown molding which is where they are the king of tools.

 

[buckrancher 2,679]

I have a dewalt 12" power miter saw  and a sears radial arm saw

if I could only have one I would take the dewalt if you are going to cut larger than 8" get the slider

 

Brian

[oliver2-44 9,684]

I had a radial arm saw for many years.  I got a 12" Dewalt  Miter saw and sold the radial saw a few yeas later. I done major remodeling on 2 homes and am currently building my sons house all new cabinets. I've looked at the compound miter saws, but they don't cut much wider than a 12" miter saw. I've added the laser to my miter saw. It looks like a large washer that replaces a washer next to the blade and uses a little round battery. I also added a Dewalt work lite that replaces one of the handle pieces.  My sons 5 year old Dewalt miter came with the laser and work lite.  Look for a good used 12" miter saw.  It will do framing to cabinet and crown mold.  When I did the crown mold in our house I bought the little screw on guide from Dewalt and it helps. 

 

PS  Crown molding messes with your mind, the angle cuts are upside down and backwards to what your eyes say they should be.  I'm heading out to go sprays my sons cabinet drawers and lots of pull out shelves with clear lacquer as soon as it warms up to 60F, hopefully by 10am.

[Sarge 3,463]

I agree with most above, especially @formariz. Everyone I've talked to said they regret buying the cheap discount lines as they can't even get them to cut a 90* angle correctly no matter how much they try to adjust them. Hunt around, a good, high quality used unit is about the same price as the mid or low level saws - make a better investment and get something that will perform as intended and actually last. The wood shop I worked at had one of the first ever Hitachi 12" slider compound miter units made - it was a prototype. The level of cuts was amazing - after we got that in the shop the radial arm saw sat gathering dust and was never used again. I've seen a lot of top of the line models of Hitachi, Makita and Bosh go really cheap on the FB marketplace and on CL - people buy them for one project, get lazy and never use them again, then dump them cheap. Just make sure to take a high quality angle gauge with you and test some compound 45* angle cuts back to back in each direction to test it. If the calibration is off, that is fine - what is important is its ability to repeat that same exact angle in the opposite direction. If it passes that test, it just needs calibrated. If it cannot make a left/right comparative cut without error in one direction that doesn't match - the saw has been tweaked and you want to avoid it. A simple, locking angle gauge can be used for the test if needed - just make sure the opposite cut is equal.

 

Sarge

[Racinbob 11,044]

It really comes down to what you are doing with it. Miter, radial arm and table saws all have their pros and cons. This isn't it but the exact model radial arm I used for many years and I didn't find the need for a miter or table saw. Dead on accurate but as I mentioned, they can be a bit fussy. I sure would have loved to have it back when doing those treads. Once I decided to buy the Dewalt miter saw I fell in love with it. As far as safety, I don't see where one is any more dangerous than the other. Extreme care must be taken with all of them.  I had to replace my table saw since we've moved back up here. It's a Porter Cable and a nice saw but the safety guard was so cumbersome I felt it was safer to just take it off and use it without. 

 

Whatever you decide Eric, I think you get the drift that a quality used one would be better than a low end new one 

 

[formariz 11,987]

To touch on safety a bit more which should always be a concern to everyone particularly if one is not well versed in the use of a particular tool, let me just say that miter saws, radial arm saws, and table saws in particular are all dangerous, but each has a unique set of dangers not present in the others. It is ones understandings of those dangers that make each one of them a safe tool to use. The design characteristics and differences of each tool are what make one or other more dangerous in certain operations performed on it. The most dangerous aspect of each one is not only not understanding those dangers but also the lack of knowledge on how to use it, or worst to use it for something it was not really designed for. Although I have not recently used a radial arm saw or am I very familiar with new models out there, the design is essentially the same so let me point out a few things on it and a miter saw.

On a miter saw with rails that allow blade to travel back towards operator the correct way to use it when crosscutting anything, is to pull it back over the material ,then lower it and push it forward making the cut. Once that is done one releases trigger and blade stops immediately.

On a radial arm saw one pulls the saw through the cut rather than pushing it. A variety of factors can create what is called "fly-back" where saw climbs over material towards operator. All radial arm saws that I know do not have a "trigger" switch allowing it to instantly be shut off. Even when you get to the switch most do not have a brake and blade keeps rotating for a while. Your instinct at that point many times is to move your left hand holding the material.Bad idea.

Radial arm saw, also has unlike the miter saw the capability of being used to rip . Also a very bad idea. Whole assembly is not rigid enough to perform that function safely and blade is pulling material up from table rather than pushing down into table. Not recommended to use it for that function but I see it being done all the time many times with a bit of drama involved.

 

I could go on forever. Although I have gotten hurt plenty of times, always due to my own stupidity, after spending all my life in this profession I still have all my fingers and have learned what not to do. For your purpose you need a miter saw. Learn how to use it properly and always remember that that tool is not your friend. Treat it accordingly.

 

 

[ebinmaine 67,274]

Every single one of the above responses is exactly what I was looking for and also exactly why I love this website.

I want to give a big whole hearted thank you to everyone who has brought up multiple points throughout all of the posts above.

 

Safety is, of course, of Paramount concern to us both.

We both also do understand that every tool has its capabilities and limits and particular uses.

I do have two antique table saws already and we would be doing zero ripping if we had a radial saw.

I posed this same basic question to the guys at work this morning and the couple people that have worked with wood quite a bit expressed the same concerned that has been mentioned above about ease of moving the unit.

I do actually have a dedicated space where I could leave the radial saw and it would be permanently set up in position to accept longboards for miter cuts when needed.

Issue there is, we do occasionally bring our current miter saw over to the back of the house if we are working in the basement Workshop.

 

For that reason in particular, I would be leaning very much towards a sliding compound miter saw.

 

The other thing that leans me towards a compound saw is the direction of the cut. I've run a radial arm saw in the distant past and I had forgotten that they can be challenging to handle once in a while such as when they grab a knot in the wood.

I had not remembered that part of their operation until today.

 

Looks like I'll be doing some poking around on the internet and keeping an eye at the pawn shops for a few days.

 

[JoeM 7,871]

We set this saw up every job, haven't used the radial arm saw in years.

 

[elcamino/wheelhorse 9,296]

I had a radial arm saw and got rid of it because it was a big pain to adjust for angles . I have a Bosch 10 inch compound miter saw which I would not trade for anything. I purchased a portable stand when I got the miter saw. That way I have a permanent set up in the shed or I can move it outside if needed for on site use.  Try to increase your budget if possible . If you have a blue box store in your area you can check out Dewalt and Craftsman at one location. 

[wallfish 16,985]

If you have the space then a radial saw can be nice when set up within a long permanent bench. You can have mine as I just don't have the space for it and you can spend the money on a good compound saw. Both have their place.

[formariz 11,987]

5 minutes ago, wallfish said:

You can have mine as I just don't have the space for it and you can spend the money on a good compound saw.

Where else are you going to find people like this?

[rjg854 11,350]

I have a 8" Hitachi slide compound mitre saw that I use for the custom home builder that I work for.  I use this saw for so many different types of projects almost hard to mention them all.  From trim work to siding to framing. Any brand of this type of saw would work for you, a good used saw for you should be fine.  I have my saw because I make my living with it. So for me a high quality brand pays for itself over time. I've had this saw for some 15 years and because I don't abuse it to much, it still works great. 

[wallfish 16,985]

 

[formariz 11,987]

Good video John. At first I thought it was you, and I said "God he moves fast".

 

Everything on wheels. Very important detail.

[ebinmaine 67,274]

34 minutes ago, wallfish said:

If you have the space then a radial saw can be nice when set up within a long permanent bench. You can have mine as I just don't have the space for it and you can spend the money on a good compound saw. Both have their place.

you know John. I may very well take you up on that. I'm going to be down in Massachusetts in a month or two to pick up a tractor for Trina.

[wallfish 16,985]

Let me know when your coming down.

It's a Craftsman 10" saw on it's own bench/cabinet. I'll get you some pics of it too.

If you have space for a long bench then it will get used more if set up in it. Dado and rabbit joints on longer pieces is easier than a table saw. Unless you have the table saw set up in a large bench too.

[Racinbob 11,044]

Wow! Take John up on his generous offer. Now that I'm nearly done with a 2600 sq ft home rebuild I plan on doing things to the garage down the hill and utilizing the single stall side as a woodworking shop. Finding another radial arm is something I hope to do. Fortunately I won't have this dilemma but if I had to choose to own only one of the three types of saws mentioned it would be a radial arm. It can crosscut wide lumber, set up right a quality saw is precise, as John mentioned, dado and rabbit (try that with a miter saw ) like a champ and I think perform those functions safer than a table saw, accurately rip, just about everything a miter and table saw but some functions just not as easily. Remember, all three saws have their strong points as well as weak. Again, I want to mention setting up a radial arm correctly. It can be a bit tedious but not bad once you figure it out. It's not just getting a square cut. The arm must be perfectly parallel to the table and there's skews and angle of dangles  that need to be set for precision work. Hopefully you'll get or can fine a manual to go through it all for the particular model. It may take a bit but once you have it a quality saw will hold it well. I've ripped 1000's of feet precisely when I had my old radial arm and it's very simple to set the guard up to totally avoid any tendency to lift. I've had 'oops' and fortunately never anything serious but I can attribute every one to pilot error. 

[Racinbob 11,044]

One more thing about my post #12. I DON'T recommend removing the blade guard. Bad me......bad me. I did that on a saw that only I use. After all, they are my fingers.