Radial arm saws

[John2189 461]

Are these a thing of the past?  Every woodworking magazine I have seen that has shop layouts does not have them.  
i use mine all the time for cross cutting 

[953 nut 55,882]

Mine is used for repetative work cutting tennons and being a catchall when not being used. If I were setting up a new wood shop the radial saw would not be on the top of my list.

[pacer 3,174]

I would imagine that once the lonely 8 & 10" "chop saw" started its radical changes to allow 12 and 14" blades with the with the ability to change its cutting position in multiple variations and the - deservedly - bad reputation of the radial....... it was just a matter of time til they faded away.

 

I too had a radial and used it for ... a relative short time, that thing gave me the 'willies'!! I changed over to a 12" DeWalt multi position 'chop' saw and..... that thing is SWEET!!! I also have a tried and true table saw for ripping..... Just today I was working with 1x12 rough cut Douglas Fir and was using the De Walt to cut lengths and the table to rip.

[formariz 11,988]

You may get all kinds of answers and opinions on this. Subject has come up before and some were pretty passionate about it. There are various good reasons why you do not see them in shops.  Radial arm saws are convenient tools to quickly cross cut lumber. They can be effective in creating also dadoes and it is possible to rip with them also. That is the good stuff. 
 The not so good is that they are dangerous ,inaccurate and not space efficient.  One can argue those points but they are  proven facts. 
 Any long material up to 12” in width or so can be cut more accurately and quickly cross cut with a compound miter saw ( chop saw).  Wider than that  a sled or a sliding table on a table saw will do it . A table saw properly set up with a  Biesemeyer  or equivalent and associated extension tables is the standard in countless shops mine included. It will cross cut, dado, tenon, and rip with accuracy repeatedly without any adjustments. The same can never be said for a radial arm saw.
 

My opinion is based on the fact that in my younger days at one time I worked at a job site where my function was to provide specifically cut wood parts for several crews of carpenters . These parts were all of predetermined sizes , angles and lengths already specified in drawings. This was before compound miter saws were available. The only machine available to me in the first stages of that job was a massive Dewalt Radial Arm saw. I worked with that thing for almost one year straight every day. Many scary moments specially when I had to use it for ripping or cross cut smaller parts particularly at compound angles.  Later on I was given a push/ pull table-saw  (Norsaw) with a 16” blade  which eventually made the Dewalt obsolete.

[Jeff-C175 7,203]

I still use my radial arm saw but only because I haven't gotten around to replacing it with a compound mitre saw.  I will do that at some point.

 

I've done some incredibly stupid and extremely dangerous things with mine!  So stupid and dangerous that I won't mention what the operation was.  Trust me, S & D !  I do still have all my digits though!

 

I wouldn't recommend one for a new shop or user!

 

Yes, good for cross-cutting, but not much else

 

 

 

Edited October 23, 2021 by Jeff-C175

[John2189 461]

I only use mine to cross cut. Seams safe to me. Just like anything, be careful and know where your hands and fingers are. 
only thing I don’t like is sometimes if you pull too fast, it’ll stall it out or try to climb on top of the board

 

if it ever breaks, I’ll probably get a compound miter saw.   

[Jeff-C175 7,203]

9 minutes ago, John2189 said:

sometimes if you pull too fast, it’ll stall it out or try to climb on top of the board

 

If the blade is dull of course those would be some of the symptoms, but the climbing up part is because of the design.  Unless it's a very heavy rigidly designed one the blade can climb over the work... propelling it at inadvertently placed appendages.

 

 

[rjg854 11,499]

I agree with most that the days of the radial arm saw is over.  I just happen to have a 12" Hitachi chop saw.  And the added advantage to that is it is easier to move around either in the shop or from jobsite to jobsite, when I was working that is 

[Racinbob 11,238]

For many, many years (decades) radial saw was my main saw for most all projects. That was sold when we moved to Florida 21 years ago. Now that we are back I have the best workshop I've ever had and it's well equipped. but I don't have a radial arm. I want one again. They definitely have their place. Sure, they can be finicky to maintain their accuracy but it definitely can be done. Dangerous? That goes for any power tool. The very best safety device is between your ears. A space hog? No more than a table saw but space is no longer a problem for me. If and when I come across one again it will be a welcome addition to my shop. It certainly won't replace any other saw but they can do some things very well. 

[John2189 461]

35 minutes ago, Racinbob said:

For many, many years (decades) radial saw was my main saw for most all projects. That was sold when we moved to Florida 21 years ago. Now that we are back I have the best workshop I've ever had and it's well equipped. but I don't have a radial arm. I want one again. They definitely have their place. Sure, they can be finicky to maintain their accuracy but it definitely can be done. Dangerous? That goes for any power tool. The very best safety device is between your ears. A space hog? No more than a table saw but space is no longer a problem for me. If and when I come across one again it will be a welcome addition to my shop. It certainly won't replace any other saw but they can do some things very well. 

I only use mine set at 90*, and it is never moved. I have a simple jig to do 45*. Any other odd angles, I will set it up and screw a temporary fence to the table 

[Jeff-C175 7,203]

1 hour ago, John2189 said:

simple jig

 

I've built a number of jigs for mine, including extension tables.  My most useful jig was for cutting crown moldings, I had it set up to cut the two pieces for an inside corner at the same time.  Of course none of those jigs would be needed with a good compound miter saw.

[John2189 461]

4 minutes ago, Jeff-C175 said:

 

I've built a number of jigs for mine, including extension tables.  My most useful jig was for cutting crown moldings, I had it set up to cut the two pieces for an inside corner at the same time.  Of course none of those jigs would be needed with a good compound miter saw.

Isnt some of the fun is to design and make the jigs?

[Jeff-C175 7,203]

7 minutes ago, John2189 said:

Isnt some of the fun is to design and make the jigs?

 

It is indeed!  That jig for the crown molding was a work of art in itself!  I spent more time building it than the first job I used it on, but it's seen a lot of use since then.  I no longer do trim work and gave it to a friend about a decade ago and he still used it for years until he replaced his radial with a CM.

[DennisThornton 4,769]

I've had one for 30+ years and love it.  Love my table saw and my several 10" mitersaws and my 12" compound slider.  Won't part with my radial even though it's not the best at anything it will do more than any one of the others.  Tablesaw perhaps being a close second. If there's room for a radial I'd suggest having one. Pretty incredible with attachments and jigs! 

Edited October 30, 2021 by DennisThornton
has to had

[threepiece 6]

The fact that I see nearly equal amounts of radial and table saws at the scrap yard leads me to believe the practice of woodworking is not as popular as it once was. Had I been inclined do do so, I could have easily replaced the entire contents of my 34x42 workshop with working saws I have seen discarded over the last two decades. I have managed to save four radial saws however, two 10” Dewalt, one 10” Craftsman and one 800 lb. 16” Delta that I paid $90 for. 
 

I have learned over the years not to be surprised at what I will find at the scrap yard. Some of you fellows would grow to hate me if I shared some of my experiences from there.
 

 

[John2189 461]

This is the mentality of throw away society.  
 

i fix all my stuff unless it is too far gone