Fred615

First, I am amazed at how many people actually still have a RAS. I bought a used Sawsmith 9" back in the mid-60's and just sold it last year because I now have a decent table saw with a tenon jig, a hi-end miter guage, a good dado set. I also have a sliding miter saw, a router table, and according to my wife, one of every tool ever made (NOT!). For 20 years after buying the Sawsmith, it was the only power tool I had and it did yeoman service for my needs as a homeowner with an occasional need to do some woodworking. I did crosscutting, ripping, dados, miter, and bevel/miters, lap joints, disc and drum sanding, routing, and even planing with a surface planer attachment. I could do all of that because the Sawsmith had a double ended arbor that could be tilted 90 degrees so that either end of the arbor could be perpendicular to the table. It also had a dual pulley variable speed control to go from approx. 1700 RPM to 7400 RPM. It was by far the most flexible tool I know of. But, it wasn't the most accurate even though it had a sturdy cast column and arm. The base under the table was sheet metal and if I leaned too hard on the arm, there would be some flexing that could ruin an attempt at an accurate cut. So after getting serious about woodworking 25 years ago, I began to acquire all the above tools that relegated the Sawsmith to ignored status..

Second, I read about all the safety concerns from the bloggers here and I ask each of if you would use your table saw by placing the workpiece on the far end of the table and then pull the workpiece towards you into the blade? You have to agree that it would be extremely unsafe to do that! If you analyze the mechanics of the wood/blade interface, you will realize that would be the same as pulling the RAS blade TOWARD you. After I used my Sawsmith that way the first few times, I started making crosscuts by first moving the blade as close to me as possible and then placing the workpiece between the blade and the rear fence. Then I would turn on the saw and PUSH the blade into the wood while firmly holding the wood down on the table. A few years later, I attended a large woodworking show and stopped to watch a fellow demonstrating some fancy techniques with a RAS and noticed that he was PUSHING the blade into the work as I had been doing. Someone asked him about it and he replied loud enough for all to hear that it was by far the safest way to use a RAS. And he was a very experienced pro using a RAS. I never had even a near accident with the RAS but I have had some close calls with my table saw and router table. As many bloggers have noted, it isn't that the RAS is more dangerous (being able to see the cutlines is a positive!), but that ALL power tools are dangerous if you're not careful or don't focus on what you're doing.

The bottom line is that for someone who isn't into woodworking as a serious hobby or career, then a RAS is a versatile tool that can substitute for a number of other dedicated tools as the occasion arises. Unfortunately, for occasional use, a price tag of $1000 or more makes it too expensive these days for the average homeowner. But for production environmments, a RAS costing a few thousand or more may be the best tool for the task at hand.