Replies

1. 
   jackplane | Apr 27, 2004 11:07pm | #1

   Is your stock more than twice as long as your fence? If so, this may give skewed cuts as you describe. You must first start with a jointed,squared up board before you can rip with any accuracy.

1. 
   mike4244 | May 01, 2004 07:37am | #11

   Most probably the stock is not straight to begin with. If you rip a lot of stock than buy a rip blade and use it only for rip cuts.Otherwise just use the blade you have for occasional rips. Might help to rip 1/8" oversize, then rip to final diminsion. I would only do this with the 60 tooth blade you are using, not a rip blade.Several things will help immensely," use board buddies" on the fence, place 3/8" spacer blocks between the fence and the table. Make blocks 1" long and glue them to the table, masking tape will hold them in place while you clamp fence back up. The blocks are placed about 6" on center, the reason for this is sawdust will not collect between fence and top. Sawdust will fall thru the gap to the floor.If the fence is particle board , replace it with hardwood plywood, if you use the board buddies make the top of the fence thicker to accomadate the T track.As suggested tack a straight edge on the stock and rip one edge straight, then make your final cut.There are board buddies wheels especially for the radial arm saw.

   mike

2. 
   scooter1 | Apr 27, 2004 11:15pm | #2

   RAS's are great machines for certain applications, but not ripping. I ripped on one once, 10 years ago, and will never try that one again. I am thinking that the blade might be flexing, so a blade stiffener might work; or the head that holds the blade is swiveling. I good jointer plane or taking it to a cabinet job for jointing might be simpler.

   Good luck, and let us know what you find out.

   I will say that you should buy the best table saw you can, even at the expense of doing other things by hand. It will be the heart and soul of your shop.

   Regards,

   Boris

   "Sir, I may be drunk, but you're crazy, and I'll be sober tomorrow" -- WC Fields, "Its a Gift" 1934

3. 
   charlesm | Apr 27, 2004 11:16pm | #3

   Assuming 3/4" thick stock you are using a blade with too many teeth. 60 teeth is a crosscut blade. Use a rip blade with 24-30 teeth and the results should improve dramatically.

   Charles M

   Freud, Inc.

1. 
   HowardAcheson | Apr 29, 2004 10:59pm | #8

   Yes Charles, I agree. My first thought on reading the posting was that he is using the incorrect blade. High tooth blades will cause wander when ripping.

   My second thought is that the RAS must be aligned properly to rip effectively and safely. I grew up with a RAS and must have ripped miles of wood with few problems. Infeed and outfeed support is critical as is setting the blade cover and anti-kickback devise. I would recommend going through the complete alignment process fairly frequently.

2. 
   RickinCG | May 01, 2004 06:33am | #10

   Charles,

   I purchased a Freud LU87R010 and it worked great.

   This specific suggestion came to me from Dan Kornfield.

   I appreciated the detail of Dan's advice.

   Rick in MN

4. 
   Michmesquite | Apr 27, 2004 11:54pm | #4

   Rick

   Try taking just a 1/16" deep cut and see if the width changes. If it doesn't then the blade or head or arm (or all three) are probably flexing.

   If not, I do have an answer.

   __________________________________________________________

   Michael in San Jose

   Freedom from mental disturbance is the very most for which one can hope.

    Epicurus (341-270 BCE)

5. 
   CharlieP | Apr 28, 2004 02:51am | #5

   Although I prefer my new table saw, I have a 1970s Craftsman RAS that was my only saw for 30 years.  I used that saw to build all the cabinets for several kitchens, plus 30 years of do-it-yourself around the house, including all the associated ripping.  I wouldn't automatically write it off.  Of course, I prefer my new table saw for ripping. but the RAS really works.  And my wife, who also does woodworking, considers the table saw far more dangerous than the RAS. 

   The saw has to be aligned well - the owner's manual has a procedure that starts with getting the table level by swinging the arbor over it, etc.  And the problem of RAS is that there are a lot of different adjustments.  Some that only have to be done every 10 years or so are really hard. 

   The old Craftsman were far more stable than their younger brethren - mine still holds it's alignment as long as I don't believe the angle indicators - it holds what I set, even if it is not necessarily the angle that the little pointer says.  I use a square each time I return it to the square position, etc., and I still get true cuts.  It works so well that I don't have an excuse to get a pretty new miter saw!

   If the problem isn't the alignment of the saw, it sounds like your board is not straight to start, as others have suggested.  What I did when cutting rough lumber (before I had a jointer...) was tack the rough piece to a known straight piece (such as an 8 foot scrap of plywood) and run the straight piece along the fence.  Once I had a perfectly straight edge, I would do the final rip to width. 

   Welcome - and good luck with your project

   ________________________
   Charlie Plesums  Austin, Texas
   http://www.plesums.com/wood

1. 
   PhillipB | Apr 30, 2004 05:10pm | #9

   Charlie,

   Browsing the forum, I read your comments on your Craftsmen RAS. Thought I was the only guy that had one of these.

   I bought a 12" Craftsman back in the late 70's or early 80's and still have it. I have not used it in many years but am building a bench for it in my basement workshop. I used it to build a 1000' addition to my home in norther NM. I could never sell it because these things just sort of grow on you.

   Going back to your comments, you're absolutely correct about the proper set-up of these machines. But actually, this is true of most if not all tools or machines that we use. This is where many people fall short then blame the manufacturer or someone else for their problems. Too much trouble, I guess.

   I just recently had to completely disassemble my DJ-20 jointer to get it into my basement (just moved to Oak Park, IL). In so doing, I became very intimate with how these things are made, how they come apart, how they go back together, and yeah, how much they weigh. Can't have any extra parts left in your hand either. And that was the easy part. Now you have to get the cutterhead parallel to the outfeed table. Enough of that

   I have a 60 tooth Forrest which is still fresh in the box that I bought many years ago which will dress up my RAS for cross-cutting duty. I do have a table saw but can't wait to hear the powerful hum that the RAS makes. In some ways, it's kinda like a faithful, old friend talking to you.

   Regards,

   Phillip

6. 
   yieldmap | Apr 28, 2004 05:47am | #6

   Rick,

   The last rip I made with my old Craftsman RAS was some thin stock.  The blade caught the piece of wood and sent it flying across the shop.  That was the day I decided to buy a Table Saw.

   There are a few $4-500 table saws...I bought a Ridgid, and am very happy with it.  Remember, a trip to the emergency room is $300.  That's how I usually justify new equipment with the wife!!

   On the curved board, I wonder if the saw head is a little loose.  With all those years of crosscutting, could the rollers be a little worn, allowing the head to pivot back and forth when ripping?

   Good luck,

   yieldmap

7. 
   Mach70 | Apr 29, 2004 07:47pm | #7

   Reading comments from others like "the saw grabbed the board out of my hands & threw it across the shop" should raise all kinds of warning flags.  When RAS ripping if you aren't feeding the wood into the outfeed (rear) of the blade then what you have is an uncontrollable stock feeder!