radial arm saws … a thing of the past?

grayhorse | Posted in Power Tools and Machinery on September 9, 2004 07:27am

Are radial arm saws dead? My father had one in his shop for many years, and used it for many different things. It was the only saw that could be used without having to move two cars out of the garage. But a recent look at the saws in the local Home Depot had no radial arm saws for sale. And the manufacturer of my dad’s saw, DeWalt, doesn’t appear to make them any more.

Thanks for any insight.

Glenn

Replies

TGF | Sep 09, 2004 10:20pm | #1
You sure picked a suject that folks seem to have strong feelings about. Both pro and con. I've got two of them. A 12 inch Delta Multiplex and a bigger DeWalt. I prolly wouldn't buy them today. (Unless I could get them for $79 each, like the ones I got)

I'm guessing that the compound sliding miter saws have gotten the old RAS market. They will do much that the RAS did, you can pick one up and throw it on the truck for the next job, and, unlike a RAS, they're a lot cheaper than a cabnet saw.

There now, I don't think that much is too controversal.

Yeah, and God bless good old 'Merican cast iron. Love it. And Detroit Iron, too.

BJ
lwj2 | Sep 10, 2004 06:32am | #2
http://www.originalsaw.com/index.htm

I believe these folks picked up the old DeWalt stuff.

Leon Jester

Roanoke VA
OrchidGuy | Sep 16, 2004 03:04am | #3
Hi grayhorse,

I guess it would depend on what type of woodworking you do. I would find it convinent if I were in the pergola business for example. With a lot of 4x4, 6x6 and other parts that require repetive cuts it would be indespenable.

Those daring young men in their flying machines!
daFarmerDave | Sep 23, 2004 05:07pm | #4
FWIW, if you don't need the portability of the chop saw then a RAS looks better to me. The one I have must weigh a 100 pounds. The stand weighs another fifty. That mass gives some stability on big boards.

But then again, at the farm, we don't have a decent electrical supply system. There's no electric in the barn. There's no electric where I want to put wooden feeders. They will be 6 foot long and 6foot high and hold a couple of tons of feed.

I got the basement window set up so I can feed boards in and load boards out. The dust collect ( vaccuum ) is always hooked up. I keep the safety glasses, noise protection, square, pencil, radio and cup holder in the same place every time.

I have read those sliding chop saws can be bent in the truck bed.