"Charlie Self" wrote

Toller wrote:
98% of the crosscutting I do (depending on the size with my CMS, crosscut
TS
sled, or with a guide and a circular saw) is 90 degrees in both
directions.

I understand that RAS can be fussy to set up, but if set up properly will
they do decent 90 degree cuts? Or are they just inherently inaccurate?
I
don't mind spending an extra 10 minutes on the rare occasion I want to do
something more exotic; especially since it would take much longer to do
it
now (at least on stuff bigger than my CMS).

I have my eye on a 2 year old craftsman that was barely used. Sure would
be
nice to be able to do 16" crosscuts without a lot of fuss; but if it
won't
be accurate, then it would just be a waste of room and money.

Buy the saw. Find a copy of Jon Eakins' book on radial arm saws. Enjoy.
You'll need to tune it, check the tune every so often, and it will
probably wear out in 20 or so years, but what the hell.

I don't like them for ripping, but for wider crosscuts, they're great.

I grew up around radial arm saws. Now everybody acts like they are going to
get a disease from it or something. If you have a healthy respect for
tools. You observe some basic safety rules. You tune the thing now and then.
It should give you long service.

But if you do not respect the beast, it will bite you. I used to work in
insurance. And a lot of stupid people hurt themselves on this thing. I read
the reports.

But I have worked around these saws for about forty years. And I have all
fingers and toes. And I have built a mile or two of bookcases with them
too. Not that long ago, almost all houses were built with these things.

I don't know when the exact point was that this saw fell into disfavor. But
I woke one day to discover a tool I grew up with has now become the great
satan. Probably about the same time that good old US of A became a land of
wimps and whiners.