On Sun, 13 Nov 2005 05:43:46 -0500, "Lee Michaels"
wrote:
[...]
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.


Or maybe it was around the time that it became popular to describe
anyone who did not agree with you in every particular as a "wimp or
whiner"?

If you have the room for two tools, go for it. If you have room for
only one, my preference is a well tuned table saw. My sled(s) will
handle material 34" wide, obviating, for me at least, the need for a
specialized crosscut saw. If I was going to buy such, it would more
likely be a chop saw in order to do reasonably accurate compound cuts
and cuts to arbitrary angles.

Clearly, YMMV.

-

areyoukidding wrote:


If you have the room for two tools, go for it. If you have room for
only one, my preference is a well tuned table saw. My sled(s) will
handle material 34" wide, obviating, for me at least, the need for a
specialized crosscut saw. If I was going to buy such, it would more
likely be a chop saw in order to do reasonably accurate compound cuts
and cuts to arbitrary angles.

Clearly, YMMV.

-

My 10" Unisaw, when outfitted with a 1/2" thick sled doesn't have the
cutting depth capacity I often need, which is why I use my CMS. The cut
isn't as nice, but at least I get a cut! Morale of this short story: it
takes more than one kinda tool to do everything that you face in the
normal course of woodworking.

Dave

On Sun, 13 Nov 2005 04:56:44 GMT, "Toller" wrote:


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).



One More Time ...

A little search and found a hard copy of Jon Eakes' book " Fine Tuning
Your Radial Arm Saw" was available ("recognized as the bible for
setting up and using radial arm saws in a precision fashion"
publisher) but only through Amazon.com ($47.40 to $100 US) or
Amazon.ca ($208 CDN)

However, you can download the book in PDF format for $14.95 CDN from:


http://www.wired-2-shop.com/joneakes...ageID=&CatID=3


I found it easy and simple if you trust passing your VISA card # over
the internet. If not, they have an 800 # too!

Jon Eakes is down to earth TV & Craftshow handyman. Always has
something to teach you.

http://www.joneakes.com/index.html

As for ripping, I had problems initially but none since I received my
updated guard (thanks to the wreck) a few years back. I've had it 20
years and it's still solid.

Also found a few thread comments at:

http://www.ridgidforum.com/cgi-bin/u...c;f=5;t=000676

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