I inherited a Craftsman 9" radial and am wondering if attachments &
modifications are available for it to allow functions other than sawing.

Thank you,
Courtney

Radial arm saws are rare anymore because of the introduction of sliding
miter saws and too many radial arm saw accidents.

You can still buy one but they are expensive. Sears still sells one for
about $650.

For a Sears Saw you can go to Sears Parts ( http://www3.sears.com/ ) and
type in your model number to see whats avaliable. sometimes they show
attachments on their parts lists.

Or, you can go to ebay at (
http://home.search.ebay.com/craftsma...Z1QQsofocusZbs )
and see what you can find used.

Good Luck



"Courtney Thomas" wrote in message
link.net...
I inherited a Craftsman 9" radial and am wondering if attachments &
modifications are available for it to allow functions other than sawing.

Thank you,
Courtney

Your saw most likely has an accessory drive on the motor opposite the
blade arbor. On my old Craftsman 10", it's as simple as threading a
chuck onto the drive. Note that the saw operates at MUCH slower speed
(RPM) than is suitable for most routing applications. I did have some
success with this method though before I got a router. Be sure to read
the manual or one of the books on the subject to learn the safest
technique.

Tom

Tom H wrote:
Radial arm saws are rare anymore because of the introduction of sliding
miter saws and too many radial arm saw accidents.

You can still buy one but they are expensive. Sears still sells one for
about $650.

For a Sears Saw you can go to Sears Parts ( http://www3.sears.com/ ) and
type in your model number to see whats avaliable. sometimes they show
attachments on their parts lists.

Or, you can go to ebay at (
http://home.search.ebay.com/craftsma...Z1QQsofocusZbs )
and see what you can find used.

Good Luck



"Courtney Thomas" wrote in message
link.net...

I inherited a Craftsman 9" radial and am wondering if attachments &
modifications are available for it to allow functions other than sawing.

Thank you,
Courtney





Thank you for your help.

sears Parts had nothing but there were several items on Ebay. My saw is
9". How can I tell if the moulding heads, etc. will fit it ? They
advertise as being for a 10".

Thanks once more,
Courtney

On Mon, 13 Feb 2006 21:15:08 GMT, Courtney Thomas
wrote:


sears Parts had nothing but there were several items on Ebay. My saw is
9". How can I tell if the moulding heads, etc. will fit it ? They
advertise as being for a 10".

Sears only made two size molding heads that I recall: 3" and 7"
(roughly). Either will work on your 9" saw.

I also don't remember Sears selling a dado set larger than 8" (few
manufacturers do), so any of those will fit, too (so long as the arbor
size is correct).

The limiting factor in either of those cases will be the power
available for the amount of material you'll be trying to move. Several
light passes vs a couple of heavy ones, which wouldn't be an issue
with a higher HP 10" saw, should be the rule of the day.

--
LRod

Master Woodbutcher and seasoned termite

Shamelessly whoring my website since 1999

http://www.woodbutcher.net

Proud participant of rec.woodworking since February, 1997

email addy de-spam-ified due to 1,000 spams per month.
If you can't figure out how to use it, I probably wouldn't
care to correspond with you anyway.

Beware of the molding head cutter. I have a deep hole in my garage door
where one of the cutters came off when a piece of lumber started chattering.
I was using a push stick from the side or it would have been bloody.......

Jim
"LRod" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 13 Feb 2006 21:15:08 GMT, Courtney Thomas
wrote:


sears Parts had nothing but there were several items on Ebay. My saw is
9". How can I tell if the moulding heads, etc. will fit it ? They
advertise as being for a 10".

Sears only made two size molding heads that I recall: 3" and 7"
(roughly). Either will work on your 9" saw.

I also don't remember Sears selling a dado set larger than 8" (few
manufacturers do), so any of those will fit, too (so long as the arbor
size is correct).

The limiting factor in either of those cases will be the power
available for the amount of material you'll be trying to move. Several
light passes vs a couple of heavy ones, which wouldn't be an issue
with a higher HP 10" saw, should be the rule of the day.

--
LRod

Master Woodbutcher and seasoned termite

Shamelessly whoring my website since 1999

http://www.woodbutcher.net

Proud participant of rec.woodworking since February, 1997

email addy de-spam-ified due to 1,000 spams per month.
If you can't figure out how to use it, I probably wouldn't
care to correspond with you anyway.

wrote:
Your saw most likely has an accessory drive on the motor opposite the
blade arbor. On my old Craftsman 10", it's as simple as threading a
chuck onto the drive. Note that the saw operates at MUCH slower speed
(RPM) than is suitable for most routing applications. I did have some
success with this method though before I got a router. Be sure to read
the manual or one of the books on the subject to learn the safest
technique.

Tom


routing & molding head usage

Courtney

Courtney Thomas wrote:
I inherited a Craftsman 9" radial and am wondering if attachments &
modifications are available for it to allow functions other than sawing.

Thank you,
Courtney

The key word is saw. Use it as a saw and it will probably keep
you happy for years. Use it for anything else and it will probably
break something, very possibly you.

When something goes wrong, your work is trapped between the table
top and a substantial mass turning at 3000+ RPM. The only way out
is back the the way it came. Guess where you're standing.

I have a molding head for my radial arm. The last time I used
that molder it sent piece of lumber through two 1/2" sheets
of drywall, two sheets of 1/4" paneling and put a dent in the
dryer in the next room.

I don't use it as molder any more. I use it as a good example
of a bad idea.

Courtney Thomas wrote:
I inherited a Craftsman 9" radial and am wondering if attachments &
modifications are available for it to allow functions other than
sawing.

Just some comments as you have already found accessories...

1. Routing - forget it, RPM way too low, too unstable too.

2. Sanding - assuming you have a shaft sticking out opposite the saw
arbor, Sears' drum sander works well. You can also stick a 7-8" soft
pad on there - you'll probably need a bushing to adapt the pad 5/8 saw
1/2. Of course, you can also put whatever will fit on the saw
arbor...I've used sanding plates there.

3. Shaping - any dado/molding head should fit and work well. Be careful
of them though...

4. You didn't mention them but you can also get 3rd party rotary
planers. They work but not very well...since they are cross cutting,
they leave a very rough surface. Also cut a narrow path so it takes a
long time to do much. I used to use one sometimes then use a soft pad
(on the saw) to sand the rough surface. Better than nothing but not
much.


--
dadiOH
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