What is the purpose of having a radial arm or a chop saw if one has a SCM
saw? I would like to get a SCMS, and was wondering if I should sell my
other 2 saws since a SCMS does the same operations? It would free up a
little more space in my home shop.
Thanks for your opinions.

"Dave" wrote in message
m...
What is the purpose of having a radial arm or a chop saw if one has a SCM
saw? I would like to get a SCMS, and was wondering if I should sell my
other 2 saws since a SCMS does the same operations? It would free up a
little more space in my home shop.
Thanks for your opinions.

My 10" SCMS can cut a board up to 12" wide. There have been times when
being able to cut something wider would be nice to have. Presumbably, your
RAS has more capacity.

todd

"Dave" wrote in message
m...
What is the purpose of having a radial arm or a chop saw if one has a SCM
saw? I would like to get a SCMS, and was wondering if I should sell my
other 2 saws since a SCMS does the same operations? It would free up a
little more space in my home shop.
Thanks for your opinions.



you can't do dados on a scms, you can on a radical harm saw.

pretty sure there's no advantage to having both a chop saw and a scms

jc

Joe wrote:

"Dave" wrote in message
m...
What is the purpose of having a radial arm or a chop saw if one has a SCM
saw? I would like to get a SCMS, and was wondering if I should sell my
other 2 saws since a SCMS does the same operations? It would free up a
little more space in my home shop.
Thanks for your opinions.




you can't do dados on a scms, you can on a radical harm saw.

You can. Try e.g. Bosh 4410.

pretty sure there's no advantage to having both a chop saw and a scms

There is no need for them if one has SCMS.

---
************************************************** ****************
* KSI@home KOI8 Net The impossible we do immediately. *
* Las Vegas NV, USA Miracles require 24-hour notice. *
************************************************** ****************

--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

"Joe" wrote in message
. net...

"Dave" wrote in message
m...
What is the purpose of having a radial arm or a chop saw if one has a
SCM saw? I would like to get a SCMS, and was wondering if I should sell
my other 2 saws since a SCMS does the same operations? It would free up a
little more space in my home shop.
Thanks for your opinions.



you can't do dados on a scms, you can on a radical harm saw.

pretty sure there's no advantage to having both a chop saw and a scms

jc

My chop saw can do miters but It's a bit tedious to set it up. And change
blades. And clean the metal cutting debris off. G

Max

"Dave" wrote in message
m...
What is the purpose of having a radial arm or a chop saw if one has a SCM
saw? I would like to get a SCMS, and was wondering if I should sell my
other 2 saws since a SCMS does the same operations? It would free up a
little more space in my home shop.
Thanks for your opinions.





Can you rip a board with your SCMS? I'd get rid of the miter saw over the
RAS.

"Leon" wrote in message
Can you rip a board with your SCMS? I'd get rid of the miter saw over
the
RAS.

Can't you just turn your SCMS sideways?

Sergey Kubushin wrote:
Joe wrote:

"Dave" wrote in message
m...
What is the purpose of having a radial arm or a chop saw if one has a SCM
saw? ...
....
you can't do dados on a scms, you can on a radical harm saw.

You can. Try e.g. Bosh 4410.

pretty sure there's no advantage to having both a chop saw and a scms

There is no need for them if one has SCMS.

There is the matter of size/scale of what can be accommodated by the two.

--

"Leon" wrote in
et:

Can you rip a board with your SCMS? I'd get rid of the miter saw over
the RAS.



I tried to rip a board once... My hands started to hurt so I got a saw.

Puckdropper
--
Wise is the man who attempts to answer his question before asking it.

To email me directly, send a message to puckdropper (at) fastmail.fm

"Puckdropper" wrote in message
reenews.net...
"Leon" wrote in
et:

Can you rip a board with your SCMS? I'd get rid of the miter saw over
the RAS.



I tried to rip a board once... My hands started to hurt so I got a saw.

Puckdropper
--
Wise is the man who attempts to answer his question before asking it.

To email me directly, send a message to puckdropper (at) fastmail.fm

Like I said in my post I have both a RAS and a laser chop saw. I don't care
if I cannot rip or dado on a SCMS, I can do that on my tablesaw. In the
interest of getting a little more space in my shop I thought a SCMS would be
the best alternative by getting a new laser SCMS. It appears that a lot of
you would recommend the 12 inch one and that it can do everything a RAS can
do except dado and rip.

"Sergey Kubushin" wrote in message
.. .
Joe wrote:

"Dave" wrote in message
m...
What is the purpose of having a radial arm or a chop saw if one has a
SCM
saw? I would like to get a SCMS, and was wondering if I should sell my
other 2 saws since a SCMS does the same operations? It would free up a
little more space in my home shop.
Thanks for your opinions.




you can't do dados on a scms, you can on a radical harm saw.

You can. Try e.g. Bosh 4410.


Bosch does not recommend dado sets with the 4410. Their method outlined in
the owners manual is to make multiple passes with a standard blade to cut
dados. The other problem with using this method is that on most scms (4410
included), the depth stop mechanism is located very close to the pivot
point, making precise depth settings and adjustments a major PITA. I don't
know of a single scms whose manufacturer recommends use with a dado blade
set.

On Nov 4, 12:23 pm, "Leon" wrote:
"Dave" wrote in message

m...

What is the purpose of having a radial arm or a chop saw if one has a SCM
saw? I would like to get a SCMS, and was wondering if I should sell my
other 2 saws since a SCMS does the same operations? It would free up a
little more space in my home shop.
Thanks for your opinions.

Can you rip a board with your SCMS? I'd get rid of the miter saw over the
RAS.

WOULD you rip a board with a RAS (The Most Lethal POS Tool On The
Frickin' Planet)?

There is only ONE reason for a RAS... dados leaving equal thicknesses
to the outside walls of shelves, so the consistency of thickness of
the plywood doesn't matter. Handy as hell for those runs of 12 to 16
book cases for library jobs. BTDT.

Cross cutting big pieces ---- table saw with or without sled.

Ripping---- Table saw.. MUCH safer than a RAS

(" Lets hang a motor with blazing speed, attach a sharp blade, hang
the whole whirring contraption on a BALLBEARING sled, no less...and
sell it at a department store... then tell them to RIP with too...")

What they don't tell you, is to keep a sterile bag handy and some ice,
an auto-dialing 911 phone and a vehicle you can drive with one
arm ....to the hospital.
..
..
..
..
..
..
..
..
..
..
..
..
okay... maybe a little over the top.

WOULD you rip a board with a RAS (The Most Lethal POS Tool On The
Frickin' Planet)?

There is only ONE reason for a RAS... dados leaving equal thicknesses
to the outside walls of shelves, so the consistency of thickness of
the plywood doesn't matter. Handy as hell for those runs of 12 to 16
book cases for library jobs. BTDT.

Cross cutting big pieces ---- table saw with or without sled.

Ripping---- Table saw.. MUCH safer than a RAS

(" Lets hang a motor with blazing speed, attach a sharp blade, hang
the whole whirring contraption on a BALLBEARING sled, no less...and
sell it at a department store... then tell them to RIP with too...")

C'mon Robatoy.... They *do* tell you to use a push stick. LOL



What they don't tell you, is to keep a sterile bag handy and some ice,
an auto-dialing 911 phone and a vehicle you can drive with one
arm ....to the hospital.
.


I was at the lumber yard picking up some 14' x 18" 5/4 mahogany (drive-by)
but needed them to crosscut it to get it into the van. Guy puts it on the
radical harm saw, begins to cut it when it binds, the carriage punches him
in the chest and knocks him 7' backwards, arse over teakettle into a stack
of pallets. That was all the reason I ever needed not to own one. Yes, I
know some care in setup would've avoided it, but still......

jc

On Nov 4, 2:53 pm, "Joe" wrote:
WOULD you rip a board with a RAS (The Most Lethal POS Tool On The
Frickin' Planet)?

There is only ONE reason for a RAS... dados leaving equal thicknesses
to the outside walls of shelves, so the consistency of thickness of
the plywood doesn't matter. Handy as hell for those runs of 12 to 16
book cases for library jobs. BTDT.

Cross cutting big pieces ---- table saw with or without sled.

Ripping---- Table saw.. MUCH safer than a RAS

(" Lets hang a motor with blazing speed, attach a sharp blade, hang
the whole whirring contraption on a BALLBEARING sled, no less...and
sell it at a department store... then tell them to RIP with too...")

C'mon Robatoy.... They *do* tell you to use a push stick. LOL



What they don't tell you, is to keep a sterile bag handy and some ice,
an auto-dialing 911 phone and a vehicle you can drive with one
arm ....to the hospital.
.

I was at the lumber yard picking up some 14' x 18" 5/4 mahogany (drive-by)
but needed them to crosscut it to get it into the van. Guy puts it on the
radical harm saw, begins to cut it when it binds, the carriage punches him
in the chest and knocks him 7' backwards, arse over teakettle into a stack
of pallets. That was all the reason I ever needed not to own one. Yes, I
know some care in setup would've avoided it, but still......

jc

HE was lucky.

Robatoy wrote:
On Nov 4, 2:53 pm, "Joe" wrote:
WOULD you rip a board with a RAS (The Most Lethal POS Tool On The
Frickin' Planet)?
There is only ONE reason for a RAS... dados leaving equal thicknesses
to the outside walls of shelves, so the consistency of thickness of
the plywood doesn't matter. Handy as hell for those runs of 12 to 16
book cases for library jobs. BTDT.
Cross cutting big pieces ---- table saw with or without sled.
Ripping---- Table saw.. MUCH safer than a RAS
(" Lets hang a motor with blazing speed, attach a sharp blade, hang
the whole whirring contraption on a BALLBEARING sled, no less...and
sell it at a department store... then tell them to RIP with too...")
C'mon Robatoy.... They *do* tell you to use a push stick. LOL



What they don't tell you, is to keep a sterile bag handy and some ice,
an auto-dialing 911 phone and a vehicle you can drive with one
arm ....to the hospital.
.
I was at the lumber yard picking up some 14' x 18" 5/4 mahogany (drive-by)
but needed them to crosscut it to get it into the van. Guy puts it on the
radical harm saw, begins to cut it when it binds, the carriage punches him
in the chest and knocks him 7' backwards, arse over teakettle into a stack
of pallets. That was all the reason I ever needed not to own one. Yes, I
know some care in setup would've avoided it, but still......

jc

HE was lucky.

No, sounds like he was dumb...

I had only the RAS for a stationary piece of equipment for about the
first 5 years; it and only a jointer for about 5 more before anything
else. Never a problem--respect it, be careful and it's absolutely no
more dangerous than any other woodworking tool...

--

dpb wrote:
Sergey Kubushin wrote:
Joe wrote:

"Dave" wrote in message
m...
What is the purpose of having a radial arm or a chop saw if one has a SCM
saw? ...
...
you can't do dados on a scms, you can on a radical harm saw.

You can. Try e.g. Bosh 4410.

pretty sure there's no advantage to having both a chop saw and a scms

There is no need for them if one has SCMS.

There is the matter of size/scale of what can be accommodated by the two.

That's true. 10" Bosh 4410 is good up to 12" board width (twice that if you
bother to turn the board and make 2 cuts.) Radial saw might have better
reach but it is not always true. And anyways it is not such a regular job to
crosscut 12+" boards that justifies cost and footprint of a radial saw;
occasional job of this kind can be done with other tools.

For a chop saw I don't see any reason to have one at all. Less for limited
capabilities I was never able to make one cut straight. No matter how
expensive and how good the saw and blade are. It's inherent design feature
and there is no cure for it.

---
************************************************** ****************
* KSI@home KOI8 Net The impossible we do immediately. *
* Las Vegas NV, USA Miracles require 24-hour notice. *
************************************************** ****************

--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

Joe wrote:

"Sergey Kubushin" wrote in message
.. .
Joe wrote:

"Dave" wrote in message
m...
What is the purpose of having a radial arm or a chop saw if one has a
SCM
saw? I would like to get a SCMS, and was wondering if I should sell my
other 2 saws since a SCMS does the same operations? It would free up a
little more space in my home shop.
Thanks for your opinions.




you can't do dados on a scms, you can on a radical harm saw.

You can. Try e.g. Bosh 4410.


Bosch does not recommend dado sets with the 4410. Their method outlined in
the owners manual is to make multiple passes with a standard blade to cut
dados. The other problem with using this method is that on most scms (4410
included), the depth stop mechanism is located very close to the pivot
point, making precise depth settings and adjustments a major PITA. I don't
know of a single scms whose manufacturer recommends use with a dado blade
set.

That is true, you have to make several passes with regular blade. And yes,
it is not all that convenient and precise. But for such a job a table saw is
much more suitable choice (one has a table saw along with SCMS, right?) And
anyways I personally never cut dadoes with a saw; for me router works much
better. I do have Freud dado set but I only tried it once and would never
return to it; router is way better, easier to work with, and more precise.

---
************************************************** ****************
* KSI@home KOI8 Net The impossible we do immediately. *
* Las Vegas NV, USA Miracles require 24-hour notice. *
************************************************** ****************

--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

On Sun, 04 Nov 2007 18:57:52 GMT, "Joe" wrote:

I don't
know of a single scms whose manufacturer recommends use with a dado blade
set.


Aren't miter saws required to meet blade spin-down time safety
requirements?

It seems that a stack dado would quickly wear out the blade brake, if
it would actually fit on the arbor.

---------------------------------------------
** http://www.bburke.com/woodworking.html **
---------------------------------------------

On 04 Nov 2007 18:10:38 GMT, Puckdropper
wrote:

"Leon" wrote in
. net:

Can you rip a board with your SCMS? I'd get rid of the miter saw over
the RAS.



I tried to rip a board once... My hands started to hurt so I got a saw.

Puckdropper


Good thing you didn't try to chop it... G

---------------------------------------------
** http://www.bburke.com/woodworking.html **
---------------------------------------------

Sergey Kubushin wrote:
dpb wrote:
Sergey Kubushin wrote:
Joe wrote:

"Dave" wrote in message
m...
What is the purpose of having a radial arm or a chop saw if one has a SCM
saw? ...
...
you can't do dados on a scms, you can on a radical harm saw.
You can. Try e.g. Bosh 4410.

pretty sure there's no advantage to having both a chop saw and a scms
There is no need for them if one has SCMS.

There is the matter of size/scale of what can be accommodated by the two.

That's true. 10" Bosh 4410 is good up to 12" board width (twice that if you
bother to turn the board and make 2 cuts.) Radial saw might have better
reach but it is not always true. And anyways it is not such a regular job to
crosscut 12+" boards that justifies cost and footprint of a radial saw;
occasional job of this kind can be done with other tools.

Different tools, different purposes -- while can always get by, and if
were forced to choose on over the other, might go that way, it would
depend on the work I was doing most at the time. Given the choice, I
will continue to have both and use the more appropriate for the task at
hand.

Either way, I won't denigrate the other...

--

"Upscale" wrote in message
...

"Leon" wrote in message
Can you rip a board with your SCMS? I'd get rid of the miter saw over
the
RAS.

Can't you just turn your SCMS sideways?


Hummm. ;~)

"Robatoy" wrote in message
ups.com...


WOULD you rip a board with a RAS (The Most Lethal POS Tool On The
Frickin' Planet)?

LOL..... Yeah, I have done it many times, But no longer.

David Starr wrote:
Dave wrote:
What is the purpose of having a radial arm or a chop saw if one
has
a SCM saw? I would like to get a SCMS, and was wondering if I
should sell my other 2 saws since a SCMS does the same operations?
It would free up a little more space in my home shop.
Thanks for your opinions.




An SCMS won't rip, it just does crosscuts. For crosscuts, you can
do
'em with a hand saw, a power saw is just a luxury. But a long rip
cut, especially in 2" stock, is ultra tedious with a hand saw.
I'd
be reluctant to trade a radial arm saw for a SCMS, the RAS will do
all the crosscuts a SCMS will do, and a lot more that the SCMS
cannot
do. All my projects require ripping stock to width, wood never
comes
from the lumber yard in the width I need.

Try crosscutting a dozen pieces with a compound miter using a handsaw
and getting them all the same.

While the radial saw will do any cut that a SCMS will do, the SCMS, if
it's a good one, is a lot less finicky about tuning.

--
--
--John
to email, dial "usenet" and validate
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)

J. Clarke wrote:
....

While the radial saw will do any cut that a SCMS will do, the SCMS, if
it's a good one, is a lot less finicky about tuning.

And the same could be said simply reversing the two...

--

dpb wrote:
J. Clarke wrote:
...

While the radial saw will do any cut that a SCMS will do, the SCMS,
if it's a good one, is a lot less finicky about tuning.

And the same could be said simply reversing the two...

Not really. A radial arm saw has more degrees of freedom and a larger
range of motion, hence more attention to alignment is required.
That's the price you pay to have a tool with greater capability.

--
--
--John
to email, dial "usenet" and validate
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)

J. Clarke wrote:
dpb wrote:
J. Clarke wrote:
...

While the radial saw will do any cut that a SCMS will do, the SCMS,
if it's a good one, is a lot less finicky about tuning.
And the same could be said simply reversing the two...

Not really. A radial arm saw has more degrees of freedom and a larger
range of motion, hence more attention to alignment is required.
That's the price you pay to have a tool with greater capability.

"If it's a good one" is the operative phrase here...

--

On Sun, 4 Nov 2007 10:18:33 -0600, "Dave" wrote:

What is the purpose of having a radial arm or a chop saw if one has a SCM
saw? I would like to get a SCMS, and was wondering if I should sell my
other 2 saws since a SCMS does the same operations? It would free up a
little more space in my home shop.
Thanks for your opinions.



Good point...
AFAIK, the SCMS replaces the CMS, right? Why have 2 CMS's?

I got a table saw a few months ago, and with it and my (non-sliding) CMS I
didn't see a need for my RAS taking up space..

A friend talked me into keeping it.. as he pointed out, even having it under a
tarp in the yard was better than getting the few bucks from selling it and NOT
having it when it was the best tool for the job..

Up to the neighbors, now.. lol


mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

On 04 Nov 2007 20:58:57 GMT, Sergey Kubushin wrote:


That is true, you have to make several passes with regular blade. And yes,
it is not all that convenient and precise. But for such a job a table saw is
much more suitable choice (one has a table saw along with SCMS, right?) And
anyways I personally never cut dadoes with a saw; for me router works much
better. I do have Freud dado set but I only tried it once and would never
return to it; router is way better, easier to work with, and more precise.

I find that I split my dado work about 50/50 between saw and router...
Depends a lot on width/depth/length of the dado or rabbit..

Also, when using a saw for dado work, I prefer the RAS to the table saw..


mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

On Sun, 4 Nov 2007 12:54:45 -0600, "Dave" wrote:

Like I said in my post I have both a RAS and a laser chop saw. I don't care
if I cannot rip or dado on a SCMS, I can do that on my tablesaw. In the
interest of getting a little more space in my shop I thought a SCMS would be
the best alternative by getting a new laser SCMS. It appears that a lot of
you would recommend the 12 inch one and that it can do everything a RAS can
do except dado and rip.

I don't have a SCMS so I don't know if they have alignment problems that a CMS
doesn't have, but as far as my old Crapsman laser (which I won't waste the money
for a new battery on) CMS, if I set it for 90 degree cuts and get it aligned in
all the needed directions, it will give me consistent square cuts for a LONG
time, if no one messes with it..
If I could say the same thing for my RAS I wouldn't have bothered building a
rolling stand for the CMS..


mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

On Sun, 04 Nov 2007 11:08:04 -0800, Robatoy wrote:

WOULD you rip a board with a RAS (The Most Lethal POS Tool On The
Frickin' Planet)?

Hell yes... that's why I paid the whopping $50 for it and immediately ordered an
anti-kickback setup for it for another $65...

The table and fence are 6' long and when ripping long boards it's much more
stable that my TS..
Also, I'm much more out of the way of possible kickback on the RAS than the TS..
Not sure about a ball bearing sled.. I guess I'm too cheap for one of those..
lol

I've seen some really scary pictures here of folks stopping boards with their
bodies when using a TS... when I'm ripping with the RAS, it's "target area" is
to my left, about 2 feet from me... Much safer that on the TS, IMO...

There is only ONE reason for a RAS... dados leaving equal thicknesses
to the outside walls of shelves, so the consistency of thickness of
the plywood doesn't matter. Handy as hell for those runs of 12 to 16
book cases for library jobs. BTDT.

Cross cutting big pieces ---- table saw with or without sled.

Ripping---- Table saw.. MUCH safer than a RAS

(" Lets hang a motor with blazing speed, attach a sharp blade, hang
the whole whirring contraption on a BALLBEARING sled, no less...and
sell it at a department store... then tell them to RIP with too...")

What they don't tell you, is to keep a sterile bag handy and some ice,
an auto-dialing 911 phone and a vehicle you can drive with one
arm ....to the hospital.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
okay... maybe a little over the top.


mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

On Sun, 04 Nov 2007 19:53:06 GMT, "Joe" wrote:


I was at the lumber yard picking up some 14' x 18" 5/4 mahogany (drive-by)
but needed them to crosscut it to get it into the van. Guy puts it on the
radical harm saw, begins to cut it when it binds, the carriage punches him
in the chest and knocks him 7' backwards, arse over teakettle into a stack
of pallets. That was all the reason I ever needed not to own one. Yes, I
know some care in setup would've avoided it, but still......

jc

Not standing directly in front of the saw/motor might have helped a bit...

I've seen so many stupid things done with saws at lumber yards that I'm amazed
that any of those folks still own their own hands..

Best one I've seen so far was the guy that brought our plywood to the panel saw
on a fork lift and was lining up the 1st cut when the fork lift decided that
since he didn't bother to set the brake, it would come visit him.. he got out of
the way, but they were instantly in the market for a new panel saw..


mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

On Mon, 5 Nov 2007 03:02:25 -0500, "J. Clarke" wrote:



While the radial saw will do any cut that a SCMS will do, the SCMS, if
it's a good one, is a lot less finicky about tuning.

--
Again, I can't speak for a SCMS, but having both a RAS and a CMS, if I'm looking
for repeated cuts to length, I'll use the CMS every time, unless the stock is
too wide for it..


mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

J. Clarke wrote:
dpb wrote:
J. Clarke wrote:
...

While the radial saw will do any cut that a SCMS will do, the
SCMS,
if it's a good one, is a lot less finicky about tuning.

And the same could be said simply reversing the two...

Not really. A radial arm saw has more degrees of freedom and a
larger
range of motion, hence more attention to alignment is required.
That's the price you pay to have a tool with greater capability.

Well, then you get into a multi thousand dollar industrial tool that
needs a crew and a hoist to deliver vs something that one person can
toss into the back seat of a car.

--
--
--John
to email, dial "usenet" and validate
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)

"David Starr" wrote

Finicky? A good RAS (in my case a second hand 1960's Craftsman) stays in
alignment for a long long time. I slap a square on the occasional fresh
cut just to be sure the tool is still cutting square, but I only pull out
the Allen wrenches and adjust my RAS maybe once a year, when the square
tells me I have a problem.

David Starr

My Craftsman RAS is about the same age. I check it any time I'm starting on
an important project but my experience is that it only needs tweaking about
every 2 years.
I should add, though, that I only use it for 90 degree cuts.

Max

David Starr wrote:
J. Clarke wrote:
David Starr wrote:
Dave wrote:
What is the purpose of having a radial arm or a chop saw if one
has
a SCM saw? I would like to get a SCMS, and was wondering if I
should sell my other 2 saws since a SCMS does the same
operations?
It would free up a little more space in my home shop.
Thanks for your opinions.




An SCMS won't rip, it just does crosscuts. For crosscuts, you can
do
'em with a hand saw, a power saw is just a luxury. But a long rip
cut, especially in 2" stock, is ultra tedious with a hand saw.
I'd
be reluctant to trade a radial arm saw for a SCMS, the RAS will do
all the crosscuts a SCMS will do, and a lot more that the SCMS
cannot
do. All my projects require ripping stock to width, wood never
comes
from the lumber yard in the width I need.

Try crosscutting a dozen pieces with a compound miter using a
handsaw
and getting them all the same.

No contest. I use my RAS for all my crosscuts too. The power tool
does better cuts than I can do by hand. The point is, a power saw
that won't rip leaves you ripping by hand. Given the choice of
doing
all my rips by hand or all my crosscuts by hand, I'll take the
crosscuts, and do the rips with a power saw. Not having the bucks
or
the floor space for a whole lot of tools, I think a RAS or a table
saw is a better deal than a chop saw/SCMS 'cause the one tool can
both crosscut and rip. The chop saw/SCMS is cross cut only. Notice
that house framers will bring both a SCMS and a table saw to the job
so as to be able both rip and crosscut.



While the radial saw will do any cut that a SCMS will do, the SCMS,
if it's a good one, is a lot less finicky about tuning.

Finicky? A good RAS (in my case a second hand 1960's Craftsman)
stays
in alignment for a long long time. I slap a square on the
occasional
fresh cut just to be sure the tool is still cutting square, but I
only
pull out the Allen wrenches and adjust my RAS maybe once a year,
when
the square tells me I have a problem.

Cutting square isn't so much an issue. It's cutting angles and then
returning to square that gets to be problematical.

--
--
--John
to email, dial "usenet" and validate
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)

J. Clarke wrote:
David Starr wrote:
J. Clarke wrote:
David Starr wrote:
Dave wrote:
What is the purpose of having a radial arm or a chop saw if one
has
a SCM saw? I would like to get a SCMS, and was wondering if I
should sell my other 2 saws since a SCMS does the same
operations?
It would free up a little more space in my home shop.
Thanks for your opinions.




An SCMS won't rip, it just does crosscuts. For crosscuts, you can
do
'em with a hand saw, a power saw is just a luxury. But a long rip
cut, especially in 2" stock, is ultra tedious with a hand saw.
I'd
be reluctant to trade a radial arm saw for a SCMS, the RAS will do
all the crosscuts a SCMS will do, and a lot more that the SCMS
cannot
do. All my projects require ripping stock to width, wood never
comes
from the lumber yard in the width I need.
Try crosscutting a dozen pieces with a compound miter using a
handsaw
and getting them all the same.
No contest. I use my RAS for all my crosscuts too. The power tool
does better cuts than I can do by hand. The point is, a power saw
that won't rip leaves you ripping by hand. Given the choice of
doing
all my rips by hand or all my crosscuts by hand, I'll take the
crosscuts, and do the rips with a power saw. Not having the bucks
or
the floor space for a whole lot of tools, I think a RAS or a table
saw is a better deal than a chop saw/SCMS 'cause the one tool can
both crosscut and rip. The chop saw/SCMS is cross cut only. Notice
that house framers will bring both a SCMS and a table saw to the job
so as to be able both rip and crosscut.


While the radial saw will do any cut that a SCMS will do, the SCMS,
if it's a good one, is a lot less finicky about tuning.
Finicky? A good RAS (in my case a second hand 1960's Craftsman)
stays
in alignment for a long long time. I slap a square on the
occasional
fresh cut just to be sure the tool is still cutting square, but I
only
pull out the Allen wrenches and adjust my RAS maybe once a year,
when
the square tells me I have a problem.

Cutting square isn't so much an issue. It's cutting angles and then
returning to square that gets to be problematical.

That again is a function of quality -- no problem w/ mine.

--

dpb wrote:
J. Clarke wrote:
David Starr wrote:
J. Clarke wrote:
David Starr wrote:
Dave wrote:
What is the purpose of having a radial arm or a chop saw if
one
has
a SCM saw? I would like to get a SCMS, and was wondering if I
should sell my other 2 saws since a SCMS does the same
operations?
It would free up a little more space in my home shop.
Thanks for your opinions.




An SCMS won't rip, it just does crosscuts. For crosscuts, you
can
do
'em with a hand saw, a power saw is just a luxury. But a long
rip
cut, especially in 2" stock, is ultra tedious with a hand saw.
I'd
be reluctant to trade a radial arm saw for a SCMS, the RAS will
do
all the crosscuts a SCMS will do, and a lot more that the SCMS
cannot
do. All my projects require ripping stock to width, wood never
comes
from the lumber yard in the width I need.
Try crosscutting a dozen pieces with a compound miter using a
handsaw
and getting them all the same.
No contest. I use my RAS for all my crosscuts too. The power
tool
does better cuts than I can do by hand. The point is, a power saw
that won't rip leaves you ripping by hand. Given the choice of
doing
all my rips by hand or all my crosscuts by hand, I'll take the
crosscuts, and do the rips with a power saw. Not having the bucks
or
the floor space for a whole lot of tools, I think a RAS or a table
saw is a better deal than a chop saw/SCMS 'cause the one tool can
both crosscut and rip. The chop saw/SCMS is cross cut only.
Notice
that house framers will bring both a SCMS and a table saw to the
job
so as to be able both rip and crosscut.


While the radial saw will do any cut that a SCMS will do, the
SCMS,
if it's a good one, is a lot less finicky about tuning.
Finicky? A good RAS (in my case a second hand 1960's Craftsman)
stays
in alignment for a long long time. I slap a square on the
occasional
fresh cut just to be sure the tool is still cutting square, but I
only
pull out the Allen wrenches and adjust my RAS maybe once a year,
when
the square tells me I have a problem.

Cutting square isn't so much an issue. It's cutting angles and
then
returning to square that gets to be problematical.

That again is a function of quality -- no problem w/ mine.

So how much would one of these wonders that you have cost today?

--
--
--John
to email, dial "usenet" and validate
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)

J. Clarke wrote:
dpb wrote:
J. Clarke wrote:
David Starr wrote:
....
pull out the Allen wrenches and adjust my RAS maybe once a year,
when
the square tells me I have a problem.
Cutting square isn't so much an issue. It's cutting angles and
then
returning to square that gets to be problematical.
That again is a function of quality -- no problem w/ mine.

So how much would one of these wonders that you have cost today?

Don't know--haven't looked recently. New, out-of-the-box, probably
$2-3k. But, I bought this at auction 20+ years ago for about $250.
It did take adding a 3-phase converter for another $150 so overall I
have something like $500 in it...

However, one can almost always find them for essentially throwaway
prices if looking seriously because too many uninformed have been given
such propaganda as is bandied about here so they have become unpopular.

Of course, like anything else the "get what you pay for" mantra holds;
the cheap Craftsmans and some of the small DeWalts and similar were/are
simply too lightly built and deserve their reputation.

Again, as I told somebody else banging on RAS, they're two different
tools for differing purposes. I'm not denigrating the SCMS for its
place; simply standing up for the RAS in its place.

--

On Mon, 5 Nov 2007 10:12:03 -0500, "J. Clarke" wrote:

dpb wrote:
J. Clarke wrote:
...

While the radial saw will do any cut that a SCMS will do, the SCMS,
if it's a good one, is a lot less finicky about tuning.

And the same could be said simply reversing the two...

Not really. A radial arm saw has more degrees of freedom and a larger
range of motion, hence more attention to alignment is required.
That's the price you pay to have a tool with greater capability.

--
I hear that... When I was living in the states and my shop was the neighborhood
gathering spot, I'd always catch someone leaning on the RAS table... there goes
the tuning again.. *sigh*


mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

On Tue, 6 Nov 2007 00:52:03 -0500, "J. Clarke" wrote:


Cutting square isn't so much an issue. It's cutting angles and then
returning to square that gets to be problematical.

I got tons of help here at the rec when I got my RAS and a great piece of advice
was "don't move the head out of 90 degrees unless you have to..

I looked at maybe 5 or 6 people's shop made angle jigs and built my own.. pretty
much leave the head alone unless I'm ripping..
Pretty much just some sheet stock with fixed or adjustable "fences" on it..


mac

Please remove splinters before emailing