The cut is typically made by tilting the blade of a miter saw at your selected angle, instead of the workstation and the wood is placed as normal.
The angular blade will create an automatic bevel. Check out the differences between Miter vs Bevel cuts in our full comparison here. The cut is a mix of a miter with a bevel cut. Making a compound cut is fairly simple, as well. The radial arm saw has become less popular throughout the years, yet it remains as one of the most versatile tools.
Much like the miter saw, it consists of a circular blade mounted unto a sliding arm which can power through the wood stock to make a variety of cuts. The blade itself can be adjusted to various angles and degrees; however, these will have to be measured and adjusted by the user. The blade diameter ranges from 12 to 22 inches giving it to cut through thicker lumber. Where the radial arm falls short is within a safety mechanism. Power saws generally pose risks of injury with their ability to cut off fingers, if not used with caution.
That said, the saw does have locks, and a fence can be built on the side to provide stability and safety. Cut Depth 0 Deg. Bevel 3 in, Max. Cut Depth 45 Deg. Making crosscuts is fairly simple with a radial arm saw. Using a scale, measure out the wood piece you want to cut and mark the top with a pencil or marker. Remember to account for the blade width. Lower and align the blade to the piece before powering on the saw.
Hold the stock against its fence add in extra fencing, if required and pull the saw towards you in the width of the wood once the piece has been cut, power off the blade and return it to a neutral position before any interaction.
When it comes miters and its variations, the saw comes with miter and bevel release levels which allow you to get the degree you wish to cut in manually. The depth of a cut is also manually set depending on your own adjustments. However, unlike the miter saw, setting the degrees will require more measurements as there is no actual indication on the saw itself.
Given its ability to set its depth according to your requirements, you can use the radial arm saw for making dadoes and rabbets. Rabbets is an L-shape cut along the edge of a board whereas dadoes are U-shape cuts across its width. The cuts may come in handy as joinery within projects. Lastly, you can also use your saw for ripping, which helps to cut pieces in length, instead of against its width. This is done by rotating the blade to the saw and locking it in place. The pawl should be released and adjusted to the height of the board to prevent any jams from kicking back.
If you do consider cutting this way, however, take extra caution as this is when the blade is most hazardous to the user. Here are a few of the most commonly asked questions about radial arm saws and miter saws:. While you get substantial maneuverability with the radial arm, it can take away from precision. While no drastic variations are present, you can add further versatility by the thickness or type of blade you use.
For more information, please see our privacy policy. Want to read the latest news from Monroe Engineering? Click Here. Skip to content. Get a Quote. What Is a Radial Arm Saw? More Popular Posts. Search for:. Privacy Policy We use cookies to improve your experience. Latest News Want to read the latest news from Monroe Engineering? Contact Us sales askmonroe. All Rights Reserved. Live Help. I know one person who cut off the tip of his middle finger on a table saw and one person who made an angled cut across all of the fingers of his left hand with a table saw.
I know of no injuries from a RAS. Yes, of course there must have been injuries somewhere, but I bet if you compared injuries per work hours between the two tools you would find more injuries from table saws. Why is this? But I think the biggest reason is that the RAS blade hanging above the table and moving around while it is running just tends to keep your mind very focused on safety.
It was exciting, but the saw bound up in the wood and no injury occurred. I remember that every time I use the saw now, and am quite safe. Keep your weight over your feet. If the blade grabs, nothing will happen to you. But if you are leaning on the table or the workpiece and the saw grabs, it can affect your balance or your grip and you could fall into the blade. The exact same thing is true of the table saw. One final thing in favor of the radial saw.
You need a huge amount of space to use a table saw. Most small shops that I have owned or been familiar with become so cluttered that it takes hours to prepare for a cut with a table saw. If you even have that room at all. Yeah, rich woodworking hobbyists who never actually make anything in their glamor shops probably have that large area and can keep it clean.
For me, I can setup some sawhorses, drop on some boards, position a piece of plywood, measure and setup guides, and make my cuts with a high quality circular saw. Get one with a stiff base and no runout on the motor shaft. And that is much faster than making space to use a table saw if I even had the space indoors.
Everything else happens on the RAS. If doing critical work like face frames, I go through the alignment procedure first. That requires lots of ripping, but not high accuracy. One last thing about the RAS though I could probably write a book about it : Use a zero or negative hook blade for crosscutting!
The one thing that is most frightening to many people, and which startles all of us, is when the saw grabs as you are pulling it towards you. That is quite controllable with a zero hook blade and if you use a negative hook blade you will actually have to pull the blade through the piece.
Let go and it just sits there — no grab. I am an older guy who has used a Craftsman RAS for 44 years. To me, it is an awesome tool, though not for critical, finish work due to it not keeping accuracy via the fence guard and table. I have built large decks, bunk beds, tables, etc. The fact that it has accessories available, allowed me to use it as a horizontal drilling machine for boring holes. Most importantly, I like the protection it has versus a table saw with an open blade.
I can shave off very small slivers to fit something; use the angled blade to make a variety of angle cuts; rip long boards, etc. Not something you would do with a table saw!!!
I just had my 2nd motor fail and will have it rebuilt. No problem. In the end, it has serviced me very well and has paid for itself many times over. Do no let the fear mongering get to you.
Use your head, pay close attention, clear your work area, and use stringent safety measures. RASs are great machines! I have an older Craftsman RAS, 10 inch blade, probably or so, with some attachments. But, occasionally I do uncover it and use it for a project. It is actually in a place now that constricts its usefulness a bit with other things stored in the garage.
My question is two-part: 1 if I decide to sell it, how would I determine a value for an older but still very serviceable piece of equipment like that, and 2 where would I find a market for it?
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