# DeWalt Radial Arm Saw (DW1201)



## white_sw (14 May 2007)

I have just been given a DW1201 Radial Arm. It's in pretty good condition and I have just fitted it with a new Freud blade. I've cleaned it up, treated any rust and resprayed all the metal work. When I get a change, I'm going to clean up all the cast alloy with sand blasting. Works a treat and makes it that much nicer seeing it was free.

Can anyone advise if it's possible to use a Moulding Head and Dado cutter with this saw ?

I've been looking at the Freud Dado head available in Machine Mart. Does anyone else use moulding or dado heads on their RAS ?


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## white_sw (14 May 2007)

Also, does anyone have this same saw with instructions that I could maybe get a photocopy of ? I'd pay all copy and postage costs of course.


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## Scrit (14 May 2007)

white_sw":3oon69l5 said:


> Can anyone advise if it's possible to use a Moulding Head and Dado cutter with this saw ?


The deWalt and Amersaw-type moulding heads haven't been available for many years so I think you'll struggle finding on. I also reckon the cut quality isn't brilliant, particularly on the lighter SASs (and the DW1201 is a very light machine). If you search the forum there was a thread about the use of these heads in table saws, here, which might give you a better insight



white_sw":3oon69l5 said:


> I've been looking at the Freud Dado head available in Machine Mart. Does anyone else use moulding or dado heads on their RAS ?


Yes, but mine's a tad bigger machine with a longer arbor. JFC had the self-same problem with a DW1201 last year, here's his thread on the subject. There's also a bit in this thread. The problem with most modern (i.e. silver/black Elu or yellow/black deWalt) DW RASs is that they are fitted with a brake, have a 15.5mm long arbor and also the width of the blade guard severely restricts the width of cutter set you can accommodate - the Freud dado set will possibly work, but you'll only get a 10 to 12mm groove out of it, and there are potential braking issues on the later saws to watch out for, too.

Manuals - there's a parts manual here but DW have revamped their web site and I can no longer find ANY of the machine manuals on line. Anyone know where they've gone to? You could try calling there customer service for a spare manual (0870 240 7219 ), or just ask them where on the InterWeb they've hidden them now.......

I recall Chris Waterhead recommending the Mr. Sawdust site as selling a good book on setting-up and using radial arm saws. He also recommended "
Fine Tuning Your Radial Arm Saw" (Paperback) by Jon Eakes as _"the best and most comprehensive on tuning/setting up the RAS"_. For DW RASs I'd like to suggets deWalt's own book on the subject "Go Woodworking the DeWalt Way with Geoff Peters" a ring bound-book produced by deWalt in the 1970s and out of print for many years (so Abe Books or Amazon, then)

I'd also strongly recommend reading the HSE leaflets "Safe working at woodworking machines" and "Safe use of manually operated cross cut saws" - they're free and the advice contained therein is good advice.

Hope that helps. Happy reading

Scrit

PS Hell's teeth - that's 3000 posts \/ . How the heck does Alf do it???? :shock:


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## mailee (14 May 2007)

Hello white. I have an Elu RAS which is the same machine as the DW 1251 I also have the manual for the DW. I can e-mail you a copy of it if you would like. Sorry I can't print out a copy to send by snail mail but I am out of ink at the moment due to printing out designs for customers. :wink: Oh and by the way I do have a set of Dado cutters Shhh! for mine but they won't all fit on the arbour. Personally I wouldn't bother with them as it is more hassle than it is worth IMHO. :wink:


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## Skilgannan (27 Jul 2013)

I have just bought the same saw and found the manual here I think

At vintagemachinery org I cannot post the link here which is annoying!


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## adzeman (27 Jul 2013)

Hi white. 
I think my RAS is DW1201 and there are two manuals one to operate two for spare parts. I am convalescing from minor surgery at present and I am banned from the workshop but if you have not found one in the next week or two You can have a copy. Regarding the cutter head, I have a colleague who required one and had difficulty in obtaining one so, I introduced him to George Higgens of Station Road Sidcup and he got him one and at a very competitive rate at that. If you have not tried George Higgens before for power tools I promise you will be impressed. He really is a font of knowledge when it comes to power tools. They are easy to visit if in London a zone 2 ticket from London Bridge to Sidcup and they are close to the station. They also sell on line but a visit gives a personal touch. They even may have the manuals.


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## Philip Bagenal (14 May 2014)

I have just bought a Dewalt for £80 from an old widow and she had a manual with it which is called the DeWALT Powershop Handbook by Gordon Warr. Looks very useful, but cannot use my power saw yet as I have had minor surgery as well as one of your other helpful correspondents.

It's actually for the DW320 and DW125 but seems to refer to many of my functions……can anybody tell me how to identify my power saw as it has lost its labels.

Philip


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