Waddya Know about radial arm saws

[Riggly]

Been looking at the Dewalt power shop radial arm saw 1251 seems to be a few of them around at a decent price are they any good what can you do with them i know you can crosscut and trench and bevel and rip buut i seem to remember being able to use them for routing? am i wrong. Would probably want mine initiallly for crosscutting worktops but have thoughts on trenching to save setup on the table saw.

 

[Streepips]

1251 is medium weight, just got an Elu version, going to give it to a friend though. I have a 12" version Dewalt, ( 721? ) and thats fine. Would not dream of using any RAS for routing though ! There comes a point when versatility , or claims of, detract from the core competencies of a machine.

the 1251 is a very useful crosscut saw and I have had no problems ripsawing with it within limits, its great for rough tenoning, makes a handy drilling rig, and is infinitely adjustable
Good piece of kit.

 

[Streepips]

But no way will a 1251 crosscut a 600mm worktop, the 12" 721 will, just, but about 15" max crosscut on a 1251

 

[Riggly]

would it be any good for setting up for drilling out panels for kitchen carcasses for dowels and cams, and timber dowels the cams i would probably set up on the drill press

 

[Riggly]

Not fussed about the routing capabilities as have a spindle moulder

 

[Streepips]

Well it was you that mentioned the routing ! I just said it was inadvisable.

 

[Riggly]

sorry the two questions should have been one but pressed the return key too quick to repeat would it be any good for the cam and dowel process with the cam being drilled out by a drill press

 

[bluezephyr]

The 721 will get 600mm right on the end of the cut, I have steel box section fences with a flip stop system so i set them back just a bit further, Where i used to work you had to lift the board up just to cut the last little bit, Not good really.

There is a router attachment available, I did look ages ago but you have to remove the guard and blade as it seems to fit the arbour if i remember right.

As for trenching, The flange on the saw needs to be machined to take the thicker blade, I had to do this on the 728 3 phase i have just for trenching.

Youll need to remove the riving knife from the guard too. Those Freud Dado cutters from machine mart work ok, I dont like all the bits you sandwich together, You cant beat a nice replaceable tip Garniga one, But theyre a fortune (and about 2 month wait!).

 

[Scrit]

In the older DW radial arm saws the DW1751 had a 24in crosscut capacity (one of mine is a 1751). Biggest downside to the bottom of range of machines, i.e. the 10in saws (DW also made 12in, 14in and 16in industrial saws) is that the frame beneath the table does tend to flex a bit (like 1970s Jap motorcycle frames) unless you brace it up. That results in the saws going out of alignment if you continually switch from crosscut to mitre and back again all the time unless you invest in a double mitre attachment.

The 721 will get 600mm right on the end of the cut, I have steel box section fences with a flip stop system so i set them back just a bit further.......

Be very wary of this approach! In the parked position the blade must always be completely behind the fence if you don't want to risk injury.

As for trenching, The flange on the saw needs to be machined to take the thicker blade, I had to do this on the 728 3 phase i have just for trenching.

Alternatively just buy the deWalt TCT 2-part trenching tool which will fit without modifying the machine. These 2-part heads have been specially designed to work with the later braked saws unlike stacked saw sets and have a better anti-kickback desigm as well as producing a better quality housing than almost any stacked saw set is capable of.

Scrit

 

[AlanB]

How do you perform ripping cuts with the 1251 safely? The blade seems to be rotating in the wrong direction!
Alan B.

 

[mailee]

Ypu have to rotate the head so the blade is cutting against the timber being fed. The kickback fingers must be lowered onto the timber to stop it trying to push the wood back towards you. HTH. :wink:

 

[bluezephyr]

The blade in parked position is behind the fence, I used the freud dado set to get me by, The Garniga is 2 peice with replaceable cutting tips.

 

[BradNaylor]

I had two radial arm saws in my last shop, one for cross cutting and one for dadoes.

I sold them when I moved into my current shop as there wasn't room.

I have not missed them for a minute!

A decent table saw with sliding table and (preferably) a scoring blade is far more versatile, and takes up less space over all.

I wouldn't bother with the RAS.

Cheers
Dan

 

[Riggly]

Hi scrit

As a man who knows his onions about machinery what croscut width could i expect from the dewalt powershop range. i would like to size worktops 670 wide and use it in lieu of a scms for panels for carcasses. i do have a startrite cb 310 rlx and a dewalt dw 718 but would like the scms to stay portable .

 

[AlanB]

Hi mailee,
That's even more dangerous - all the power controls are on the other side of the saw and the riving knife is now in front of the blade!
there are no anti kickback fingers on my machine. Still very confused.
Alan B

 

[Scrit]

....what croscut width could i expect from the dewalt powershop range. i would like to size worktops 670 wide and use it in lieu of a scms for panels for carcasses. i do have a startrite cb 310 rlx and a dewalt dw 718 but would like the scms to stay portable .

DW720 (10in) - circa 380mm
DW721 (12in) - circa 610mm
DW728 (14in) - circa 610mm

these machines are the modern equivalents of the DW125 (1251, 1253), ??? and DW1420. Bear in mind that if used with dado heads the brakes on modern radial arm saws can introduce hazards into the operation unless you use the two-part interlocking head set sold by deWalt, Garniga, Oppold, etc (and which is more akin to spindle tooling)

Personally I'd avoid the very lightest (the DW720/DW125/Dw150/DW175) unless you are prepared to spend a bit of time bracing the frame. The frame is rather light and can flex, although they work perfectly well if you brace them (bit like an early 1970s Jap bike....)

If you need to crosscut 670mm on a radial arm saw you have to start looking at proper industrial stuff like the Stromab RS92 (you need 20mm more than the Stromab RS650S can manage). Personally I'd think in terms of using a panel saw if you can - especially if you've got a scorer

Scrit

 

[mailee]

Alan, on my machine the controls are on the front with the handle? There should be some anti kickback fingers that lower at the rear of the blade and as far as I remember there is a short guard on the front of the blade. The riving knife whould be inside the guard at the rear of the blade also? I know I will get some flack here but I have removed my riving knife and kickback fingers as I never use the saw for ripping and it is only used for crosscutting timber to length. I do still have them to hand if I ever sell the machine of course. I also have the dado set but never use this as I use a router for this type of cut. I am sure scrit will be able to tell you just what safety features should be on the blade and guard and which way round they should be. HTH.

 

[Scrit]

I am sure Scrit will be able to tell you just what safety features should be on the blade and guard and which way round they should be. HTH.

The anti-kickback pawls are specifically for ripping - something I just don't do on a RAS as it can be a bit hair-raising. For crosscutting the park or home position of the blade should always be behind the fence for safety reasons. The standard guard has two sliding "skirts" and should also have a nosing piece which needs to be dropped to within about 6 millimetres of the top of the work. Whilst the standard DW machine is not supplied with them a RAS really needs to be fitted with an automatic return mechanism, which returns it to the park position if the grip is released - this is normally like a stronger version of the retracting dog leash some of us will be familiar with. In a trade shop a auto return mechanism and a full guard which encloses the head in the park position (and which can also act as a chip catcher connected to the DX) are mandatory unless the motor is fitted with a brake. But if you fit a brake it can be difficult to use dado heads.

Scrit