radial arm saw questions

[mandj23]

Can radial arm saws and table saws use the same blades? What are the advantages/disadvantages to using a radial arm saw?

[Vic]

No, a RAS need a neg hook tooth blade. The same applies to a SCMS or CMS.

[knotscott]

To prevent self feeding and a tendency to climb, the blade on a RAS or sliding CMS should have a very low to negative hook angle (aka "rake")....nothing much over 5°. Blades with steeper hook angles can make the cut but there's inherently more risk. The hook is less critical on a non-sliding CMS, but its still best kept < 10° or so. Inversely, a TS is actually safer with a positive hook angle to help keep the work piece against the table...many TS blades will have a hook in the 5° to 20° range...the ideal hook for a TS blade depends in part on what's being cut.

A RAS can crosscut wider longer pieces, but based on numbers I'd guess that TS have been the more popular choice in recent years. I do the majority of precision crosscuts on my TS, but if the piece is very long I use a CMS. If the piece is too wide for the TS I use a straight edge and circular saw.

[mdbuilder]

I'm going to disagree a bit. If your RAS is properly adjusted and not one of the flimsy / sloppy machines (think recent Craftsmen / Rigid etc.) then use any reasonable blade. My 53 year old Dewalt MBF works just fine with any 40 tooth 7-8.25 inch circular saw blade or 9" when I can find it, none of them have negative hook. Most important is the blade be sharp and the rollar bearings set so there is no slop at all in the head and there is some resistance to movement when you feed the carriage.

The RAS does all sorts of different cuts well, fantastic dado cutting machine for example. I used mine this weekend to do 5 raised panels. Rips are the one downfall, it can be done safely but there is a very specifc technique and some safety aid requirements. I avoid ripping on the RAS and use my Unisaw for that.

[Texfire]

I have a 1970s vintage Dewalt that a family friend gave me for a stair project that I keep going back and forth on. I don't have an arbor wrench that fits it, and haven't been able to fit anything else in there, so I've been stymied with replacing the mostly dull blade. It also doesn't have a blade brake, so it keeps spinning a long time after you kill the power. Finally, I've never had much luck with repeat accuracy on mitered cuts, not so much on this saw but on an older Delta I used in college.

It seems to take up a lot of space for something I could just replicate with a miter sled on my TS. I've resolved to give it away several times, but it's here and I don't have a SCMS that would can be dedicated to rough cutting stick lumber. I'm willing to be talked out of this though.

[minorhero]

A Radial Arm Saw (RAS) can use the same blade as a table saw, heck it can use the same blade as a circular saw. That being said you will likely get better cuts with blades made for a RAS. And circular saw blades are going to be a bit short for a lot of cuts. Blades made for sliding miter saws have the same kind of features as blades made for a RAS if that helps you in finding one. The blade on my old Dewalt is made by Tenryu and is advertised specifically as a RAS blade.

As for accuracy, a RAS can be every bit as accurate as the best table saw out there but you have to have a good table. Since the table on a RAS is one you make yourself and will wear out over time its something you need to be careful with when you make it and keep an eye on it as time goes by. I don't own a Sliding Miter Saw and use my RAS as basically just a big sliding miter saw. That being said there are a lot of cuts you can do on a RAS you can't do on a sliding miter saw or even a table saw. Most of those have to do with turning the blade so its parallel with the table making the RAS a really excellent tool for cutting tenons.

As another poster pointed out you can also rip on a RAS but it is not as safe as doing it on a table saw. I have never ripped on my RAS because I own a table saw but I know folks who say its fine. Those same folks will still do their rips on a table saw most of the time and only use the RAS for ripping when they are setting up some kind of batch process.

Also don't bother with any RAS that doesn't have a solid cast iron arm. Any RAS that uses a steel framed arm with metal panels bolted on is worthless for any kind of precision. Most of the craftsman RAS's you can find either new or used are this latter type sadly enough.