[OT] Radial arm saw vs table saw

[Jim Stewart]

A tilting table table saw ???????? I've never seen one.

JL.....

Yeah, they exist. Pain in the ass.

-js

[JoeLee]

Yeah, they exist. Pain in the ass.

-js

I'm sure they are............not to popular either.

JL..............

[PStechPaul]

Yeah, they exist. Pain in the ass.

-js

You're not supposed to sit on them...

[SLK001]

A tilting table table saw ???????? I've never seen one.

JL.....

In high school, our 12" table saw was a tilting table. Like as been said, cutting angles was a pain in the ass.

[reggie_obe]

A tilting table table saw ???????? I've never seen one.

JL.....

A Shopsmith.

[lugnut]

A tilting table table saw ???????? I've never seen one.

JL.....

That is what the ShopSmith has

[BCRider]

And it was only one more of a myriad of reasons why the ShopSmith was a TERRIBLE machine by almost any standard of reference. The ONLY thing it did well was be a wood lathe. And even that had its limit.

The radial arm saw only really did cross cutting in a safe and efficient manner. And these days all the SAFER functions of a RAS are covered by any of the sliding compound miter saws.

For some head shaking truths about other functions of the RAS I offer you THIS YT VIDEO. It's an eye opener. My father had a RAS and did a few of the only moderately risky cuts with his. Nothing at all like the idiocy of turning the blade out towards the user and ripping a sheet of plywood with it standing on edge.

[BCRider]

Paul, are you really that hard up that you need to buy a sub $100 rusty old POS? Neither the Nu-Way nor the Powercraft are worth the $50 they are asking. You'd need to do a bundle of fixes to either of them. And they are cheap now because they were cheap then. Frankly? Instead of either of these two POS's or any similar ones you can find you would be far better off with a nice middle of the road circular saw, a pair of proper saw horses and a few of the easily made cutting jig aids to use with the circular saw for doing anything with sheet goods and more than a few things with boards.

I can say for sure that from my years of wood working with table saws that the rip fence is at least as important as the motor the saw uses. And if you can't buy a good and proper rip fence with proper guides for it then the saw that happens to come with the fence setup as an after thought means precious little. Even if it's the best saw and table in creation if the fence sucks then the saw fails miserably.

And trust me, the fences on the two rusty POS's you have found so far will be enough to drive you to drink... and not in the usual good way.....

[BCRider]

How about this one? Not sure how close it is to you but for only a little more it looks like it could be used right away without the need to fix anything.

Craftsman table saw - tools - by owner - sale (craigslist.org)

And another at $60 which has the lousy grooved table that I hate but for the price and given the slightly wider cuts from the length of the rails? It is a FAR better deal than the two you've found so far.

Delta ShopMaster Table Saw - tools - by owner - sale (craigslist.org)

And another one which is only semi grooved for $70.

table saw - tools - by owner - sale (craigslist.org)

[SLK001]

I don't know about you, but any piece of equipment like this that has its main construction material plastic, I would avoid like the plague.

[wmgeorge]

Around here there are lots and lots of used table saws much better than the POS one pictured. Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace all the time. Most under $100 and some old Craftsman like new for that price. The good ones before the plastic!! I love my DeWalt however.

[JoeLee]

A Shopsmith.

Any of those 10 in 1 do everything machines are terrible in design.

I just can't imagine ripping a 45 deg. bevel along the edge of a board with the table tilted at that angle.

Suppose you want to make a beveled cross cut on a 2 x 6 etc. I can't imaging trying to keep the board from sliding into the blade or off the table if you on the other side of it. You'd need some extra ceiling height too !


JL.................

[JoeLee]

In high school, our 12" table saw was a tilting table. Like as been said, cutting angles was a pain in the ass.

The only woodworking machines I've ever seen with tilting tables are drill presses, disc sanders, spindle sanders and some small band saws.

Did anyone ever make a tilting table RAS ??

JL..............

[Ringo]

the older Craftsman cast iron topped table saws were pretty good, the ones with the motor hanging off the back and belt driven. Not too shabby.
I got one given to me and another I paid $50 for. One of those with a good fence is nice. And, if you make a sled for it, it becomes a whole new tool.
I believe a table saw with a sled will do everything a RAS will do.
And for safety, always use a push stick, for everything. and the sled,,,the sled is your push stick

[boslab]

I wouldn’t consider a radial arm myself, thought about a track saw?, I find I’m using one much more than the table saw ( besides I can’t lift a 3/4 ply anymore,)
I find them easy to handle, beautiful finish, great for furniture, I have a festool as well a a cheap park side from Lidl, couldn’t be happier with both plus they fit each other’s tracks.
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