Radial-Arm Saw

There are always ongoing debates within a universe of people who are committed to their work. One such argument among woodwork­ers pits the radial-armers against the table sawyers.

One side holds that the table saw is the perfect workshop center­piece. The design is ingenious and it's easy to use and maintain. The table saw rips and crosscuts, and happily divides large sheets of stock into smaller panels. They say the radial-arm saw is difficult to adjust and, unless everything is perfectly aligned, makes cuts that are less than true.

The radial-arm saw contingent argue that their favored tool is much more versatile than the table saw. It's unsurpassed at accurate, easy cut­off work (no doubt that's the reason it's sometimes referred to as a cut­off saw). They say it can sand and plane and, like the table saw, rip long boards at a single pass.

So which is right for your shop? If you can't make up your mind (and you have enough space), maybe you need both.

The radial-arm saw is, in essence, a right-side-up portable circular saw mounted on an adjustable arm (or overarm) that slides the sus­pended blade over a fixed cutting surface. Blade and motor are con­nected to the overhead arm by a yoke, which is adjustable along both horizontal and vertical planes, enabling it to swing in any direction. Adjustment is crucial:  Follow the instructions in your manual to the letter.

The radial-arm sawblade can be tilted for cutting angles by releas­ing the bevel lock (usually at the front of the motor housing) and read­ing the desired angle off a protractor gauge. It will also swivel right and left for mitering, and the blade and motor housing can be turned a full ninety degrees to right or left, meaning that the saw can be used to rip boards with the miter clamp releasing the yoke. (For some operations, like ripping, the saw is fixed in place and the stock pushed through the blade.) The motor and blade can also be raised or lowered (via a crank, either on the overhead arm or beneath the cutting surface). The saw will lock into any of these paths for precise work.

Radial-arm saws are identified by the size of the blade for which they are designed. Like many table saws, most radial-arm saws use ten-inch blades. Typically, they cut stock up to three inches thick and will cross­cut pieces more than a foot wide. Radial-arm saws will also take mold­ing and dado heads for cutting molding profiles and rabbets.

The fixed worktable over which the radial-arm saw is suspended has a fence at the rear for holding work firmly in place. On some models there are two fences (one set behind the other for ripping work), while others have a single fence but two or more positions at which to locate it.