building a radial arm saw

[Kendrick]

I have a cutoff type saw that just isnt cutting it any more. it cant cut a 4x4 it just doesnt have the reach I need plus a raidial would be sooo handy to take care of riping etc.

I am thinking of using 2 pieces of angle iron for the rails. I was looking through to figure out what to use for bearings so that the saw can glide back and forth. after thinking and looking for a while i came up with roller skate/blade wheel bearings and or wheels. 4 on top at the corners of the plate holding the saw. 2 on bottom and 2 in the middle pushing aginst the sides of the angle iron to keep it centered maybe even 4 aginst the sides depending on how small and if they can fit well together.

the sliding part would be Ibeam shaped to fit inbetween the 2 angle pieces with a small pipe welded to it. in the pipe would be a 2nd smaller pipe that would have 6-8 more bearings attached to the smaller pipe so that they would take the pressure though a lazy susen type might work well between the pipe and the i beam. same setup again to attach the angles to the upright on the table. will probably draw up an idea soon and attach it.

 

[kennyd]

Have you checked the local craigslist? I see older Craftsmen RAS's for sale all the time for $100 -$200 or so.

 

[DieselPower]

I would have to agree with Kenny. Stuff is cheap now. I have been winning 3+ auctions on eBay a day for the last couple of weeks. The down turn in the economy may be hurting some but if your looking to buy something now is the time. Check eBay and see if you can find one locally. It's a shame your in Vermont, I have 2 of them. A Dewalt 12" I use all the time and a Craftsman 10" I haven't plugged in since I got the commercial Dewalt one. One of those things I have been meaning to get rid of for a couple of years but I'm afflicted with the dreaded Packratious Storesalotious disease.

 

[MrWoodChips]

I have a cutoff type saw that just isnt cutting it any more. it cant cut a 4x4 it just doesnt have the reach I need plus a raidial would be sooo handy to take care of riping etc.

I am thinking of using 2 pieces of angle iron for the rails...

I would not build this for several reasons.

First, for relatively little money, you can surely find something for sale used. Look on Craigslist, or at a local auction. Those old saws are often built like tanks, so they are quite usable. And, since sliding compound miter saws have mainly replaced the RAS, I know of people who have a RAS but rarely ever use it. So there will be one for sale cheaply enough.

Next, the RAS is a notoriously dangerous piece of equipment, especially when used for ripping. I would strongly suggest not trying to cobble one up if they are so easily available for little money. Are your body parts of that little value to you?

John

 

[Egon]

Building one is indeed possible. Things to ponder though would be accuracy, steadiness of the controls, ability to lock the controls in place, ergonomics and the hassle in general in building.

On the other hand by building one you could size it too your needs and have a large support table that most commercial saws do not come with.

For myself with limited metal fabricating skills I'd have a tendency to look for a commercial quality radial arm saw if sufficient funds were available.

I do have a 10" Craftsman that was purchased back in the early 70's. It has served me well but always I think of one of the larger 12" or 14" commercial saws with lots of reach and depth of cut.

 

[czechsonofagun]

I bought mine - made by Sears - at church yard sale for $50. The cover was missing and after checking online, I found out there was a safety recall on it.

I ended up getting new blade cover and new table for the saw from Sears for free. I use it for every wood project, couldn't do without it anymore.

 

[Kendrick]

I would have to agree with Kenny. Stuff is cheap now. I have been winning 3+ auctions on eBay a day for the last couple of weeks. The down turn in the economy may be hurting some but if your looking to buy something now is the time. Check eBay and see if you can find one locally. It's a shame your in Vermont, I have 2 of them. A Dewalt 12" I use all the time and a Craftsman 10" I haven't plugged in since I got the commercial Dewalt one. One of those things I have been meaning to get rid of for a couple of years but I'm afflicted with the dreaded Packratious Storesalotious disease.

I have packratious to in my case i already have the saw that is useless to me as is. I did look through craigs list just a min agao and there are a couple in the area that might work. again the whole waste of a saw thing. If i make it up to wallice's next summer i may look you up for the 10"

egon If i build it it will work right mah 16lb sledge said so. the locking parts are quite easy for me to do. the fit of the rolling parts may be a tad of work but I usually make it hefty enough and adjustable enough to resolve any issues like that. the sizing is a big part of it as is the funds.