Blades for radial arm saw

[MikeInOr]

A radial arm saw has to be properly aligned to run smoothly. Until you go through the alignment procedure and get it all dialed in I wouldn't even use it.

The usual advice for a radial arm saw blade is to get one with a negative rake. The tooth slants backwards instead of forwards which is supposed to keep the carriage from wanting to lurch forwards.

Unfortunately Craftsman radial arm saws aren't known for their heft or rigidity. The lite weight build makes them more more likely for the carriage to lurch forwards when making a cut and a positive rake blade enhances the problem. My first RAS was a Craftsman because it came with the fire damaged house I bought. It did the job but it never lived up to the 10" cast iron Delta turret arm RAS that I grew up learning woodworking on.

2.75 hp is the usual fantasy hp rating of the day. With a properly aligned saw and a good blade you should be able to make decently clean straight cuts. The low "real" hp of these saw makes them more likely to catch in a cut and cause safety problems. The Delta 10" turret arm RAS I grew up with was rated at 3/4 hp and it felt pretty equivalent to the Craftsman RAS I had.

I dumped the Craftsman saw 35 years ago when I picked up my 7.5 hp 3 phase 16" 1947 Redstar radial arm saw. The shear mass of the 7.5hp motor and carriage plus the incredible torque and rigidity has kept it from ever trying to lurch during a cut. Cutting with the Craftsman RAS is more restraining the carriage as it is pulling it forwards.

Properly ALIGN the Craftsman RAS!!!!! Buy a negative rake (same as a negative hook) blade. Keep an eye on Craigslist for a 10" or bigger Delta turret arm RAS. Many people like the cast iron Dewalt RAS's... I personally prefer the Deltas. I did get a lot of good use out of my Craftsman RAS before I turned into a complete radial arm saw.

 

[MikeInOr]

Freud LU83R010 is a very commonly used "cheap" RAS blade. It's thin kerf which is good for consumer grade saws.

Tenryu makes some nice medium kerf blades if you want something a little nicer without jumping to the Forrest price level.

I have a Delta 40B that swings a 14" blade which can be a little intimidating sometimes. The nice thing about a RAS though is you can build jigs and hold-downs into your table to make work-holding hands-free if needed. I put a t-track parallel with the blade path and about 3" to left of it.

The LU83R010 blade has a 10 degree hook angle (rake). For the Craftsman RAS I would really reccomend sticking to a negative rake blade.

On my big radial arm saws I run Freud ultimate cut off blades what also have a positive rake. The rigidity and mass of my big saws make lurching / self feeding a non-issue.

 

[Larry$]

Many people like the cast iron Dewalt RAS's... I personally prefer the Deltas.

I've got one of the very old Dewalts running Leuco negative hook blades. I think this saw was made in the 1940s. Parts are available thru a place in Iowa. I replaced the bronze lift nut and travel bearings and added a return weight and pulley system. It easily cuts 8/4 hard maple planks. My first saw was a 10" Crapsman. A horrid contraption.

 

[projectnut]

I would agree that the claim of 2.75 hp is more fantasy than reality. This is the era when many manufacturers listed their machines "peak horsepower". I believe that was the absolute maximum power the motor could develop the last second before it disintegrated. My older10" Dewalt saw lists the HP as 2. In reality I think it's closer to 3/4 or 1.

Over the years I've cut plenty of treated lumber with it. The hardest job was probably cutting the lap joints on treated 6x6's for a stairway at the family cottage. There are 21 stairs with a total of 84 cuts for joints. It was a long and messy job. The wood was so wet that the mud like swarf was accumulating in the blade guard. I had to remove it a couple times a day to scrape out enough crud for the blade to pass through without catching and flinging gobs the size of marbles across the shop.

When that job was finished the saw got a good cleaning and alignment. I more or less ignored it as far as alignment was concerned for another 35 years. It spent more time as a storage table than a saw. Last year I finally broke down and disassembled it, did a thorough cleaning, replaced a few wear parts and reassembled it. I never got around the final adjustments of the head alignment. I finally finished the job earlier this week in preparation to making a couple prototype pieces of pier decking. While everything was still "close" to where it should be, some adjustments were required. With everything aligned properly the saw runs like new.

Tomorrow we'll be heading back to the cottage for a few days. One the things I'd like to accomplish is getting the "new to me" Delta 14" RAS up and running. That will include checking head and table for alignment, installing a new power cord (the current one is only 4' long) and installing a new 220 twist lock outlet in the garage. If my efforts are successful, I'll do a few test cuts to see what shape the current blade is in. The saw is currently equipped with a 14" Diablo 70 tooth combination blade. Looking at the table it seems this saw spent its life cross cutting only. While the table shows the typical marks for cross cutting there is no evidence the head has ever been rotated to do any mitering or ripping.

Should it be time for new blades I'd like recommendations as to the preferred brands, and styles those with similar size saws are using.

On Edit: Craigslist in this area is a good source for radial arm saws. There are currently 61 listings. There are even a couple older 12” Deltas. One is being sold by someone who’s father passed away. They don’t know much about the saw and are only asking $50.00. If I didn’t already have 2 I would certainly be taking a look at it