Reader Question: A Great Radial-Arm Saw Table Design?
By Chuck Cage
Reader Jay writes: “I recently bought a Craftsman radial-arm saw from a friend, but it came without a table top. I built my own, but after a couple of uses, I think I might have missed something. Do any of you Toolmongers have a design — or just photos — of a good radial-arm saw table top? Just FYI, my saw is probably from 1976.”
Jay, the photo above is of my father’s old Craftsman radial arm saw, but as you can see I got it without a top, too. Doh! Most of the saw tables I’ve seen have been really simple, so my gut says that you might have an issue with how you’re using it. Google, however, turns up tons of pictures. And Craftsman (one of our current sponsors) shows a table on the site for their new 10″ Laser Trac saw.
But let’s let the real experts answer. Toolmongers? What say you?
December 5th, 2008 at 10:55 am
You could do it in granite, like the Steel City table saws:
http://www.steelcitytoolworks.com/products_tools.cfm?section=2&category=12&tool=35675
Although you might have some real issues if the blade ever hits the surface…
December 5th, 2008 at 10:57 am
Get “How to Master the Radial Arm Saw” by Mr. Sawdust. Available on his website http://www.mrsawdust.com. Although the book is geared toward the DeWalt series of RAS’s, there are directions to make a great table top. The key is stability and flatness. The table is made of two layers of quality plywood with steel reinforcement.
December 5th, 2008 at 11:21 am
Here’s a picture of our radial arm saw (or “Radio Alarm Saw” as we call it).
http://www.industrialshapeandform.com/images/temp/radialarmsaw.jpg
It’s an old one too. Probably from the 60’s. We got it without a table too. We just made one from a 12′ length of particle board with full length 4 x 4’s underneath for strength. The 4 x 4’s were dunnage that we just made straight. We added a fence along the back and added measuring tape (for rough measurements). Calibrating it took a little bit of time, but we generally only use the saw for cutting lumber for gluing.
December 5th, 2008 at 11:53 am
There is a recall program involving many of these saws that could provide Jay with what I got a few months ago, a complete new table, blade guard, and some other cool stuff. Didn’t cost me a penny. Very cool. Here’s the url (I don’t know how to do links):
http://www.radialarmsawrecall.com/
December 5th, 2008 at 11:54 am
Oh, the link self-creates. That’s also very cool.
December 5th, 2008 at 1:00 pm
Coot - thanks for that link, my old Craftsman qualified for the recall!
My current table is just a sheet of plywood with a 1×1 piece of wood bolted near the back for use as a fence.
December 5th, 2008 at 1:54 pm
drago: Happy to help. You’re likely to be amazed at the good stuff they are going to send you. And IIRC, they never asked me for proof of ownership (I’m at least the third owner) or any other hassle. Gave them the serial # and that was it.
December 5th, 2008 at 2:46 pm
I came in here to mention the recall.. The kit comes in a good sized box — roughly 48″ x 18″ x 10″, and includes everything you need for a new table and blade guard… The only crappy thing is if you use the table most of the time the rip gauges will no longer be accurate.
Sadly, the radial arm saw I inherited had been neglected - the flat bearings on the back side of the motor were completely dry, and the stator on the motor is trashed. The motor is NLA from Sears (of course) and its minimum $250 for a re-wrap, so I’m still deciding what to do with it.
December 5th, 2008 at 6:27 pm
If you can afford the room – I’d highly recommend mounting the saw into a bench with a sacrificial plywood top and a wooden backstop straightedge fence. When we acquired our woodworking shop, it came with an old 16 inch Dewalt radial arm saw mounted in the middle of a 16 foot bench. If I were setting up the shop today I might not include this piece of equipment – but having it does come in handy.
December 5th, 2008 at 8:02 pm
1 1/2″ Ply lid with MDF skin. Or same thickness of particleboard. If you need heavy duty, go with 2 1/4″ thick.
I recommend spacing the fence off of the bed by about 1/16″. Helps to keep the sawdust from building up in the corner.
December 5th, 2008 at 8:28 pm
I have the exact same saw with the remnants of the original particle board top. The saw is in a storage unit but I have a sketch somewhere with dimensions - I’ll have to dig it up.
December 6th, 2008 at 7:26 am
I picked up one of these vintage RASs (Sears Craftsman 10″ manufactured in 1968) earlier this year from a guy who swore by making the table from white melamine laminate. I see this is a fine table material for this saw and think I’ll keep it the same when I make a new one. Unfortunately, the previous owner had made the last table much too narrow for ideal or safe use.
He’d also built a mobile base for the tool which was far too weak and too narrow to be stable and, most importantly, safe for regular use. In trying it out, the damn thing began to tipped over on me. Not an ideal situation for it. I scrapped the base and moved it over to a short plywood shelving box I had to beef up as a temporary stand, but in the process I damaged the fence and back-table. With some research, I discovered I could still get many parts for the saw from Sears. Here’s the link: http://www.searspartsdirect.com/partsdirect/
I just finished building a heavy-duty fixed base for the saw (just last night in fact). I’m working now on benches to either side to support long piece. When done, I planning on making a new table to fit the set up and I think I’ll do the same as the previous owner.
Good Luck!
December 6th, 2008 at 10:54 am
NebraskaDave: How about a photo of your new base? Would it lend itself to having sturdy casters? My saw is on the splayed four-legged open metal stand that (I assume) also came from Sears. It’s study enough, but I’d really like to be able to roll the beast outside occasionally.
December 7th, 2008 at 1:31 am
I like using old MDF desktops to give 8′ on both sides of the blade. This was nice and flat and stable - l spent a fair bit of time aligning the 3 sections.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/simplesimon/855625010/sizes/o/
I wanted to make the fence 16′ long with a sliding stop like this:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/simplesimon/331856185/in/set-72157594165119491/
December 7th, 2008 at 10:45 am
Thanks for this info! After reading I went right to my saw and sure enough, it was a Craftsman 113.199250 model. I filed the request and look forward to what they send as a repair!
December 7th, 2008 at 3:49 pm
Old Coot:
Sure, I’ll post images if I can figure out how.
Hope that worked.
I’d originally considered making this bench mobile, thinking to build a platform on casters, but realized that would be impractical for my shop (and the tool). In your situation, however, I’d suggest looking in to using a Shop Fox or Grizzly Industries mobile base with your setup. (http://www.woodstockint.com/Products/26503000/ ) They’re adjustable and hold the weight.
NebraskaDave
December 7th, 2008 at 3:50 pm
OK. The image upload didn’t work. Sorry.
December 8th, 2008 at 3:34 am
Giving the image upload/link another go.
http://img368.imageshack.us/my.php?image=ras1hb1.jpg
NebraskaDave
December 8th, 2008 at 3:36 am
OK. That seemed to work. Two more.
http://img218.imageshack.us/my.php?image=ras2zt0.jpg
http://img218.imageshack.us/my.php?image=ras3ez6.jpg
NebraskaDave
December 8th, 2008 at 7:21 am
All:
I posted the original question and really appreciate all of the responses. I checked the recall site and that will get me all the goodies. I think it will take some time for me to work through all the comments, but thanks for showing your support. Toolmongers rock.
December 8th, 2008 at 8:02 am
Another beneficiary from the recall link here - thanks ol’ coot
December 8th, 2008 at 11:07 am
I’ll be watching the mail for royalty checks ;-).
NebraskaDave: Thanks for the photos, gave me some ideas.
December 12th, 2008 at 11:42 am
i have the same saw, and i need to know what keeps the arm from swing
i don’t know if there should be a key where the tighten bolt hits in the back slot?
i have the two hex bolts that you tighten and one in the middle that you tighten with a screw drive
December 21st, 2008 at 1:58 pm
On my Craftman RAS (similar to, but older than, yours) the table has three set screws set into Tee nuts used for leveling the table. One loosens the screws securing the angle irons to the frame, adjusts the set screws to get the table exactly parallel to the arm and then tighten the angle iron mounting screws to hold the table just right. You may be able to find the factory manual for your RAS on the Old Woodworking Machines website (owwm.com). The manual will show how to align it and what fasteners should be in the table top. You may also need a pair of “table clamps” to secure the fence. Sears still carries parts for RAS’s older than yours.
I make replacement tables for my RAS out of 3/4″ MDF. Cheaper particle boards may warp. A good grade of 3/4 plywood is OK. I make the table 4 foot long and two foot deep. Position the table so that the blade goes all the way behind the fence when pushed all the way back.
May 3rd, 2009 at 5:59 pm
Wow I am glad I found this article. I have a qualifying saw for the re-call.
I do have the original owners manual for this saw. It has a main table top and then the fence and two other smaller table top pieces that can be used in different configurations. I could be talked into copying the manual. There are a six steps in aligning the saw to get everything accurate. Let me know if you are interested and how I could send you a fax or electronic copy.
May 24th, 2009 at 7:30 am
Hi gundwane, I’d really appreciate an electronic copy of that manual. I have a RAS 10″ 113.197601C model, 1976 I assume, no top, no manual. I’m trying to determine if I qualify for the recall, but all the links on the recall site seem to be busted.
Thank you
May 24th, 2009 at 7:32 am
hmmm…I guess I would have to put an email addy up on the board. I’ll create a sacrificial one and post it if that will work.
June 29th, 2009 at 1:17 pm
What do old Craftsman radial arm-saws and cast iron, 220v table saws sell for?
October 8th, 2009 at 10:20 am
Several comments, some off-topic.
I replaced my original Craftsman table with inch thick particle board covered by a relatively soft plastic laminate (it was the top from a desk that I bought at an auction). This works very well, in that is doesn’t chip and splinter, and especially because I can wipe up spills before they damage the surface. In fact, it works so well that when I install the recall upgrade kit (soon), I am going to replace the table with the same material. This second replacement of the table will allow me to widen the table from 40 inches to 50 inches (all that my cramped shop allows). The splendid 40 inch table that came with the recall upgrade kit will be kept in reserve. One question that I have not been able to answer though is why Craftsman tables have two table pieces behind the fence/backstop. I made just a single piece behind the fence/backstop when I replaced the table, and I have encountered no disadvantages. So why two separate pieces of table?
Also, I have found it worthwhile have a separate fence/backstop that I use only for ripping (= no kerfs (kerves?) from crosscutting in the fence).
The kerfs in the crosscut fence tended to snag my boads when I ripped them. My current rip fence is 72 inches long and make from oak flooring (two boards joined at 90 degrees for rigidity). The rip fence is scheduled for an upgrade as well, as I have some 8 foot pieces of oak flooring that I am going to use to make a slightly longer fence. I plan to use the old rip fence as a new cross cut fence, because the extra length beyond the sides of the table should help when crosscutting long boards.
Finally, because I have an uneven floor, the alignment of my radial arm saw was very sensitive to relatively small changes in position. I dealt with this by drilling holes in small boards, and then having the leveling feet contact the floor through the holes in the boards. After nailing the boards to the concrete floor, the saw can’t shift horizontally, and my radial arm saw maintains its alignment.