Radial arm saws - are they history like horse & buggy

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Looking to sell a Ryobi radial arm saw on CL. So I go to HD to look for new prices. There are none! Not Ryobi or any other brand?

Replaced by portable miter saws?

My garage workshop cannot handle everything so this radial arm saw needs to be sold.
 
While a Radial Arm Saw is still a good useful tool, they're pretty much old technology and obsolete. I tried selling one last year and got no hits at all for it.
 
yeah, they seem to be going the way of the dinosaurs for sure. i see one every so often on craigs list for sale but wonder if they ever sell. I still used one on the job about 20 years ago belonged to my old boss, he tried to sell it but no luck, so I imagine it's still sitting in his workshop
 
Recall cash!!! $$$

I see the old 70s-80s Sears radial armsaws from time to time. If they are free, get it. Emerson used to give $100 for it under their recalls, now it's $50. You register it, they send you a box, and you chop off the engine and send it back and they send you a check.

There used to be, and maybe still is, an option where they send you a safety guide kit instead to install to make it safer. I did one like this, and have cashed in on another $100 recall at one time.

To answer the question, it's debateable. They take up a very large footprint when modern smaller saws do the same on a much smaller portable footprint... Mine is the size of an office desk!
 
Growing up in the 60's, 70's, my Father always had a Radial-Arm Saw, Drill Press and Metal Lathe in the basement.

I don't think Power Mitre Saws existed back then.
Today, I have a Dewalt power miter saw.

Radial Arms saws are so 1950's and lets make something out of plywood.
 
I just got rid of mine. I had to give it away on Craigslist. They were an All In One solution for the home garage. They cut larger pieces than a chop saw, you could rip or crosscut, mine rotated sideways to give you 20,000 RPM spindles for a router bit and a 3,000 RPM spindle for buffer wheels, you could adjust them up to cut slots or dados, And you could see all your work as you cut unlike a table saw. The issue was safety and precision. If you came at the blade the wrong way it would suck the wood in at warp speed although kick backs were safer than on a table saw. You were constantly making a new table and fence for them and they needed constant attention to calibration if you wanted to do any cabinet work.
 
A sliding compound miter saw will do most of what a radial arm will do. I have a radial arm that mostly collects dust but it doesnt cost me anything to keep it. Havent seen one for sale new in years though
 
I think the company that was making the old Dewalt/Black and Decker style stopped making them 10 years ago or so. A miter saw is so much easier for a job site or small projects.

I have used one for trim work before. Takes a little bit of doing but it was what I had to work with. I also used a sawzall due to not having a jig saw.
 
I hope table saws are still in. Keeping my inherited Delta Unisaw table saw. I used it or helped Dad use it decades ago.
Don't worry, our nanny state is leaning toward making us purchase expensive SawStop types because table saws are dangerous.

News flash: any power tool that cuts wood or steel is dangerous. Shocking I know
 
I bought a cast iron SEARS RA saw just over a year ago on a stand for $20 Can. I only use it for cross cuts and it is built it in with a long bench.
The max cut is about 16", which is handy. It is also handy because it is a static tool in the shop ready to use when I want it.
But other than that, and that it cuts a bit wider than a compound mitre saw it is (I admit) obsolete .

However the manual that came with the saw showed all sorts of applications, few of which could be performed with a reasonable degree of accuracy or safety.

PS. It is good for cutting Dados.
 
Dad had a really nice sears one he bought in the early 70s. I agree, versatile yet fussy. His was more precise than dealing with the guide on a small table saw. They are huge. i learned to use a handheld circular saw, slowly, with a clamped-on guide when precise is needed. But, as mentioned above, no dado work.
 
had a craftsman for a few years . found the only thing that it could do that my miter saw could not was Dados . took up too much space so got rid of it. Someone really bought it for $150 .

one thing about them is that if one is not paying attention, finger can be lost really easy. i think that is one of the reasons it died off
 
had a craftsman for a few years . found the only thing that it could do that my miter saw could not was Dados . took up too much space so got rid of it. Someone really bought it for $150 .

one thing about them is that if one is not paying attention, finger can be lost really easy. i think that is one of the reasons it died off
That was my opinion about it as well. I had one, it took up a lot of room. I ended up selling mine, no regrets.
 
For those that say it's unsafe, I'm not really understanding. If you keep your hands clear, and the wood is secure, why would you be at risk? Lack of guards and too much blade?
 
For those that say it's unsafe, I'm not really understanding. If you keep your hands clear, and the wood is secure, why would you be at risk? Lack of guards and too much blade?
They all had blade guards and antikickback fingers. Saying a power saw that spins a razor sharp blade at 3000+ RPM is dangerous is like saying a pillow is soft:). I think it is perceived to be more dangerous because it has so many moving part. You dont have to feed your fingers to it the blade will come and get them if your not careful, but really if you are paying attention its no more dangerous than any other power cutting tool and light years safer than a chainsaw. Before I had room for a cabinet saw, router table and miter saw stand my radial arm did everything they do albeit with more fussing and setup as I changed functions.
 
I would love to have a radial arm saw. They were the basis of sliding miter saws only better. Takes up a lot of room and are heavy though. I went to a Ridgid 71/4 cordless sliding miter saw. It does feel safer than the 12 in spinning blade although the danger is always there. Lumber yards use heavy duty radial arm saws all the time. Even HD uses them.
 
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