RAS safety I might be wrong ??

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Hobbyman2
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Re: RAS safety I might be wrong ??

Post by Hobbyman2 »

edma194 wrote: Mon Jul 26, 2021 5:07 pm
JPG wrote: Mon Jul 26, 2021 3:58 pm Pushing(saw contacts the board from the bottom and cuts upward) imparts an upward force on the board and the saw dust exits the kerf at the top of the board at it's yet to be cut edge.

Pulling(saw contacts the board from the top and cuts downward) imparts a downward force on the board and the saw dust exits the keff at the bottom where the board has already been cut.
When pushing, the upward force as the cut starts is at the point on the board furthest from the back fence and that minimizes the force needed to lift the front edge of the board. Pulling applies downward force right at the back fence so it is impossible to move the wood at all. However that is what could lead to 'climbing' if the arm isn't stiff enough to stop it since the wood can't move down through the table or backward through the fence the blade will try to move upward if it can't cut through the wood.
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Both correct ! now one step further , cutting one board may not make much a difference in the saw dust, but cutting 20 - 30 or more will leave you with a pile to constantly deal with ,it can be time consuming when the dust could be removed by the saw if used as designed . all though I have not experienced it cutting the board from the rear "may" require a small amount of downward pressure keeping it snug against the fence to prevent lifting ? I can cut 2x8 hardwood or smaller all day long on my SMB and have no lifting issue especially if the hold down clamps supplied with the saws are used .
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BuckeyeDennis
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Re: RAS safety I might be wrong ??

Post by BuckeyeDennis »

Check out this two-minute video by one of Wally Kunkel’s sons. It demonstrates a pulling crosscut on a good, well-aligned RAS with an appropriate blade installed. Be sure to read the notes beneath the video for context.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUnZpUDvzgs
Hobbyman2
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Re: RAS safety I might be wrong ??

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That is scary , Here is a video of a fella making a wooden propeller using a SMB,{ IMO the right way ,} could it be possible the reaction of the wood depends on the piece being cut ? personally I would never cut anything with out some how holding it down to the table . but that's just me , when I worked at the CDL training school I use to tell people learning to drive a semi truck, you can go down a icy hill a million times going to slow but you will only go down it once going too fast for the conditions . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmQA9fxQvoQ
Last edited by Hobbyman2 on Tue Jul 27, 2021 8:28 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Hobbyman2
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Re: RAS safety I might be wrong ??

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This video shows a push cut with a radial arm saw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12XQR9DxhHc
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Re: RAS safety I might be wrong ??

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One thing I noticed in both videos was the position of the kick back fingers , in both cases the adjustments make them useless if the saw would try to kick back .
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BuckeyeDennis
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Re: RAS safety I might be wrong ??

Post by BuckeyeDennis »

Carl Kunkel does include a "don't try this at home" admonishment in the text beneath that video. That's definitely not recommended practice. He did it to demonstrate how well-behaved a crosscut is when done in accordance with DeWalt and Mr. Sawdust recommended practices.

As for the anti-kickback pawl positions, my understanding is that they are intended to be used for ripping only -- not for crosscutting.
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Re: RAS safety I might be wrong ??

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LOL I am glad he added that statement . I dont see any safety or precision cuts on wood that small with a bade that large and showing off in a shop can get you hurt, or worse . one more major safety issue was the saw guard adjustments , in the one video the saw guard on the rip cut was not adjusted and the dust was blowing in the guys face ?? all though it clearly demonstrates the dust extraction factor it can also take out a eye ,it is no wonder folks got hurt . JMO a kick back fingers/paws can be used on a ras when/ if adjusted properly . the local mill has one that runs on a gas engine , I would hate to see either one of those folks in the videos run the one in the mill like they two did in the video. .
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edma194
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Re: RAS safety I might be wrong ??

Post by edma194 »

Here's an example of an RAS cut I never imagined before. I don't know if pushing or pulling matters for this type of cut.



That's right folks, he's pulling the blade sideways through the wood to cut a profile it.
Ed from Rhode Island

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Hobbyman2
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Re: RAS safety I might be wrong ??

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Dad made molding years ago doing that but on a angle .
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BuckeyeDennis
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Re: RAS safety I might be wrong ??

Post by BuckeyeDennis »

That’s an interesting cut. Previously, I’d only seen it used for the ripping trough in a RAS table.

The rest of the video is fascinating! I could think of a few ways to streamline the wagon-wheel making process, but it’s still a lot more complex than I would have imagined. And it would have been even more labor intensive way back in the day, before power tools.
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