Sawsmith RAS in Dallas area - good deal

JPG · Post by **JPG** » Sun Mar 02, 2014 8:55 am

heathicus wrote: . . .
The danger is in the operator, not the machine itself.

Sorta like taking a nap between two steel rails separated by short wooden pieces.

rlkeeney · Post by **rlkeeney** » Sun Mar 02, 2014 9:17 am

heathicus wrote: The danger is in the operator, not the machine itself.

+1

I have an older Craftsman radial arm saw that I got for $100. I like it. It does things I can't do easily with other tools. Ever try to half lap the end of an 8ft 4x4.

People don't read the instructions and the blame the tool when something goes wrong.

If there were a Sawsmith RAS for sale in my area I would be very interested.

fredsheldon · Post by **fredsheldon** » Sun Mar 02, 2014 10:43 am

Yes, but will it fit into a Prius

JPG · Post by **JPG** » Sun Mar 02, 2014 11:46 am

fredsheldon wrote:Yes, but will it fit into a Prius

You sell yer RV?:D

moggymatt · Post by **moggymatt** » Sun Mar 02, 2014 12:02 pm

I’ve got an 80’s craftsman RAS. Since getting my shopsmith, it was easy to get rid of the old tilt head used band saw and the bench top table saw but I use the RAS just enough to not want to get rid of it. Lately I’ve been thinking of trying to build jigs to turn it into a sanding station. has anyone else used them this way?

robinson46176 · Post by **robinson46176** » Sun Mar 02, 2014 3:10 pm

Risk is something you manage, not allow to paralyze you or keep you from doing things that you want to do...
I am a huge advocate of working carefully and knowing exactly what you are doing from the start. You should understand action / reaction and what it takes to maintain control over the situation and any materials.
On the other hand...

Some of you guys would not eat a marshmallow out of fear of choking on it...
I guess growing up on a farm was more different than I ever really thought about at the time. By the time I was 10 I was already using stuff that would scare the pants off of some of you. I was taught to respect what could happen to me if I screwed up and I was extremely careful out of that respect, not paralyzed with fear. I well knew that the job that needed doing could maim or kill me at any time if I slipped up but I still did those jobs every time those jobs needed doing. I was doing dangerous jobs but that was not really anything special. More farm kids than not were doing the same jobs at young ages whether it was handling large livestock in confined spaces, running combines, running corn pickers or climbing around 30 feet off the ground installing blower pipes.
If I was going to panic over everything that held a bit of risk I certainly wouldn't be keeping all of these horses. I have one young draft that is now approaching about a ton and likes to get a little overly enthusiastic. I love that horse (well, all of them

) and I won't let that risk keep me from walking into a 12' x 12' stall with her and brushing her down (carefully) or giving her a shot.
I don't let the increased risk of riding a motorcycle stop me from riding. I don't do any racing or reckless stuff but I will keep riding mine.
For quite a few years I had a RAS based shop. We also had a RAS based shop at the farm. I later added a monster bandsaw and several 10" bench table saws. Bought cheap naturally.

The RAS on the other hand I bought new from J. C. Penny. It was a Rockwell/Delta. Not once did I ever have a kick back or a climb over situation and I made a lot of rip cuts.
I agree with heathicus: "The danger is in the operator, not the machine itself".
About a half dozen factors cause most of the problems and they are all operator error.

#1. in my eyes is the propensity many have to just hold a board being cut as if it is just going to lay there. That board needs to be gripped tightly and you need to either have good strength or find a mechanical way to get a strong and controlled grip.
#2. is lack of patience. None of this stuff was designed to be fed at a run.

Feed slowly and evenly and let the machine work at its own speed. I've never understood why some guys will spend an hour tinkering some jig into existence then rush the cut like it is a race. The same applies when cross cutting on a RAS. You need to learn to pull and push at the same time (hey, my father used to yell that at me all of the time

and it took me years to learn it. That was better than when he used to yell at me to "get your a$$ behind you"... and no, I never did really figure that one out.

Those out of control climb cuts when cross-cutting are mostly from just grabbing the handle and pulling the blade into the wood without taking a second to mentally set the speed of the cut in your head.
#2.5. is not taking the time to tinker a jig into existence if one is needed.

#3. is using a dull blade.
#4 is not making sure when ripping that the blade is absolutely parallel to the fence.
#5. is not using the anti-kick-back device when ripping. It only takes a couple of seconds to set it properly.
#6 is one that most people never even think about. You DO NOT want to level your RAS... Always have the front higher than the back so that the cutting assembly will not vibrate out toward you and grab into the wood with nothing to hold it back. If operating vibration is going to move that head assembly it needs to be moving it toward the back and having the front about a half inch higher will do that.
#7. Distractions are a big problem. If you can't walk and chew gum at the same time don't chew gum...
I have not moved my RAS into my shop yet just because it is currently buried where it is in the farm shop but I'll get it moved as soon as the weather breaks a bit. I have a spot for it and have a tag on the wall behind that spot to remind me to not sit something there.
On my first RAS I had an 8' table added to each side of the regular table and it was just super for long stuff, both ripping and cross-cutting. I haven't decided if I want to do that on this one or not. It's always an option...

idcook · Post by **idcook** » Sun Mar 02, 2014 4:51 pm

robinson46176 wrote: If you can't walk and chew gum at the same time don't chew gum....

Mom?

(Who let her in here? and HOW did she get out of that coffin?)

idcook · Post by **idcook** » Sun Mar 02, 2014 6:13 pm

robinson46176 wrote: #6 is one that most people never even think about. You DO NOT want to level your RAS... Always have the front higher than the back so that the cutting assembly will not vibrate out toward you and grab into the wood with nothing to hold it back. If operating vibration is going to move that head assembly it needs to be moving it toward the back and having the front about a half inch higher will do that.

In fact, this is the first I’ve heard of this.

Thank you.

JPG · Post by **JPG** » Sun Mar 02, 2014 7:04 pm

idcook wrote:In fact, this is the first I’ve heard of this.

Thank you.

Good advice, but if one does not turn the motor on until the workpiece is positioned correctly and being held securely . . . Yeah as if no-one ever does those things with the blade spinning.

robinson46176 · Post by **robinson46176** » Sun Mar 02, 2014 7:59 pm

I left a big one out... That is simply trying to use a large power tool that can take huge bites to cut some tiny little piece that should be cut with hand tools or a more gentle power tool.

I don't believe I have ever heard of a scroll saw throwing a board through a wall (or person).

On a possibly connected note, I fairly recently finally got around to buying a Rockwell Sonicrafter and I am finding all sorts of things to do with it especially on smaller stuff. It looks like this:
https://www.rockwelltools.com/en-US/SC-Hyperlock-RK5140K.aspx?gclid=CJi3-uuS9bwCFYdFMgodf1MAkg
I should have bought something like it long ago.

.