The Radial Arm Saw: Accurate Miters and Bevels
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- čas přidán 7. 04. 2018
- Making miter and bevel gauges to accurately set angles on the radial arm saw. These are like giant protractors and are more accurate than the factor scales provided.
- Jak na to + styl
It's funny: I had a very similar idea for a radical arm saw gauge. For once, I decided to search CZcams to see if anyone else had the same idea. No need to reinvent the wheel of someone's already done it. And here you are. Thanks for the video!
Thanks. Great minds think alike!
Elegant in their simplicity - very nicely done. Thanks, Brian.
Thank you, Rush. In the past, I've always made a custom template for whatever angle I needed. I figured it was time to make adjustable ones and I think they will come in handy.
Hey Brian, Well done! Nothing like necessity causing us to do things better.
Thanks, Tim.
Great job !!! I like it.
Thank you! It does work very well.
I used an old record player turn table and then used a milling machine with an indexing table to mark the degrees. You need to make a bit holder with a 90 degree holder for the bit. Grind the bit to .015, center the turntable and then just rotate the indexing table 1 degree and pull down on the mill quil to make a scratch line on the turn table. Paint the edge of the turntable before you scribe it and then clear coat it when done. Gives you a 12 inch degree wheel. Mounts on top rear of the column.
Sounds interesting. Would love to see it mounted to the top of your column.
Nice and simple I’ve been looking at segmented sleds and just thought why not use my radial arm saw you have backing on the bottom no splintering and nothing falling in the blade and getting kickback and won’t break the bank 💰💰💰💰 thanks for sharing
Thanks. I use them all the time for non-standard angles. Should be useful for segmented pieces.
Second view..nothing like accurate measuring for things to fit. thanks for the ideas. getting the project started and finished way to go. thanks again.
Thank you. When cutting odd angles, or doing compound miters, these come in handy.
Super awesome!
Thank you very much!
brilliant!
Thank you so much. Here's a project with many different angles where these gauges came in very handy: czcams.com/video/XHddrI9BTFc/video.html
Hi Brian. Left field question for you based on this and your other radial arm saw videos (all very well done, btw. Really like the focus on important details over fluff or off-the-cuff chit chat). Do you believe you can get more accurate miters and bevels using a radial arm saw than a miter saw? I'm considering trading one for the other after disappointing results from consumer miter saws.
I think it depends. If you have a quality radial arm saw (like an old, cast iron DeWalt) and set it up properly, I think you can achieve very good results. The measurement ring is much larger on a miter saw, which is better. The markings on a RAS are way too small to set angles accurately (which is why I made my gauges). Radial arm saws do have many more moving parts that need to be setup correctly. Personally, I don’t do a lot of “fine carpentry” requiring very precise cuts, but I can on my saw. Setup time is longer with a RAS, but I don’t mind that. I know a lot of people who do make very complicated and beautiful work using the RAS. Here’s one video that I recommend watching (especially the finished product at the end)…
czcams.com/video/Rw9jPK5jPwI/video.html
Going to a tablesaw to cut jig parts when a radial arm saw is sitting right there, needing something to do- Mr. Sawdust would not be amused. ☺
Hank, where have you been? We are missing your videos!
@@brianweekley5700 Hey Brian, happy to see you picked up the torch and will carry on! I'm building a Butler's pantry using my old beloved DeWalt right now to service my latest hobby: Artisan Bread baking/ making- who needs a stinkin' LeCreuset cast iron dutch oven for $200 when a thrift store slow cooker ceramic bowl for $2 will do? ☺
@@BeachsideHank Good to see you are still out there. I wish you would check into the RAS forum and let us know what you've been up to. Why did you delete your videos on CZcams? They were most helpful for many. Thanks, Brian
@@brianweekley5700 I had thought to re- edit and condense them, probably should have done that part first before removing them as I got sidetracked with other life stuff- like foundry, metalworking, now baking. At 7 decades my bucket list seems to be growing out of control. ☺
Brian, did you print the miter scale on 8.5" x 11" paper, or did you have it professionally printed on larger paper? Great video, btw.
Thanks. Just went out to look at it. Printed the scale actual size using Sketchup in two sections. After using a compass to mark curves as guides, I spliced the two pieces together when I glued it to the wood. Also marked a 45 degree line to help with the alignment. Hope that helps.
@@brianweekley5700 Thank you so much for checking; I really appreciate it! I'm actually going to try to modify this design slightly to work at the 90º cross-cut position on my RAS. I am always inspired by your videos; they are amazing.
Ever think about retiring and becoming a professional CZcams video producer? Well done -videos are all very helpful and informative!
Hi Jack. Don't know about the video producer gig, but I sure think about retiring every day!
what blade is that Brian, the blade that came with my machine is a Leitz, heavily tarnished with rust patina, scrubbed up well but mirror polish on the razor shap teeth and it s a heavy blade compared to other blades I own. It's definitely a cross cut though, I need to think about a dedicated rip blade.
Choosing the right blade for your RAS is probably the single most important thing you can do for performance and safety. A traditional ripping blade should never be used on a RAS, lest you risk launching boards across the room (they have too few teeth for this machine). The DeWalt Radial Arm Saw Forum only recommends two blades for the RAS: the Freud LU83 (the one I'm using in this video) and the Forrest Woodworker I TCP blade (not the ATB version). These are both combination blades that are excellent for cross-cutting and ripping on the RAS. Here in the USA, these blades fit the 5/8 inch arbors on our machines. However, I seem to remember you may have a European model with a metric arbor? If so, I suggest you post the question to the DeWalt Radial Arm Saw forum and there are members who can probably recommend a suitable metric-sized blade that you can find outside the USA.
thank you @@brianweekley5700 , I took the blade off and it's a 30mm bore and sits on a flange that fits the D shaped shaft. I think the freud is available here.
@@roontunes I'd still strongly recommend posting to the forum for blade suggestions. There are several European members who have identified good blades to consider. The specific tooth grinds and hook angles are very important on a RAS--more so then on a table saw or miter saw. The types of blades available are often limited by where in the world you live.
Yep, any Freud blade that I can get over here that is 250, 60T has a rake angle of 15º!!!!. I'll defo hit the furoms for some advice. being quoted up to $60-00 for postage alone from the US.@@brianweekley5700
@@roontunes A coupla years ago when I was supplying my now- dismantled home foundry, I was bounty hunting Sears radial arm saws- they are the subject of a U.S. dept. of some kinda safety stuff official recall. Emerson was forced to pay $100 for the return (via Fedex prepaid mailer) the motor as proof the saw was dismantled, I salvaged the aluminum and nice steel bits from about 16 units before I retired. Anyway, the point being that without exception every saw I acquired came with a supply of blades fit only for tablesaw use. The greatest detriment to successful use of the saw is still the aura of mystery that surrounds blade selection, you just cannot beat a triple chip tooth for smooth, safe, accurate cuts.
Home foundry was a great gig too, actually made money on the hunt and cast up some fun stuff too. ☺
Any chance your sketchup angles are available for sharing? I'm terrible with such and would love to make a couple of these angle gauges.
If you provide an email, I'd be happy to send it to you (you can delete it after I get it so it's not sitting out in cyberspace). Alternatively, consider joining the DeWalt Radial Arm Saw Forum and you can PM me through there.
@@brianweekley5700 Ok, dumb question #2. I assume you are speaking of the delphi forum but have no idea how to do a PM there or what name you use there.
Thomas Newcomb forums.delphiforums.com/woodbutcher/messages/?msg=9410.1
That’s one of my posts “Brian (mainebarn)”. Just click on my name and send private message.
by any chance have you tried your gauges against the factory 90 and 45 sets ? Did you find the factory sets a little out ?. I had to build octagonal structures and cut 8 sides with a makita chopsaw using the set angles. I expected it to be really good but by the time I'd fitted 7 sides together the 8th side was WAY out and the same thing happed on subsequent cuts, very dissappointing for a £450-00 saw.
Hello, I'm unclear if you are talking about a radial arm saw or the Makita chop saw that you mention. In any event, both saws should have adjustments that would allow you to accurately calibrate the blade 90 degrees to the fence (and 90 degrees to the table). Only then could you check to see if the 45 degree set points are also accurate relative to the 90. If you are making octagons, I assume you need to cut 22.5 degree angles? On a radial arm saw, there is no factory set for that angle, so I rely on my gauges to set it. When cutting multi-faceted pieces, errors are compounded, so accuracy is very important. I'm not sure what you are making, but in my video here, I'm using my radial arm saw to cut an octagon shape: czcams.com/video/XHddrI9BTFc/video.html
@@brianweekley5700 thanks for the reply and the link. yes I'm talking about the chop saw being out. I'm using the 45 preset on this saw to cut my oct. sections, not 22.5. hard to illustrate without a diagram. I was just wondering if you had noticed significant inaccuracies with the presets on your radial arm saw. I just picked up a dewalt 1251 which is in remarkable condition, the blade looks as old as the saw but the teeth are gleaming and razor sharp ! I'm about to build a table and your videos are very descriptive and concise. I suppose I'll find out if the presets on my RAS are significantly 'out' when I begin using it
@@roontunes Congrats on your RAS acquisition. Two suggestions for getting the most out of that saw: Join the DeWalt Radial Arm Saw Forum--lots of useful information and a ton of people who can answer questions about the saw, adjustments, techniques, projects, etc. Also, order a copy of the Mr. Sawdust book. It's worth the price and help you turn it into a precision machine. mrsawdust.com
Yep joined that forum and browsed mr sawdust. Did my first cuts today, trying to find a sweet spot that gave me precise mitres. Now I know why you built your own mitre gauge. That's gonna be my next project. Thanks again.@@brianweekley5700
I have the same question. How close was the reading on the built-in gauges to your more accurate gauges? Was the factory 45 more like 44 or 46 or worse?
I just use an inclinometer to set the bevel angle.
Thanks for the comment. I assume you mean a digital inclinometer? Yes, that certainly works well too. These are just low-tech versions that anyone can make.
love the over sized bevel gauge, but not the aluminum on the grinder. aluminum has bad habit of plugging the surface of the wheel, then it over heats and can explode. belt sander is a better option. be safe
Thanks for the tip. Never had that problem before, but I was not aware that was a possibility.