Black and Decker/Dewalt radial arm saw

old

Well-known Member
Ok so a week or so ago I picked up a Radial arm saw. Made by Black and Decker/Dewalt. I tried the blade form the old saw I have here that was from the 60s and that blade is to big. I think the old saw used a 10 inch blade so any ideas as to what this one uses. I could use it with the bigger blade but do not like to since the guard can not be on it with that blade. Saw did not come with a blade so not sure what size it needs. By the way payed $25 for it and yes it does work. Have not found a model number in it other wise I would have posted that. It is a table top saw
Thanks
 
i have an old craftsman radial saw and it takes an 8 inch blade. not a real popular size anymore.
 
Radial arm saws can sure be dangerous. If I had one today I would use a
blade designed for slide miter box. They have high heals after the blade tip
to reduce the tendency of the blade crawling over the wood.
The saw can take off like a belt sander.

You probably know this but just saying.
 
Probably a 9". Common size for older Dewalts. MBC was one common model number/name. Only 1/2hp but really good saw.

the proper blade today would be one made for a power miter saw. But not a lot of companies make 9, but an 8 will work and you only lose 1/2" of capacity.

If you can post or email a pic I can probably ID it for you.

PS: don't use a 10 with no guard, you need your fingers to post here!!!
 
Well me I will NEVER use a table saw but then back when I was 16 I watched my girl friends dad cut off 3 or his four fingers in a table saw and since then I have NEVER used one. A radial arm saw on the other hand I have used one of those since I was around 9 or 10 and the way the blade spins it tends to pull back to the home position so a lot less likely to remove finger but yes any can be unsafe if used wrong and that is why I want a guard on it. My brother at one time used one and left he guard off and the blade came off and walked up and over his shoulder and he got lucky it did not hurt him much but could have killed him
 
Ya I do not like the no guard option but then my brother used the old on with out a guard and the blade came of and walked up his body and over his shoulder and he got luck it missed his head. Only a few nicks but could have been deadly and that was back in the late 60s
 
Old, You have your saws backwards, a table saw cuts toward you and will throw the board back toward you if you let it go. A radial arm saw climb cuts and the saw will advance toward you if you let go of the saw. Both are still dangerous. The old dewalt saws are good and they still make them under the name "Original Saw Co." I have two, if you respect them and know how to use them you will remain 10 fingered. I still have all my fingers and have been making sawdust for more than a few decades. To the op, they used to be a few saws that used 9" blades. I would special order a blade with a 0 degree or negative rake, you will have more money in the blade than in the saw, but you will be safer. JB
 

I have seen far more people hurt with circular saws (skilsaw) and power drills than radial arm saws. Proper training and a healthy fear of the tool are good ideas with anything that can bite you.
 
If you can find the model number of your saw, you can look online to find the manual. I had an early 1970's B&D #7775 model and was able to get an original manual from Black and Decker. There are also sites with pfd copies of tool manuals that you can download and print out at home. Used original manuals show up on ebay and Amazon. At one time those saws were very popular, lots of very good books were written on how to operate, and setup "generic" radial arm saws and make jigs for them.

Please take some time to check the setup and alignment of your saw, it's pretty easy. A saw that does not bind and has a sharp blade is a pleasure to use and is much safer. I found it easiest to leave my 10 inch radial arm saw setup at the 90 degree cutoff position and used a smaller 10 inch compound miter saw (non-sliding) for the more complicated cuts because the smaller saw was easier to adjust while the radial arm saw handled cutoffs of large pieces better than the smaller saw could.

Enjoy your new-to-you saw!
 
There used to be a place in Des Miones Ia that rebuilds old DeWalts. They even have reprints of owners manuals. I got a reproduction switch plate and owners manual from them ten years ago or so. I don't remember the name but I found this place on the net.

You have a good quality saw that can run you for many years. All saws are dangerous and need to be greatly respected. Proper maintenance is very important to keep them as safe as possible. A couple of months ago a flying board from a kickback from the table saw took the skin off the top of my finger when I was ripping in an unsafe way. It was my fault, not the saw's fault. I have had a block of wood come flying out of the radial arm saw because I didn't have it held against the fence, again, my fault.

My radial arm is a 1950's 12" DeWalt I bought for five bucks on a consignment sale. Nobody bid on it because it looked so bad. It must have sat outside for years because the table was rotted off and the power cord was rotted apart. I took it home, jury rigged a power cord, plugged it in and it ran. Then I took it completely apart, cleaned up the rust and painted it, replaced a few missing knobs and now it runs like new. The carriage glides effortlessly with no drag whatsoever. The only problem I have had with it is finding a 12" blade with a small enough arbor hole. The 12" blades I find have a 1" hole and my saw has a 3/4" arbor. I have to use a bushing and sometimes the bushing throws off the balance.
 

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