Delta 9 Radial Arm Saw

super99

Well-known Member
I have wanted a radial arm saw for some time and saw one listed in the local paper for $100. I called the guy up, an older fellow who lives about 40 miles away and told him I wanted to see it. He is 83 and in poor health and said he was selling everything so his wife wouldn't have to when he was gone. He has about a 1 1/2 car garage with enough tools in it he hardly has room for his small suv. The saw works good and came with a rolling table and a hard back book telling how to use the saw. Looking around, I saw a cutting torch, a Miller 180 amp stick welder, a Lincoln SP170T wire welder set up for argon( see my other post), a big upright air compressor and lots of wood working tools. He had a Craftsman 6 1/2" jointer planer setting on top of a table saw. I asked him how much for the planer and he said $50. I told him I would like to have it also, but I didn't know he was selling anything beside the saw, so I didn't bring much cash with me. He said, How much do you have on you? I pulled out my wallet and counted out $138. He said that enough, so I got both the saw and the jointer. I'm thinking real hard about the mig welder. I thought I made out like a bandit. Chris
 
Sounds like you did VERY well. Spent 26+ years woodworking (mostly hobby), but have been out of that for so long I couldn't begin to tell you what to look for on that saw. Just do some research on them, as I "do" remember that many models had a bad habit of lurching forward and taking off hands or fingers.
 
Take it easy cutting with the 9, it will seem to have about as much power as a hand held circular saw. The jointer, if it's the one without an adjustable rear table it will work fine but it's a miserable job changing the knives. They have to be set perfectly with the rear table for them to work right and that can take hours to get it right. I've been needing to sharpen mine for a year and can't stand the idea of the job.
 
(quoted from post at 23:04:21 03/15/17) Sounds like you did VERY well. Spent 26+ years woodworking (mostly hobby), but have been out of that for so long I couldn't begin to tell you what to look for on that saw. Just do some research on them, as I "do" remember that many models had a bad habit of lurching forward and taking off hands or fingers.

Nothing is "fool" proof. I've seen people run hands through table saws and band saws, drill into their hand or leg, grind off a good big patch of skin, etc. It's always amazed me that some saws have this rep of actually killing thousands or people but you can never find any actual proof. One guy a couple years ago made a claim something like that here. Pure horse puckey of course and I provided links to a bunch of places selling radial arm saws. Anyway, the point is that any tool can grab and bite you. I've had more issues with skilsaws than I ever have with a radial arm saw.
 
With newer radial arm saws, you're absolutely correct! Is this an older model? Don't know; didn't look it up. But look at how a radial arm saw works - by pulling the blade towards you while the blade cuts the wood. You're standing "in front of" the cutting action. On some (note "SOME") of the older saws, there was a little bit of play in the arm that would sometimes allow for the blade teeth to grab in (maybe catching on a nail?) and lurch forward, injuring the operator. Newer models are inherently safer, yet also not as heavy as older models. ...And this comes from someone who once picked a fight with a table saw......and lost!

You're right in saying that all power tools can be dangerous. So can getting into the bathtub. That said, there were some tools that were just a little more susceptible to accidents than normal, and some of the radial arm saws have well-deserved that reputation. Best thing is to know and understand how to use each and every tool, as every tool is different.

In the base woodshop (when in USAF), every new person had to be "certified" by the guy who ran the shop. Otherwise, you'd get kicked out and lose privileges for some amount of time. There was only one of him and, as I already had a good bit of experience, I would often fill in while he was helping new folks get certified.
 
Take the time to read the book on your saw and also do a "tune up" on it. You can learn a lot in the little bit of time spent adjusting it to make it work smoother, and it will be safer to operate. When they jamb it's bad because unpredictable and sometimes dangerous things start to happen.
 
Great deal! I wish I had never sold my radial arm saw. They are a big time saver when you have a lot of short cuts. For example: window and door headers, trusses, cabinet making. I still like a table saw for ripping.
What brand is the jointer? I have an old shopmaster. It has an adjustable out feed table. I never take the blades off to sharpen. I have a long stone that I only use for sharpening the blades. That way the stone stays straight.
 
Radial arm saws are considered very dangerous, but I have one and wouldn't part with it. I think most injuries are a result of being careless. I think Sears has a recall on the ones they sold, they will give you a $100 to send them the powerhead. I was just thinking, what if a person mounted a retractable seatbelt to the carriage, so if it tried to jump forward the retractor would catch it?
 
My favorite radial arm saws were the old Rockwell's. But for ripping, I trust a tablesaw over a radial arm any day.

Still haven't bought one of those newer sliding compound miter saws, but they do a nice job of crosscutting, especially when you bring the blade forward, then drop it and let the saw cut on the reverse stroke.

ss55 - short post, but truer words were never spoken!
 
I'd gather up some more money and go back and get all you can. He sounds real reasonable priced. It will save him a lot of hassles with looky looo.

Big thing to REMEMBER on a radial arm saw is NEVER cross your arms as in keep each one on each side out of the way of the blade. That way when and if it grabs or just coasts on out none of your body is in the way. If you use it to rip you have to remember to tip the blade cover down close to your work and push the wood in from the opposite end you would cross cut from. At least that is the way the craftsman says to do it. Used to have a sticker on the shield warning to rip from this end.
 

Next 20 years or so this is going to be a daily happening; some Baby Boomer selling off a lift time accumulation of tools. Problem is, the generations after us really don't know jack about how to use anything except a keyboard. So not much demand for all our stuff.

Safe way to use a radial arm saw is to extend the head to the end of the track, slide the wood along the fence to the right spot, start the saw and push the saw back to the other end of the track. This is cutting against rotation instead of climb cutting like you get with pulling the head toward you....this eliminates the saw coming at you like a banshee.

Or get a compound bevel cross cut saw, those were $700, 20 years ago, HF has them for $125....
 
The problem is the jig won't help with this model jointer. The knives lift up when you tighten the gibs. You have to set the knives just the right amount low so when you tighten them they raise up to the proper height.
 
I remember seeing plans for such a jig where you could adjust magnets down lower than the table. Been a long time so don't remember if I ever fully understood why, but I guess this would explain it.

You could probably find such plans on various woodworking sites, or even modify existing plans or mod up something yourself. Can get small neodymium magnets fairly cheap. They'd do a good job of holding the knives in place while tightening.
 
The others are indeed correct about dangerous if improperly operated, be careful. Radial arms saws have gotten VERY cheap due to the advent of sliding type miter saws and the general decline of people willing to do anything beside finger a smart phone. After acquiring a 12" Dewalt sliding miter saw my older cast iron 10" Dewalt radial arm saw sat unused so I put it on CL for $150, then $100, then $50 I ended up giving it away.
 
Bought my first radial arm saw 50 some years ago. I have two now. If I would have read this stuff before I bought the first one I would still be shaking. I have built two houses and all kinds of things over the years and never had a table saw. I don't see how they are any more dangers than any other saw. You put your fingers or hand where they don't belong and you loose them.
This is the first one I bought 50 years ago. It sets on the stand I bought with it and I used to could pick it up off the stand and set it in my van or pickup.
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I have seen the blade on a radial arm saw walk across the board instead of cutting it. Why can't you turn the blade around and run it backwards?? Chris
 
It won't do it if the operator is paying attention to what they are doing and have the saw set correctly. As crippled up my hands are I cut and ripped out two horse tongues three weeks ago.
 
(quoted from post at 20:26:52 03/17/17) Bought my first radial arm saw 50 some years ago. I have two now. If I would have read this stuff before I bought the first one I would still be shaking. I have built two houses and all kinds of things over the years and never had a table saw. I don't see how they are any more dangers than any other saw. You put your fingers or hand where they don't belong and you loose them.
This is the first one I bought 50 years ago. It sets on the stand I bought with it and I used to could pick it up off the stand and set it in my van or pickup.

Well said! I've run radial arm saws from 8"-20". A stupid, careless operator is just as likely to get hurt with an RA saw as he is with any other tool. We really need to stop blaming the tool and start blaming the FOOL!
 
Problem is you can run one for 50 years without problems and your a stupid old man but the guy the young guy that first runs one and has a problem he is the smart one.
The more inventions to make things safer also makes people more careless. Those safer inventions do not teach about how things bite. I am for safer tools but some how people need to understand what they are safer from.
 
As I've understood it (and it's been a LONG time!), it was only "some models" that had design flaws. If memory serves, one of the flaws was that the saw simply sat on the post, which could allow the saw to ride up over the wood. And with the blade spinning at 2,400 RPM or more, it could walk across a board pretty dang quick right towards the operator.

It seems there was also a model that, while "mounted" to the post, had enough play to where it could also ride up onto the wood and shoot towards the operator. (I'm thinking Craftsman?)

These are DEFINITELY design flaws, but are not always operator errors (like trying to cut the wood too fast). Sometimes the blade would catch on a knot or a nail. And with the older all-steel blades, this happened quite often with certain models.

...I know of a guy who mangled up a hand using a router. When he told me, I kept trying to picture it in my head as I just don't understand there being any inherent dangers from routers short of sticking your hand into the running bit. ...But then, that's exactly what he did! Like so many other things in life, we need to use caution and be respectful of the damage that machines can do. And there are some people who should never handle anything more dangerous than a book!
 

Any RA saw that has so much play in the bearings that it will ride 3/4" or more up over a board is simply not built well or, more likely, is misadjusted. The funny thing is that until sliding miter saws came about I never heard a single bad word about RA saws. Quite the opposite. But, like all the stories about people falling into a table saw and gutting themselves, I think a lot of what we hear now is simply bar stool/barbershop hot air.
 

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