How To Use The Radial Arm Saw As A Lathe

[@talltimberswoodshop7552]

Thanks, Iain. It's good to see the lathe attachment in action. It is a perfect attachment for the small hobbyist shop. Well done.

[@TheNorthlandWorkshop]

Thanks, I’m surprised these didn’t sell better because works really well.

[@Monuments_to_Good_Intentions]

Agreed

[@greghill9958]

I love your videos.Keep them coming.

[@TheNorthlandWorkshop]

Don’t worry, there’s more in the works.

[@tnekkc]

I am 70. When I was 30, every old lumber yard had a DeWalt radial arm saw. When I was 40 the name DeWalt was used for mass produced small tools.

[@fishbuscharters]

Same for me. It was always a monster size dewalt at the lumber yard. Lights flickered when the beast started.

[@c.blakerockhart1128]

I think I will try to find one or build one for my Craftsman ras. Thanks for the videos. Have a Blessed Day. 🇺🇸😎

[@TheNorthlandWorkshop]

Thanks, I know Craftsman made a couple models of bench top lathes with pipes for the bed like this one has. I would think a lathe like tat could be attached to a RAS without too much trouble. The lathe just needs to be light enough that you can put it on and take it off of the RAS without too much hassle.

[@c.blakerockhart1128]

@@TheNorthlandWorkshop Thank you. 🇺🇸😎

[@Monuments_to_Good_Intentions]

There are tons of lathes you can use like this. I have a similar Montgomery ward lathe. Any lathe without a motor could be used like this.

[@Monuments_to_Good_Intentions]

Thanks for posting this video. I want one of these now just to go with my restoration!

[@craigcolbourn8351]

Awesome ingenuity my friend!

[@ww321]

Your lathe attachment is the same color as my saw. They must be the same vintage. Thanks for the videos

[@johnthompson6656]

That's a cool attachment. I wonder how hard it would be to get a 2 or 3 step pulley made for the saw arbor ? I'd put a piece of high density plastic on the tool rest to avoid the notches. Great video.

[@TheNorthlandWorkshop]

Years ago I made a 3 step pulley for my regular wood lathe’s motor so I can pretty confidently say it would just take a couple hours on a metal lathe. If I was to make a custom pulley I’d make the hole threaded so it goes on the arbor without needing the nut.

[@davidjames1007]

Thanks for sharing, looks like I will be making a sanding disk for my RAS it really works well. The lathe is great but as you said one is more likely to find hens teeth.

[@TheNorthlandWorkshop]

The sanding disk is great. If you make one, or buy one, I’ve found 3M Super 77 spray adhesive to be the best way to glue the sandpaper to it.

[@JustFixIt99]

Very cool. It strikes me When seeing al of these attachments that they very much seem to be Rev.1 of an idea. Its a shame that the race to the bottom started so relatively early in its life. Had the high end Dewalts and Deltas dominated the market a little longer I think we would have seen even better and more refined add ons. That being said, I don't feel that these tools deserver the "Jack of all Trades, master of none" reputation that they seem to have garnered. I plan on giving the planner and shaper a go on my latest acquisition, a 9" Beaver Rockwell turret) and I expect good results. I also plan of trying it with my 10" crafts man (a 60's model I believe) which I also feel is a little unfairly bashed by many. I was about to turf it for not holding an angle when I pulled the carriage off and took apart the yoke rotating assembly. Full of caked on grease and saw dust, cleaned it all out and now it's fine. I wonder how many of these have been thrown out as being "cheap garbage" when all they needed was a little cleaning. You're also very fortunate to live in an area where these older tools seem a little more prominent. The old dewalts are not very common around me. I saw one come up for sale, probably should have bought it, but I figured 2 Ras's was enough, considering how tiny my shop is..... Anyways, that was a long winded comment, keep up the great videos :)

[@TheNorthlandWorkshop]

From what I’ve been able to find this lathe is more like rev. 2. There was one that came out before this one that had the drive center screw directly onto the arbor so it was a very fast single speed lathe that used the motor as a head stock. Then there was one slightly updated lathe that came out after the model I have. It is a shame that the radial arm saw craze was so short lived. Delta and Sears never went as deeply into the accessory market as DeWalt did and I think it is because both Delta and Sears sold other tools such as jointers, planer, and lathes so they were less interested in selling accessories such as a lathe for the RAS because they wanted people to buy their stand alone one. Where as DeWalt’s was really focused on RAS exclusively.

[@Tensquaremetreworkshop]

'It seems silly' (0:50) - that is because it is. The only thing saved is the motor- and you have to spend considerable time setting it up. Like many 'multi-use' add-ons, it would probably get used- once.

[@WoodworkingforAnyone]

Saving a motor is no small thing. Multi use tools are incredibly handy for many of us who work on many random types of things but only occasionally. I may goes years without using a wood lathe. Why tie up a motor or the space?

[@spnynorman5519]

I've seen pictures of the lathe attachment in the old catalogs. I'm glad someone gifted you one so you could demo it for us. A question on saw types; since you have both types, the Dewalt and the Rockwell/Delta, do you see any advantages in real-world use of the dual-arm ( Rockwell type ) vs the single arm ( Dewalt and others ) type ? Just curious. I've never used one of the two-arm type saws. Thanks for the great videos.

[@TheNorthlandWorkshop]

That’s a good question. The dual arm is the superior design and if I could only have one type of RAS in my shop it would be a dual arm saw. The big advantage is it can miter to the left. Having owned the Rockwell for years before getting the DeWalt I didn’t think anything of cutting crown molding on the RAS because it was easy to swing it to the right and the left. I see people making all kinds of jigs in order to cut left hand miters on a single arm saw. I don’t like those jigs for the simple fact that they end up having the piece being cut stick out of the saw at some angle. That’s fine for short pieces but if you’re trying to cut long pieces of moldings it can get difficult to support them. Lots of people have just a single arm saw and they make it work for them but to me it’s like having a car that can only turn in one direction.

[@Monuments_to_Good_Intentions]

Agreed, glad to know its a thing.

[@aaroncastellanos3421]

Looks like you have one of the remaining existing lathes because i still can't find one for sale. I did find the pulley saber saw though, no. 9100, finally!

[@philupdegrave731]

I'm still looking for one . . .

[@bobbg9041]

See i knew you could do it!

[@Monuments_to_Good_Intentions]

Ive got this same machine, 16”, never thought to use it as a lathe.

[@behumbledlife8929]

Dang i have had a old lathe like that i bought 10 years ago, and never thought of putting to my craftsman RAS

[@seanseoltoir]

With the right grit sandpaper, that disk sander would work for sharpening knives... I would prefer a slower speed rotation though...

[@Alienated76]

Hey there, I’ve replaced the grab arm bit of the lathe, and it spins without a block in the lathe, but when I add material, it doesn’t want to spin. Spins fine without material in the lathe. Any tips?

[@TheNorthlandWorkshop]

How much pressure are you putting on it with the tailstock?

[@Alienated76]

@@TheNorthlandWorkshop how much pressure is there supposed to be?

[@kenjohnsen8566]

Where can I get a machined 1.75" pulley? Not coming up in my searches

[@TheNorthlandWorkshop]

Try Grainger number 5RHY4

[@kenjohnsen8566]

@@TheNorthlandWorkshop Thanks Lain. Saw that pulley but didn't know if it was machined. I ordered it. Your video was very helpful/interesting, as are all of the previous videos I've watched. Setting up my father's old Walker Turner lathe to work on my RAS

[@xle5363]

What size blade do you use on that radial arm saw ? I have an old DeWalt saw like that one but not sure I'm using correct blade size.

[@iainportalupi]

This one is a model 1030. It takes a 10” blade. What model is your saw?

[@xle5363]

@@iainportalupimodel 925

[@xle5363]

Using a 7 1/4 “ blade on it

[@TheNorthlandWorkshop]

That model takes a 9” blade. However a 9” blade is really a little much for the 925 a better blade for it would be the Freud LU83R008 which is an 8” blade. I have one of those blades on my smallest RAS, a DeWalt MMB, and it is a very good blade.

[@xle5363]

Okay thank you I’ll start looking for a 8” 24 tooth one

[@saytencushman3758]

Son of a gun. Is there anything the DeWalt ras doesn't do?! Lol. Does craftsman have these attachments too? I've been wanting to make my ras more useful. But it's a nice craftsman I got from a rehab store for $25

[@bobbg9041]

To fix the height of the tool rest put the bolt on the bottom that way you take away the height of the tool rest by putting the bars on the bottom of the pipe ways you add about 1.5" to how the tool rest sits Its upside down the way you have it It also limits the size stock you can use. You have to be smarter then the tool to use it. Ill bet you can use a tool rest off some other lathe too. Like a cast iron one.

[@deanreinglas3679]

can i use 110 on the radial arm saw instead of 220?

[@TheNorthlandWorkshop]

It depends what model saw you have.

[@deanreinglas3679]

@@TheNorthlandWorkshop it's the older craftsman one

[@TheNorthlandWorkshop]

@@deanreinglas3679 that should be able to run on 110. The motor should have a name plate that will say what voltages it will run on.