Super Easy Adjustment of Radial Arm Saw.

DEWALT Radial Arm Saw adjustment for accuracy... 90 degrees to the fence and top... how to adjust RAS to stop crabbing blade travel.
Woodworking tools need care and occasionally adjusting

[@darrenellis8910]

Excellent tuition and super easy to follow, Thank you.

[@Potemkin2000]

Thanks for this video. I just got a second hand one of these and busy getting it ready for some work. One thing in this video i can't quite figure out is setting the arm at 90 degrees by setting the blade parallel to the fence. If the blade is "toe -ing", this should introduce an error. Another way would be too draw a 90 degree line from the fence with a square, then make sure the tip of the blade follows this line as you slide it along.

[@WallyboisWoodworking]

Toeing can be checked by clamping a pointed piece of wood to table touching a tooth. Slide the saw so the opposite tooth touches the point and adjust untill the point touches the two teeth equally xxx Enjoy your tool

[@Rebel9668]

That adjusts differently from my old DeWalt. On mine there are two set screws on the rear of the arm you loosen and then turn the screws that hold the lockdown of the arm in place (All on the same side of the arm as the two set screws and adjustment screws sit on either side of the locking lever). I can then adjust it to square using a carpenter's framing square for reference. If I then need to adjust the blade itself, I have to remove the front AMF cover badge and loosen the three allen head screws behind it, then I can adjust the blade/motor to square using a small machinist square against the blade. That adjustment drove me crazy for a while because the instruction manual and all the youtube videos I've seen say to only loosen the outer two small allen head bolts and doing that, mine wouldn't budge! It was only in the separate maintenance manual that I finally read "On some models it may also be necessary to loosen the large allen head bolt in the center." Once I did that the motor/blade moved as easy as pie and I was able to get it square in less time than it takes to tell.

[@Rebel9668]

I'm perfectly comfortable using mine for ripping lumber. It's safer than on my equally old table saw which has no guards at all. At least with the RAS I can shift the blade guard down, set the kickback pawl (Which your model doesn't seem to have) and use my set of board buddies. I use the table saw mostly for miter cuts and only because I can set it up faster with my miter gauge than I can set up my RAS. I also use the RAS for dado cuts because I can mount a dado stack to it easier than I can on the table saw because I don't have to try to get my big hands down that table throat. My saw is somewhat older than that one, being a DeWalt MBF model from the mid 1950's and a bit smaller as the largest blade mine can handle is 9 inches (though I usually run 8 1/4" blades) and it only has a 3/4hp motor. A buddy of mine has a 1940's GP model he wants me to take, but I'd have to buy a VFD for it as it's 3 phase, 208v and has a 3hp motor and a 12" blade...and it's just much too large of a saw for anything I'd ever need it for. And those 12" blades get quite expensive compared to an 8 1/4". Getting mine level has been the trickiest part, but I finally managed it with a floor jack meant for cars. It sits on the optional cabinet you could get for them and that cabinet has adjustable feet with two screws and nuts on each foot.

[@ypaulbrown]

thank you from the USA...Paulie

[@WallyboisWoodworking]

You are welcome!

[@petercrowther6407]

Thanks for showing how to set the blade to the fence. Had the same machine as yours 30 years ago in my workshop. Retired, sold the saw and then bought a Festool Kapex. The Kapex worked ok for a few years doing mainly hobby and diy work and then started to get hot on the arbore so sent it to Festool, machine came back with same problem. So I then went onto Ebay and bought a DeWalt like yours and happy days, works a treat. Kapex, probably bin it. Great video.

[@WallyboisWoodworking]

Glad to help

[@bobbg9041]

One good test is to make sure your framing square or any square is true on both sides inside and outside angles. I own a metal framing square one side is spot on however the other side is not The square is not true. This can cause problems, always test your square first, you drop one it can go wonky. But a good way to test your cuts without a square is make a full cut first draw a straight line length wise on one side make a cut @90 and flip the cut off upside down both parts should slide back together and be flat and straight with no gaps all sides. If its a larger chunk of lumber and you can figure out how to adjust it you can make changes without a square. It just takes more time. Same with a miter saw.

[@WallyboisWoodworking]

I show this in another video too xxx

[@jamesc6702]

Just the right video ! with just the right saw 😂 thanks a million

[@WallyboisWoodworking]

Glad I could help!

[@billhaynes7266]

Good information. Thanks

[@WallyboisWoodworking]

So nice of you

[@wereldvrede628]

nice video, I also just got this saw and am trying to set it up properly, but after watching your video I now know how to do it, thanks for that. and a video on making the table would be great because I can't find anything for the measurements. greetings from ewoud

[@WallyboisWoodworking]

Glad I could help... The table is made to fit my space

[@wereldvrede628]

maybe you can help me get started with the construction flat work table for the DeWalt DW125. I got the manual from the internet. and in that book chapter 2 contains basic cuts page 12 and a picture of a worksheet for the dw125, but there are no measurements.@@WallyboisWoodworking

[@gaz1967]

I remember using these for ripping 8x4 sheets down, the only problem was ripping short lengths , they could bind and get fired out the back...very painful.

[@daveallen8915]

Great video, I have just bought one of these and will now make sure it's set up properly. Did you do a video on making the saw table?

[@WallyboisWoodworking]

Not yet!

[@starseeddeluxe]

I just need to make a note. You can't find a single report on the entire internet, or in the history of radial arm saws, of someone having a severe accident when ripping on a radial arm saw. The only report I could find after years of reading, is one man said he nicked the tip of his finger when ripping on a radial arm saw. That's bad, but it's one single report, on the entire internet. Yes, people report "flying boards" when they first turn on the saw, and feed the board into the saw incorrectly. But a flying board is not a severe accident. All the severe catastrophic RAS injuries have happened when crosscutting. Crosscutting with a radial arm saw is 99% more dangerous (statistically speaking) than ripping. When crosscutting on a radial arm saw, American made saws sold in America, have a completely non-functional blade guard that does absolutely nothing (unless you have a 1996 or newer Craftsman). A rip cut on a radial arm saw, is much safer, because the blade guard ONLY WORKS when doing a rip cut. NOTE: The saw in this video is not the same as the North American saws, which came with a laughable blade guard. In the USA, there are 7 amputations per day on table saws. Which is horribly depressing. The table saw is the most dangerous tool in the world, presently. Thank you for the important video!

[@WallyboisWoodworking]

I suppose not many people ripped on the RAS as a Table saw makes more sense 🤔

[@Rebel9668]

Though the blade guard on the North American saws isn't much, I'll grant you that, but when ripping, you tilt the back of the guard to just above the board, and then you adjust the kickback pawl on the front of the guard so the board can move forwards, but not back as the pawl's "fingers" will catch in the wood and not let it come back. You can also buy a set of Board Buddies you mount to the fence for in-rips with wheels that push down onto the board that only turn clockwise with the feed. All that being said, I've never had a problem cross-cutting with mine and feel safer with it than I do with my vintage table saw that has no guards and doesn't even have room on the throat plate to add a splitter, much less install a riving knife (Rockwell Model 9 contractor saw). Radial saws have an undeservedly bad reputation for safety in my opinion as any power tool is dangerous if you aren't using it properly and paying attention to what you're doing. Unfortunately, the modern human seems to have the attention span of a Chihuahua.

[@bernherts]

Interesting video thank you. Can you do one with a tenon saw and a mitre box 😂

[@WallyboisWoodworking]

Yes I can, how about shapening the tenon saw first xx

[@bernherts]

@@WallyboisWoodworking if it was mine, yes 🤣 Although i do remember my dad setting his saws .. in the days before the throw away items with plastic handles

[@petercrowther6407]

Here we go, upgraded to a big beast of a radial: The Dewalt DW721KN , she's about 5-6 years old. Cannot lower or raise the blade. Do you know if there is a locking device stopping it from lowering and raising.

[@WallyboisWoodworking]

That's the 12" sounds like the column has froze... oxidisation ETC try soaking it! if the handle doesn't turn at all the threads need freeing also xx

[@davidparry1874]

Brilliant

[@WallyboisWoodworking]

Cheers buddy 🤠

[@shanenagore2667]

lol!!!! I came here to find out how to square my RAS blade to the table and fence, and when you got to the point of showing me, you pointed to two nuts and said …”well, I’ve already done it so I don’t need to show you.” lol!! How about actually performing the operation to show your viewer how it’s done!! that’s why I freaking came here old chap!!

[@WallyboisWoodworking]

There is another video in the channel that explains it in full

[@jamesc6702]

Have you a video with dado blade ?

[@WallyboisWoodworking]

Not yet but I can make one 🤠

[@jamesc6702]

That would be brilliant 😁

[@jamesc6702]

Finally put the video in to use this evening. Couldnt believe how much it were out. Cutting perfect now. Took a minute to figure out how the main arm adjusts with the 22mm and 14 😅 thank you . Looking forward to the dado video

[@kylemetcalfe5707]

How old is the saw and where did you get it………usually you can’t find these types of saws on Amazon

[@WallyboisWoodworking]

this one is about 40 years old but younger ones are still available xx

[@Rebel9668]

The best way I've found to find these vintage models, at least in the USA is on facebook marketplace. Some are as little in price as being free if you'll come get them. There's one on there now a lot like the model in this video near me for $25 bucks. I got mine, a 1954 DeWalt MBF model on marketplace a while back for $35 bucks. You can also download the original owner's and maintenance manuals for these for free at vintagemachinery.org and I'm very thankful for that because it showed me how to adjust my particular model that no one's videos on youtube said anything about.

[@MSBKYT]

Sir....I have skill for wood working, wood carving and specially metalwelding.... Are you hiring helper?

[@frictionhitch]

I don't understand the point in owning a radial arm saw if all you use it for is 90 degree cross cuts. Doesn't that defeat the purpose of buying one?

[@WallyboisWoodworking]

Absolutely not

[@starseeddeluxe]

Indeed it does ruin the whole point of owning one, if you don't use it for all the features. I personally use mine constantly for ripping, and I love ripping boards on it. But I'm not ripping super narrow, thin strips. And I also made large sled, with clamps, which can be used on warped boards, to rip them perfectly straight. Some people believe that radial arm saws should only do 90 degree crosscuts. They could be right! In my opinion, they are extremely dangerous for crosscuts. If you spend a few minutes reading about stories, you'll find dozens of absolutely awful stories of people who had catastrophic accidents doing basic 90 degree crosscuts on a radial arm saw. Studying the blade guard design, and the carriage design, you'll find that the blade guard on North American saws really doesn't do anything on a crosscut. Craftsman did design a working blade guard in 1996, and they sent free guards to many users in a safety recall, for Craftsman radial arm saws. But nobody is using these plastic guards, they are using old cast iron saws with a non-functional blade guard. Contrary to popular belief, the blade guard only works on a rip cut, not a crosscut. The saw in this video is not the same as the North American saws sold in the USA. In the USA, the Dewalt, Craftsman, and Delta radial arm saws have a blade guard that really only works during a rip cut. During a rip cut, the guard is adjusted so that no part of the blade is actually exposed, and the entire carriage is locked, preventing unpredictable blade movement. I'm not exactly sure why people think that a covered, completely enclosed blade, is somehow "crazy dangerous." In comparison a crosscut has 50% of the blade fully exposed. Crosscuts are not necessarily dangerous, but they are more dangerous than a rip cut. Something unique about radial arm saws, once you complete your rip cut, the saw cannot violently eject the board towards your head. On a table saw, the trailing edge of the blade is the most dangerous part, because it can "lift" and "launch" the board back at your face. A violently lifting kickback of a board is physically impossible or at least highly unlikely on a radial arm saw (nothing is impossible). The guard stops the upward movement of the board. But also, the blade geometry on a radial arm saw, causes the board on the trailing edge of the blade to be pressed "down" against the wooden table, which strongly decreases the chances of a kickback during a rip cut. The opposite effect occurs on a table saw, where the blade on the trailing edge is constantly trying to "lift" and "launch" the board back at you. This rarely happens, because new saws have a riving knife. But most people don't have new saws in the USA. Many people are running 30 year old contractor table saws, or even 50 year old cabinet table saws, with neither a blade guard, or any type of riving knife. A radial arm saw is a pain in the butt to setup and maintain, and you have to rebuild and replace the bearings in the motor (a huge pain). But if you aren't in a hurry, they are a lot of fun. It adds value to the hobby, being able to do so many functions. It's a good idea to have at least 2 radial arm saws, with one saw being permanently setup to do dado cuts. For dado cuts, or material removal, it's extremely convenient being able to quickly cut a groove without needing to change out the blade.

[@John-d7p]

Ripping on a radial arm saw is not "madness." The dangers are exagerrated, and are the result of myths that have been associated with mis-use, or lack of understanding - or, plain idiocy. ...and lawyers. Exhibit due diligence, and these machines are no more dangerous than a table saw, or any number of other machines in a woodshop. That includes hand powertools. 1) Change the blade to a ripping type 2) A thin kerf is best 3) keep the blade sharp and clean of pitch by cleaning it once in a while. 4) Feed Rate must be slow and steady - just like on a table saw. Slower if you have an MBF or any MB type (9") with less than 1HP. 5) Proper setting of the guard and anti-kick pawl. 6) a good push board 7) body positioned to the Left of the cutting path when In-Ripping. To the Right when Out-Ripping. No person or anything of value should be in the cutting path of ANY powered woodworking machine. These are all the rules covering the Table Saw. They apply equally to the RAS. I will add that care should be taken when ripping whole lumber that may be high in moisture, such as timber thathas been stored outside - even under a tarp. Warehoused plywoods typically contain about 9% moisture. Whole boards, much more. When ripping, steam can form, causing the wood to swell and the kerf may pinch the blade. Table saws have rivving knives that help reduce this. RAS's do not, but can be so fitted.