Radial armsaw.

rjwoelk · September 22, 2018, 11:22:50 PM

Radial armsaw.
Has any one used the accessory shaft for router work.

btulloh · September 23, 2018, 07:59:00 AM

Pretty low rpm's for router work.

IMERC · September 23, 2018, 08:33:26 AM

Quote from: btulloh on September 23, 2018, 07:59:00 AM
Pretty low rpm's for router work.

and a lot of tearout compared to a real router....

DR Buck · September 23, 2018, 09:07:05 AM

Although I still have one, I hardly ever use a radial arm saw anymore. It's been replaced by a sliding miter and a Powermatic cabinate saw. I mostly use it for making dado cuts these days. But getting back to the question, after 38 years I still haven't found a really good use for the accessory shaft. Tried the sanding disc ... to fast. Tried horizontal boring. PIA to set up. As said ... to slow for router. Planer blade scares the crap out of me.

My opinion is the accessory shaft is useless.

rjwoelk · September 23, 2018, 02:46:39 PM

Good to hear from you folks, yes they are a dangerous tool, I have had kickback that went accross the room, I was ripping with it so out of line at the time. Did make a tv and Microwave stands, was not really accurate but was close enough. Use it more for rough cutting to length then any thing else. Got better tools now.

JV · September 23, 2018, 07:02:43 PM

I did many years ago. The auxiliary shaft turned 22000 rpm. The first time I used it the shaft snapped sending it, the collet, and the router bit bouncing off the cement block walls. I sold the saw.

21incher · September 23, 2018, 08:19:29 PM

Years ago I tried one of those planer attachments that screwed onto my radial arm saw. It was about 3 inches in diameter and had 3 carbide cutters on the face. I tried it once and decided that it was dangerous and should never have been made. I don't know what Craftsman was thinking when they sold them.

gunscrew · September 24, 2018, 08:55:59 PM

I heard of someone replacing saw motor, with router motor, would be a lot of work 8)

Brian_Weekley · October 01, 2018, 06:51:43 PM

If you really wanted to use the radial arm saw for router bits, instead of the accessory shaft (which only turns at about 3450 rpm) you would be better off finding an original router bracket attachment for it (both Craftsman and DeWalt sold them). This would allow you to easily mount an actual router to run the bits at the appropriate speed (about 20,000 rpm).

However, the radial arm saw actually makes a very nice molder/shaper using either shaper knives or a molding head. I often use it to cut tongue and groove and other profiles.

Another good example on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0AMNjVfS4vs

maple flats · October 01, 2018, 07:51:09 PM

I've used shaper knives on a radial arm saw but not router bits. Even then I had to feed it slowly or the cut was less than ideal.

Don P · October 01, 2018, 08:08:57 PM

When I saw the thread pop up again I was going to ask if anyone had used the molding heads on theirs. Mine are the craftsman sets, probably around 6" dia x about 1/2" thick 3 wing cutterhead with 1" wide knives in several patterns. I've got two sets, never used them, they inherited their way into my shop over the years. To be honest they looked too capable of throwing something with the wide gaps around the cutterhead, not a safety cutter by any stretch. They really look more dangerous than a square head.

A cabinet shop I worked in had a pair of them mounted on the single end tenoner, they had straight knives and then a scoring saw of identical diameter inboard mounted to the cutterhead, worked fine.

Brian_Weekley · October 01, 2018, 08:33:38 PM

I wouldn't use those lightweight, thin Craftsman molding heads on a RAS (and never use their single knife version). The old Delta molding heads are the ones you want to use on a RAS (about 4 inches in diameter). They are heavier and much more substantial to support the knives. Using the molding guard with it is also a must. You can still buy new knives for them from Corob Cutters in a variety of profiles.

Banjo picker · October 01, 2018, 08:57:33 PM

Quote from: Don P on October 01, 2018, 08:08:57 PM
When I saw the thread pop up again I was going to ask if anyone had used the molding heads on theirs. Mine are the craftsman sets, probably around 6" dia x about 1/2" thick 3 wing cutterhead with 1" wide knives in several patterns. I've got two sets, never used them, they inherited their way into my shop over the years. To be honest they looked too capable of throwing something with the wide gaps around the cutterhead, not a safety cutter by any stretch. They really look more dangerous than a square head.

A cabinet shop I worked in had a pair of them mounted on the single end tenoner, they had straight knives and then a scoring saw of identical diameter inboard mounted to the cutterhead, worked fine.

When I built this house, back in the late 70's, I made all the moulding for it with one of the moulding heads. Only way I would do it is rip all your stock to size and then build a jig to clamp to the fence and run the stock through that jig. I just made some very simple moulding but it saved us a bunch as we had very little money to spend on moulding at the time. Banjo

rjwoelk · October 02, 2018, 12:25:09 AM

I have that set as well. Can one use it on a table saw.

PC-Urban-Sawyer · October 02, 2018, 10:33:22 AM

Yes, RJ, you can use a moulding head on a table saw. I used a triple bead cutter pattern to cut three beads in the middle of the face of molding I made from cypress. You will have to make a zero clearance insert for the head if you don't already have one (for a dado head perhaps...) that will work. I actually just use a piece of thin plywood (underlayment?) and clamp it down with a temporary fence made of a 2x.

rjwoelk · October 02, 2018, 11:24:16 AM

Thanks i need to round over the legs for a bed.

fishfighter · October 02, 2018, 01:09:09 PM

Can one buy a set of theses? Does the Dewalt fit a Craftsman saw?

Brian_Weekley · October 02, 2018, 03:22:26 PM

Quote from: fishfighter on October 02, 2018, 01:09:09 PM
Can one buy a set of theses? Does the Dewalt fit a Craftsman saw?

What exactly are you referring to and for what application?

These molding heads fit a 5/8" arbor (either RAS or table saw). You basically have two choices with their own dedicated knives (not interchangeable): (1) the thin Craftsman-style molding head/knives or (2) the thicker/heavier Delta-style molding head/knives. I personally suggest using the Delta-style molding head and knives (more mass and better knife support).

For a RAS, you definitely want the 4 inch diameter Delta-style molding head. However, this smaller diameter head may be too small to work on the table saw (you might not have enough adjustment to raise the molding head high enough to bring the knives above the table). Therefore, for table saw use, you want a larger diameter molding head. Corob Cutters makes their own compatible Craftsman and Delta style molding heads and knives. Therefore, if you bought them from Corob, I would recommend the 4 inch Delta-style head (MHKHD50) for the RAS and their 6 inch Delta-style head (MHKHD75) for a table saw.
[you can search Corob Cutters/Accessories]

You can often find molding knives or sets on eBay. Just be sure to check if they fit a Craftsman-style or Delta-style head.

PC-Urban-Sawyer · October 03, 2018, 12:34:25 PM

I have a 6" Corob cutter molding head and several sets of cutter knives for it. Set it up with zci and finger boards and it is a good method to produce a lot of product fairly quickly and economically. I was able to do the beading on my paneling pushing the blanks through at a high rate of speed. It still took a long time but I think it was quite a bit faster than the router table and was a good way to make the triple beads in the middle of the blank face...

Good Luck!

Be Careful!

Herb