[JackDuren]

I ended up getting a Delta 33-892 12" RAS. There's a little rust I need to clean off, but everything works smoothly. It's missing the original 12" blade guard, so I'll need to try to find one of those eventually, but the guy I bought it from had gotten a blade guard off of a Delta 33-990 "Model 10 Deluxe" that works fine for now.
@JackDuren , it looks like the same model as the one you sent photos of, no?

View attachment 3924865

You have the option for power, 110 or 220.
Does it have tye knobs on front?

 

[PossumDuck]

I know this will be an absolutely hair raising opinion but after owning a couple of RAS over the past 55 years, I would say, without a doubt, they're the worst tools I ever had in my shop. I spent more time insuring they were in alignment and replacing consumable parts. In general, I found them to be not worth the time and effort and I certainly found them to be more dangerous than many other woodworking tools. While you still see the 12-14" Deltas in Home Depot or other cabinet shops, my thought is that for the general home woodworker, they are not a prudent purchase. As I said, I know there are those who absolutely love them (and I am not sure why exactly) but the fact that they are no longer manufactured in numbers as they once were should tell you something. Buyer Beware.

Dave,
I agree with you 100%.
The RAS is scary as heck. And there are so many adjustments to get a square cut.
I have had two RAS and just found them quite aggravating in addition to the things you said.

 

[Dan Delaney]

You have the option for power, 110 or 220.
Does it have tye knobs on front?

Yes, it has the knobs on the front:

It's all set for 3-phase 220, with this on the side:

Here's what the motor looks like:

 

[JackDuren]

A table and some adjustments and you’ll be ready.

I would make sure all the bolts for the table move free…remove rust best you can..

I think I took photos of me redoing the table top..

Clean best you can..

 

[Dan Delaney]

A table and some adjustments and you’ll be ready.

I would make sure all the bolts for the table move free…remove rust best you can..

I think I took photos of me redoing the table top..

Clean best you can..
View attachment 3924887

Yep! I'll be taking all of it completely apart and removing all the surface rust. Just got all the rust off of one of the table clamp bars. Here it looked just like the other one before:

 

[rwe2156]

You have 3 phase in your shop? Nice saw. Not sure 12" is any advantage. Blades a lot more expensive.

At the risk of setting off the safety police, I'm not sure how much use a guard is on a radial arm. I've never used one.

If there's no mechanism to raise it to align a cut, it's a PITB.

 

[wapakfred]

I had not noticed that was a 3 phase motor. I agree there's no reason to worry about using 12" blades, 10" dos everything most hobbyists need.

 

[AMZ]

This is an interesting twist. Someone recently posted this Ryobi RA-2500 on Facebook Marketplace in my area. Asking $150. Anyone have any experience with this one? Looks like it's barely ever been used.

View attachment 3924559

View attachment 3924560

I had a very early Ryobi that was terrible. I bought it new and practically gave it away.

The one you pictured is a generation newer. If you can get for $100.00, try it, but make sure you use proper blade. Also, don't horse the saw, as Ryobi, in that era, were consumer grade.

 

[JackDuren]

I had not noticed that was a 3 phase motor. I agree there's no reason to worry about using 12" blades, 10" dos everything most hobbyists need.

His saw may have the option..

You need to pick up the correct blade for a RAS. You can use other blades , but at your own risk..

 

[Dan Delaney]

You have 3 phase in your shop? Nice saw. Not sure 12" is any advantage. Blades a lot more expensive.

At the risk of setting off the safety police, I'm not sure how much use a guard is on a radial arm. I've never used one.

If there's no mechanism to raise it to align a cut, it's a PITB.

No, I do not. So I'm getting a phase converter for it.

I'd like to use the guard mainly to hook up the shop vac to it to suck up as much dust as I can. I also need to find an anti kickback pawl—it's missing from this guard.

 

[JackDuren]

I didn’t catch the electrical panel. I take it it that it was the only Delta 12” out there?

 

[rwe2156]

No, I do not. So I'm getting a phase converter for it.

I'd like to use the guard mainly to hook up the shop vac to it to suck up as much dust as I can. I also need to find an anti kickback pawl—it's missing from this guard.

Wow, you're going to have a lot invested in it. But you'll have a good set up.

I don't know what good a kickback pawl is going to be unless you are ripping with it .

The dust ports on every radial arm I've owned it one step above "useless". The best way to collect a radial is with a chute. Various designs, but here's mine. I have a dedicated el cheapo 1HP blower for it, exhausted outside. Works extremely well, if I might say so.

 

[JackDuren]

I would use the saw for crosscutting only. You can make mitered cuts with it if you prefer, but a sliding saw would be better.

I wouldn’t worry much about the dust created. Even if you cross cut all day , it’s easy to clean up with some air blower..

 

[aboveboard]

I learned woodworking with a radial arm saw. We did everything with it: crosscuts, rip cuts, miter cuts, bevel cuts, dados and rabbets, and combinations of them. Radial arm saws were sold as all-around woodworking tools. I got my first table saw many many years later.

I agree with others who say that radial arm saws are more dangerous than other common woodworking tools, but it does not really matter. Woodworking tools are inherently dangerous and must be used with care. If someone sustains a serious injury and is at the hospital, which tool caused the injury is no longer very important.

Safety should always be foremost. That's true for radial arm saws as much as any other tool. Know and understand the dangers and always follow the best safety practices until they become good habits. That's common sense.

 

[wapakfred]

No, I do not. So I'm getting a phase converter for it.

I'd like to use the guard mainly to hook up the shop vac to it to suck up as much dust as I can. I also need to find an anti kickback pawl—it's missing from this guard.

At least give VFDs a look-see. You may find they would be a lot less expensive than s phase converter and do the job just as well.

If you tune that saw to dead nuts, you won't need to fear cutting miters. Here's some I did on my Dewalt.

 

[MrUnix]

At least give VFDs a look-see. You may find they would be a lot less expensive than s phase converter and do the job just as well.

Just as well? Nah, a VFD will do a MUCH better job than a static phase converter (SPC), or even a rotary phase converter (RPC). The SPC runs the motor unbalanced, which introduces a lot of problems, including increased heat which is the number one enemy of induction motors. It also causes the motor to run at less than full horsepower - typically about 30% less - so a 2hp motor will be turned into one that is only producing less than about 1.25hp. A RPC is an option, but unless you have a lot of three phase machines, it's not worth the expense and hassle IMO.

It used to be that a SPC was the cheapest option to get a 3 phase machine up and running on a single phase circuit. That is no longer the case, as VFD's have steadily been decreasing in costs and increasing features, now in many cases being the most cost effective method for doing so. Not to mention all of the great benefits you get with a VFD, such as pre-set variable speeds, constant speed control (with the new sensorless vector drives), constant torque, soft start, controlled braking, overload protection (with up to 150% over-current operation possible), etc...

Hardest part about using a VFD is where to mount the thing

Cheers,
Brad

 

[JackDuren]

All tools are dangerous, I grabbed a hot iron skillet the other day. The RAS was replaced with the sliding miter saw.

 

[JackDuren]

double post…

 

[Dan Delaney]

I didn’t catch the electrical panel. I take it it that it was the only Delta 12” out there?

Out of all the ones I went to look at, this was the only one that seemed to function properly.

 

[Dan Delaney]

double post…

???