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Is this correct for the updated blade guard on a radial arm saw? (pixelfed.crimedad.work)
submitted 2 weeks ago by CrimeDad@lemmy.crimedad.work to c/woodworking@lemmy.ca
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cross-posted from: https://pixelfed.crimedad.work/p/crimedad/705187000877520551

Is this correct for the updated blade guard on a radial arm saw?

The carriage doesn't go back far enough for the blade guard to fall down behind the fence. I thought the guard was supposed to keep the carriage in the home position until the user lifts it with the lever on the handle. I'm wondering if I did something wrong. Any RAS users know what I'm talking about?

#woodworking #RadialArmSaw #SafetyFirst

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[-] Peppycito@sh.itjust.works 25 points 2 weeks ago

Radial (cut off your) arm saws are one of the few tools in the shop that give me the heebie jeebies. Yes, they can be operated safely but, yikes.

[-] CrimeDad@lemmy.crimedad.work 20 points 2 weeks ago

It's funny because I have never used a table saw and they are intimidating to me. Like, the blade is just right there waiting for someone to fall on it.

[-] wander1236@sh.itjust.works 11 points 2 weeks ago

It's honestly really impressive seeing the SawStop table saws stop. If I'm reading it right, they use capacitance to detect a body part and take advantage of the space below the table to let the blade fall into while braking it.

[-] CrimeDad@lemmy.crimedad.work 5 points 2 weeks ago

Yeah the SawStop technology is really cool and it's too bad that it's held up by patents. In my case, because of budget and physical space constraints, the RAS turned out to be the right choice for me.

[-] JJROKCZ@lemmy.world 8 points 2 weeks ago

I thought they announced they were making the patent public so other companies could make the blade stop mechanisms and hopefully save more lives/body parts

[-] captain_aggravated@sh.itjust.works 4 points 2 weeks ago

Stumpy Nubs has released a video on this topic, which is what I'm mainly pulling from.

Several of SawStop's patents have expired but there is one still active which is fairly broad in scope and basically gives them right-of-way over any flesh-detecting saw brakes. They sued (or issued a cease and desist, don't know if it went to court or whatever) Bosch for the line of flesh detecting saws they briefly sold. There is now some proposal for requiring all saws to have flesh-sensing blade brakes in the US, which would basically set the minimum price of a table saw at $1000 or more, and SawStop has "promised" to open their patent if this becomes law. For whatever that's worth.

It is my understanding that Underwriter's Labs is where the requirement for any new model of table saw sold after 2008 have a riving knife.

[-] CrimeDad@lemmy.crimedad.work 1 points 2 weeks ago

I hadn't heard that before, but you are correct. However, I don't think there's a date when this will actually happen. The statement from SawStop says that it's "many years away".

[-] JJROKCZ@lemmy.world 2 points 2 weeks ago

Ah so once the patent has been used to its fullest lol

[-] jubilationtcornpone@sh.itjust.works 3 points 2 weeks ago

Intimidated is good in this case but a table saw is not really any more dangerous than a radial arm saw. You also don't have to worry about the blade riding up and grabbing the material. A good (cabinet saw or high end contractor) table saw is a very accurate and vesatile tool.

A solid low cost option is a Craftsman 113 series which, with the right model (10 inch belt drive) and upgrades, is an excellent saw. There's still a whole lot of them sitting around in garages collecting dust, ready to be picked up for less than a couple hundred bucks.

[-] Death_Equity@lemmy.world 8 points 2 weeks ago

I know a guy who's dad cut off a couple fingers showing someone how to safely operate one. I think the best way to operate one is to never turn it on and sell the cursed tool to some rube.

[-] captain_aggravated@sh.itjust.works 2 points 2 weeks ago

I'm comfortable using a radial arm saw for the same tasks you'd use a sliding compound miter saw, plus dadoing. Granted, it's operating in a climb cut mode by design so it can run toward you, so it isn't as safe as a miter saw. It's where you get into the stupid things they used to say they can do while trying to market them as do-all wonder tools that they become hilariously dangerous.

There's a conversion I quite like for radial arm saws: Take the circular saw off and replace it with a router. Now you've got an over-arm router table.

[-] nova_ad_vitum@lemmy.ca 1 points 1 week ago

What makes them more dangerous than a sliding Mitre saw in this orientation? Obviously tilting it until the blade is parallel to the workbench is terrible but like this I've never understood how they're any more dangerous.

[-] Peppycito@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 week ago

The direction the blade spins means it can jump towards you if it binds. Like any tool, it's safe when you use it right, but a moment of inattention could be messy. Mainly I find the ripping set up terrifying.

[-] nova_ad_vitum@lemmy.ca 2 points 1 week ago

Agreed on the ripping setup .

[-] ytsedude@lemmy.world 4 points 2 weeks ago

I don't own a radial arm saw, but is that not backwards? The left side of the guard has the smooth slope, which seems like it'd raise up over a workpiece easier than the right side. But take my comment with a grain of salt...

[-] CrimeDad@lemmy.crimedad.work 2 points 2 weeks ago

In the photo, the yoke is configured for crosscutting with the blade perpendicular to the fence. After clearing the fence the guard is supposed to rest on the workpiece. When configured for ripping, the yoke is rotated so that the blade is parallel to the fence and the workpiece is fed into the side with the curved guard edge, which smoothly rides over the workpiece.

[-] ytsedude@lemmy.world 2 points 2 weeks ago

Ah, nice. Thanks!

[-] Iheartcheese@lemmy.world 4 points 2 weeks ago

I'd say yes but, at the same time, I failed shop class and that was like 20 years ago.

this post was submitted on 08 Jun 2024
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