Radial arm saws are so underrated but I love mine!! I never thought about this option, but I will now! Great video!!

Happy to see someone showing this. I've used a similar surface planer (one sold by Sears years ago) on my Craftsman 10" radial arm saw to plan a 2.5" thick slab of walnut for a live-edge floating shelf for a television. It was way too wide to go through my DeWalt planer and this worked great. There's a lot of hysteria on KZread about the dangers of radial arm saws. I've had mine for more than 45 years (and I picked up another one cheap to keep in a rental house I own). I've only once had an incident I considered dangerous. While I was ripping a long piece, the saw shot a loose knot that I hadn't seen out hard enough to break the very tip of my blade guard. Without the blade guard, if I'd been standing directly behind the saw, I might have taken a hard hit. But I always stand a bit to the side anyway so, at worst, it would have hit my arm. If you use some common sense, I think radial arm saws are plenty safe. But some of the people showing the dangers of using them appear not to know how to use them. I've seen videos where the blade guard wasn't adjusted properly or the anti-kickback pawl was missing completely. For those who haven't seen it, I'd recommend this DeWalt promotional film from the WWII era: kzread.info/dash/bejne/ep17qpKKo9iZkc4.html

I just ordered the chuck from ebay, and a big surfacing bit intended for a router. Can't wait.

This is just a suggestion. For the first board set your height, move it to half past the fence. Set the board against the fence and slide the board along the fence. Turn board 180 degrees and slide against the fence. Move the head out fall a cutter and repeat the two slides against the fence. Continue until you get to the center of the board. Also, The instructions for the Craftsman planers say to only cut half the width at a time. Very strong suggestion. Find a video that shows you step by step how to accurately set up a RAS! It will make your work better, will be safer, and you will be happier! If not correctly, ripping becomes dangerous. Best wishes, Kevin

@tendigitdiy3127

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the feedback Kevin... all good suggestions! I have been meaning to update the video utilizing some of the good advice I’ve gotten since I originally posted... stay tuned!

Just picked up a RAS. I am constantly suprised by it's versatility. Tganks for the vid!

@tendigitdiy3127

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching!

You could also use this on the blade side, with a 5/8 hole disc and gives more clearance/adjustability

That's a great idea. It's like a milling machine

With a curved tree slab, I think you need to mount it firmly to a jig to keep it in one position / one plane for the entire surface planing operation, otherwise any rocking back and forth (as you do in the video) means you'll never get a flat surface. I realize you were likely just demonstrating the possibility of added uses, but it should be mentioned.

Excellent! I like the idea using an angle grinder carving blade - I will look for one of those, as the actual surface planer heads seem VERY hard to find! I have a good number of boards that really need to be flattened, & I'm getting too old to start using a hand plane. No room or money for one of those benchtop planers either.

You can also use the planer knives of the molding head. Better be the bigger head, about 7 inches in diameter. Do it in the rip position parallel to grain and move the wood in the rip position. with the saw locked along the arm. The knives are one inch wide. Hold the wood down with vertical feather board or the likes on both infeed and outfeed.

I've been looking for a way to plane rough lumber that is wider than my jointer. I think this might work to get the lumber flat enough so it doesn't wobble as it goes through my thickness planer.

Great idea If you can mount that cutter You should be able to mount a sanding pad, and run over it after you finish with the cutter. Thanks for Sharing. I plan on giving it a try on my radial arm saw.

@tendigitdiy3127

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching! Yes the sanding pad is on the list but I want to figure out dust control before I go through with it. Let me know how your setup turns out!

If you are going to do some planning, is better if you move the board like ripping, going with the grain thru the cutter not cross cutting (cutter is fixed as you feed the board). You can plane the whole width of the cutter. You need a cut-out on your fence to use it properly. Actually your planner cutter could be use for raise panel on cabinet doors not surface planning. It is a radial arm saw not a planner. Craftman has one that attach to the arbor. This does not look to safe to me, I do not want to be around if this "thing" brakes off the chuck.

Happy New Year ! How low did you lower the cutting surface vs wood ? 1/4" ? 1/8" ? Please advise. Thank you for the great work.

So just a perspective from someone with machining experience. If that cutter is rotating clockwise from the top perspective you're doing what's called a "climb cut" which produces an inferior surface finish. Try feeding your work from the same (left) side and cut on the push stroke so the teeth are pushing your work towards the fence. It should cut down on the chatter as you can control your feed rate without worrying about the cutter trying to "climb" or "drive" toward you. I would also recommend some sort of rapid clamp to hold the substrate secure. FWIW I'm only here looking for ideas on how to convert my RAS to an X/Y mill (like a bridgeport CNC machine but for wood).

@tendigitdiy3127

3 жыл бұрын

Excellent advice my friend! I too have thought about the RAS to CNC conversion... would be interested in seeing the end result if/when you do it!

@antonsworkshopco

3 жыл бұрын

Maybe old drill press with the chuck welded to the main quill? Then just get a sliding vise for it?

@darrenfrith3958

3 жыл бұрын

@@antonsworkshopco I have a chuck that I think I can fit with a keyway.

@antonsworkshopco

3 жыл бұрын

@@darrenfrith3958 sweet drill press or ras?

@darrenfrith3958

3 жыл бұрын

@@antonsworkshopco it’s in my tooling cabinet. I have to look for it but if I remember correctly it was a Morse taper for a Bridgeport that had a keyed chuck on it. It was some weird setup my father had made for some specific job back in the ‘80s.

how does this one compare to the factory craftsman one that you could get for these saws?

Where did you buy this attachment? I’d love to get one!

Where did you purchase accessories for RAS??

Hey friend! there's a video you made of using a harbor freight router with this radial arm saw.Did you lower each pass using the saw's height adjustment?

I agree that the boards are not "perfectly" flat, but for me, they are "flat enough". They are flat enough for finish surfacing with a plane and sander, anyway. The planer blade stays at a fixed distance above the table, so any substantial lack of flatness is because the wood must have moved - which is a very dangerous thing.

My dad has the craftsman planning head for the radial arm saw.

@lucadetomi9269

6 ай бұрын

Please can you share a picture? I have only the attachment for linear planning

I've had a drill press chuck come off a tapered shaft on a milling machine, so I'm wondering if you could use the planer disc on the saw arbor directly? It may require a spacer to reduce the amount of arbor that extends out, but it would me safer in my opinion. It does appear to do a great job of planing and leveling on the slab! I just ordered a planer attachment yesterday so I'm anxious to try it out.

@tendigitdiy3127

3 жыл бұрын

this particular chuck is threaded (female) that threads directly onto the accessory arbor. It’s not press fit like a tapered arbor, so no real danger of the chuck coming off

@Ritalie

2 жыл бұрын

Patrick have you tried a planar attachment yet? I am eager to get one. From what I can tell, the planar attachments only have a 1/64" of cutting head exposed, so you can't accidentally remove too much material and create lines or bumps in the material.

I've been waiting for that brave soul so can try it with my radial arm router what do you think should I go for it?

@tendigitdiy3127

3 жыл бұрын

I find the set up useful! Is it perfect? No. Does it allow a weekend warrior like myself to get great results on projects without spending thousands on a massive 15” planer? YES.

I just got my first RAS, that 10 inch Craftsman model, and I am just learning it from the group up. One of the things I'm hoping to do eventually is is guitar related work, like shaping necks, slots and planing body wood. I've seen a bunch of angle grinder attachments like yours and the planing ones all seem to have a curved blades. A guy below said something about this and I was wondering the same thing. Have you (or any commenter) come across any that have flat blades? Also, I have that old molding cutter attachment with attachable shaped blades, ever seen flat blade inserts? Thanks for putting this up!

@tendigitdiy3127

3 жыл бұрын

Hi Blair, thanks for the comment! So I got my carving disc on amazon, and at the time there seemed to be a “flat” version of the same disc available. I haven’t seen it since though... I have seen the moulding cutters with flat rabbet blades. I have pondered how one of those or even a dado-cutter would work for surfacing. Granted it would be slower, only taking 3/4” or so of surface at a time -but f you’re not in a hurry I think it would work just fine. Good luck and let me know how it works out... I just used my RAS to make a radius sanding block for a guitar build. Hoping to fine-tune the technique and post a video soon

@Ritalie

2 жыл бұрын

They make a Dewalt cast iron planar, circa 1950's, and I think it has flat iron blades. The Craftsman one has 3 flat carbide blades, and in a video I watched, the Craftsman and the Dewalt planar attachments both make perfectly flat boards with no lines or ridges, and no chatter. I have a Craftsman molding head and it included the 3/4" wide flat teeth. I haven't tried it yet, but I know it would work fine for planing, but would require very careful use. The problem is, in the Dewalt manual, they recommend only 1/64" of blade protruding beneath the body of the planar, which they say removes about 1/8" of material each time you make a pass. This seems to imply that the cutter heads should be "barely" protruding and not fully exposed, in order to get a really good flat cut. The body of the planar probably acts as a depth limiter, as in normal planing with a hand plane, so you don't take off too much material due to vibration, etc. Having fully exposed cutters, like on a dado blade, or molding head, or the drill chuck cutter in this video, you probably can't make a perfectly flat cut, due to soft spots in the wood.

@bobbycuesroadhouse2204

2 жыл бұрын

Craftsman makes a rotary planer for their RAS, part number 29513 on eBay

@GraemePayne1967Marine

Жыл бұрын

I got one of the 3-blade shaper head sets about the same time I got my radial arm saw - around 40 years ago. That does include a set of straight planer blades. The blades do need to be sharpened, like any other tool, it is just more difficult on the non-straight blades. I often go to the Habitat for Humanity ReStore location in my area, and a week ago I saw a never-been-used single-blade head set with more and different cutter shapes than mine - absolutely no hesitation getting that one. Of course, thrift stores like that are dependent on what has been donated, so there's never knowing in advance what you might find. IMO, the 3-blade head makes better cuts than the single-blade head. Now I need to sharpen those new cutters and start making chips! And yes, I do have the shaper head guard and I use it, as well as all other proper safety stuff. Still have all of my original body parts, and aim to keep it that way.

I am, as they say, intrigued. Do all arms saws have that accessory arbor, or just certain models?

@tendigitdiy3127

Жыл бұрын

Lots do! most common I’ve found are the craftsman 10” which always seem to have the accessory arbor

I HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR THE SPINDLE ADAPTER FOR MY EARLY '70S CRAFTSMAN R.A.S.. WHERE DID YOU GET YOURS ? I HAVE 1/2" JACOBS CHUCKS FOR IT AND I REALLY WOULD LIKE TO PUT THAT SAW TO WORK IN THE OTHER WAYS IT'S CAPABLE OF. THANKS FOR THE VIDEO AND READING THE COMMENTS YOU HAVE A HIGHLY SKILLED VIEWERSHIP.

@tendigitdiy3127

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching Peter! I found it on Amazon, I believe the brand is “toolocity” or something. Search 5/8” hole saw arbor, or hole saw adapter, etc and you should find one that matches the pic in the video. I forget the cost but I want to say it was around $18? Best of luck to you, let me know if you have any other questions. Oh- one more thing, I’ve found that the arbor nut (I used the one from my angle grinder) gets really really tight on that thing after using it for a while... to make life easier you may want to make sure you have an extra on hand instead of wrestling to get it apart if you need it.

Where can I get one of those chuck attachments? What’s the part number?

@W1ldt1m

3 жыл бұрын

He gave the thread pitch in the video if you have a Craftsman or a power craft saw. Then look on Jacobs site. When I bought one years ago it just came off the shelf at Ace and fit my arbor perfectly.

@armslength2618

3 жыл бұрын

For most Craftsman RAS you will likely find the power take-off is 0.500" OD by 5 threads in a quarter inch (=20tpi), with a right-hand thread (because the PTO is on the opposite side from the arbor). Measure yours directly with a caliper and then a ruler to count the threads yourself to make sure! In that case the part number is probably a Jacobs Model # 31052D. That is available from all sorts of distributors, such as Grainger. There is a huge difference in prices (and delivery charges) between all the different distributors. And there also appear to be very cheap imitations of it floating around too, so buy from a reputable distributor. [By the way, only the arbor side is a 5/8 inch, left-hand thread - which you don't want and don't need for this.] Also note the spindle speed is approx 3500 rpm, which is excessively (dangerously?) high for a drill bit on anything other than soft wood, but is much too low for a router bit, in case you get any other ideas.

And what happens if a cutter gets thrown?

@tendigitdiy3127

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for your question Angela! You mean the mechanism coming loose from the drill chuck? It shouldn’t, and even if it does there’s not enough clearance for it to drop completely out and “ricochet” anywhere. Im sure it would cause a tense moment though! Having used this a bunch of times I’m confident that it poses no greater inherent danger than really using any other power tool. I use a face shield and proper safety gear, and always respect the tool.

The only way to make sure the surface your planing is flat is to attach the workpiece to a flat surface..(sled) for reference off the table and then do this.. to just simply slide a wonky board across as shown will not be accurate.

This looks very safe

@rohrfurniture8180

3 жыл бұрын

Yes thats why you have 2 hands, you get 2 chances

@mekosmowski

Жыл бұрын

Poster's hands are nowhere near the cutter head. A guard would be nice though.

How easy or tough is it yo sharpen the blades?

Not a bad idea, but the reason for the less than perfect finish is the device you are using is actually for creative wood carving, hence the rounded blades. You should look up a good used RAS planer on EBAY. There are quite a few available and like new too! I bought one myself.

@Ritalie

2 жыл бұрын

Do you know if the Dewalt or the Craftsman one is better?

@Dave-co1cv

2 жыл бұрын

@@Ritalie I have a Craftsman for my RAS and it does a very good job. Don't forget, original Craftsman products were still made in the U.S.A., not China.

I’ll be damned i honestly thought it would bog the Motor on the Saw but it appeared to have plenty of Power

@roughroosterknifesharpenin5531

3 ай бұрын

They are 2.5 HP I believe

There good saws but very scary when my top yoke bearing collapsed and the saw dropped while in use no harm done thought

@Ritalie

2 жыл бұрын

Was your saw a Delta? I heard the bigger Delta saws (I think 12") have an issue of the entire carriage falling off mid cut. But not Craftsmans or Dewalts. You'd probably notice long before it "fell off" because it would be sloppy.

@davidbray6515

2 жыл бұрын

@@Ritalie no it was dewalt radial arm saw 125 they only had 3 bearings and the one that you adjusted came loose luckily no harm done

I believe they make one that secures using the same arbor nut that you use when you attached your blade. Nice solution though.

@kashchance3980

2 жыл бұрын

I dont mean to be so offtopic but does anyone know a tool to log back into an instagram account..? I stupidly lost my login password. I would appreciate any help you can offer me!

@axelkonnor409

2 жыл бұрын

@Kash Chance Instablaster ;)

@kashchance3980

2 жыл бұрын

@Axel Konnor thanks so much for your reply. I got to the site thru google and im trying it out atm. Seems to take quite some time so I will get back to you later when my account password hopefully is recovered.

@kashchance3980

2 жыл бұрын

@Axel Konnor It worked and I now got access to my account again. I'm so happy:D Thank you so much, you saved my account :D

@axelkonnor409

2 жыл бұрын

@Kash Chance glad I could help :)

if anything happens to that cutter, you will catch it in the abdomen.

Tuck that thumb when workholding!

I've heard good feedback about the Stodoys plans.

There are these new fangled tools called "hand planes".. jk

How do you remove the drill chuck on the radial arm saw?

@tendigitdiy3127

Жыл бұрын

It’s just threaded on, and honestly has never been too much trouble. I use an arbor wrench on the saw side to break it loose while holding the chuck with a pair of channel locks on the end (part with the holes for the chuck key). May want to wrap the channel locks in electrical tape if you’re worried about them digging into the drill chuck.