converting radial arm to router
alwaysoverbudget
| Posted in Tools for Home Building on
i have a older craftsman radial arm that i haven’t used in 7-10 years.it’s time to do something with it besides a bench to throw everything on.
they used to have a router attachment for these saws.anyone every use one for that?
i can see where it would be easy to adjust height and the in/out for the router bit. drawbacks might be ,you got a 3″ bit spinning in the air,saftey?
i’m not sure on rpm but i would guess it would fall in the 5k rpm range,so might be to slow.
anyone ever used these for a router?????????
option 2 is graigslist or take the motor off and sell it back to sears for a 100.
YOU ONLY NEED TWO TOOLS IN LIFE – WD-40 AND DUCT TAPE. IF IT DOESN’T
MOVE AND SHOULD, USE THE WD-40. IF IT SHOULDN’T MOVE AND DOES, USE THE
DUCT TAPE.
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I used my RAS with the router attachment to make most the moulding from my house 40 years ago (when poor, young and dumb). I'd usually make an outboard fence with a 2x4 with the cutter as far back as possible.
I CANNOT conceive of even trying to use that 4" single blade finger butcher ever again on the RAS, even more of a fear factor than ripping on RAS. (have not ripped anything on a RAS for about 35 years either!)
the 3 blade guy could make lots of different cuts with different blades in each slot, but sure could vibrate then too!
The larger diameter worked better on RAS.
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Edited 3/29/2009 10:42 am ET by junkhound
I also have made many feet of trim with the kits you show.
Single blade unit is great for custom cuts as you only need to make one blade. Trick is to make sure you cover as much of the blade as you can!
I agree. I love those single blade units for custom cuts. Like a molding plane, only less work, more fear.VERY scary!I tried to grind a custom three-blade setup once, dividing each cutter into three sections, two of which were ground too deep to make the final cut. Each blade had one section, left, middle, or right, that was exactly on profile.It was a good idea, and it worked, cutting more smoothly than a one-banger. But it was hard to fine-tune, and it was three times the grinding, so I haven't done that again.AitchKay
You're crazier than I am. I have reground router bits (HSS) to new profiles, and take one wing out of the cutting action, but 3 elements? Yeah, thats crazy.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
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Well, as I said, nice idea, PITA, won't do it again. But for someone with a good knife-grinding setup, it could be a nice idea.That was back before I got my Stanley #45, and learned how to nibble from the far end of the molding, working back.The #45 is no substitute for a chest full of wooden molding planes, though -- it's heavy and clumsy comparatively. But it was invented during the machine age, when people were phasing out hand work. So one plane could do the work of a dozen or more, even if it was a bit clumsy on those rare occasions when it climbed out of the tool box.And even now, it's good for guys like us who have power tools for most of our work.My old partner had a #55 -- man, that thing was tweaked!AitchKay
I have a 55 by Craftsman from wayyyy back whenever Stanley's pat. expired. I use it fairly often for short runs of odd ball stuff, I made a few new irons for it.
Heck, I just made a plane Thursday..lemme get a pic of it.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
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Damm..lost my post..ok here we go again.
I lost my best scraper and have some lacewood to surface so I made a steep plane, like a molding plane angle.
Body is teak and Sycamore, Iron is a 12" sawblade body chunk.
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I had to do an end around to embed, else the page expires..the teak came from a plywood bunk chock..the sycamore side were firewood.
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computer is hinky today..maybe this will work.
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Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations
They kill Prophets, for Profits.
Edited 3/29/2009 7:27 pm ET by Sphere
Edited 3/29/2009 7:29 pm ET by Sphere
Edited 3/29/2009 7:31 pm ET by Sphere
Edited 3/29/2009 7:33 pm ET by Sphere
Yeah, pretty steep == almost a scraping plane.Nice work, Dude.Did you just bandsaw out the blade blank?And that would be an HSS blade, right? I'll bet a carbide blade wouldn't be spinning on as high-quality steel.AitchKay
Yeah, that blade came on my Bosch 12" slider..recon from Toolking..didn't even have a decent blade. I cut it with an angle grinder and thin disc. Decent steel.
No chip breaker so the angle being tall helps it too.
I got spare time, I may whack out a few to sell of various kinds and sizes.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations
They kill Prophets, for Profits.
My first serious tool was a 9" B&D RAS, and I worked it to death. I still have a 9", 10" and 12" Craftsman. I don't use them any more, but I've got a baluster job coming up like J. Russ posted earlier. I'm thinking of setting up one of the RAS as a loose tenon mortiser. 1 1/4" X 1 1/4" stumps, even if I just use it to drill for dowels I think it'll be a lot safer pulling the cutter into a locked piece of wood than pushing the wood into the cutter.My first shop was a 40 passenger school bus w/ that 9" RAS. Good thing I never had to get the bus inspected...no rear windows left<G>http://www.tvwsolar.com
I went down to the lobby
To make a small call out.
A pretty dancing girl was there,
And she began to shout,
"Go on back to see the gypsy.
He can move you from the rear,
Drive you from your fear,
Bring you through the mirror.
He did it in Las Vegas,
And he can do it here."
Real nice work ..D It tickles me the way you chose the vignette format... hehe . It looks great ,but for the life of me , i would of never occured to me ... Good on you
'Vignette format" LOL
I didn't TRY to do that, either my camera is wonky or I had my hand in the way. I wish I could do that again for a picture that matters!
Planes are simple to make really , at least this kind. scrap wood and scrap steel and about as long as it takes for the glue to dry and slap some BLO on the finished product.
It works like a dream for gnarly wood.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
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What a hoot, i dont know what was more pretentious. Me knowing the vignette format, or thinking it was intentional. Ah well boobs come in pairs..............
You's jest swave and daBoner, that's all!AitchKay
wit dat ial ill unscrew some pussyfussy and retried........
Thanks for the photos of the "steep plane" that you made. They are inspirational.
Now if only I can find some spare time......sigh.
I wondered if a key cutting machine could be used to cut profiles. One blade is easier to shape.
I want a power feeder next to save me time and get a smoother result.
"I wondered if a key cutting machine could be used to cut profiles. One blade is easier to shape."I like that idea. It probably would need a different cutting wheel, since keys are pretty soft, especially compared to tool steel. And I wonder if it would have enough range of adjustment -- keys only need about 1/8" max.But I like the idea of cutting out a pattern in a scrap of laminate or something, and clamping that into the machine as the pattern to duplicate.Probably the thing to do is just take a good look at a key machine, and copy the concept of the carriage.AitchKay
I CANNOT conceive of even trying to use that 4" single blade finger butcher ever again on the RAS
Used mine ONCE, came with the new Sears RAS I bought in about '70.
Found the piece of wood, it was on the floor under the dent in the DW across the garage.
Never did find the piece of the cutter blade though.
I (like you) still have that cutter set, can't say why. Tried to give it away a few times but nobody seems to want it. Have the other 3 blade set too, but it scares the hell out of me too.
Joe H
well you guys gave me enough nudge to decide i like my fingers just the length they are.
so i jerked the motor off and going to send it back to sears for 100. run a ad on craigslist for the stand for 20. and sold it in 30 minutes.
so thats one more ras to bite the dust.
thanks larryYOU ONLY NEED TWO TOOLS IN LIFE - WD-40 AND DUCT TAPE. IF IT DOESN'TMOVE AND SHOULD, USE THE WD-40. IF IT SHOULDN'T MOVE AND DOES, USE THEDUCT TAPE.
Sure glad to hear somebody takes old f@rts advice <G>
BTW, I've sent in 3 of the RAS for the $100 - tell folks at garage sales when they have them for sale for $20 or $40 how to send them in, they don't want to bother!! - so I buy them. Still have 2-1/2, do find them useful for crosscuts.
Never tried to sell the stands, just the one that was on a stand away.
I have salvaged and used the Sears RAS column for a height adjustment mechanism on a 'real' router table though.
I had three of those cutter heads and made all the molding for my Victorian using them, too, except on a TS. I used the straight inserts to cut the slots for many hundreds of knife blocks i made for art fairs when i first started that business. I was poor, young, and dumb, too, but it's not like i had a death wish or anything, so i only used the RAS for cut-off.Like you, i can think of lots better ways to do it now.
The outboard end is too slow, you need either the 3 knife molding head ( like Art showed) OR actually mount a router on the yoke somehow.
Ryobi had a small 8.5" RAS that DID have the RPM on the out board shaft..I made 100's of feet of custom molding with one. That motor spun up way faster than the 3450 of a reg. RAS. 5K on the blade IIRC, and 22K on the shaft.
I agree that the single knife molding heads are insane. Even in a table saw they are just too prone to taking too much of a bite.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations
They kill Prophets, for Profits.
If you can get your hands on a Fine woodworking issue back in August of 1981 by Dennis Wilson. Probably have a better luck with a google search. He shows how to turn a R A S into a Pin Router. Also with some threaded black pipe components , to make your own. I believe if you remember 8 tracks you have the where it all to hook a R A S . And conceptualize the router on the saw . Give it a whirl , what do you have to lose. Dont let Sears get the best of you ..... L O L .
Edited 3/29/2009 12:37 pm ET by alias
I remember that article. Unbelievable!
I have a Ryobi 10" RAS. Only used for crosscutting. This has a universal type of motor (with brushes) and the saw blade runs about 4500rpm with a small belt reducer. The motor runs at about 20,000 rpm, much like a router. There is a router adapter that fits onto the other end of the motor shaft, on the opposite side of the saw blade. Haven't tried this setup, also the adapter is for 1/4" bits only.
My concern is that the airflow in the motor is from the back end (router end) to the saw blade end. Helps keep the motor clean when sawing, but may be bad if used as a router.
I’ve got an old Montg'y Wards RAS with a 20,000 RPM motor and spindle that I got used in ‘75. It came with a router collet and a 1/2†shaper spindle. It’s got another PTO spindle which spins at 3,650, IIRC.
It was handy for a lot of stuff, but you really had to go nuts with hold-downs, feather-boards, etc.
One neat thing was that you could tilt the head to make different cuts.
But all I use it for these days is grinding:
Set the butt end of a chisel, plane blade, whatever, in a Vee-block clamped to the table, and, with the power off, move the head in-out/up-down until the curve of the grinding wheel is in the middle of the bevel, away from the edge.
It’s really easy to get a perfect hollow grind, checking the grind as you go, and going back to grind some more. I enlarge the hollow until I see only about 1/32†or less of honed edge, then I switch to a diamond stone, even if my edge is notched.
I can grind a bit, hone a bit, and go back to the grinder again if I want to. I can leave my Veritas or my Eclipse honing jig clamped to the blade all the while -- it doesn’t interfere with grinding.
And I never, ever, have to burn an edge by overgrinding.
AitchKay
Back before music CD's, I recall making a wood cabinet for vinyl records. Used my father's Craftsman RAS with the router bit attachment. A 3/4" router bit with 1/4" shaft to cut rabbits to make the box joints and dado slots for shelves. Used 3/4" sanded plywood. Worked just fine IIRC.
Quantum materiae materietur marmota monax si marmota monax materiam possit materiari?
An overhead router is a great addition to the RAS. I'm assuming this is what you meant and not molding heads. It's basically a shelf to support the router that bolts to the RAS arbor and blade guard mounting bolt. To make one I used a large piece of angle iron. Drilled one hole in the bottom flange for the router bit to project through, a couple of tapped holes to hold the router down. Drilled another hole on the vertical flange to slide over the RAS arbor, then bolted a small L bracket to the top of this flange, this slides over the sawblade guard's mounting stud, to lock the whole setup in place. Works like a charm. Let me know if the explanation is wonky, I can take a snap shot .. ps .. unplug the RAS before starting to use this setup ..
they recalled most of those saws... you might check the net... last i saw... you called them they gave you a Return tracking number and ou shipped them the power head... they send you $100
if thats so on yours... that the best thing you can do with a RAS
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