RAS vs Sliding miter saw

[Rob]

Have been thinking about trading my RAS and compound miter saw for a Sliding miter saw. I pretty much only use my RAS for cross cutting anyway. I don't really have the room to use it for ripping. And it would really free up some much needed room in the shop. Any thoughts or advice?

 

[scsmith42]

Rob, I think that your plan is logical, especially since you already have a table saw for ripping.

 

[froglips]

In the spirit of full disclosure, I am a RAS-man. I'd never trade my RAS for a SCMS. Unless, I needed portability.

To save space, you might consider reworking the RAS stand and base. Building the RAS into a cabinet comes to mind. I think one of the big space wasters are the splayed legs most RAS sit on.

A main advantage I see is using a dado stack in a RAS. Can't do that with a SCMS.

But, as I said, I'm biased

That said, since you have a nice tablesaw, I'd consider investing in sleds and jigs and skipping the SCMS.

All my points are moot, if you want portability.

Thanks,
RAS-Jim

 

[b4man]

I have a SCMS and it gets more use than any other tool I have.


Barbara

 

[Mike Davis]

A radial arm saw is good for one thing.

Landfill. :rotflm:

Build a great crosscut sled for your table saw and forget all that other stuff.

 

[mkepke]

If you already have a RAS and a CMS, what do you think a SCMS will do for you that the RAS won't ?

IME, most people go to a SCMS from a RAS because they can't make precision cuts on the RAS (for whatever reason) and/or they want the jobsite portability of the SCMS.

You can save some floorspace by, e.g. eliminating the CMS and/or incorporating the RAS table into your shopcabinets (like you could with a SCMS). It may or may not be able to improve the precision of the RAS.

-Mark

 

[gdoebs]

I have the 12" Ridgid SCMS and I only used it for cutting trim in my house. I never really use it in the shop at all. I have the Jessem Master Slide on my table saw and that handles everything! I don't even use my Osborne miter gauge on the TS anymore.

 

[Bas]

A sliding compound miter saw combines the flexibility of a Radial Arm Saw with the precision of the Radial Arm Saw....just kidding

If you're not using the RAS for dado's, then replacing the RAS and CMS for a SCMS to save space makes perfect sense. As for accuracy - a SCMS is definitely more finicky than a CMS. To get SCMS cuts as accurate as CMS cuts, you need to (a) get a really good SCMS or (b) have a really crappy CMS to begin with (mine falls in that category).

 

[sawduster]

I'm a little late to this discussion but I just did that very thing . Stored my RAS for when I build a new shop and set up my sliding miter in it's place. I have more room and I have already used the slider more than I did the RAS as most of my cuts are small and quick
It was a good move for me :icon_thum

 

[jhreed]

Go for it. That is what I would do if I had not recently acquired a 12" compound miter saw Porter Cable. If I could get a decent price for my 12" pc with 3 extra blades, I would purchase a 10" sliding miter.

I used to have a RAS and I used to catch rattlesnakes by hand. Both made me just as nervous. I do not do either anymore.

James

 

[JimmyC]

I've got a DeWalt 12" SCMS and a Craftsman RAS and I like 'em both, but I've got some room in the shop. First of all, the portability of a 12" SCMS is overstated because I've had tablesaws (BT3000) that were more portable. I keep a 10 CMS for portability. The RAS is used by me for cross cuts and dado's, nothing else works as well for dado's, and I like the width of cut capability. The SCMS makes good cross cuts (out to 12"), is easier to set up for miters and has the compound capability.

They are completely different form one another (the SCMS compares with a CMS not a RAS), if you don't need a deep crosscut, dado much and have a tablesaw, then you don't need an RAS. But definitely don't think that a SCMS or a sled for the tablesaw can do what an RAS can do. It's kind if like comparing an orange to a grapefruit... They are both citrus fruits, and are used for breakfast juice drinks but one is much larger than the other and the taste and uses are completely different.

If you don't dado much and need the deeper cutting capacity, then get rid of the RAS.

Good luck Rob !

 

[Cato]

Rob- I am a little late to the thread, but I have just done what you are considering.

I just bought a 10" SCMS, mainly because I wanted more precise crosscuts and thats all I was using the Craftsman RAS for. Plus the floor space issue of the RAS footprint.

I found I was spending too much time trying to keep my RAS in square and it was starting to remind me of my old craftsman table saw issues and why I replaced that as well.

Yeah I'll have to build a rolling cart for the SCMS and incorporate it into the DC, but I think that when all is said and done I will be happier.

The new sliding miter will cross cut almost what the RAS did and is more easily adjustable for my work.