I am going to "dredge up an old thread" because it's so difficult to find good information about radial arm saws. A great deal of information is wrong, or misleading. Even the wood working forums have very dogmatic posts about them, which stick to the old narratives, and aren't based on facts. I own 7 radial arm saws, and I have been studying them daily for 6 months. I bought 7 radial arm saws, to try to get to the bottom of all "rumors" and "myths" about radial arm saws. The biggest myth of all, one that is totally wrong, is that "you should not rip boards" on a RAS because it's "more dangerous than crosscutting." In fact, the opposite is true! I am now using my 1978 Craftsman aluminum radial arm saw for daily use. It's a 10" blade, 10 amp 120 volt saw, model 113-1977. The saw cuts so accurately, it's astonishing. This is considered a "cheap" saw. But in reality it's an extremely good design with almost no flaws. These saws are far better than their reputation would suggest. Some things I've learned about Radial Arm Saws: -The bad reputation of radial arm saws is due to user error, and myths being spread about them on the internet. -Radial arm saws require advanced machine and tool knowledge. They are not a "plug and play" fixed tool, with fixed settings. -Once a radial arm saw is adjusted they are absolutely dead accurate in both crosscuts and rip cuts. -They are not dangerous to use for rip cutting, if done properly. The stories you hear about "bad kickbacks" are likely always the result of improper operation. -In actuality, cross cutting is by far the most dangerous operation on a radial arm saw. Because the blade carriage moves freely on ball bearings, and you can pull the spinning blade towards you at any time, with barely any force required. -I've never found any stories of anyone losing a finger from rip cutting on a RAS. However, there are many stories of people losing a finger while doing a crosscut, while pulling the blade towards their body. These stories were people who had limited experience. -Obviously, pulling a spinning blade towards you, while doing a crosscut, is extremely dangerous. Ripping a board does not require moving the blade, and so the blade cannot "accidentally" come towards your body. This makes rip cutting inherently safer. -A table saw is more dangerous than a radial arm saw, for ripping boards. Because most table saws are used with the blade entirely exposed, with no blade guard and no anti-kickback pawls. A radial arm saw is always used with the blade guard and anti-kickback pawls installed. -My "cheap" 1978 Craftsman saw does beautiful rip cuts. The cuts are dead accurate, without a single blade mark, and no burning. -Using a push stick, and a push block for rip cuts and for holding small parts during crosscutting. Never put your hand near the blade, or in the path of the blade. -You can just as easily "push" a radial arm saw into the wood. The wood will not go flying, unless you are cutting unsafe, round shaped or warped material. Hold the wood down firmly or clamp it down. -A radial arm saw is so quiet, you can run it all day without hearing protection. It's literally half as loud as a Skillsaw! This is because there is no gearbox (worm gears) in a radial arm saw. They have a direct drive motor, and so they are extremely quiet. The dogmatic rumors about radial arm saws have ruined some of the public perception of them. The stories of them being dangerous for "rip cutting" are entirely unfounded, because most of the stories of bad amputations on radial arm saws are from "crosscutting" not ripping. Yes, rip cutting can be extremely dangerous, but not more dangerous than using a table saw. A table saw is the most dangerous saw in existence, and causes more amputations than any other saw (in my opinion). Table saws are used without a blade guard, and one wrong move or a slip, can allow your hand to go straight into the blade. The blade also tries to "twist" the wood out of your hand, which inadvertently draws your hand straight into the spinning blade. A properly set radial arm saw cannot "twist" the wood during a kickback, because the wood cannot "climb" up onto the outside edge of the blade. The design of a table saw is extremely dangerous, although people rarely talk about how you shouldn't use one. I'm posting this to try to dispel some of the incorrect dogma which is focused on the radial arm saw, for no good reason. In reality, all circular saws are extremely dangerous. As a result of all the misinformation and vague rumors about radial arm saws, I fully believe that radial arm saws are due for a resurgence in popularity. I am writing this post on March 5, 2022. At the time of this posting, you can purchase a good used radial arm saw for $40 to $75. Many good clean radial arm saws are being left out in the rain, and so in the future, a good clean saw will be impossible to find. At the time of this writing, there is an incorrect belief that a sliding miter saw is the "same" as a radial arm saw, but better. But in reality a radial arm saw has a universal motor that can be used as a grinder, a buffer, a sander, a metal cutter, a wood cutter, a dado cutter, a wire brush tool, a drill, a mill, and a planer. Anything you can "imagine," you can probably do with a radial arm saw. That's why they are due for a huge renaissance in popularity. If you buy a radial arm saw, forget all the negative stuff that is said about them. Read the owners manual, follow the instructions and make the correct adjustments. Then you'll have an amazing tool that can be used for hundreds of wood working operations. My favorite tool is the radial arm saw, which is why I now own 7 of them. This post is only my non-expert opinion. Please do your own research, use your own discretion and caution. Read the owners manual on your saw. Always follow the proper safety guidelines in your owner's manual. My 1978 Craftsman 10" RAS.

Dear Faron: My husband read my post and made some corrections. I'll answer you and make the corrections below in UPPER CASE. I'M NOT YELLING, THOUGH :) 1) You applied a tinted latex primer over contractors work. Correct? YES 2) Exactly what primer & tone of color were used? BENJ MOORE PRIMER FRESH START ACRYLIC. STONE SOMETHING, A MEDIUM COLOR AT 50% WAS USED TO TINT. 3) Your own joint-compound repairs were done OVER this newly primed surface?? YES, BUT IT REALLY WASN'T THE SEAMS, IT WAS MORE SLIGHT LOW AREAS IN THE SKIM COAT. 4) Were YOUR repairs primed over? YES WITH THE SAME BENJ MOORE FRESH START. 5) What do you mean by the "joint-compound with a latex additive"? Or, am I mis-reading this? HUSBAND CORRECTED ME THAT IT WAS A VINYL SPACKLE. 6) At any point...was the wall ever sanded AND vacuumed off?? THE WALL WAS SANDED DOWN TO A SMOOTH FINISH AND WIPED WITH A DRY CLOTH PRIOR TO PAINTING. This is what we determined. Yesterday morning was foggy/dewy. This is being painted in our future house (old construction though) where no a/c or heat was run. Husband said the windows had condensation on the outside. The bubbling occurred most on the wall near the windows. The clue to our answer is, "Why didn't we have problems the first time we primed but had problems the second time we primed when the same products were being used each time." Now that we know the cause and will run the a/c or heater to dry any area prior to painting ever again, BUT what's the best way to handle what we have now? - Sanding, patching, repriming the bubbled areas...is it going to peel in adjacent areas? - If it didn't bubble, is it ok to paint the final coat of Benj Moore Regal Eggshell? Or do we need to Kilz now to try to prevent the whole wall from peeling off? Any insight is REALLY, REALLY appreciated. He worked a long time on that large entry way with 15' ceilings and are just sick over it. Thank you.

I lost a pair of glasses on the boat last year. I felt sure they were there, but never could find them. I finally went to Zenni and replaced them. DH found the original pair a few weeks ago. There is a small cubby hole near my side of the bed that contains some seldom used plumbing. He was poking around in there and *poof*, my glasses appeared. Certainly not a place I would have thought to look. I told him to leave them on the boat, since I've replaced them. Will I be able to find them again?

Build for what you want, and that includes where to splurge........do you want to splurge in the shower, because you love showers, do you wish you had underfloor heating, or is vanity space and storage really important to you? What really bugs you that you want to change to get rid of an annoyance? I would think in that direction if you're wondering where to spend reasonably and where to splurge.