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.

Also found your post! I still had a couple of boxes of Alba-all 3 flavors, on my shelf-for a couple of YEARS ... there was a close-out @ Albertsons in Delray Bch Fl @ that time & I bought a whole bunch @ a very low price. (They may have restocked since then, I just haven't looked). Well - I started dieting again & began using my 2 boxes I still had left ... wanted to share with you: I learned about Alba when I was in Weight Watchers in Atlanta in the '90's - it was to be used as a milk exchange & if you added milk to it that took care of the 2 milks required for the day !!! Good deal Just by happenstance when I was mixing my Alba with my malted-like mixer - 1 speed only - (I also add 1/3 c of dry milk) for 3 minutes (like making instant pudding) - it comes out like the consistency of pudding &/or whipped cream ... & tastes like a Shake from McDonald's etc p.s. also found www.hometownfavorites.com when Google 'Alba'

ADVANCE PROFILE SETTINGS - Hi Everyone - I strongly recommend you take the time to check this page out on your profile. There is a long list of things that can be irritating for notifications. ADVANCE PROFILE SETTINGS - Near bottom of page there is a blank box for listing your seeds. And it appears this place doesn't care about where you live for seed exchanges - they don't seem to be dividing North America for seed restrictions. Finally we're back to open trading again! Peggy

Really depends on what you are using it for. I think most of us use it for whitening which pure sodium percarbonate will do. If your using a powder detergent there's more than enough carbonates in it to boost the SP. Another thing to remember pure SP has no bleach activator in it and will require super hot water to activate it..I think if I remember 140F to activate it. I really only use pure sc when I'm washing whites of course but I'm in the mood to play around with a non whites detergent LOL otherwise I just use Tide with Bleach powder or Persil Pearls. .they are both loaded in oxi and have the activator. Anyway Timsmommy..Happy Washing lol