Delta calls this a "Professional" RAS, and when I look at
the construction, the gauge and quality of the materials used, and the
quality of the finish, I agree that it deserves the title. My saw will
remain in my shop in the position I set it in but if you were a contractor
or carpenter who needed a RAS on various job sites, this saw is heavy duty
enough to handle the rigors of being hauled around in the back of a truck
and getting generally banged around on at the construction site. You might
have to make some minor adjustments to the table to insure it is level but
everything else should hold tight.
Accuracy should never be a problem with this saw once you
have it set up and tuned up. One of the Craftsmans I had had a terribly
wobbly feel to the head as it slid down the length of the track arm; you
could actually grab the handle and twist the head back and forth enough
that you could cut dados with a regular cross-cutting blade! I made all
the adjustments I could to the saw but never felt that it was quite right.
The ball bearing slide mechanism on the Delta has a great feel to it and
there is absolutely no side-to-side play at all no matter how hard you
twist on the handle.
The same tolerances were maintained throughout the saw's
construction, which means you can be confident using it for any type of
cutting - even the most delicate work involved in making fine furniture! I
know the RAS has a reputation of being a "construction" tool; one that is
best suited on the job site whacking at 2 x 4's all day, but a saw of this
quality will be a welcome addition to even the finest furniture maker's
shop.
We probably all know at least a few woodworkers who own a
RAS but not a table saw, and sure, you can do just about anything on a RAS
that you can on a table saw. But frankly, I don't really like ripping that
much on the RAS, and there are other tasks that are better performed on
the table saw too. But there are things the RAS is far better at than a
table saw, so why not own them both? You'd then have a full compliment of
tools for ripping and crosscutting! But you know what? I've already
used my RAS for a ripping job. I had my table saw set up to rip the sides
of a cornet cabinet at 67.5 degrees, and, needing a couple of braces for
another side job, I didn't want to mess with setting the table saw blade
back to 90 when I still had a lot of cutting on the angle left to do. It
took me a few minutes to finally look over my shoulder at the RAS, but
when I did I know I grinned ear-to-ear when I realized how much more
versatile my shop is with the addition of the RAS.
Costing right at $700 US, the saw is priced about the same
as a contractor's table saw. When you consider the cost of a new power
compound miter saw, especially one of the really cool sliding types,
you're talking at least half that price, and the RAS can do so much more
for you. You'll never have the cutting capacity with a miter saw, and you
can't cut dados with a miter saw - sliding or not! That's one of the
things I will use this saw for the most. Dados cut across long boards can
be very dangerous to cut on a table saw, and there is so much setup time
involved with using a router and straight edges. Just mount your Super
Dado blades to the RAS, raise it to the required height and you're ready
to cut dados all day! Great for lap joints too!
The blade that comes with the saw is not worth the metal it
is stamped from, and the Delta rep gave me a Delta 60 tooth carbide tipped
blade and asked me to use it for the review. If you buy this saw, I would
ask them to do the same for you - throw in the better blade! (Don't ask
the retailer to cover this cost, ask that Delta does!) Blade changes are
relatively easy because the blade guard is so well designed. Loosen one
knob and it's ready to slide out of the way. The guard is made with a kind
of tongue that slips over a groove on the motor head. The two mate up very
well and the bolt and knob assembly are beefy enough to really clamp the
guard in place securely. The anti-kickback device on the guard is well
designed and constructed. Just remember to take the time to adjust it for
the material you're cutting or it won't do you any good at all!
All the locking levers are heavy duty and feel like they can
take a lot of oomph. Some people still have the idea that you have to
tighten something as tight as humanly possible and then go another quarter
turn, but when you lock down the miter lock or the motor head locking
levers, you get good feedback that lets you know when they're tight
enough. I also like the elevating handle. It doesn't take Steve Austin to
crank the saw up or down and it's a fine enough thread that you can easily
make vertical adjustments of 1/64" or less. The 12" Craftsman I had seemed
like it moved 1/4" by just looking at the crank! It was really tough to
make that last little adjustment to get the blade height exactly where you
wanted it. Not so with the Delta.
I guess the only real complaint I have is the dust
collection port. It just doesn't seem to work for me. Maybe I don't have
enough CFMs with my dust collector to pull the sawdust out but I don't
think so. There's so much velocity behind the dust as it flies off the
bottom of the blade that it wants to go straight out the back. You can
make some type of collection device to place directly behind the blade to
solve this problem like I did or simply enjoy watching a huge cone of saw
dust grow off the wall behind your saw! :-)
Lastly I want to thank Coleman Fourshee and the great folks
at
Klingspor's Woodworking Shop for supplying me with this
great saw. There aren't really that many mail order tool companies that
carry the RASs but Klingspor's has the Delta 33-830
10" Radial Arm Saw in stock right now. If you need a RAS
with even larger cutting capacity, they also stock the
Delta 33-890 12" Radial Arm Saw,
and can ship either one to you
tomorrow! At $699.95 for the
33-830, and $1659.95 for the
33-890, you'll not find a better price, nor will you find a
better Radial Arm Saw for any price!
Cheers,
Robert J. Brown
January 2002
