Radial arm or table saw.

[johnre]

I was actually told that from a original saw company sales associate when I called looking for a retractor. I have a older panel saw and I get quite a bit of tear out but maybe the newer ones have a anti tear strip like tracksaws

The blade itself will have a lot to do with tearout, or lack thereof - specifically, the tooth count and the rake used on the chippers.

No one blade on a panel saw is going to do everything well, so it's usually the lowest common denominator - a generic carbide blade that can cut through junk panels with high abrasive content like MDF, without dulling too quickly. They're not going to change the blade to get you a better cut on whatever it is you're purchasing, like a hobbyist with a track saw might do.

 

[MongoTA]

There's some good discussion in this thread.

My experience?

With the OP already owning a miter saw, I'd also recommend a tablesaw due to its versatility and being safer to use. With those two you're in business.

If you want to flesh things out, I do indeed love my cordless track saw. It can be a very accurate circular saw, or it can be a tablesaw, breaking down sheet goods, though at a slower pace. My track saw is also my "portable table saw".

I have a radial arm saw, an old Dewalt. Got it at auction, a 3phase that I converted to 220v. Radial arm saws are amazingly versatile, they are indeed a jack-of-all-trades type of tool. But yup, plenty dangerous. I only use mine when I'm doing batch production work and I've maxed out my other tools. I love it for nostalgia, I love it for its history, I love it for its throwback looks. I love it because my Dad used to have one, though his was a Craftsman that was a piece of garbage. But I'm ridiculously careful with it. Even though my kids are now grown and out of the house, it's the one tool that's STILL locked out when not being used and I only unlock it when I'm gong to use it.

Enjoy it all, Dave.

 

[Fixr]

One or the other? Table saw, no question. If you have room a radial arm saw is nice to have for the odd dado or some weird cut. That said I started with a RAS and that is all I had for a few years. Then I bought a table saw and rarely used the RAS.

Today I have a Delta Unisaw and the RAS is gone. I sold it because about all I used it for was storage. It had drawers in the base and they were full of wood working odds and ends, and the saw's table was always covered with god only knows what. I came up with other storage that didn't take up floor space and sold the RAS and I haven't missed it one bit.

I needed to cut some dados at a weird angle and did it on the table saw after a bit of thinking. The RAS would have been easier. but for the once in five years odd use it wasn't worth keeping.

I have about $1500 into my table saw and I sold the RAS for $75 and was glad to see it go.

If I tried to fit that rather modest behemoth into my garage, I would have to walk sideways around it. I can't imagine having a tablesaw with full infeed and outfeed tables for 4x8 sheet goods, like some folks (not you) claim is "all you need" for cutting up plywood. Something like that would literally take up my entire garage.

Some people get so married to what they decided would work for them that they get emotionally invested in insisting that it's the best choice for everybody, and that anyone who thinks otherwise is an idiot. The same applies to minimalists who also get evangelical.

Just a bit of philosophical commentary. Carry on.

 

[NUTTSGT]

Table saw or radial arm saw ? I would take the former.

However, I'm not giving up my RAS.

 

[mikedodge]

It all depends on what you're using the saw for. I haven't used my table saw in a few years. I've used my RAS a couple times in the last few weeks.

 

[RAS61]

A table saw hands down first, if you have the room you can then pick up a RAS, people practically give em away, can get one easy under $100

 

[PoorUB]

If I tried to fit that rather modest behemoth into my garage, I would have to walk sideways around it. I can't imagine having a tablesaw with full infeed and outfeed tables for 4x8 sheet goods, like some folks (not you) claim is "all you need" for cutting up plywood. Something like that would literally take up my entire garage.

The outfeed folds down so that helps a bunch space wise, but it is still something like 3x7 feet folded up. I have a larger two car garage, 24 wide x 38 feet deep, so I have a bit of room. It takes up about twice the space as a contractor saw with short wings.

 

[jgrickett]

Just to put in my two cents worth here, I'd suggest that anyone considering using a radial arm saw should purchase a copy of Master the Radial Arm Saw by the late Wally Kunkel, aka Mr. Sawdust. You can get a preview of the book and/or purchase it at https://mrsawdust.com/master-the-radial-arm-saw/overview. The author started out as an advertising copywriter who was assigned the DeWalt account. He was then an amateur woodworker using one of the early Shopsmith machines. He fell in love with the saw, sold them for decades, and established a woodworking school in the process. The book details how to set up a radial arm saw and how to use it safely. It's written specifically for DeWalt saws, but the first thing I noticed on reading it is that the setup and calibration instructions are nearly word for word the same as the ones in the owner's manual for the Craftsman/Emerson RAS sold by Sears and Rigid. I suspect they cribbed them directly from Kunkel's book. The secret to setting one up, btw, is a bit counterintuitive if you're used to a table saw. Step one is making a really flat table. Then you adjust the plane of the table to be exactly parallel to the plane of movement of the saw carriage on its track. Then you adjust for blade heel, squareness to the fence and so on.
I've owned and used both radial arm and table saws for decades, and each type has its strength, weaknesses, and hazards. The RAS looks scary, mainly because the spinning blade is right out there where you can see it. That's also a benefit, because it's out in plain sight, not lurking underneath your workpiece with nothing showing but a blur of teeth poking up from the cut as on a table saw. Either type of saw will be dangerous if you don't take the time to make sure they're properly adjusted and have splitters and anti-kickback devices in place. Blade choice is critical, too. A blade with an aggressive rake to the teeth can bite into the workpiece and self-feed on a radial arm saw. That's disconcerting, but so is having a table saw throw your workpiece through the wall behind you, assuming you weren't stupid enough to be standing in line with the blade while feeding it in.
The radial arm saws, even more than table saws, have suffered from being made cheaper over the years. In particular, the bases on the newer ones are made of lightweight materials, and the table can be knocked out of alignment easily. The tables themselves, which used to be made of either rock maple or straight-grain fir, usually 5/4 or better, devolved into MDF and then into cheaper chipboard, and they're rarely found without serious warping. Kunkel's book tells how to make a proper one and flatly says that if you aren't going to do that, don't bother reading any further.
I currently have a 30-year-old Craftsman 10" table saw, the old one with the cast-iron wings, with a few upgrades like a better fence and a link belt, a Dewalt MBF 9" radial arm saw from the early 1950s, and I've just acquired a 10-inch Rockwell Delta turret radial arm saw only slightly newer. I previously had an older Sears Craftsman 10" radial arm saw. I gave that to my brother-in-law, foolishly thinking that I could do everything with a good miter saw and my table saw. Wrong! There are quite a few crosscutting tasks that are unhandy on a table saw, and even a good dual-angle compound miter saw isn't remotely as versatile as a radial arm saw.

 

[Hakeem]

Super cool video showing how they used RAS for production framing in WWII. 12,000 cuts per saw in an eight hour shift!

It’s 25 minutes and worth watching (in my humble opinion) but if you’re pressed for time, at least check out 6:40 to see the ingenious jig they set up for gang cutting stair stringers

 

[nadogail]

My 12” Harbor Freight compound miter saw gets used a lot more often than the table saw.

 

[Miss the Pontiacs]

Buy the table saw first. I first bought a table saw, then eventually bought a Compound Mitre and then was willed a commercial RAS. Then decided I needed a slider saw. One thing I made sure of that all saws used 10” blades. i gave the RAS to one of my kids due to room constraints and lack of utility. The only thing I miss that the RAS did exceptionally well was cut rough dados.

 

[Max]

Super cool video showing how they used RAS for production framing in WWII. 12,000 cuts per saw in an eight hour shift!

It’s 25 minutes and worth watching (in my humble opinion) but if you’re pressed for time, at least check out 6:40 to see the ingenious jig they set up for gang cutting stair stringers

It's amazing the productivity that they were able to get. There is nothing like a 7.5HP motor driving a 24" blade to cut wood.

 

[rancherbill]

There's a ton of comments here, I agree with

-RAS can be dangerous if not used correctly
-TS can be dangerous if not used correctly
-A decent table saw is probably $400 used

I have in the garage a Craftsman RAS, Ridgid TS and Makita mitre saw. I have built cabinets etc. All my recent projects I have borrowed my son's track saw to take it for a spin I LOVE IT.

I would put my money into a track saw and accessories.

 

[jgrickett]

Super cool video showing how they used RAS for production framing in WWII. 12,000 cuts per saw in an eight hour shift!

It’s 25 minutes and worth watching (in my humble opinion) but if you’re pressed for time, at least check out 6:40 to see the ingenious jig they set up for gang cutting stair stringers

If you don't have it, you should get How to Master the Radial Arm Saw by Wally Kunkel. In the intro, he talks about how, to meet the demand for housing returned servicemen, the entire town of Levittown, NJ, was built on a mile-long row of Dewalt saws set up like this. They figured that every board needed for a complete house was pre-cut every 26 minutes. He also mentions that during WWII the Army allocated scarce strategic materials for a special run of DeWalt's biggest saws to be built with magnesium instead of cast iron. They were mounted on two-wheel trailers, complete with an electrical generator to run them, everything but the tires and the windings of the motor and generator made of magnesium, to be dropped by parachute into remote sites wherever they need wood beams cut for bridges. That's how important they were considered at the time.

 

[jgrickett]

Table saw is far more versatile than any other. I've never used a track saw in my life and really can't see why I ever would. Other than portability I see them as a waste of money. RA's are dangerous and inaccurate unless you get into the industrial level and I don't think you're there yet.

I won't get into a debate over the dangers, or lack of, in a RAS; it's a matter of taste. Any power tool is dangerous if it's not maintained and not used properly. I do think you're overlooking a middle road for the RAS, though. The newer, cheaper variety are built too lightly and are prone to getting knocked out of alignment, and modern versions of the good ones, like those made by the Original Saw Company, are seriously expensive, but there are tons, literally, of the old DeWalt and Rockwell-Delta saws out there. Even up into the Sixties, those were built hell-for-stout, way beyond what currently passes for industrial equipment now, which is why there are still so many out there. Parts can be an issue, especially for the Rockwell-Deltas, but that's true for any old tool. I found my DeWalt MB for $75 and my Delta turret RAS for $100. Even doubling that figure to allow for replacement parts needed, those are bargains.

 

[jgrickett]

Here is my breakdown of what I process wood with.
1) Miter saw. I have a cheap CM 10" with a Kreg material stop system that works great
2) Table saw. If you will be processing full 4x8 sheets of material a larger in-feed and full 8ft out-feed table make them much more user friendly.
3) Track Saw. Much easier to process 4x8 sheets of material, but imho that is about the extent of use for a track saw.
4) Circular saw. I have a worm drive and it's got the power needed for everything. It does a good job with panel products but isn't as easy or reliable to setup as a track saw.

I'm an old tool junky, and it shows in the shop. I do have a good Hitachi dual bevel compound miter saw that's handy for things like decking, plus a little Skil flooring saw that I bought cheap, but I don't use either for serious cabinet work. I've looked at track saws, but never could justify the expense of a good one. What I do have for breaking down sheet goods is another classic, a Porter-Cable 321 worm-drive trim saw. I first saw one on the old Norm Abrams New Yankee workshop and wanted one for decades. If you haven't seen one, it's like a scale model of your big worm drive framing saw, but with the little 4-1/2" blade on the right side. I found mine for sale on FB Marketplace for $25. The owner had bought it for one job, years back, and was tired of looking at it. I handed him the money, grabbed the saw, and ran before he could change his mind.
For the serious stuff, I have a 30-year old Craftsman 10" contractor saw with the long fence Emerson made for their identical Rigid saw, plus a few more upgrades, and a DeWalt MB, the beautiful little 9" RAS they made for home shops and small cabinet shops, essentially their big construction monster scaled down to fit in a serious home shop. Finally, I'm in the process of restoring another of Norm Abrams' favorites, a Delta turret 10" RAS

 

[bpwoodworking]

Omga makes a really nice RAS and because people are terrified of radial arm saws, they can often be had used for next to nothing.

I have been using my rehabbed Graule. First cuts were in 6.5” x 4.5” hardwood.

 

[rancherbill]

That video reminded me of when I was working in a Truss plant. One saw man could keep 20 - 30 assemblers busy. One guy on the forklift bringing lumber and one guy stacking and marking of output.

They are a nice tool for the home shop. I can think of three lumber yards / stores around here that use them all the time. I cannot remember seeing a miter saw being used at a lumber store.

 

[Hakeem]

That video reminded me of when I was working in a Truss plant. One saw man could keep 20 - 30 assemblers busy. One guy on the forklift bringing lumber and one guy stacking and marking of output.

They are a nice tool for the home shop. I can think of three lumber yards / stores around here that use them all the time. I cannot remember seeing a miter saw being used at a lumber store.

I love hearing those stories .. a beast of a tool ready to take whatever you throw at it and ask for more.

An old timer I worked with said a trailer-mounted RAS was a staple at the production framing sites out west. Like you described, one guy on the saw would get fed by a team of a few guys measuring/marking/procuring the lumber. I’ve read stories of mining operations where the RAS would run 24hrs a day to get everything built and setup for some impossible deadline. Awe-inspiring stuff.

I don’t think there’s a mitre saw on the market that would withstand more than a week or two of the punishment an industrial/commercial job site would throw at it. This brick ********* would run your Kapex over and dare you to do something about it: