I purchased
my Craftsman Radial Arm Saw in the
late 60's. They were still using the milled cast iron arm at
that time. I built the stand to be exactly the same height as
my old Craftsman table saw so it could serve as a support for
longer stock. If I need even further support, I use a shop built
adjustable height roller stand
which uses an office chair height adjustment mechanism to raise
or lower the roller. The shop built dust
collection hood has a 4" dust port which connects to
a 4" flexible hose with
a friction fitting. A small flexible hose channels the dust from
the blade guard into the dust port
opening.
I rarely move the arm from the 90 degree position. When making repetitive cross cuts, I clamp a shop made stop block to the fence. If the cut-off is small, I use a small spacer block which is removed prior to the cut to prevent the cut piece from being trapped by the blade and kicked out.
A miter jig was made many years ago for 45 degree miter cuts, but I don't use it anymore. A simple depth stop made from a scrap of hardwood prevents the arm from being lowered too far and helps protect the top. Quarter inch hardboard (MDF or masonite) is used on top of the front portion of the table. It is replaced every few years.
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