Hello all
Has anyone had experience with using a radial arm saw for cutting 4×8 sheet stock ,rabbits and dados for building a very basic white finished bath vanity/cabinet(s)? the type of cabinet you would normally find in a standard production built track home .Also using A relatively inexpensive Kreg brand pocket hole jig to screw together the face frames?I know the most popular tools of choise are a table saw,planer and jointer, any one have experience doing a” work around” in this regard? Jesse
Replies
I'm sure it can be done..........
And the first major pc of equipment after a table saw that I purchased some 30 yrs ago was a radial saw (wanna buy it?).
It is not the safest method for ripping.
Depending on the brand and model, not the easiest.
I would think you'd be best off using a good circular saw and a shoot board. The melamine will plague you a bit with either due to the way it likes to chip, but by keeping the show side down, you can minimize it.
Face frame material you might still be able to buy what we used to call cupboard stock (in pine, poplar and oak) - 1-3/4" wide stock.
I'd get a good mitrebox, the shoot board and circ. saw and your kreg and have at it. The radial saw is in my opinion, too limiting and damn too scary (for ripping). Put the money into a good portable table saw for the dado's..............can be done with a router if you have one. The table saw is very good for ripping face frame, you can use a power planer for the edge work. This gives your shop mobility.
workaround..
Pretty much what calvin said except I would suggest a router with a flush trim bit or a decent 1/2 sheet pad sander rather than a power planer for tuning up the face frame. Both these tools are really handy for other carpentry/woodwork endeavors. Even that wouldn't be required if the cabinet sides aren't exposed, you could do all the sanding by hand. Come to think of it you could tune it all with a sanding block if so inclined , even for exposed sides. Even feasible to ease the edges that way.
I bought a dewalt radial arm in 1979, possibly my worst tool investment of all time......