Reconsidering the Radial Arm Saw
Few tools have fallen from favor over the years quite like the radial arm saw. Once touted as a jack-of-all-trades, necessary for every American home, it’s largely used to gather dust in most shops now.
However, the radial arm saw still has some devout users.
Many find it to be just as safe and more versatile than the table saw. Obviously a radial arm saw is good at crosscutting, but is it better than a sliding miter saw? While it may be able to rip, can it do so as well as a table saw? How versatile is the saw? And, as often discussed, is it safe?
A SHORT HISTORY. The radial arm saw was invented in 1923 by Raymond DeWalt. At the time, cutting down long timbers had to be done on a table saw, and you can imagine the trouble that caused. Looking to streamline production, DeWalt brought the motor and blade out from the table, attached them to a carriage, and mounted them on an arm. His invention was the raidal arm saw.
These original saws were industrial grade, with blades a foot or more in
