For decades the radial arm saw has been written off as a "death trap": a tool to fear rather than master. The Forgotten Powerhouse makes the case that this reputation is overblown, and gives woodworkers everything they need to bring one back to life: real history, honest safety context, and a complete restoration and maintenance guide.
Written for anyone who has inherited a radial arm saw, found one at an estate sale, or had one sitting in the garage for years and never felt confident using it fully. No prior experience with the tool required.
Notify Me at Launch ↓Four passages from The Forgotten Powerhouse, straight from the book.
Woodworking shouldn't be a "rich man's game." One of the biggest barriers to the craft is the skyrocketing cost of lumber. The WoodBodger approach looks at the waste stream as a primary resource.
Recycling wood, whether it's old floor joists, salvaged barn beams, or discarded shipping pallets, is the ultimate way to keep projects affordable.
Traditionally, a "bodger" was a woodworker who worked in the woods, using simple tools and ingenious methods to create high-quality chair legs and parts. They were masters of making do with what was at hand. The WoodBodger project applies that same spirit to the modern shop.
The radial arm saw was invented by Raymond Elmer DeWalt, an American inventor and entrepreneur, in 1922. DeWalt was working as a superintendent at a woodworking operation, where the repetitive task of crosscutting lumber to consistent lengths led him to devise a mechanized solution that would dramatically increase productivity while reducing physical labor.
DeWalt's original concept was elegantly simple: instead of pushing wood past a stationary blade, the blade would travel on an arm over a stationary worktable. The saw head could be pulled through the workpiece, crosscutting it cleanly and repeatably. The arm could pivot to make angled cuts, and the blade could be tilted in its yoke to create bevel cuts. This combination of movements gave the machine extraordinary flexibility.
DeWalt applied for his first patent for the machine in 1923. The patent was granted on March 3, 1925, as U.S. Patent No. 1,528,536. He founded the DeWalt Products Company in Leola, Pennsylvania, in 1924 and began manufacturing what he called the "Wonder Worker." The machine was an immediate success in production environments where crosscutting to consistent lengths was a primary operation.
Restoring a vintage radial arm saw is one of the most satisfying tool restoration projects there is. A machine that has sat neglected in a barn or basement for twenty or thirty years, covered in rust and sawdust, can be returned to better-than-new performance with patience, the right tools, and a systematic approach.
This chapter provides a comprehensive restoration guide applicable to most vintage radial arm saws, with notes on brand-specific considerations for DeWalt, Delta, and Craftsman machines.
The radial arm saw did not leave the American workshop because it was proven dangerous. It left because one manufacturer's cost decision, and a generation of inadequate instruction, produced a recall of historic scale and a stigma that attached to every radial arm saw ever built, regardless of brand or condition.
Radial arm saws have no wooden handles and no cast iron tables to hide behind. Their surfaces are bare metal castings, painted components, and exposed hardware. That's part of what makes them intimidating, and part of what makes proper restoration and care so important.
Where the radial arm saw came from, how it became a home-shop staple, and how its reputation curdled over the decades: the real history behind the "death trap" myth.
Step-by-step guidance for bringing a neglected saw back to safe, accurate, dependable service, with full restoration walkthroughs from teardown to first cut.
Ongoing care: lubrication, corrosion prevention, finish protection, and alignment, plus tune-up guidance so the work sticks.
Yes. It's written for anyone who owns or has found a radial arm saw and wants to use it with confidence, whether that's your first power tool or your fiftieth. No prior experience with this specific tool is assumed.
Brand-specific guidance covers DeWalt, Delta, and Craftsman radial arm saws in depth, alongside restoration and maintenance principles that apply across brands and eras.
The current plan is a spiral-bound, lay-flat workshop edition at launch, with a digital edition to follow for anyone who'd rather read on a screen. That order could still change before launch.
The book is in late-stage editing now. Leave your email and I'll let you know the moment it's ready to order. No spam, just one note when the book launches.
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While the book finishes editing, take a look at the rocking chairs and woodturnings coming out of my shop right now.
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