# Radial-Arm Saw

Hewn Tool Library · https://hewn.build/tools/radial-arm-saw

Corrected: An independent reviewer read this entry and found corrections. They have been applied to the text, and the reviewer re-checked the correction that mattered most for safety and found it done; the others have not been re-checked yet. The list at the end is the record of what changed.

Cite as: "Radial-Arm Saw." Hewn Tool Library, hewn.build/tools/radial-arm-saw. Reviewed 2026-07-30.

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## identity

- **name:** radial-arm saw (RAS); OSHA and Original Saw also use **radial saw**. *Wonder-Worker* was DeWalt's trade name, not a generic alternate name [R3].
- **family / category:** stationary powered woodworking machine — an overhead circular-saw carriage on a horizontal arm above a fixed table [R1][OS1].
- **one-line (review fix 4 — mode-aware):** an overhead circular-saw carriage that travels along a radial arm for crosscuts and can, on models equipped for it, be locked in a rotated position while stock is fed for ripping.
  - **crosscut mode:** the head moves; the stock stays against the fence.
  - **rip mode (approved, equipped models only):** the head is locked parallel to the fence; the stock moves.

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## ✦ How NOT to use it

### dangerous — rebuilt from current controls (review fixes 1, 5, 7, 8, 10)

**The central hazard — self-feed / climb.** In a crosscut the blade's rotation tends to pull the carriage toward the operator; a positive-hook or dull blade, or a forced cut, can make the head grab the stock and run forward [R1][R14]. CPSC's investigation describes operators pulling the arm onto stock too fast so it bounced back into the hand [R10].

**Do not transfer feed habits to a sliding miter saw (holding finding).** Both machines can climb if fed in the wrong direction. Follow the exact model manual: many sliding miter saws require an **out-down-back push cut** — pull the head out without cutting, lower it, push it back through the work — and DeWalt's DWS780 manual warns that cutting on the pull stroke can make the blade climb and **violently throw the blade assembly toward the operator**; Makita's LS1013F manual gives the same push sequence and warns of serious injury [DW780][MK1013]. A radial-arm saw crosscut is normally a controlled pull cut. The two are **not** opposite-and-safe geometries.

**Controls (current hierarchy, per the reviewer's safety notes):**
1. **Recall check first.** Clear the exact model and serial number against CPSC recalls before acquiring, restoring, selling or operating any vintage unit. Craftsman radial-arm saws (CPSC 01-031: ~3.7 million units, ~300 injury reports including amputations) — the remedy changed on **23 July 2019** and the current CPSC record identifies a **$100 refund for return of the carriage** [CPSC-C]. **Ryobi RA200 and RA202** (CPSC 06-212, blade-assembly detachment) — **stop using; no repair is available** [CPSC-R].
2. **Complete, functioning, model-approved machine:** guard, travel stop, return system, fence, locks, blade and operation-specific accessories all present and working [OSHA-R][OS1].
3. **Secure and support the stock;** keep carriage travel within the table [OSHA-E][OS2].
4. **Hands, clothing, jewelry and bystanders out of the blade path and the return path;** never reach across the running blade [OSHA-E][R10].
5. **Wait for full blade stop** before moving material or measuring.
6. **Disconnect and lock out power** for adjustment, alignment, blade or accessory changes, and service [OS3].
7. **Inspect stock** for defects and foreign material.
8. **Eye/face and hearing protection; control wood dust** [OSHA-E].
9. **Correctly sized, rated, model-approved blades and accessories only** [OS4][OS1].
10. **Ripping:** rip only if the model manual permits it and all required model-specific guarding, fence, spreader, anti-kickback equipment and feed controls are installed and adjusted. In covered US workplaces, **29 CFR 1910.213(h)** applies: non-kickback fingers or dogs on both sides for ripping, and the "Danger: Do Not Rip or Plough From This End" marking with feed against the blade's rotation; OSHA's eTool separately recommends a spreader; Original Saw requires its optional Rip Kit on applicable models [OSHA-R][OSHA-E][OS1]. OSHA requirements govern covered workplaces and are strong control evidence, but they do not replace the manufacturer manual or current recall instructions.
11. **Gentle return:** confirm the head returns to the rear without rebound — by installation geometry or an effective automatic-return device [OSHA-R][OSHA-I].

**Injury data, read with its own caveat:** CPSC's stationary-saw report estimates about 2,300 radial-arm-saw injuries in 2001 (~4% of stationary-saw injuries) and **explicitly warns** the estimate rests on a small sample with large variability; it is not a per-unit risk ranking [R10]. Named forum injuries (see *human side*) are human evidence, not epidemiology.

### damaging
- **chronic alignment burden** — many moving and sliding parts; Greg Sznajdruk: keeping alignment is "a ROYAL PITA" [R16]; follow the manual's alignment checks rather than forum technique [OS3].
- **loose carriage** — where accuracy loss and hazard converge [R11].
- **wrong blade** — Peter Leyden: some consumer saws shipped with a large positive-rake blade that "wanted to climb right over the wood" [R17]; use the model-appropriate blade [OS4].

### beginner-trap
- pulling the carriage too fast [R10][OS2];
- running the factory-supplied blade without checking its hook [R17];
- missing or unverified anti-kickback devices — CPSC case data often record "no information" or removal [R10];
- any miter, bevel, swivel or carriage lock left loose [R17].

### lineage-misuse
- **sliding miter saw habits** — see the holding finding above: do not carry a pull-cut habit to a sliding miter saw, or assume either machine's feed geometry is inherently safe.
- **table-saw feed logic** — a table saw feeds stock into a fixed blade from the front; a RAS crosscut pulls the blade through still stock, and a RAS rip feeds stock against the blade's rotation from the marked end. Hennessy's rule — "Cross cuts and dadoes on the RAS, and rips on the TS" — keeps the logics separate [R11][OSHA-R].
- **expecting sheet-goods capacity** — bounded by arm travel [R23].

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## correct use
*Short — the workbench holds operation; the exact model manual governs.*

- **good at:** repeat crosscuts of supported stock to a stop block; wide stock that is awkward to crosscut on a table saw; miters and bevels; dadoes **where the model manual approves the dado set and guard** [R1][OS1][R25].
- **crosscut practice:** carriage and locks adjusted per the manual [OS3]; a suitable low- or negative-hook blade for the model [OS4][R1]; hold the yoke handle and pull the carriage at a **controlled** rate — never let it self-feed; adjusted travel stop; return the head to the rear rest under control [OS2].
- **ripping:** see *matching* and *dangerous* — model-approved, fully equipped, trained operation only.

---

## ✦ matching — the workbench's first read (the reviewer schema notes)

- **general match:** repetitive crosscutting and mitering of supported stock; batch length cuts with a stop block; wide boards [R1][OSHA-E].
- **conditional match — only on models and accessories approved for them:** dadoes, bevels, compound cuts, non-wood materials, and **ripping** [OS1][OMGA].
- **specialist / legacy route:** vintage restoration, only after **model and serial recall clearance** and verification of the safety systems (see *access*).
- **pairs with:** a table saw or purpose-built rip saw for routine ripping [R1][R19]; a dado set where approved [OS1].
- **substitutes, not descendants:** sliding miter saw for much crosscut/miter work; track saw for sheet breakdown; table or rip saw for routine ripping [R1][R11][R23].
- **cannot replace:** a track saw or panel saw for full-sheet breakdown — crosscut width is bounded by arm travel [R23].
- **ripping (review fix 6):** IF the user is a general or vintage-machine owner, THEN route ordinary ripping to a table saw or purpose-built rip saw — practitioner and trade-press sources strongly prefer this (Rod Sheridan: "ripping, an absolute no no in my book"; Tim Inman: "there is NO safe hook angle for ripping on a radial arm saw") [R17][R15]. EXCEPTION: current industrial machines designed and equipped for ripping (Original Saw with its Rip Kit; OMGA models with published rip capacities) may rip as a **model-approved, fully equipped, trained operation** [OS1][OMGA]. The forum view is a preference, not a universal exclusion.
- **accessory heads (review fix 9):** use dado, molding, sanding, boring or other heads **only when the exact machine manual approves the accessory, arbor, speed, guard and operating method**. OSHA requires guarding for each tool used on a combination machine [OSHA-R]. Historical advertising is not permission to mount an accessory on an arbitrary vintage saw.
- **access (mandate rule — no beginner verdict):** use requires instruction in the model's adjustments and locks, blade selection, controlled carriage travel, guard/return/travel-stop checks, workholding, hand position relative to the blade and return paths, lockout, and — for any rip — the model's approved setup and feed direction. A beginner's Sawmill Creek thread records the community steering toward a sliding miter saw plus table saw instead [R19].
- **revival (review fix 15):** vintage cast-iron units have a real following and a dado-station niche [R19][R20]. Any acquisition or restoration is **conditional on**: CPSC recall clearance by model and serial; complete guards and a working return system; the correct manual; locks and electrical components serviceable; parts support; and competent inspection. *(Old forum price figures removed.)*

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## anatomy (review fix 3 — adjustments separated; details and locks are model-specific)

- **column and arm** — the arm swings horizontally on the column to set **miter** angle; arm elevation sets depth [OS1][OS3].
- **carriage** — travels along the arm on bearings; **carriage travel** is the crosscut stroke. Carriage looseness degrades accuracy and safety [R11][R17].
- **yoke** — carries the motor; **swivels the motor/blade into rip position** (parallel to the fence) on models equipped for ripping [OS1].
- **motor tilt** — the motor **tilts in the yoke for bevel** [OS1].
- **locks** — miter, carriage, yoke-swivel and bevel each have their own lock; leaving any loose causes binding [R17][OS3].
- **guarding** — upper guard enclosing the blade to the arbor, lower guarding, and, for ripping, non-kickback fingers or dogs [OSHA-R][OSHA-E].
- **travel stop** — limits forward travel so the blade stays within the table [OSHA-R][OS2].
- **return (review fix 8):** in covered workplaces the cutting head must return gently to its starting position without rebound. This may be achieved by installation geometry (front slightly high, rear low) **or** by an effective automatic-return device, per OSHA's 1991 interpretation and the machine manual [OSHA-R][OSHA-I].
- **table and fence** — work surface and reference; stop blocks for repeat cuts [OSHA-E].
- **blade** — diameter, bore, kerf, tooth count, hook, material and rated speed are model-specific; Original Saw sells a **−2° hook** general-purpose blade for controlled cutting on compatible saws [OS4].

---

## variations (living) — dated (review fix 13)

- **DeWalt-era cast-iron machines (1920s–1960s)** — sought by restorers [R11][R19][R20].
- **Craftsman consumer line (1958–1992/95)** — subject of CPSC recall 01-031 (see *dangerous*) [R8].
- **Ryobi RA200 / RA202** — subject of CPSC recall 06-212, **stop use; no repair available** [CPSC-R].
- **current confirmed manufacturers (observed 2026-07-30; availability and prices change):** **Original Saw** (Britt, Iowa — active US manufacture; 12″ models starting over $6,100; 14″ heavy-duty model with optional Rip Kit on applicable models and model-approved dado use) [OS1]; **OMGA** (Italy — current industrial lines with published rip capacities) [OMGA]; **Maggi** (Italy — current crosscut-focused line) [MAGGI]. These are confirmed makers, not an exhaustive worldwide count. *(The 2019 "sole US maker," "only other manufacturers," "$4,800" and "sales in the hundreds" claims are removed.)*

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## trades
- home workshop / hobbyist woodworking [R11];
- framing and general construction crosscutting, largely taken over by sliding miter saws [R1][R11];
- cabinet and furniture shops — dadoing and batch crosscutting [R19][R25];
- industrial crosscut stations — current Original Saw, OMGA and Maggi lines [OS1][OMGA][MAGGI];
- vintage-machine restoration [R20][R21].

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## lineage

- **earlier belt-driven arm saws:** VintageMachinery.org's manufacturer history reports similar arm-and-carriage machines built earlier by two Toronto makers (Elliot Woodworker Ltd.; Mackintosh Hutchinson), driven by belt from a separate motor [R4]. DeWalt's documented contribution is the commercially successful **direct-drive** machine with the motor carried on the arm. "DeWalt invented the radial-arm saw" is therefore best read as a branded, direct-drive origin, not the invention of every arm-saw element. *(Machinery-history archive — MEDIUM.)*
- **contemporary / functional comparator:** the **table saw** — the usual shop partner and rival; it rips by feeding stock past a fixed blade [R1].
- **later substitutes, not descendants (review fix 11):** the **sliding (compound) miter saw** took over much crosscut and miter work from the late 1970s [R1] — a substitute, with its own feed rules (see *how NOT to use it*); the **track saw** is a substitute for sheet-goods breakdown, a different workflow [R11]. No sourced design lineage connects either to the RAS, so neither is called a descendant.
- **DeWalt panel saws** — DeWalt later built arm-saw-based panel saws and in 1960 acquired the Bennett two-way panel saw design [R4]. Not built as its own entry.

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## history

- **inventor and patents (review fix 2):** Raymond E. DeWalt filed the **tool-holder** application on **27 September 1921** (US 1,528,535) — its text describes the post, horizontal arm, traveling carriage, adjustable tool-carrying motor, and vertical/horizontal adjustments — and filed the more specific **woodworking-machinery** application on **27 January 1923** (US 1,528,536). **Both issued 3 March 1925** [P535][P536]. US 1,528,535 is directly related to the later patent, not an unrelated invention. *(Primary — HIGH.)* A "1922" date that circulates in secondary sources is best read as when the machine was being built and proved, not a patent date [R5].
- **founding purpose (review fix 14):** US 1,528,536 states the demand "for a machine of a universal character that can be quickly adjusted to perform a great many different operations ordinarily performed on as many different machines" [P536]; DeWalt's corporate history frames it as a productivity machine [R3]. *Attributed secondary history:* a blog account says DeWalt was a mill superintendent whose machine let "one man do the work of four" [R5] — kept as attributed narration, not the documented founding failure. The picture-frame "original purpose" claim is removed.
- **company chain:** DeWalt sold the company and patents on 29 December 1924 to Paul Gardner and Isaac Rutt (DeWalt Products Co., Leola, PA) [R3]; Lancaster, PA from about 1929; AMF 1949; Black & Decker 1960; industrial radial-saw line sold in 1989 to former DeWalt executives (Lancaster Machinery Co.); rights later to **The Original Saw Company**, Britt, Iowa [R4][R12].
- **wartime and postwar (secondary weight):** VintageMachinery.org describes DeWalt saws as widely used on military bases in WWII; DeWalt's own page confirms only a wartime expansion for defense orders, so the "standard issue" and Pacific-theater detail stays at secondary-source weight [R4][R3]. Postwar home-shop machines followed; VintageMachinery.org notes some period methods were "startlingly unsafe" by modern standards [R4].
- **Craftsman era:** Sears Craftsman radial-arm saws made by Emerson Electric, sold 1958–1992 (8″ to 1995) [R8].
- **decline (review fix 12):** later consumer machines are frequently criticized in secondary and practitioner sources for alignment and tuning issues [R1][R11][R16], while sliding miter saws displaced much crosscut and miter work [R1]. The relative contribution of build quality, price, competition, litigation and reputation is **unresolved**; no claim is made about a market-wide causal chain or a safety-margin effect.
- *(Removed per the reviewer's factual notes: the single-sourced "religious communal order" biographical aside.)*

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## ✦ human side

- **owners who value it:** Mike Hennessy (Fine Homebuilding thread): "My RAS was my first stationary power tool. It still has an honored spot in my workshop" [R11]. Retired shop teacher Bill Geibe (Sawmill Creek) thinks the danger is "over-rated" with a negative-hook blade and recalls one serious injury in 36 years [R18].
- **injuries, plainly told (practitioner evidence, not an epidemiological ranking):** Jerry Nazard — thumb broken and run through by a splinter in a RAS kickback, his first power-tool accident in 45 years [R16]; Joe Maday's father — four fingers lost as a teenager when the saw "kicked out" on a machine whose return weight had been removed [R18]; Matt Marsh's two shop-teacher colleagues — fingertips lost to a dado blade riding up, and a splinter through the cheek into an eye [R18].
- **restoration community:** OWWM.org and LumberJocks carry dated DeWalt and Craftsman restoration threads [R20][R21]; VintageMachinery.org's DeWalt archive is extensive [R4].
- **family memory:** a Fine Homebuilding writer's stepfather's saw "parked in front of the piles of building lumber" [R11].

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## ✦ proof of existence
- **US 1,528,535**, *Tool holder* — R. E. DeWalt, filed 27 Sept 1921, issued 3 March 1925 [P535].
- **US 1,528,536**, *Woodworking Machinery* — R. E. DeWalt, filed 27 Jan 1923, issued 3 March 1925 [P536].
- **DeWalt corporate archive** — 1924 "Wonder-Worker" advertisement and later period material [R3].
- **Henry Ford Museum holdings** (per VintageMachinery.org) — 1944 DeWalt tools-and-attachments catalog; 1951 Model R-2 catalog [R4].
- **CPSC recalls 01-031 (Craftsman) and 06-212 (Ryobi RA200/RA202)** — dated government records of mass-market scale [CPSC-C][CPSC-R].
- **current production** — Original Saw, OMGA, Maggi product pages, observed 2026-07-30 [OS1][OMGA][MAGGI].
- *Unconfirmed leads, not carried as fact:* a Smithsonian NMAH collections record; forward citations of US 1,528,536 (relayed, not re-verified).

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## references

| # | Source | Kind / weight |
|---|---|---|
| P535 | US 1,528,535, *Tool holder* — https://patents.google.com/patent/US1528535A/en | patent — HIGH |
| P536 | US 1,528,536, *Woodworking machinery* — https://patents.google.com/patent/US1528536A/en | patent — HIGH |
| OSHA-R | 29 CFR 1910.213(h), radial saws — https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1910/1910.213 | regulation — HIGH (covered workplaces) |
| OSHA-E | OSHA machine-guarding eTool, "Radial Saws" — https://www.osha.gov/etools/machine-guarding/saws/radial | regulator guidance — HIGH |
| OSHA-I | OSHA interpretation, "Automatic return attachments on radial saws" (1991-03-13) | regulator interpretation — HIGH |
| CPSC-C | CPSC recall 01-031, Craftsman radial-arm saws (remedy changed 2019-07-23) | federal record — HIGH |
| CPSC-R | CPSC recall 06-212, Ryobi RA200/RA202 radial-arm saws | federal record — HIGH |
| R10 | CPSC, *Injuries Associated with Stationary Power Saws, 2001* | federal report — HIGH, with its own small-sample caveat |
| DW780 | DeWalt DWS780 sliding miter saw instruction manual | manufacturer — HIGH (that model) |
| MK1013 | Makita LS1013F sliding compound saw instruction manual | manufacturer — HIGH (that model) |
| OS1 | Original Saw, 14″ heavy-duty radial-arm saw product page | manufacturer — HIGH (that model; price dated) |
| OS2 | Original Saw, safety tips for radial-arm saws | manufacturer — HIGH |
| OS3 | Original Saw, 14″/16″ radial-arm saw manual (Type 6 models) | manufacturer — HIGH (those models) |
| OS4 | Original Saw, 12″ general-purpose radial-saw blade (−2° hook) | manufacturer — HIGH (compatible saws) |
| OMGA | OMGA radial-arm saw lines — https://www.omgainc.com/7-radial-arm-saws | manufacturer — HIGH (current lines) |
| MAGGI | Maggi Technology radial saws — https://www.maggi-technology.com/en/prodotti/seghe-radiali | manufacturer — HIGH (current line) |
| R3 | DeWalt corporate history | manufacturer history — MEDIUM-HIGH |
| R4 | VintageMachinery.org, DeWalt Products Co. history | machinery-history archive — MEDIUM |
| R1 | Wikipedia, "Radial arm saw" | encyclopedia — LOW-MEDIUM |
| R5 | patentplaques-blog, "The First Radial-Arm Saw" | blog — LOW-MEDIUM, attributed |
| R8 | CPSC recall notice text (Craftsman model/date range) | federal record — HIGH |
| R11 | Fine Homebuilding, "What Happened to the Radial-Arm Saw?" (2009) and comments | trade press / forum — MEDIUM / LOW |
| R12 | Fine Homebuilding, "Radial-Arm Saws: The Tool That Just Won't Die" (2019) | trade press — MEDIUM, dated |
| R14 | Woodworker's Journal, "Are Radial Arm Saws Obsolete?" (Walentine) | trade press — MEDIUM |
| R15 | Woodworker's Journal, "Best Ripping Blade for RAS" (Inman) | trade press — MEDIUM, opinion |
| R16–R19 | Sawmill Creek threads (named posters) | forum — LOW-MEDIUM |
| R20–R21 | OWWM.org, LumberJocks restoration threads | forum — LOW-MEDIUM |
| R23 | WoodworkingTalk thread (snippet) | forum — LOW |
| R25 | WOODWEB, "Using a Radial-Arm Saw to Cut Dadoes" | trade knowledge base — MEDIUM |

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## The reviewer's corrections (15)

- `BLOCKER` — Exact claim: “an SCMS blade plunges into the work and pushes against the blade's rotation, so a jam ten …
- `SHOULD-FIX` — Exact claim: DeWalt's September 27, 1921 filing was “an unrelated invention,” while US 1,528,535 is lat …
- `SHOULD-FIX` — Exact claim: “The yoke ... pivots to set miter angle ... and tilts to set bevel angle.”
- `SHOULD-FIX` — Exact claim: “A stationary circular saw whose blade travels through stationary stock” as the family-wid …
- `SHOULD-FIX` — Exact claim: “For any ripping operation at all: install the anti-kickback fingers/dogs and spreader as  …
- `SHOULD-FIX` — Exact claim: Ripping is an “absolute no no,” the tool “cannot reliably replace a table saw for safe, ac …
- `SHOULD-FIX` — Exact claim: The 2000 recall offered “a free full-guard retrofit kit or a $100 buy-back.”
- `SHOULD-FIX` — Exact claim: “return-tilt mounting — OSHA-mandated” as though every compliant machine must be physicall …
- `SHOULD-FIX` — Exact claim: Accessory heads can make the saw “a horizontal borer, drum/disc sander, or router table,”  …
- `SHOULD-FIX` — Exact claim: The safety layer centers on carriage adjustment, blade hook, and injury anecdotes.
- `SHOULD-FIX` — Exact claim: “The SCMS — the RAS's direct powered descendant,” “The track saw ... the direct modern des …
- `SHOULD-FIX` — Exact claim: The postwar decline was “a rare case” caused by reputation and stamped-sheet-metal cost-cu …
- `SHOULD-FIX` — Exact claim: “sole current U.S. manufacturer,” “the only other current manufacturers,” “base models sta …
- `MINOR` — Exact claim: The tool was engineered for picture-frame/door-frame work as its “original invented purpos …
- `MINOR` — Exact claim: Vintage machines are “commonly $50–$200” and cast-iron examples are broadly “excellent val …