Radial arm saw

Unlike most types of woodworking machinery, the radial arm saw has a clear genesis: it was invented by Raymond DeWalt of Leola, Pennsylvania.

[1] DeWalt and others subsequently patented many variations on the original, but DeWalt's original design (sold under the moniker Wonder Worker)[2] remained the most successful: a circular saw blade directly driven by an electric motor held in a yoke sliding along a horizontal arm that is some distance above a horizontal table surface.

With some accessories the former can be used as a shaper, a disk or drum sander, a grinder, a surface planer, a router, a horizontal boring machine and even as a power unit for a lathe; whereas a table saw's secondary uses are limited to shaper and disk sander.

The major shortcoming of most current radial arm saws for home-use is that, most radial arm saws that have been built after the early 1960s are manufactured with stamped sheet metal parts and are machined to loose tolerances, hence they are not precise for doing accurate work without 'tuning'.

With the (wood) clamped and using the arm (not hand feeding, which is also possible), the cuts are better machined and require no jig setup; the advantage is not widely needed however.

"Top cutting" machined saw table with differing axis designs are still made and sold.

The sides of the lower exposed portion of the blade shall be guarded to the full diameter of the blade by a device that will automatically adjust itself to the thickness of the stock and remain in contact with stock being cut to give maximum protection possible for the operation being performed.