The DeWalt Radial Arm Saw And Its Loyal Owners
DeWalt hasn't made radial arm saws since 1985, but that doesn't keep DeWalt from being one of the most popular .radial arm saw brands today. DeWalt radial arm saw owners rely on DeWalt service centers and a handful of third parties that sell and service refurbished radial arm saws to keep their DeWalt saws running smoothly. Why are all these DeWalt radial arm saw owners so loyal to the brand? We set out to find the history behind the mystery.
The Man Behind The Company: Raymond DeWalt
The man behind the DeWalt radial arm saw is Raymond E. DeWalt, the son of a mill worker. While working as a superintendent on a farm, DeWalt recognized that it was the labor costs, not the lumber, on his construction jobs that would drive the price of a project up. DeWalt was constantly tinkering with the saws to get them to work harder.
Eventually, DeWalt designed an arm attachment for a saw that could be raised, lowered, moved back and forth, angled, and tilted. This innovative machine was described as being able to do the work of four men. With one of these versatile saws, a carpenter could make cross cuts, ripping cuts, miter cuts, dado cuts, and rabbet cuts. This was the first DeWalt radial arm saw.
The DeWalt Wonder Worker
Raymond DeWalt formed the DeWalt Products Company in Leola, Pennsylvania, in 1924. Around this time he began marketing his amazing saw, which he would patent a year later, as the "DeWalt Wonder Worker." The company expanded quickly, moving to new quarters in a modern plant and office building in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, in 1929.
The company stopped production of its radial arm saws in 1989, and shifted focus to the cordless power tool market, launching its largest product line ever in 2001. DeWalt fans will go to great lengths today to get parts and service for their DeWalt radial arm saws, and there is a brisk market in used and refurbished DeWalt saws. It's no wonder - DeWalt radial arm saws manufactured in the 1950s are still running strong today.
The DeWalt Company Today
DeWalt services its radial arm saw customers by posting links on its web site that refer customers to service centers where they may be able to find repair parts for their DeWalt radial arm saws. There are 85 factory-owned service centers in the DeWalt service network and more than 1,000 authorized independent repair shops. A DeWalt radial arm saw owner won't have to travel far to find repair parts for the saw.
