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Thread: When arm saw ruled

  1. #1
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    Exclamation When arm saw ruled

    I am impressed by this movie I found by chance: https://youtu.be/HiGH0Qsu3ak

    I hope you enjoy it like myself!
    Last edited by Bruce Page; 10-06-2019 at 9:06 PM. Reason: Activated link
    All the best.

    Osvaldo.

  2. #2
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    Interesting film. That was a lot of lumber. Impressive production set ups. Not a lot of safety equipment or guards on the machines.
    Lee Schierer
    USNA '71
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  3. #3
    I do like those old WWII war effort films. They are a little terrifying though to the modern safety-oriented mind. It is interesting to compare how many people it took to build things back then, compared to the modern computer/automated world, and that is with a pretty good helping of automation and production line work back then too.

  4. #4
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    Great film, thanks for the share. Imagine how nail guns would have been appreciated too back then. Now I can see why some of the old DeWalts needed 7.5 hp. Truly amazing, the production that was attained during the war effort on many fronts.
    NOW you tell me...

  5. #5
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    I cringe watching how close they are to those blades with no guards. I’ll bet thousands of people got maimed doing that work.

  6. #6
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    When I was starting out in the building trades, we had one saw to build tract homes, the radial arm saw, the Comet Clipper. It was a large beast with something like an 18 or 20" cross cut capacity and could also rip sheets of plywood. It was mounted on a trailer and other than our Skil 77 worm drive saws, this saw ruled the tract home construction world. Table saws non-existent in that world.

    10877-A.jpg
    Regards,

    Tom

  7. #7
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    Does that thing run on pure coal, or do you need to attach it to belts from a water wheel? I'll bet you didn't have any problems with the saw tipping when you put a board on it.

  8. #8
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    I’ll suggest the idea that LESS people got hurt back in the day. The people that ran those saws knew what they were doing. You couldn’t buy one of those size at your local big box stores like today where every bozo can buy one and cut their fingers off.

  9. #9
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    I utilize the base facilities at Ft. Lewis and there still are some of those WW II barracks scattered around.

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by Matt Day View Post
    I’ll suggest the idea that LESS people got hurt back in the day. The people that ran those saws knew what they were doing. You couldn’t buy one of those size at your local big box stores like today where every bozo can buy one and cut their fingers off.
    Maybe so, but I’ll bet not a day goes by where some very skilled people have saw accidents. I myself know multiple people who have done construction their whole life’s, that are missing digits. Pretty sure if you get hit with one those blades your gonna be missing more than a finger.

  11. #11
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    I want one of those big'uns with the crank handle feed. I still use a couple of RAS's, with only the same guard shown on the single blades. My outfeed tables in my tablesaws don't have slots in them. Crosscutting with sleds on a TS always scared me.

  12. #12
    I lean toward the idea that dedicated sober workers stay safe. One place I worked had a large saw that sped forward when you
    stepped on a floor pedal. It was rare that anyone but the dedicated cutter used it. I don't think I ever saw him step on
    the pedal without both hands clasped behind his back .

  13. #13
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    I don’t have a table saw but have 2 RASs, which contrary to popular opinion I feel are safer than a table saw as long as they’re set up and tuned properly. I use them for crosscutting, ripping and dados. Sheet goods are cut with my Skilsaw or PC trim saw. My dad was a carpenter in the Army Air Force during WWII. When he returned from Europe he was assigned to the construction crew at the O’hare Field Military Airport in Chicago before being discharged. I’ll bet many more of those workers developed and died from lung diseases due to breathing the sawdust every day than injured themselves on those saws. That’s what eventually killed my dad.

  14. #14
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    Thanks for posting that Osvaldo. Reminded me of the time I spent managing a wall panel plant (on a much grander scale of course). All about efficiency and effective repetition.
    Stand for something, or you'll fall for anything.

  15. #15
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    Those big RAS reminded me of the big cedar shingle saws. Those look scary! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpd3ZOoI7kk
    NOW you tell me...

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