Power saw history

I had been told when visiting an old lumber camp tourist attraction that the circular saw was a mid-nineteenth century invention.

I have been trying to determine what an early Nineteenth Century steam saw would look like. In doing a google search, I find a lot of references to circular saws even in Seventeenth and Eighteenth century, including ganged circular saws in Eighteenth Century.

Anyone know when the circular saw was invented, and did a reciprocating power saw precede it? I realize the first power saws were water powered rather than steam, so I guess power saws could go back quite aways.

Reply to
Don Stauffer
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I've always heard that the circular saw was a Shaker invention, though that may be a case of local chauvinism -- the last active Shaker community at Sabbathday Lake, Maine is close by.

These pages say that the first saws came much earlier, but that the Shakers were the first to use circular saws in saw mills.

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Reply to
Ned Simmons

The Miller saw, which was a patented power circular saw (I don't know if the power was specified) goes back to the 18th century. Supposedly that was the first circular saw. I recall seeing woodcuts of it when we were working on the 100th Anniversary issue of _American Machinist_ in 1977.

Hand reciprocating saws go back to the dawn of history but I don't know if anyone knows when power was first applied to them. Saws made of bone and shell have been found in prehistoric digs.

-- Ed Huntress

Reply to
Ed Huntress

The DC Building Museum has an extensive collection of saws, donated by Mr. Hechinger. I don't recall if there were any rotary ones but you could check with them.

[Hechinger started as a 1911 hardware store & became a post-war chain of home improvement stores in the DC region. They folded in 1999 after Home Depot & Lowes moved into the area.]
Reply to
David Lesher

Reciprocating "gang" saws were run by various forms of power - the "gang" aspect was that you set the thickness of planks by spacing the blades, and sawed several planks at once using 4, 5 or more blades. They leave a distinctive pattern on the cut plank.

Reply to
Ecnerwal

I have a 1901 Sawyer's handbook by the Covell Co. It is mostly about large band saws. It goes on abut the superiority of band over circular as if the circular saw was on the way out.

I have been trying to determine what an early Nineteenth Century steam saw would look like. In doing a google search, I find a lot of references to circular saws even in Seventeenth and Eighteenth century, including ganged circular saws in Eighteenth Century.

Anyone know when the circular saw was invented, and did a reciprocating power saw precede it? I realize the first power saws were water powered rather than steam, so I guess power saws could go back quite aways.

Reply to
Robert Swinney

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Reply to
Ecnerwal

Doesn't really answer your question, but they have a working old vertical drag-saw mill here:

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The first video link at the bottom of the page:

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Has some video showing it in action. A similar mill to this would have been working at this location around the 1780's.

Reply to
Leon Fisk

Holtzapffel book II from 1875 omits the historical detail he had given for the lathe, but he does give these references: Gregory's "Mechanics", 1807, vol ii, p.324 Hassenfratz's Traite de l'Art du Charpentier, Paris, 1804 Oliver Evans "Young Millwright and Millers Guide", Philadelphia, 1821 Belidor's "Architecture Hydraulique", Paris, 1819 Rees's "Cyclopedia", Machinery for Manufacturing Ships Blocks

Holtzapffel mentions a steam-powered linear saw at the Portsmouth Dockyard and illustrates and describes two steam-powered circular saws there as the invention of Marc Isambard Brunel, who escaped the French Revolution to England and designed much of the late-1790s ships' block making machinery.

Jim Wilkins

Reply to
Jim Wilkins
[ ... ]

And I miss them.

Interestingly enough, I needed to replace the kitchen faucet assembly recently, purchased at Home Depot, and when I got my bank statement back, I noticed that I had written the check to "Hechingers", and Home Depot had accepted it, and the bank had cashed it. :-)

Enjoy, DoN.

Reply to
DoN. Nichols

There was a History Channel (maybe Discovery Ch) show about Classical Rome or one of the other classical civilizations. They showed a stone that had been partially sawn by a gang saw of around 8 blades. Karl

Reply to
kfvorwerk

The stones for the Pyramids were cut with saws, presumably made of copper although this piece of iron was found tightly wedged between large stones:

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Reply to
Jim Wilkins

Wow, that was great! Thanks, Leon. Answers my question, and gives me a good idea of what such powered saws looked like.

Reply to
Don Stauffer

Never saw that before. Thanks.

Reply to
kfvorwerk

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