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Delta Rockwell Vintage Radial Arm Saw

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Charlotte Wood Middle School, Danville, California

It was 1991, and our company was framing the entire middle school. The Charlotte Wood Middle School was built out of Douglas Fir Lumber, Pressure Treated Plates, and different kinds of Plywood. I negotiated a contract with a lumber mill in Oregon to provide all the dimensional lumber for the project. I had lumber being delivered from their mill for months. GREAT PROJECT! Rick Aguilar - Senior Cost Estimator

🛠️ Delta Rockwell Vintage Radial Arm Saw 12" Blade 3Hp Motor 20" Rip 230/460V 3Ph

This vintage Delta Rockwell Radial Arm Saw is built tough for contractors and industrial shops. With a 12" blade powered by a 3 HP motor, it’s ready for ripping, crosscutting, and heavy-duty framing applications.

  • Used Price: $999.99

  • Financing Available: As low as $89.78/month

  • Features: 12" blade, 3HP motor, 20" rip capacity, 230/460V 3-phase power

  • Perfect For: Framing contractors, fabrication shops, and large-scale construction projects

Dependable, durable, and proven to handle the toughest materials—this Rockwell is a true workhorse.

🔧 Radial Arm Saws: Origins & Evolution

To understand a vintage Delta / Rockwell radial arm saw, it helps to know how radial arm saws evolved.

  • The radial arm saw was invented by Raymond DeWalt in 1922 (patented in 1925). His design—called the Wonder Worker—had a circular saw mounted on a sliding arm above a table.

  • Its advantage: you could pull the blade through the workpiece while the stock remained stationary, which made crosscuts and miters easier for long boards.

  • Over time, manufacturers adapted the radial arm saw to do more: dado cuts, rip cuts, rabbet cuts, even specialized joinery—with the right setup and attachments.

  • By the 1960s–70s, radial arm saws were common in shops. But later, the sliding compound miter saw and other specialized saws began replacing them for many tasks, especially crosscuts and miters.

  • Some vintage radial arm saws (especially high quality ones) are still prized today, appreciated for their robust casting, precision, and versatility—when properly aligned and maintained.

🔧 📜 The 12" Radial Arm Saw (Delta / Rockwell) Model — What We Know

  • VintageMachinery.org has a 12" Radial Arm Saw owner’s manual (1967) under the Delta / Rockwell catalog reprints.

  • The manual suggests that 12" models were part of the standard woodworking line, likely aimed at woodworkers and light-to-moderate production use.

  • These saws often used cast iron and steel construction, precision machined arm rails, and fairly heavy components—typical of machinery from the era when manufacturing tolerances were tighter.

  • Delta / Rockwell machines are well-documented in vintage machinery registries (serial numbers, parts, catalogs).

  • A key to dating them: Delta switched to 8-digit serial numbers starting around July 30, 1982 (first three digits became a date code).

  • Earlier machines have other serial conventions (year jumps by serial ranges) and often manual adjustments.

  • Some Delta / Rockwell radial arm saws are collectible—for instance, a “salesman model” radial arm saw from 1953–1954 is documented; only about 35 were made, reportedly used to demo features to dealers or shows.

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