A radial arm saw is a cutting machine consisting of a circular saw mounted on a sliding horizontal arm. Invented by Raymond De Walt in 1922, the radial arm saw was the primary tool used for cutting long pieces of stock to length until the introduction of the power miter saw in the 1970s.
In addition to making length cuts, a radial arm saw may be configured with a dado blade to create cuts for dado, rabbet or half lap joints. In addition some radial arm saws allow the blade to be turned parallel to the back fence, allowing a rip cut to be performed.
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“Four-room shack aspiring high
With an arm of scrawny mast
For the visions in the sky
That go blindly pouring past.”
—Robert Frost (1874–1963)