ATP* wrote:

I've used them for siding, although I haven't see too many other contractors
in NY employ them in that manner.

How recently? My brother was using one in '68 in Westchester County,
through about '79 or so when he went to CA, from whence he came to VA.
I don't know if he used one in California, but I know for sure he used
on in NY and VA. They were popular on almost all construction sites in
and around Westchester and up in Albany back in the mid-60s through '72
when I left to go to Wisconsin. From about '73 to '77 I saw many around
Orange County, Sullivan County, etc. In '77 I moved down here, and not
long after that the power miter box started to take over, though RAS
sightings were still frequent. I don't recall seeing one on a job site
in 20 years, though, here or elsewhere.

Part of that may be the fact there are now only two makes out there. In
the bad old days, B&D, Craftsman, Delta, Monkey Ward, and others had
one or more models, and 20 years ago there were several little 8 or
8-1/2" versions from Ryobi, B&D and, I think, Craftsman. Today, the
only ones I see are Craftsman and Delta. Somehow, I have it in my mind
that Emerson made a Ridgid for Home Depot for a few years, but that may
be wrong.

Of course, there are still the old, old DeWalts, the Original Saw and
the big Delta saws, but none of those are portable. IIRC, my buddy's
Delta 14" weighs about 700 pounds, which definitely takes it out of the
job site category, while another friend has the 12", lighter but not
light enough for travel.