Don Stauffer writes:

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.

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.]

--
A host is a host from coast to
& no one will talk to a host that's close........[v].(301) 56-LINUX
Unless the host (that isn't close).........................pob 1433
is busy, hung or dead....................................20915-1433