[Ray Newman]

Below link shows DeWalt RAS during the WW II base building effort.

Even shows a 24" RAS in use!!

No OSHA back then. Wonder how many guys lost fingers and hands to those blades??....

 

[vindaloo]

That was fascinating. The RAS is definately versatile.

 

[Herb Stoops]

Below link shows DeWalt RAS during the WW II base building effort.

Even shows a 24" RAS in use!!

No OSHA back then. Wonder how many guys lost fingers and hands to those blades??....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiGH0Qsu3ak&feature=youtu.be

I know a few,Ray, Home Sweet Home.

I remember that was where the roof trusses were introduced to housing.
Weyerhauser,Simpson, Anderson-Middleton,and all those big timber companies made a fortune during those times.
Thanks for posting .
Herb

 

[greenacres2]

Great stuff Ray!!

I gotta say, though--when I saw the title of your post I was all set to tell you that the WW-II has too much hook for an RAS, but that Forest does make a WW-I with a slightly negative hook that is perfect for a Dewalt RAS!! Then I opened the post and see that you meant World War II, not Woodworker II. Had a good laugh at myself!!

earl

 

[old55]

Thanks Ray.

 

[JOAT]

Wicked awesome. Just too bad it took a world war to come up with it all.

 

[DesertRatTom]

I broke out in a sweat just watching those bare blade popping up and across just an inch or two from those guys' hands.

 

[Bushwhacker]

And to think that I lived in some of those same buildings before being shipped to Viet Nam in the 60s.
Forts Hood and Campbell still used those same buildings for office space in the 80s. Most of the troop
living quarters having been replaced by two and three story buildings that held whole units in one building.
When I entered the service in 1960, Fort Leonard wood Mo. was all those same wooden buildings.
David

 

[BTimmer]

Thanks for posting! I've used radial arm saws for some 60 years with nary an accident. It's my 'go to' saw in my shop.

 

[Gaffboat]

Just an amazing accomplishment!

 

[Herb Stoops]

@Bushwhacker
We lived in the 2 story wood frame barracks at Ft. Ord in 1959 before being transfered to the larger concrete Company sized barracks for Basic Training. Then the same wooden ones @ the Presidio of Monterey after that.
Herb

 

[HoweA]

Thanks for posting. Interesting.......

 

[197761]

Loved seeing that old video, hadn't seen one based on tools yet.

Eh, as long as it's not some knucklehead running the saw, they aren't going to get chopped up. Same with my dad in a factory. He knew to stay focused, but then there would be some younger guy on a machine with long hair or gloves, or whatever else going on, even being trained not to do such things. My dad would lecture them-some would listen and some wouldn't. One guy got a glove so bound up in a drill his hand was basically crushed.

I loved watching that video, but just like the old movies on Ford assembly lines, I think about how much all this automation has caused unemployment to sky rocket, and yet they say Dewalt helped in it's "humble" way-that about makes me nauseated. Nothing humble about it-all greed, power and speed and instead of X amount of guys working, it was/is only a fraction. And yet, even today, we hear the concern for unemployment. Every robot/tool takes how many men's jobs?

 

[JOAT]

And to think that I lived in some of those same buildings before being shipped to Viet Nam in the 60s.
Forts Hood and Campbell still used those same buildings for office space in the 80s. Most of the troop
living quarters having been replaced by two and three story buildings that held whole units in one building.
When I entered the service in 1960, Fort Leonard wood Mo. was all those same wooden buildings.
David

Fort Knox was still using some of the barracks, training rooms, and offices in the '60s. Been awhile since I've been down there, but Fort Bragg was still using some of the old offices. My office in Fort Campbell around late 60s/early 70s was in one of them. My offices in Fort Hood were in one of these buildings in the '70s. Quite good condition really, except drafty in the winter - and no insulation in any of them, anywhere, that I ever saw. Hey, they were/are all in good condition, still very usable, so no need to tear them down and spend big bucks building concrete block offices. Besides I like their looks a whole lot better than cement block offices. Ah yes, in the 60, Fort Lee and Fort Dix were still using those building too. And just remembered, Fort Meyer was using a large mess hall by the Pentagon, for the troops there, in 70s. Gads, it has been awhile.

 

[honesttjohn]

Looks like the same buildings we had at Fort Jackson, SC in 1970. Good old Tank Hill.

The military was like marriage. Wouldn't take a million dollars for the experience, but I didn't re-up, either!!!!!

Ouch! Ouch! - - Yes dear.

 

[Ray Newman]

Colleagues: I live just on the edge of Ft. Lewis and on the base about twice a week. Since seeing this video, I wonder if the remaining few old WW II buildings are any those shown.

Back in 1964 -- in what now seem to be another life -- the 1st and 2nd Recruit Training battalion barracks at Parris Island, were the old WW II "temporary" buildings. They were phased out/torn down until the late 1970's. I understand one or two still stand as a reminder of how things were Back-In-The-Day.

Truly amazing how the workforce, private industry, and the government teamed up during WW II.

 

[RÖENTGEEP]

The first saw I bougth several years ago, was a RAS because I read in the manual that was very versatile (multipurpose) as shown in the video, ripping, cross cuts, angle cutts, bevel, etc etc, and could be used like a router, etc. I said myself this is the ideal tool! I dont need to buy more tools and expend more money. And even I used with a dado :surprise:

But after reading some wood forums, like this I understood that was some or alot danger working with it in some tasks, So I began to buy a TS, a miter saw, band saw and routers, and really I feel much better working with them, compared with the RAS. :smile:

 

[hawkeye10]

Many years ago I had a Craftsman RAS and it was junk. After 3 or cuts I had to realign it and it was hard to get it right. I kept that saw way to long.

 

[DaninVan]

Excellent! Really enjoyed that, Ray; thanks for posting.

Cindy; Bad Cindy, bad bad Cindy...
"Every robot/tool takes how many men's jobs?"
How very unPC!
(How many women lost their jobs when keypunch machines and card readers were made obsolete by more modern technology?)