Dan Posted June 5 Report Posted June 5 Found this interesting. OCtoolguy, RabidAlien, barb.j.enders and 5 others 7 1 Quote
Fab4 Posted June 6 Report Posted June 6 Hi Dan: Cool video Thank God for women in the 1800's..... Ok, for women in 2025 too and in between Fab4 Dan and OCtoolguy 2 Quote
RabidAlien Posted June 6 Report Posted June 6 Awesomeness!!!! Love this guy! Have they released another season of The Craftsman? Best quote ever was from Season 1, I think, where he's talking about perfection. "You can never be perfect, only a little bit better than the last time. You want perfect? The TREE was perfect." OCtoolguy 1 Quote
Bill WIlson Posted June 6 Report Posted June 6 Came across that video last week. Very cool. Never knew early table saws worked like that and never knew that the circular saw blade was invented by a woman. Fascinating stuff. OCtoolguy 1 Quote
Dan Posted June 6 Author Report Posted June 6 (edited) I think Jerry (@Jerry1939) was one of the original owners. Lol Edited June 6 by Dan Fab4, barb.j.enders and OCtoolguy 3 Quote
BadBob Posted June 7 Report Posted June 7 I was aware of this before I owned a table saw. I'm pretty sure Norm Abrams talked about it in one of his "New Yankee Workshop" shows. OCtoolguy 1 Quote
BadBob Posted June 7 Report Posted June 7 The rest of the story: Sarah "Tabitha" Babbitt (December 9, 1779 – December 10, 1853) was an American Shaker and inventor credited with several innovations, most notably the development of the circular saw around 1813. Born in Hardwick, Massachusetts, she joined the Harvard Shaker community at age 13 in 1793. As a weaver, she observed the inefficiency of the two-man whipsaw, which wasted half its motion. Inspired by her spinning wheel, she devised a circular saw blade, initially testing it with a notched tin disk powered by a foot pedal. This design, later connected to a water-powered machine, revolutionized lumber milling by enabling continuous cutting, reducing effort and manpower. Babbitt is also credited with inventing an improved spinning wheel head for textile production and a process for making false teeth, enhancing early dental prosthetics. Some sources attribute the invention of cut nails to her, though this is also linked to Eli Whitney. As a Shaker, she adhered to the communal principles of her community and never patented her inventions, viewing them as gifts to the community. This led to limited recognition during her lifetime, and two Frenchmen reportedly patented the circular saw in the U.S. after reading about her design in Shaker papers. Controversy exists over her role as the inventor of the circular saw. Some, like M. Stephen Miller, argue it was developed earlier (1793) at Mount Lebanon Shaker Village by Amos Bishop or Benjamin Bruce, or possibly not by Shakers at all, citing a 1777 patent by Samuel Miller in England. However, Shaker records and oral histories support Babbitt’s contribution, noting her larger, distinct saw design became widely adopted in American sawmills. A version of her saw was displayed in 1948 at Fenimore House in Cooperstown, New York, on loan from the New York State Museum. Her work highlights the ingenuity of women in early American technology, despite limited historical recognition. She died in Harvard, Massachusetts, in 1853. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tabitha_Babbitt)[](https://www.infinite-women.com/women/tabitha-babbitt/ https://www.snopes.com/articles/469602/invention-sawmill-tabitha-babbitt/) Fab4, OCtoolguy and barb.j.enders 2 1 Quote
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