Rockwell Table Saws

Although you might see some Rockwell brand cordless drills at your local Lowes Home Improvement Center, these tools bear no relationship to the legendary line of table saws produced under the corporate banner of “Delta Rockwell.” The Rockwell brand you see today is owned by a company called Positec and began introducing power tools into the market in 1994. The old Rockwell Manufacturing Company had a legendary history of acquisitions which included Delta Manufacturing Company back in 1945 and introduced the “Delta Rockwell” name into the market. In 1960 Rockwell bought Porter Cable tools but in 1981 they sold the P-C line to a company called Pentair. When Pentair also bought the Delta line in 1984 the Rockwell name disappeared until it was reborn in 1994. This company also has one table saw available, the Rockwell RK7140. To complete the tangled web of acquisitions Black and Decker bought both Porter Cable and Delta in 2005 and kept both brand names on the market.

Vintage Delta Rockwell Unisaws

Today old Rockwell table saws are sought after, almost as collector’s items. Delta introduced its first Unisaw A-100 in 1939 and today many woodworking experts are finding and rebuilding these vintage saws, as well as a variety of other Rockwell equipment.

While rebuilding a seventy year old machine might seem like an impossible task, it is actually easier than you think. Time was when it was impossible to find all the necessary replacement parts needed for a complete overhaul and rebuilding. But then along came computers and Computer Aided Design (CAD). You start the rebuilding process by contacting Delta Machinery with both the model number and the serial number of that treasure you found in some relative’s basement or at a local flea market. With their extensive data base, Delta will actually be able to provide you with the history and machine plans of your saw. With these plans in hand you can go to any custom machine shop and they will be able to use CAD equipment to mill new replacement parts for your vintage saw.

If you’re seriously considering doing this, you’ll find discussions of rebuilding Delta woodworking equipment on the Internet. You should also check every woodworking discussion forum you can find. Delta woodworking equipment is legendary for its quality and durability and there are many avid woodworkers out there willing to invest the time and effort needed to restore these marvels to operating condition.

The Rockwell RK7140 Table Saw

Let’s take a moment to look at the only newly manufactured table saw out there that still has the Rockwell name on it – the Rk1740. This is a lightweight bench top table saw mounted on a stand. It retails for under $150 and weighs around 35 pounds, making it one of the lightest bench top saws available. With a 13 Amp motor it will rip normal size softwoods, although the light weight will lead to some vibration and instability with tougher woods, like treated lumber. The aluminum table top is on the small side at 26 inches by 16 inches. It features an easy quick release rip fence and comes with a miter gauge, blade wrench, and push stick as well. It also comes with a 10 inch, thin kerf, tungsten carbide blade. While it does have a safety on-off switch some table saw experts would consider this table saw unsafe due to its extremely light weight. At best, they would consider it a circular saw mounted upside down on a table!

In a final note of confusion due to acquistions, mergers, and re-acquisitions, if you go to the Ace Hardware web site you’ll find an identical table saw with the same model number listed as a Porter Cable saw. But when you click on the picture, you’ll see a Black and Decker logo on the saw!