Power Mite Table Saw from Ideal (1971)

Company: Ideal | Release date: 1971 | Where to purchase: eBay

Released in 1971, the Power Mite Table Saw was part of Ideal’s line of miniature power tools. Each tool was a working metal-and-plastic replica of the electric-powered tools kids might have seen on the workbench in the garage or basement.

Operating on two D-batteries located in its base, the Power Mite Table Saw offered many of the features of its much larger counterpart, including an adjustable fence, blade guard, and mitre block on top of a die-cast table. Turning the red plastic adjustment wheel allowed a child to raise and lower the metal blade. A replacement blade was included with the packaging.

To quell potential parental safety concerns, Ideal’s advertising positioned the toy as “not intended for hobby use,” relegating it to cutting thin sheets of balsa wood and Styrofoam, which Ideal conveniently sold packaged in individual packages of build materials.

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