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Tabitha never patented her invention. As a Shaker, she believed work should be shared, not profited from. Her innovation spread across sawmills and powered industrial growth—while her name faded from the story.

So in 1813, Tabitha invented something brilliant: the first circular saw. By attaching a round blade to a spinning wheel powered by a pedal-operated lathe, she created a tool that cut continuously—no back-and-forth, and no wasted energy. It revolutionized woodworking.

In the early 1800s, Tabitha Babbitt was a skilled toolmaker living in a Shaker community in Massachusetts. She watched men using a two-man pit saw—pushing and pulling a long blade through lumber. But only one direction of motion actually cut the wood. Half their effort was wasted.

Every time I fly and need to dig through the bag under my seat for my chapstick, I worry that the person next to me thinks I’m lighting my shoe on fire.