Since 1924
For a century, our commitment to excellence has been unwavering. The DEWALT® name is more than a brand; it's a symbol of trust for world-builders. As we mark 100 years, we celebrate our history, standing strong with the pros who have relied on us since day one.
100 Years in the Making
Strong Foundations
Raymond DeWalt’s invention of the radial arm saw in the 1920s ushers in a new era of jobsite productivity, and the company begins distributing products internationally. DEWALT becomes a soaring success postwar, even influencing national safety policy. DEWALT’s start lays a strong foundation for the iconic brand.
1910
Raymond DeWalt learned the trades at his dad John’s wagon shop. Now the proprietor of Dewalt Wagon Works, Raymond emphasizes safety, highlighting his knowledge of jobsites in an ad.
1921 (Sept. 27)
Raymond sets to work on his first invention, filing his first of 10 patents and building the foundation for the iconic radial arm saw.
1923 (Jan. 27)
Raymond DeWalt files his second patent. This patent showcases an innovative woodworking machine—an adjustable radial arm saw.
1924 (Dec. 29)
DEWALT Products Co. is founded. After the success of his invention, the adjustable radial arm saw, Raymond DeWalt sells his company and the patents to Paul Gardner and Isaac Rutt. The founding invention, the radial arm saw, comes to be known as the “Wonder-Worker.”
1925–1926
Early adoption of DEWALT’s radial arm saw inspires pro testimonials. As the pros from Miller & King, Longview, WA, state, “We are doing all our fine interior finish with built-in work right on the job[site] with the [Wonder-Worker], and are doing a better grade of work than the average millwork shop turns out.”
1930
DEWALT takes the world by storm. DEWALT cements its early global success as Benjamin F. Baker— DEWALT’s director of the foreign department—travels the globe, meeting with DEWALT’s national and international distributors.
1930 (Published in April)
DEWALT Products Co. is selected for its jobsite safety expertise to be among 21 organizations that serve on the U.S. Department of Labor’s Sectional Committee on Safety Code for Woodworking Machinery.
1941
DEWALT begins a period of rapid expansion to meet the demands of government orders in connection with national defense and wartime machinery requirements.
1942
Raymond DeWalt begins teaching the next generation of young pros the trades as a superintendent at the National Youth Administration’s shops in York, PA.
![Raymond DeWalt with his trades skills students, [ca. 1945]](https://bynder.sbdinc.com/m/7c616cf5bf8040b5/Drupal_Small-DEWALT-Timeline_1945.jpg "Raymond DeWalt with his trades skills students, [ca. 1945]")
1945
Passionate about the future of the trades, Raymond DeWalt is one of the first instructors in Mechanicsburg High School’s vocational industrial arts program.
1949–1950
Harold E. Sneed, DEWALT’s chief engineer, represents DEWALT as a member of the Committee on Engineering for the first President’s Conference on Industrial Safety (U.S. Department of Labor).
Growing With the Pros
Black & Decker acquires DEWALT in 1960. Competition for market share challenges DEWALT to reevaluate its business strategy.
By the 1990s, DEWALT responds to these challenges with successful launches of portable electric tools and cordless tools that renew fervor for DEWALT among pros and lead to skyrocketing profits.
1960 (May 10)
Black & Decker acquires DEWALT Inc.
1964–1965
DEWALT and Black & Decker tools are featured in the “House of Good Taste” exhibit at the World’s Fair. The exhibit’s aim is to “provide visitors with a yardstick of home and building decorating standards.”
1973
DEWALT is selected for its safety expertise, and Robert R. Ruth serves as DEWALT’s representative on the Woodworking Machinery Manufacturers of America’s committee to draft new safety standards.
1992
Reintroducing DEWALT: DEWALT’s enduring legacy and positive reputation with the pros prompts Black & Decker to choose the DEWALT name for a new line of professional tools.
DEWALT introduces its first line of portable electric power tools and accessories designed specifically for residential contractors, remodelers and professional woodworkers.
1994
DEWALT kickstarts a revolutionary system of more than 30 new cordless tools, including the most powerful cordless tools at the time, the 14.4 volt cordless drill/driver and the 5⅜” cordless saw. The DEWALT cordless system includes drill/drivers, screwdrivers, impact drivers, impact wrenches, saws, flashlights and the first combination drill/driver/hammerdrill.
1995
DEWALT’s renewed dedication to the pros sparks further financial success for Black & Decker. The B&D Annual Report for 1995 states that “return to stockholders was over 50%” and “revenues from continuing operations set a new record, increasing 9% in 1995 over 1994.”
Expanding Impact
Building upon DEWALT’s range of more than 1,000 products and firmly focusing on the pro end user, DEWALT is poised to expand its impact. DEWALT seizes this opportunity by doubling down on safety, performance and profitability, launching the PERFORM & PROTECT™ line, initiating trade scholarships and supporting first responders during the Boston Marathon bombing and the COVID-19 pandemic.
2003
Matt Kenseth wins the final Winston Cup championship driving the #17 DEWALT Ford race car.
2005
As a result of DEWALT’s extensive research with professional contractors, DEWALT develops SHOCKS — Active Vibration ControlⓇ, currently found on some of its SDS Plus and 1⅞” and 2” SDS Max rotary hammers, which reduces vibration by up to 50% compared with hammers without such systems.
2010
DEWALT introduces the new 12V MAX* system of lithium ion tools designed to incorporate comfort and compact design with the power and industry-leading features contractors need on the jobsite. DEWALT also launches the Metal Cutting Diamond Blade line of accessories. The Diamond Edge provides 100x the life vs. the standard DEWALT chop saw blade.
2011
DEWALT expands its lithium ion tools offering with the introduction of the new 20V MAX* System. DEWALT also continues to support its 69 million 18V cordless system battery users with new 18V products. DEWALT Accessories expands its Impact Ready line, adding more than 100 products in drilling, screwdriving, hole saws and sockets, as well as releasing more than 20 new products in the Demo steel accessories line.
2012
DEWALT launches the PERFORM & PROTECT™ line of products, designed to provide a high level of one or more of the following: control, dust containment or low vibration, without sacrificing performance.
2013
In 2013, DEWALT introduces its cordless 20V MAX*-XR line of brushless power tools that feature brushless motors and high capacity lithium ion batteries.
2013
DEWALT announces the Made in the USA Initiative at STAFDA 2013.
2014
DEWALT begins sponsoring Football Club Barcelona (FCB). Both the team’s and DEWALT’s records of success and rugged determination spark an enduring partnership.
2016
DEWALT launches FLEXVOLTⓇ, the world’s first battery that automatically changes voltage when the user changes tools, offering increased power and runtime for the jobsite.
2019
DEWALT begins a yearly trades scholarship program to support the next generation of skilled workers and to close the trade skills gap in a variety of fields, including aviation technology, construction and welding.
Transforming Futures
Taking a comprehensive approach, DEWALT continues to transform the industry by proactively looking ahead to meet the needs of the trades.
The Grow the Trades program launches in 2021 with a $30 million commitment to mitigate the skilled labor gap. Total trade solutions target new subsegments, while ELITE SERIES™ and FLEXVOLT® win awards for innovation.
2020
During the COVID-19 pandemic, DEWALT batteries are used to power respirators that protect healthcare workers. According to the 2021 ESG report, more than 13 million people use DEWALT-powered respirators in 2020.
2020 (Sept. 14)
DEWALT furthers safety education by partnering with 360training to offer construction workers Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) online courses.
2021
In response to the ongoing trade skills gap, DEWALT creates the Grow the Trades program in the U.S., committing $30 million “to initiatives that grow skills for tradespeople by 2027."
2021
DEWALTⓇ POWERSTACK™ wows with pouch cell battery technology.
2021
DEWALT announces its “‘Official Tools’ sponsorship with McLaren Racing in Formula 1.
2022
DEWALT adds the first-ever cordless ratchets to its product portfolio, expanding the DEWALT XTREME™ 12V MAX* and ATOMIC COMPACT SERIES™ 20V MAX* lineups.
2022
DEWALT releases results from the DEWALT Powering the Future Survey. The study finds that nearly half of U.S. contractors believe training the next generation of workers is the industry’s most critical need.
2023 (Jan. 16)
DEWALT partners with Converge (a concrete operations company) on AI tech to help reduce carbon emissions in construction.
2023 (Aug.)
DEWALT breaks into the snow subsegment by releasing its first snowblower.
A Name That Means Something
When you put your name on something, it’s more than a label. It’s a promise. A commitment to get the job done right. It’s the mark we’ve left over 100 years of helping world-builders build the modern world. Since 1924, the DEWALT name has stood for the pros, and it still does—for doing work to the highest standards. As we celebrate 100 years, we’re honoring where we’ve been without losing sight of where we’re going—because the best is yet to come.
Our Original Pro
Our story began with one person. The man whose name appears on every product we’ve ever made and who set our future in motion: our Original Pro, Raymond DeWalt.
Raymond began his training building wagon wheels with his dad, John, in Pennsylvania. He saw the opportunity to do more, and to do it more safely and more efficiently. In the early 1920s, before movies had sound and most homes had electricity, he invented and patented the Wonder-Worker, an adjustable radial arm electric saw. Raymond later remarked about the necessity that inspired his invention: "The president of the company wouldn't let me increase our payroll, so I simply had to get more work out of the men we had. … You see, in every shop or construction position I have ever had, the question of high costs had been dinned into my ears."
Saving the user from tedious, backbreaking labor, the tool could accomplish 29 different cutting operations without significantly changing the setup, thus revolutionizing productivity and profitability on the jobsite.
And it captivated pros. One remarked at the time, “There is nothing we have tried to do on it that we have not accomplished.”
The Wonder-Worker was the full trade solution of its day—it could do diagonal and cross cuts, bevels and compound bevels, tenons and dadoes, and could rip, route, shape, sand, grind and bore. As Raymond is credited with saying, it could do just about everything except “a handspring or tie itself into a knot.”
As an inventor and machine shop educator, Raymond came up with solution after solution to improve the jobsite experience.
Rugged innovation was his signature, and he believed in passing on his knowledge to the next generation. As a trades teacher for the National Youth Administration and at Mechanicsburg High School, he equipped young tradespeople with the drive and skills to build the future.
DEWALT: For the Future
A DEWALT jobsite has always allowed pros to save time and money without compromising on safety, power or quality.
From revolutionizing the electric jobsite in 1924 to advancing cordless tools in 1994, we’ve relentlessly charged ahead. We’ll always innovate to change the world, but we’ll never change who we are.
As we look to tomorrow, we are committed to empowering pros with superior full trade solutions and a century’s worth of hard-won knowledge about performance and safety. As in our earliest days, we’re continuing to innovate products and solutions that meet even the most rigorous demands of today’s world builders. Our commitment includes supporting the next generation of pros through trade scholarships and Grow the Trades grants. Countless jobsites later, our belief in making you the best pro you can be is as strong as ever.
For 100 years, it’s been a name that is respected on every project and in every trade. A name that’s earned its place everywhere you see it.
DEWALT.
