what is it that makes worm drive saws good. we always use regular circular saws (milwaukee tilt loks). i always see other carpenters using them and i wonder why since they seem heavier and have a lower rpm
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I've found that the heavier weight and how the saw is laid out contributes to be able to cut much straighter with a worm drive. I did at least. I'll never go back again if I have a choice.
Rebuilding my home in Cypress, CA
Also a CRX fanatic!
They seem to not bog down as much on long 2x stock rips too.
But more than anything, it seems that most people just keep using whatever saw they picked up first.
At times, it's been nice having a wormy and a circular saw around. Say you're cutting the bevel on the tail of a hip for square cut fascia...if you have both saws around, you don't have to hang way out for cutting the other side of that bevel.
I normally wouldn't get two saws out, but my buddy uses a circular saw and I use a wormdrive...
Lots of torque. The weight is a good thing, makes the saw easy to control. A wormdrive saw will always be more powerful than a circ saw. Much less awkward to use than a circ saw and the weight is not a big deal. When I was 15 and came out after school, all the guys had was the Skils. Some of the newer saws are a couple of pounds lighter.
Right -- The way to get lots of HP out of not so much weight is to spin the armature faster. Worms let them do that by gearing that high RPM down to a reasonable speed for the blade. The first powered saw (Skil, in 1924) was a worm. It wasn't until after WWII that they could get enough torque from a small electric motor to make a direct drive possible.
-- J.S.
The weight and torque helps it cut plywood straighter. I use a lighter saw when cutting rafters but when it comes to plywood I will always get out the wormdrive.
NEXTLEVEL
builds buff forarms! LOL --no really, they have more torque, don't bind up nearly as much, and the extra weight does help it cut smoother. when i'm framing, a 'drop cut' with it a lot--gravity on the weight of the saw does all the work! Beats fighting with that old circular i have!
I like them because you can sight down the blade much easier. Running them right handed allows much easier straight cuts.
Above comments are correct as well.
They make excellent boat anchors for any thing smaller than a Cabin-cruiser
Mr. T. MOTOL
"I think natural selection must have greatly rewarded the ability to reassure oneself in a crisis with complete bull$hit."
I'm Swiss!
I had used a sidewinder for about 25 years before moving out to the northwest, where upon I was nearly laughed out of town for my "eastcoast" saw and hammer. First I went out a got a respectable 24 oz hammer, and then a wormdrive circular saw. Now, 15 years later, I wonder why anyone would ever want to use a sidewinder except for when you're 2 stories up a ladder, leaning out and trying to cut rafter tails.
It's all about control; you can rip all day and , no matter what angle you're cutting, you can stay inside of 1/16" of a pencil or chalk line. In a pinch I've cut finish woods that I previously wouldn't have DREAMED of cutting without a table saw or a fence clamped on.
Andrew
I hate wormies!!! Too friggin' heavy (ok call me a baby)...just what I need, more weight to deal with. So don't call me Tim ...from Home Improvements...so my saw has a tad less power......so what..it works great anyway...I also "hate" that they just flop over when you put em' down....I sooooo hate that....thats so annoying. I got the newest Bosch sidewinder and love it. Its one of many saws I have. I have the DW wormer and an antique all metal sidewinder PortaCable I just "had" to get ...LOL..that I saw in ebay...which is even heavier than a wormer with no power but she sure is a beauty.
Sorry if I'm not a real man LOL...even if I move to the left coast I'll most always use my sidewinder and I'll kick yer azz if you goof on me...I'm from New Yawk so don't mess with me.
I mean look at the name WORM DRIVE....that alone....
BE a SIDEWINDER!
andyC
The secret of Zen in two words is, "Not always so"!
When we meet, we say, Namaste'..it means..
Of course every saw has its place on the job. I learned how to cut with a Skill 77 and am quite proficient with it. I have also learned how to cut with almost everyother type of saw as well.
My preference is the Skil. I have a few of the HD and a Mag as well. I have a 7 1/4" Bosch Sidewinder that I use when I need the blade on the other side, a 6 1/2" PC Sawboss and a 4 1/2" PC wormdrive siding saw. That does not even count my cordless saws.
Wood is Good
Adam Greisz<!----><!---->
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atta boy!
easy answer - east coast - west coast - east -sidewinder, west - worm drive
met a guy the other night working on a hugh tunnel/sewer project locally - he had a worm drive - asked him if he was a west coast guy, yup, '"import" from CA
bottom line is all what you're used to/started with/comfortable with
can't think of too many times that I've had to use my sidewinder at shoulder height
BTW, how long were ya able to hold them things up?
We were able to hold them up there for a bit. That was last winter though :-)
Maybe we'll do it again and that will be our new hiring test :-)
I think your answer is contained in these various responses.
I am not a framer, but when I do frame, I use the skill wormdrive for the two main reasons others have mentioned:
1) It really is easier to get a straight cut on 2X stock, especially if you can position the cut piece so the saw is moving downhill slightly.
Straight cuts are also easier on sheet goods, mainly I guess, because the saw never bogs down, and it is simple to make slight corrections if your cut is wandering off the line a little.
2) The motor has enough power so the blade never bogs down --which always seems to be a problem if you sidewinder wanders off the cut line, even a little.
3) Except for picking it off the ground, the weight of the saw is actually an advangtage since you are generally sawing downhill. And, my Skill has a horizontal handle across the top, so even picking it up is easy.
However, I wouldn't want to use this thing for doing any overhead cuts -- which is why I also carry a PC Saw Boss
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"I tend to live in the past because most of my life is there."
-- Herb Caen (1916-1997)
has anyone used the makita hypoid it looks the same, inner workings are slightly different but on sale on web.
I own a hypoid Makita but frequently use Mag77 (employer supplies power tools). I prefer my Makita.
All this talk about wormdrives being a better saw and it cuts straighter is all BULLSH!T.Sidewinders or Wormdrives. If your a framer and can't cut a straight line regardless of what saw you use you'd better pack it in.I've been using sidewinders for over 20 years and I used to trim every house with the saw cutting straight and ripping plywood. It has nothing to do with the saw it's the guy who's cutting with it and knows how to use it right.Joe Carola
Hard day today, Joe?
This worm vs sidewinder issue never dies...but you know that. hehe
If it were easy....a caveman could do it.
Yeh, I know that. This one and other ones will never die but what I've come to realize is that we all do things different ways and they seem to work so one shouldn't say one way is better than the other or you can't do it that way when guys here are doing it that way with great success.Do you sheath your walls first or after and do you strap.............;-)Just kidding..............................Joe Carola
have another beer joe. beer tends to dilute bad days. ;)
Thanks Joe, my thoughts exactly. Give me any saw with some kind of a blade on it and i will give you a straight cut.
BRAVO!!!
What babies on the left coast. Bet they cut with their pinkies out.
Who the hell cares what saw you use as long as thew jobs done right.
Funny thing is that they're the ones looking down their noses at us right coasters during this debate all the time. Wuts up wit dat? More power...doesn't bog down...like the extra second makes it so much better if in fact it is an extra second
Be Home Improvements with Tim Allen
andycThe secret of Zen in two words is, "Not always so"!
When we meet, we say, Namaste'..it means..
I honor the place in you where the entire universe resides,
I honor the place in you of love, of light, of truth, of peace.
I honor the place within you where if you are in that place in you
and I am in that place in me, there is only one of us.
I picked up the Makita hypoid a couple months ago when someone here mentioned they were on sale. I'm finally to the point on my garage where I'm laying down the sills, so I've made a grand total of 5 cuts on 2x6 P.T. I think that makes me an expert.
It does seem to cut a little smoother than the cheap skilsaws I've normally used, and even a little better than my PC saw which I haven't used a whole lot either.
Makes me feel like a pro, thought ;)
Don
another nice thing about a worm drive is when cutting a sheet of ply, the "length" of the saw gives you a little extra reach. Makes cutting across a 48" sheet easier. That said I'm from MA.......big time sidewinder country.
Just bought the milwaukee 8 1/4 worm. complete waste of money. About the only thing I'll use it for is a write off. Flimsy table, gutless, and way overpriced.
For a worm drive the ridgid is a pretty decent deal.
Just buy a regular worm drive (used, if you don't need it often), take the guard off, and install an 8 1/4" blade. works great for cutting 6x6's. gotta be careful, tho'.DCS Inc.
"He who xxxxs nuns will later join the church." -The Clash