I have a regular 7-whatnot inch hand circle saw (old craftsman electric), and it works great, but you need a 10-1/4 inch blade for enough depth to cut through 4x4 posts with one pass.

Question is, would you buy a worm gear drive or a conventional direct drive "sidewinder". Here are some facts I've found so far:

1. On worm drive saws, the blade is on the left-side of the tool, vice the right-side of a conventional circle saw. Timber and framing carpenters apparently like the better visibility of the blade on the left side when making cuts (for right handers at least).

2. Worm drive saws have more torque to drive through wet or green timbers. In my case, I will be cutting off 70 4x4 pressure treated posts after I install them in the ground (vice before I install them, which I would otherwise use my chop saw).

3. Price seems to be about the same between the two styles of saws for a given level of quality and brand name.

4. RPMs a little lower on worm drive, but I'm cutting off posts and in no hurry, and I don't want to bog down in the middle of the cut if I'm not holding it perfectly straight through the cut.

So, with this information, do you think a worm drive saw would be better for this use, and if it is, what are the disadvantages of a worm drive versus a conventional saw for uses other than chopping posts, if any ?

Any advice, as usual, much appreciated from the Great Sigforum.

Go pick one up and hog it around for a half hour or so. Then do the same with the Skill style.

If you need one then you need one. They are a chunk.

I have no experience with either type at that size. I do have the 7 1/4 inch Skilsaw wormdrive and have used 7 1/4 inch standard saws.

In general, I prefer the wormdrive, although it is heavier. I also note that at the 10 1/4 size, both types of saws have two substantial handles, so you will be able to hold the saw in both hands when slicing the post horizontally.

One thing to consider; if you are right handed, and are cutting posts that are already in the ground, if you use a standard saw with the blade on the right, the blade will be "up" and will be easy to see, and the bottom plate will be "down" against the part of the post that you are keeping in the ground. With a wormdrive, the blade will be down, it will be harder to see to align on your cut line, and the base of the saw will be against the waste wood that will fall off at the end of your cut, leaving the saw unsupported.

I have never operated one that size either. I have a 7 1/4" Milwaukee brand worm drive, and it is a beast with awesome power.

Having the blade on the left is a dramatic improvement in ease of use.

I compared the worm drive to the regular before I bought my Makita and those bitches are heavy, saw for saw. My Makita cuts so good that I am glad I didnt buy the worm drive. I have been using the right hand drive for a long time and I am good at it so it doesn't matter which side the blade is on.

My brother had the smaller, and I always liked using it. If you're cutting enough wood, it sounds like a good investment. Like a plumber owning a Hole Hawg.

It is likely that the rotational speed of the larger saw is lower so that the engagement speed of each tooth striking wood is the same as the smaller blade. Tangential velocity may be idealized for 7 1/4 teeth so 10 teeth rpm needs to be slower.

quote:

Originally posted by 4MUL8R:
It is likely that the rotational speed of the larger saw is lower so that the engagement speed of each tooth striking wood is the same as the smaller blade. Tangential velocity may be idealized for 7 1/4 teeth so 10 teeth rpm needs to be slower.

And you will usually see the maximum rpm written on the blade or grinding wheel, because of this. The larger the diameter, the lower the rpm's that are required to maintain the same sfpm (cutting speed at the perimeter of the wheel). It is a bad idea to put a 7" abrasive cut-off wheel on a 4.5" grinder (with the guard removed), for example, because the smaller grinder will spin faster, too fast for the larger wheel, potentially causing the larger wheel to break apart.
 
wrightd, if you are doing 70 posts free hand, I think you would be much less tired/strained by making two cuts on each with the smaller saw. Unless, you make some kind of jig you can clamp to each post, to carry the weight of that heavy worm drive saw, and also act as a guide. That would give you a nice consistent finished job.
 
 

Having used worm drives for several decades the 7 1/2 is my goto preference. The 8 1/2 is useful on occassion but the 10 1/2 is a beam cutter and is only pleasant to use on the level and at ground level. As others have indicated it weighs alot and is no fun for more than a few cuts. 4x4 posts take two cuts with the 7 1/2 but you can do more of those and minimize the fatigue factor. Also note the 7 1/2 can be used one handed unless you are going for accuracy.

quote:

Originally posted by henryaz:

quote:

Originally posted by 4MUL8R:
It is likely that the rotational speed of the larger saw is lower so that the engagement speed of each tooth striking wood is the same as the smaller blade. Tangential velocity may be idealized for 7 1/4 teeth so 10 teeth rpm needs to be slower.

And you will usually see the maximum rpm written on the blade or grinding wheel, because of this. The larger the diameter, the lower the rpm's that are required to maintain the same sfpm (cutting speed at the perimeter of the wheel). It is a bad idea to put a 7" abrasive cut-off wheel on a 4.5" grinder (with the guard removed), for example, because the smaller grinder will spin faster, too fast for the larger wheel, potentially causing the larger wheel to break apart.
 
wrightd, if you are doing 70 posts free hand, I think you would be much less tired/strained by making two cuts on each with the smaller saw. Unless, you make some kind of jig you can clamp to each post, to carry the weight of that heavy worm drive saw, and also act as a guide. That would give you a nice consistent finished job.

 

Yes I will make a custom jig from scrap wood just for that purpose. I want clean flat square cuts

Worm drives are a beast.

Very heavy,

I would not buy one if this is all you are going to cut.

Make two passes on each post and not worry about it.

If you have lots of projects needing a deep cut, go with the worm drive.

Why don't you just use a small chain saw or a sawzall to cut the 4x4's off? Ahh, I see you're looking for precision.....

Another option is to put a post at each end and run a line and just sink the posts to the right depth so they don't need to be cut.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: jimmy123x,

A 10 1/4" versus a normal 7 1/4" is a handfull that's for sure. I like the skill magnesium 7 1/4" it's light. If I need something for posts I use my Stihl 170.

quote:

Originally posted by sig2392:
Worm drives are a beast.

Very heavy,

I would not buy one if this is all you are going to cut.

Make two passes on each post and not worry about it.

If you have lots of projects needing a deep cut, go with the worm drive.

Unless at Harbor Freight one-project throw away prices, I agree with this. Possible to rent?

Having blade on L side allows you to hold a speed square on the wood to act as a guide for straight cuts. Though this would not likely be a good technique with a 10 1/4" saw...

Milwaukee makes a hand held bandsaw that might fit your bill. Certainly lighter. Can be very accurate. If you have a local shop that sharpens circular saw blades, some also make up bandsaw blades. A few custom made, wood cutting blades for the handheld bandsaw would be ideal. Milwaukee has both corded and battery machines(18v). Their stock blades, at the Milwaukee dealer, will also do a pretty good job cutting wood. Get as coarse a tooth as you can find.

I have a cord model. At times it is the perfect machine for the job, nothing else can match it.