I received an email offering a Makita 5277NB 7-1/4″ Hypoid Worm Drive Saw for $94.00. My name is roy, and I have a problem ignoring a “good buy”. My use would be breaking down full sheets of plywood, MDF, etc. Currently am using an old Skil that cost about $29 about 20 years ago. It’s cheap, looks cheap, and is makes an awful racket.
I suppose the biggest negative for the Makita is the weight of 15#, which is a lot for this old guy. A PC circular looks good, but would cost considerably more. And, of course, there are others of equal quality. What do you think?
The Makita: http://www.heavydutytools.net/Scripts/prodView.asp?idproduct=276
It will show as $125, but my email offer is for $94.
Replies
You are a little younger than my father, and I know that someday I will inherit all of his tools (not too soon I hope). I suppose if they're all nearly new, that would be better for me. So if you have relatives that you will be leaving all your tools to. Then maybe some new toys would be in order. But I honestly believe that if your old saw still cuts those panels into smaller chunks, then you should continue to use it. Put that hundred dollars into a tool that you really need (or that your relative would want). ;)
Buy it! Now, you will enjoy it and you deserve it.
Don't buy it. Find something smaller and lighter. There are panel-cutting saw available that will do what you want and very accurately. If money is an issue, even a new homeowner grade saw will be nicer than the piece of junk you have and you can find one for less than 94 bucks.
A saw like that is a great FRAMING saw. You can whack 2-by's all day long, very accurately, using the weight of the saw to drop through the material. I've used my worm-drive for everything - including some reasonably accurate trim - LOL - but if I were buying a new saw to break down panels this would NOT be the one. (Awesome deal, though!)
It seems you guys see this saw as a good buy, but not the saw for the job of breaking down sheets. I was thinking that way too, but was terribly tempted by what is a great bargain. Of course, not really a bargain if it's not the best tool for the job.
Thank all of you for your time and thoughts, and a HAPPY NEW YEAR to all!
I may be back later with questions about the right blade / left blade issue as it pertains to convenience and safety.
Roy
I am not knocking the Makita you mention, but all you need is a small saw like the PC sawboss.The blades are 6",has plenty of power. Very light, easily cuts thru framing lumber too.I use the saw for everything now,panel saw, framing, etc.
mike
Hi Gramps,
Before you received the offer, were you seriously considering a new circular saw, or were you merely tempted by the siren song of advertising? Would this saw have been a serious contender otherwise? It's a heavy little bugger!
Buy it if it makes you happy, but not just because an advertiser is persuasive enough to get your attention with an enticing offer.
-Jazzdogg-
"Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive." Gil Bailie
Jazzdog, You should be a psychologist. Of course, I gave some pretty good clues with my first post. What I needed was confirmation that, although a good saw for the money, it wasn't the saw for me.
Looking at other options, I have found the Makita 5742NBX2 which seems would suit me better. It has a 10.5 Amp motor and weighs 7.7 lbs. I'm sure some would find this underpowered, but I suspect it will outperform my old 10 Amp saw and the Makita is lighter to boot.
If anyone has had experience with this saw, I would like to hear their opinions.
Hey, Gramps -I have pro carpenter friends who swear by their worm drves. I'm scared to death of them. Too heavy, far more power than I've ever found necessary for what I use a portable circ. saw. They just feel downright dangerous to me! My cheap hardware store B&D circular saw went south on me some time ago and I bought a small, and I do mean small Makita. Only a 5 & something inch blade. Far and away the best choice for !me! at this point. Very easy to handle with one hand. Like you, I'll use it for rough cutting plywood sheets. But I've also used it for framing (cutting 2x4's & so forth) and it's fine for that, too.If your old circ. saw actually needs replacement I think you can find a smaller, light wt. saw for about the same or less money that would be better suited for your work especially if you're not used to a worm drive. Unless this Makita is of a different design than the PC saws I've 'tried' to use, I think you'd find it rather intimidating.
"I have pro carpenter friends who swear by their worm drves. I'm scared to death of them. "
A kickback with a powerful wormdrive can scare the pants off of you!
-Jazzdogg-
"Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive." Gil Bailie
Well, my 2 cents is as follows.
I love my 15yr old worm drive Skil. weighs a ton. Never kicks, almost never binds. Pain in the butt to use overhead, but I've done too. I've used it to cut door bottoms accurately and cleanly. And frame houses and decks. A great tool, and you'll have to pry it from my cold dead hand....
That said, what you want is a cordless saw. They're light. They're versatile. The blade is on the left (like a worm drive) so you can see what you're doing. The new ones out there have power enough for what you're doing. You can bring it to the lumberyard with you. You're just sectioning sheet goods, one at a time, not cutting wet 4x4s in place. Get one that uses the same batteries as your drill, and buy a decent "finishing" blade.The older I get, the better I was....
I'm going to cast my vote for the worm drive saw for breaking down full sheets of plywood. I have an old heavy Skil 77. Sidewinders just don't track nearly as well and are more prone to kickback. With a little practice you can snap a line and cut within a kerf of a straight line. The reason is the layout of the saw gives you more leverage to steer it, especially if it binds and trys to kickback. The extra weight helps in that regard too. Sidewinders have the handle close to the arbor and up top so the CG is higher and you have way less leverage. That's why framers and roofers use them pretty much exclusively. Go for the pretty new blue tool, you'll like it.
John O'Connell - JKO Handcrafted Woodworking
The more things change ...
We trained hard, but it seemed that every time we were beginning to form up into teams, we would be reorganized. I was to learn later in life that we tend to meet any new situation by reorganizing; and a wonderful method it can be for creating the illusion of progress while producing confusion, inefficiency, and demoralization.
Petronious Arbiter, 210 BC
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