Any advantages to a worm drive circular saw?

[Marshall Harrison]

I'm going to buy a circular saw for cutting sheet goods down to size.

Lowes has the Dewalt 15 amp worm drive saw for $45 right now? Just wondering if the worm drive is a good option or not.

[John McClanahan]

I have a DeWalt. It is the model that mounts the motor in a more vertical position. It is still front heavy. Its great for heavy duty cutting, but I reach for the traditional saw for all else.


John

[Frederick Skelly]

I found this to be an interesting thread Marshall. It's old but maybe it will help anyway. Link.

Fred

[Steve Rozmiarek]

Yes I think so. First, they are heavy in the right places to makes them more stable in the cut, because the motor is in the center of the saw, not hanging off the side. I like their ergonomics better too. I have half dozen or so, ranging in age from a few months old to 40 years, and all work just fine. Sidewinders just feel wrong to me, the balance is goofy because the motor is off to the side, the base is usually shorter, and I hate the torque on startup. Sidewinders with a blade on the left are common now, but they didn't used to be. I like to see my blade, so being right handed, I like it on the left. All (that I know of) worm drives are configured like that, which is why I tried my first one. I keep using them because they are seriously better at cutting the stuff I do, which is sheet stock and framing lumber. A sidewinder's balance issues become magnified with a shallow cut because the center of gravity it higher, and still offset. A worm drive is still centered in a shallow cut. Try one, you won't be sorry.

[Dave Sweeney]

$45 is a great price for a worm drive circular saw. I think I'd buy it just on principle because of the price.

[Tim Bueler]

I'm in the opposite camp from Steve R...on some points. First off, I don't feel wormdrives are heavy in all the right places, they are just heavy. Some of that does equate to heavy duty but unless you're using it all day, every day, exactly how heavy duty do you really need. Wormdrives feel as wrong to me, I'm sure, as sidewinders do to Steve. And, counter to Steve, I think the torque on startup is weird on wormdrives. It's what you get used to. Sidewinders tend to have a wider base to support the motor off to the side. For freehand cutting in framing situations I agree with Steve...I like the blade on the left. For a situation where you are using a saw guide - I was making my own decades before track saws came into existence - sidewinders are situated such that you can hold down your guide with your left hand while operating the saw with your right. This keeps the saw balanced over the guide. I have tried using a guide with a wormdrive and it is, in a word, awkward. Track saws are blade right for a reason IMO.

My personal favorite saw for freehand work was/is the now discontinued Porter Cable 345 Saw Boss. What it lacked in power it more than made up for in finesse (think, trimming a rafter tail, three stories in the air). That said, I wasn't hogging through tract homes, I was building one off custom homes. For guided work I still use a Makita 5007NB. Back "in the day" I always carried (at least) one right blade saw and one left blade as they bevel in opposite directions. That was important in an era long before dual bevel, sliding compound miter saws. One distinct advantage with a wormdrive, and my old Saw Boss, is the handle is on the rear of the saw. This helps a lot when you're crosscutting a full 4' sheet of plywood.

My suggestion for you Marshall is to go to a store where you can pick up a saw and feel how it fits you. Also, think about how, and how often, you'll be using it. If you're not using it every day you'd be better off with a saw that feels good right out of the box, rather than on you'll have to get used to. Are you occasionally cutting some sheet goods down to size with a guide? Or do you have a large framing job in mind? How strong are you? Bigger isn't necessarily better. I have a 1 ton truck, but I drive my 1/2 ton short box when I go into the city (don't own a car).

[Marshall Harrison]

OK. I ended up getting a Ryobi ONE+ 18V cordless. I already have several Ryobi cordless tools and batteries so staying within that lineup made sense.

I got a Kreg Accu-Cut and as Rip-Cut from my youngest son for my birthday last month and the plan is to use the saw with those for sheet good cutting. It won't get heavy use but it will be dedicated to that. I have a 40+ year old craftsman that I can use if I need to do any serious amount of framing or construction work. I can also carry the cordless saw and Rip-Cut with me and cut sheets down in the Big Box store parking lot if need be.

May still get a worm drive later so thanks for all of the advice.

[Mike Cutler]

Marshall

I can't speak to all of them, but I like my Milwaukee simply because the blade is on the opposite side of my Makita. I like to see where the blade is at on long cuts. It's also has an 8-1/2" blade, versus a 7-1/4" blade,, but that's just the nature of the two I have.
All things being equal, the worm drive should have more power for cutting. Maybe important, maybe not.

[Steve Rozmiarek]

I'm in the opposite camp from Steve R...on some points. First off, I don't feel wormdrives are heavy in all the right places, they are just heavy. Some of that does equate to heavy duty but unless you're using it all day, every day, exactly how heavy duty do you really need. Wormdrives feel as wrong to me, I'm sure, as sidewinders do to Steve. And, counter to Steve, I think the torque on startup is weird on wormdrives. It's what you get used to. Sidewinders tend to have a wider base to support the motor off to the side. For freehand cutting in framing situations I agree with Steve...I like the blade on the left. For a situation where you are using a saw guide - I was making my own decades before track saws came into existence - sidewinders are situated such that you can hold down your guide with your left hand while operating the saw with your right. This keeps the saw balanced over the guide. I have tried using a guide with a wormdrive and it is, in a word, awkward. Track saws are blade right for a reason IMO.

My personal favorite saw for freehand work was/is the now discontinued Porter Cable 345 Saw Boss. What it lacked in power it more than made up for in finesse (think, trimming a rafter tail, three stories in the air). That said, I wasn't hogging through tract homes, I was building one off custom homes. For guided work I still use a Makita 5007NB. Back "in the day" I always carried (at least) one right blade saw and one left blade as they bevel in opposite directions. That was important in an era long before dual bevel, sliding compound miter saws. One distinct advantage with a wormdrive, and my old Saw Boss, is the handle is on the rear of the saw. This helps a lot when you're crosscutting a full 4' sheet of plywood.

My suggestion for you Marshall is to go to a store where you can pick up a saw and feel how it fits you. Also, think about how, and how often, you'll be using it. If you're not using it every day you'd be better off with a saw that feels good right out of the box, rather than on you'll have to get used to. Are you occasionally cutting some sheet goods down to size with a guide? Or do you have a large framing job in mind? How strong are you? Bigger isn't necessarily better. I have a 1 ton truck, but I drive my 1/2 ton short box when I go into the city (don't own a car).

Tim, I think we just nicely illustrated the great saw debate that happens daily on jobsites around the nation.

Preference in this may have something to do with the first good saw you used. It was a lightbulb moment for me when I first used a wormdrive, after fighting a really terrible black and decker sidewinder. It was a long time ago, but seeing the blade, and having a saw that didn't feel like it was going to go screaming out of control at any moment, really was a game changer. Who knows, if Dad had spent a few more $ for a decent saw, I might prefer sidewinders... na, probably not.

I honestly don't use a rip fence very often, I can rip to a line really well freehand, and taking the time to use a fence usually only losses time. When I do though, I have a 4/4x98" piece of purple heart that I use. It's heavy enough that a clamp on one end, and holding it down as I go works fine. Last fenced rip I did was about 300' worth of insetting a track in a stage floor. I used 20' 2x4s for that, and it also worked just fine. Still watching for a dado worm drive to pop up locally.

I agree, the modern chop saw changed carpentry. I still do a lot of framing with a speed square and a worm drive, but if there will be more than a few hours of cutting, a chop saw and stand with stops comes out of the trailer.

[Robert Engel]

Worm drive is the choice for construction and framers. More power, better ergonomics, heavier built.

Marshall, I don't think you're info is correct. If they really have a worm drive saw for $45 you need to run, not walk and buy 3 of them!!!

[Marshall Harrison]

Worm drive is the choice for construction and framers. More power, better ergonomics, heavier built.

Marshall, I don't think you're info is correct. If they really have a worm drive saw for $45 you need to run, not walk and buy 3 of them!!!

My info was correct but they don't show it now. May have just been a clearance item at my local store.

[Rich Engelhardt]

I can also carry the cordless saw and Rip-Cut with me and cut sheets down in the Big Box store parking lot if need be.

That's what I've been doing with my Makita cordless track saw.

Marshall, I don't think you're info is correct. If they really have a worm drive saw for $45 you need to run, not walk and buy 3 of them!!!

They had them - - but - - as you say, people must have run and bought them up by the dozens. I checked every Lowes within 100 miles of me and nada.

[Keith Hankins]

I still have my dad's skill (back when they were boss) from the 50's, and its heavy and runs like a champ. I always liked because I'm a lefty and it was just more natural for me.

However, I switch to my festool tracksaw and pretty much use that now.

[Rollie Meyers]

It was a East Coast / West Coast thing but for construction, worm drive saws built California, story I read that because Porter-Cable was a NY company that sidewinder saws were more popular in the east, & Skil being from Chicago that the worm drives were popular in the west, I happen to like the Skil model 77 worm drive & have a Mag 77 that was made in the USA, all makes of worm drive saws seem to be made by the ChiComs now.