A beam saw sounds like the ticket.

 

Just curious as to why you would have a cheap saw being a contractor. Spend the money and buy a contractor saw and be done with it. If you can't cut straight stringers with a good sidewinder, I don't know what to say.

 

I never saw the need. It spins and cuts. The only time it is ever used is when I cut stringers. Cutting wet PT ain't easy. Tell me why an expensive saw is better than a cheap one. I can tell you why when it comes to every other tool I use, but not with a circular as I have no history of comparison.

 

I love my Milwaukee saw. I have used them for nearly 30 years so I guess it is what I am used to. Most of my men prefer their Makita saw over mine.

I think it is a personal preference. Just because someone tells you how much they love their saw does not mean it is the saw for you. Try a few until you find one that fits you.

Festool makes a beutiful circular saw but I can't imagine using one to cut PT framing lumber. If you get one of those keep it in your shop

Dave

 

Alright, spins and cuts was a little bit much. :laughing:

Is there any advantage of a worm drive over sidewider when it comes to the strength of the arbor and bearings? Again, WET PT on a 35 degree angle into the grain can be a little tough to keep on line. Maybe RPM and power negate all that. I dunno. That's why I posted this in the deck forum and not he tool forum.

 

Porter-Cable is light, 15A, and
comes with left or right blades.
I have both and they do everything
I ask them to.
Buy a Diablo blade. :thumbsup:

 

I have a Skil Mag 77 worm drive, and absolutly love it! It has a lot of torque and cuts nice and straight. It might take a little getting used to after using a sidewinder for a long time, but it's all I have ever had. Try to find an older US made one. The new ones are made in China. Sometimes, especially if you look in some of the smaller neighborhood hardware stores, you might be able to find one made in the US. The Bosch worm drive is essentially the same saw.

 

I would at least get a saw with a 15 amp motor. If you have problems then, you can blame it on the person doing the cutting. Sidewinders or worm drive seem to be a personal preference. I have mostly used worm drive. I would recommend with the Skil Mag 77 or the Bosch.

 

If the (wet) wood is too tough for the saw try dropping it onto your line to get started instead of pushing it.

 

We cut PT all the time...yeah it can be tough to cut....I've only seen a problem with a dull blade or a saw that's a piece of junk....Maybe I'm a snob, but every cut I make, I want to look like trim....

I've cut PT with PC, dewalt, milwaukee, makita, worm drive....once in a while a guy will pull out his HOer special with the safety button and I just go to the truck and get my saw....'cmon, a 15 amp professional grade saw costs between $120-$150....

I applaud the newbie with the cheap saw, atleast he has the initiative to invest in tools....he's not cutting stringers or rafters either.....

Honest to god....if I have a project that I doubt my tool inventory and the tricks up my sleeve, I'll eat the cost and buy whatever tool i think I need!

 

$99.00
well worth a benji....

 

But it can't do this.....

 

along with this

 

I like the new Makita Hypoid model if I could only have one saw, but because I have can two saws, I have that AND the Rigid Fuego 6-1/2".

I used to be a strictly worm guy, but that little Rigid made me change my tune. It's absolutely great for cutting 2X, especially stringers.

 

Another vote for the Mag 77 -
pin or pull the guard back when cutting,
drop the foot so the blade's cutting path is just a little deeper than the thickness of the wood,
Diablo 24t blades,
finish the cuts w/ a jigsaw,
boom, you're done.

mine have been American-made and work great...

Mac

 

Ditto.

Get a Mag 77 and you'll never have a problem again Chris.

 

I've cut a lot of TP stringers & don't have a problem staying on the line. I use a 15 amp Makita & keep a good sharp thin kerf blade in it. I couldn't imagine using a cheap HO style circular saw.

 

Have you ever used a good saw?

 

No.

But I do have a Makita 10" slider, 2 Dewalt cordless circulars. 1 Makita cordless circular. Good dewalt jigs, Makits recips...etc, lots of good/latest Makita drills/impacts. But NO, I have never used good corded circular. That's why I ask. Stringers aren't huge for me. But the wood is getting wetter and worse. This is about the max amount of stringers build for:

I PROMISE I WILL BUY A NEW SAW TOMORROW!!!

 

Yet another vote for the mag 77. I had a milwaukee side winder before that, it lasted around 5 years before getting weak with power. Bought the mag from suggestions on here and love that thing. The longer rear D handle makes it much easier to keep the cut straight. You can really push on the worm drive and not slow it down.

 

I used to be a strictly blade left guy, and at first, I couldn't cut for crap with the Fuego since it's a sidewinder AND a blade right.

Then I realized, they designed the saw with such a wide view of the blade from either side that it was unlike any other sidewinder I ever had. It's a blade right that looks like a blade left. You just have to find the spot to look at which is not readily apparent when you pick it up. Strange, I know.

Honestly, I like the saw because it doesn't torque out when you pull the trigger and it's just less tiring to use all day than a wormdrive.

 

Best saw I ever had. I bought it for $114 back in about '70. I still have it, but it now needs bearings, so I have shelved it.

This is a picture of someone else's. Mine is not as pretty as this. It's cracked in a couple of places.

 

Is that the one that adjusts depth of cut by sliding on a vertical rail instead of tipping down into the work? I have one, and it looks real similar. Impressive saw!

I mostly use wormdrives though. I have a Bosch that is set up with a lever for lifting the guard with your thumb that I use for framing and rough cutting, and a skill mag 77 that I use for finish work.

 

there are some tools that don't have to be the best you can afford
a circ saw ain't one of them

 

See, that's what I was thinking too.:laughing:

 

you did that beautiful porch with a skil sidewinder:w00t:
:notworthy

 

No, I only used it for the stringers. I HATE STRINGERS. There, I said it.:laughing:

 

One more for the mag 77, and I've had most of the other worm drives and Hypoid saws.

I actually liked the DeWalt, but it just didn't hold up to the abuse my guys put saws through.

I have never had Skill wormdrive ever die, and we never check the oil.

 

I find sidewinders are only good for siding, they are geared higher giving you less torque than the worm drives. If you're cutting PT stair stringers, you'll find any worm drive way easier than a sidewinder.

 

Mag 77. The just seem right in my hand.

 

And you can hold a speed sqaure against the base with your left hand. That's one reason why I like cordless.. They are all left blade.

I use a speed square as a saw guide with both my left blade and right blade saws...?

And my Hilti cordless is a right blade....

 

I gave up on using a circular saw for PT stringers, the boards are just too inconsistant to get a solid/dead on layout like we do with normal lumber...so, i said to self- "self, how would a person be able to reproduce all stringers to be the same?" and the answer was "cut them all at once dumbazz" So that's what i did, a freind of mine had a Prazil for sale, i bought a Skill Mag, i married the two and have been jutting 4-6 set stringers at a time ever since. Plus this tool has been called out on a host of other odd jobs now that we have it....nother tool that you find usage for since you got it.:thumbsup: But the blunt of it's work asked to do is post notching for beam insets since you clean notch 6x6's in 2 cuts, cut them off to length in one cut, as well as stringers..so 98% of the time it's used for building decks.

Very rarely do i ever cut single stringers anymore...too fricken time consuming and hard on my back, the prazi is'nt cutting each cut as fact as a skill saw, but your cutting 4-6" stringers at once you your way ahead of the game time wise....just be sure to keep the blades sharp, once you hit any metal...it's junk and needs to be sharpened or replaced.

 

I gave up on using a circular saw for PT stringers, the boards are just too inconsistant to get a solid/dead on layout like we do with normal lumber...so, i said to self- "self, how would a person be able to reproduce all stringers to be the same?" and the answer was "cut them all at once dumbazz" So that's what i did, a freind of mine had a Prazil for sale, i bought a Skill Mag, i married the two and have been jutting 4-6 set stringers at a time ever since. Plus this tool has been called out on a host of other odd jobs now that we have it....nother tool that you find usage for since you got it.:thumbsup: But the blunt of it's work asked to do is post notching for beam insets since you clean notch 6x6's in 2 cuts, cut them off to length in one cut, as well as stringers..so 98% of the time it's used for building decks.

Very rarely do i ever cut single stringers anymore...too fricken time consuming and hard on my back, the prazi is'nt cutting each cut as fact as a skill saw, but your cutting 4-6" stringers at once you your way ahead of the game time wise....just be sure to keep the blades sharp, once you hit any metal...it's junk and needs to be sharpened or replaced.

I forgot I had a prazi saw.


I'll have to use it on my next set of stairs.


I bought it to gang cut floor joist, but didn't find it to be as good as I thought it might.

If I ever do a 2x10 floor it should be awesome.

 

I never have worn out a Skil wormdrive but I have had several of them stolen. I have a couple of 7 1/2 and a 6 1/2 coudent do my work with out them. Seems like I cut a lot of stairs in just finishing up a garapa project with 4 stairways one of them 16' long. It might be what I learned on I just dont like the off balance of the sidewinders that is the motor hanging over one side.

The wormdrive will run itself thru the cuts, its easy to let the saw do the work in other words. Another vote for the skil wormdrive. J.