I have let my mind wander too much and am now searching/shopping for an 8-1/4" circular saw to cut the thicker slabs. I have an old 7-1/4 skillsaw (1960's) that is still going strong and I can't begin to count all I have built with it. I got that used in 1977. No plastic on it.
But it can only cut 2-3/8 or so deep. So I am looking to pry open my purse and allow myself a new tool, but it has to be at least 8-1/4". I would love to get a Makita timber saw (16") but it is out of my range. I've used one and love the finish it leaves. Perfect cuts every time. It's also overkill for slabs and dang heavy. I just need to clear a 3" slab to be happy. I see the makita claims 3" depth of cut and the Milwaukee is only 2-7/8.
Anybody have these and can confirm? Any options on these or others? I'd like to keep the cost at $250 or less, but it depends on what I might get for my money. Festo is out of the question, just on price.
Go ahead, help me spend my money. :D
Why not get a Makita 10-1/4" instead of the 8-1/4? I have no complaints with mine.
Well, it's 70 bucks more, but I would be able to cut off 4x4's with it (barely). I dunno, that's something to think about.
Glad you mentioned it.
That was my first thought, the man needs a bigfoot.
I just discovered we didn't achieve pitch set on this load, I'm chillin and resting my push sticks for a minute :D
My suggestion was going to be to look at a 10" instead of the 8" also. I have ran a 10" Milwaukee, but have not ran the Makita to compare.
I bought a used Milwaukee 10-1/4" off CL for your wishing price. There was nothing at all wrong with it, and it's not hard to handle at all. I also have a number of 7-1/4's, 8-1/4's, and a 16-5/16's, so know what the comparison is. I don't think I've picked up an 8-1/4 since I bought that 10-1/4".
The larger they are, the slower the blade turns (with most of them), so other than the size and weight of the saw itself, there is no more strength required just to run any of them.
My old Makita 16" has the same motor as their 7-1/4" saw, there is just a reduction gear in the big saw. It is a wimp compared to the 10" Milwaukee. I'm pretty much the same, I rarely reach for the 8". I did have one that swung to 60°, I think it was a Skil. It did not like to cut that far over but would do it. I got it for a prow fronted house but that swing did come in handy at times.
Thanks guys, all good stuff.
Perhaps I should have picked out my words a little more carefully with this bunch. Allow me to rephrase: Help me spend my money, WISELY :D ;D.
Yeah, the bigfoot would be nice, but it's just too pricey for the amount of time I would need it. Still the 10" might be do-able.
Don, did I read that right? Your 16" has the same motor as your 7-1/4?! The Makita 16 that I ran had a much bigger motor, but it's not that old.
I did check on CL because that is a good idea. about a year ago I saw some 16's going for about 250, but it wasn't that much of a need then. I only found one Makita 10", like new, but over an hour away. I always found the worm drives awkward and never owned one, but I suppose I could adjust.
I'll keep looking, but I think you guys steered me up to a 10" for sure. Dang it all. ;D
For what it's worth, I sold my Makita 16-5/8 and replaced it with a similarly sized Skillsaw. I've been happy with the change.
An 8" does not provide much more capacity compared with the standard 7-1/4, whereas the 10" is a nice step up in capacity but w/o the more difficult handling of the 16.
I have to concur with the fellas saying to get the 10" saw. The extra money spent over the 8" would be well worth the extra cost. You probably know, we use the 10" saw in trench rescue to cut and rip 4x4s and they are great for it. Just be sure to get a blade that is meant for ripping.
If you can find a used wormdrive. most can be retrofitted with the Bigfoot conversion. Might be able to stay within the budget.
The blade is pretty important with the bigger saws. Thin kerf blades can flex around knots or with a grain change. Full kerf cuts straighter but may overpower the saw. I've not seen any that would give me a consistent glue line rip.
I haven't been a fan of worm drive saws, because I can't run it with one hand very easily. I have a good Skil one that I bought in an auction, but I have never used it. It seems like a no brainer that I should buy one of the Bigfoot conversions and make it a useful saw for me.
Yeah, I think I am settled in on the 10" saw now. I am hunting around for a deal and will keep an eye on CL, etc for a couple of weeks, then buy a new one if nothing pops up.
I think I bought the skil worm drive for about $30 and the bigfoot kit is $209. That saves about $100 on the cost of the cheapest 10" saw I've seen.
In a somewhat related way to this thread and cutting bigger wood, I'm considering buying a Prazi Beam cutter for one of my saws.
After reading lots of reviews I've got mixed thoughts. Many say they are not a such a useful tool while others head to a 5 star glowing review.
Having built my house with a chain saw its not like a must do thing for me but the notion is attractive.
What say others on the non-worm drive PR2700 Prazi beam cutter? Be cutting mostly (actual rough sawed) 6" thick EWP logs or a few 4x6 beams.
I've got one hooked to a Milwaukee worm drive. It sits most of the time. I use it when the 16" won't work, definitely not a go to saw.
I picked up an older Milwaukee 10" saw cheap at a garage sale. The depth adjust is a vertical slide that is hard to adjust in a fine manner. Just coarse adjustments so not great for cutting tenon kerf cuts. I don't use it anymore. Let me look around for it. IIRC, it needs a new blade (dull). I could let you have it for shipping if it looks like it will be worth it to you.
I was one of the first carpenters in my age group (56 now) when I first started carpentry work to own and use a worm drive. At the time in New Hampshire no one used one. The most comfortable saw to use for me.
I still have the original one I purchased back in 1984 a Craftsman ( rebranded skill).
I'm going to be building a project this summer and I'm going to purchase a cordless worm drive to use.
My vote is 10" on your new saw.
Thanks again for all the good replies and general good conversation. Yeah, 10" is definitely what I have been searching for. I found one or two used, but 4 hours round trip drive leans me toward spending the money for a new one.
LJohnsaw, if you can find that saw and it works OK, or seems to we should talk in more detail. I'd be more than happy to pay at least the shipping. Even if it's not the greatest, it will get me going on the next table or two. Wish I had time to hit the garage sales, but it take a lot of sales to hit on something worth buying for whatever use. I am just too busy to take the time out.
The great debate, drop table vs swing table :). With a drop shoe the handle orientation and your motion is the same through adjustment. With a swing table it is simpler, arguably faster and easier but the handle changes angle through the depth adjustment range. I've never been that delicate.
Sounds like the resounding answer to the question "Which 8" saw to get?"
The 10" one ;D
Spot on Don. I am using a 7-1/4 60's skill saw and I have a lot of cutting through it (not as much as you I am sure) and on some jobs ran that things so hard I wanted to dunk it in a bucket of water to cool it off. No plastic on that saw. It has a swing base and I have never tried to be precise on the depth either. It's either 'just enough to go through' on slammed all the way down for the max, which was often not enough. With the swing base I never liked doing shallow cuts because it put the handle point too high and if it bound you either had a really hard time holding the saw back, or it ran out from under your hand, which I did not like at all. ;D
Same with worm drives I think. I used my buddy's once on a job and found it awkward, but he swung that thing and one handed cuts like it was part of his arm. So I guess with time, I might adjust.
SO I need a 10", maybe a 16 too, but one step at a time. Those makita 16's come up on CL more often than I would think, but mostly it's the older ones in my price point. The newer ones stil bring around 650 used. Too rich for me at this point.
I've been through a few saws :D. The most memorable lasted about 4 hours. I bought a new saw, was doing soffit returns on a step ladder and yup. left the saw perched on top of the ladder "for just a second" ::). Back to the store that evening. I'da been money ahead to stay in bed some days!
Quote from: Old Greenhorn on July 03, 2022, 08:19:19 PMThose makita 16's come up on CL more often than I would think, but mostly it's the older ones in my price point.
I talked about this on some other thread. Take a HARD look at the Makita and the Skil Sawsquatch. I had a Makita (blue one) and found it very awkward to use and just a little under powered. The Skil is still heavy but has a much bigger shoe (cast magnesium vs stamped steel) and a bit more power. A little quieter, too. I'll keep an eye out for one on the auction site. I think when we last talked, the shipping would be about $100 for the size and weight. Maybe it should go Truck Freight! ;)
I think a some point Makita changed their 16" saw a bit. I used a newer one for cutting6x8 maple posts and it cut like a dream. I am shying away from the older ones because I think these are the ones that were a bit weak on power. I could be wrong. I have never seen the Milwaukee except in photos.
Given that I will only need this for squaring off slabs and some kerf cuts I can make do with just about any decent saw provided it is big enough. I am not likely to grab a 10" for trimming 2x4's, but I could be wrong on that too. I have recently caught myself wishing I had a 6-1/4 battery saw for certain things, so maybe a weakness is developing in my head?
By awkward, I mean the motor location relative to the blade. Every saw I've ever used the motor is on the right and I'm right handed. So that puts the view of the blade right in front of me. I can see what I'm cutting without any unnatural body contortions. With the Makita, I had to lean to the right to see what I was cutting.
I found the Milwaukee saw. Heavier than I remembered. I'm heading up the hill today and will be back on Wednesday to weigh it and check the cutting (it works, just want to remind myself what I didn't like about it) and I'll get back to you on Thursday.
No rush. We leave Wednesday morning for VT, get back on Sunday night or Monday, then I leave for another 6 or 7 days to work at a festival. So the only time I might be home to take care of stuff before 7/18 is next Monday. So no rush, then I'll be in a hurry. :D
I don't mind leaning over the saw to see. It makes it easier to get my head out of the way when nasty chips are spitting in my face.
I just stumbled on a 9-1/4" Makita circular saw that uses 2 18V batteries. I already have those batteries, so this was looking interesting. Then I read farther and saw that it would work on several different types of track saw tracks, and that made it more interesting.
Then I got down to the part where it said maximum depth of cut at 90 degrees was 3-3/8". That is Really stupid, so I quit looking at it.
Seems like it's do-able. But I note that the saw has a $519. tag on it. No thank you, all the 10 1/4 corded ones are 175 cheaper. For only a few cuts a year, I will stick with the frugal approach. ;D :D
I was looking at the 10 1/4 Makitas a while back and saw one was $300.00 but that didn't have a blade brake and another had a brake for over $100 more. Seems like a brake would be a good option to have. I wound up buying their tracksaw instead. I can cut the face and then flip the board for thicker boards with about .06 offset and cut from the back. Then use a piloted router bit to make an even glue line for the few thicker slabs I deal with. I get more use from the tracksaw and its safer to use.
On big saws, to me they are just one more destabilizing force. My built in gyrocopter can handle releasing a blade and it winding down. Release the trigger and hit a brake on that mass and P-force kicks in, the plane turns right and there's a wallow in the line.
Quote from: Don P on July 03, 2022, 10:56:14 PM
I've been through a few saws :D. The most memorable lasted about 4 hours. I bought a new saw, was doing soffit returns on a step ladder and yup. left the saw perched on top of the ladder "for just a second" ::). Back to the store that evening. I'da been money ahead to stay in bed some days!
My carpenter brother always puts the circular saw on the ground so I asked once why he didn't put it on the saw horse? he replied "it hasn't fell off the ground yet".
This was before chop saws were common so it got used all day framing houses.
Quote from: ljohnsaw on July 04, 2022, 10:03:41 AM
By awkward, I mean the motor location relative to the blade. Every saw I've ever used the motor is on the right and I'm right handed. So that puts the view of the blade right in front of me. I can see what I'm cutting without any unnatural body contortions. With the Makita, I had to lean to the right to see what I was cutting.
I found the Milwaukee saw. Heavier than I remembered. I'm heading up the hill today and will be back on Wednesday to weigh it and check the cutting (it works, just want to remind myself what I didn't like about it) and I'll get back to you on Thursday.
John I know you are busy with your build, but did you get a chance to weigh that saw yet?
For the life of me, I could not find this thread! Yeah, I weighed it but I've forgotten what it was ::)
Here's a few pictures of it. The guy cheeped out and just put a regular 10" blade on it so he marked what it can cut ::)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/30640/20220707_a.jpeg?easyrotate_cache=1658973748)
If you want a full 4" cut, you'll need the right blade. So on the front, you loosen this black knob and can slide the motor up on a semi-dovetail track.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/30640/20220707_b.jpeg?easyrotate_cache=1658973712)
When at full height (minimum cut depth), there is a lot of play. It gets better the closer to the shoe the motor is. Look closely at the gray part that the knob is on and relative to the chrome track. Here it is flopped one way.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/30640/20220707_c.jpeg?easyrotate_cache=1658973748)
And now flopped the other way. Not a precision device. This is what I really don't like about it! Probably a good 5° shift from one side to the other.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/30640/20220707_d.jpeg?easyrotate_cache=1658973768)
I'm heading home tomorrow and I'll weigh it again (and write it down!).
Yeah if that were a daily driver it would make me nuts too. But for me, just occaiaionally trimming slabs, I will just have to fuss with it a bit, it seems, to get it set right, then leave it. Probably leave it at full depth 99% of the time.
Weigh it when you can and let me know.
Thanks again.
The model # and google will tell you the weight of the saw.
Aw, where is your sense of sport?! :D It's a more fun to guess. I am going to guess 17 pounds without any case of blade.
I need more excitement in my life.
My bathroom scale says it's 20.0 pounds. It's a beast.
For the record, John sent the 10-1/4" saw which arrived just in time for a current table build. I used it yesterday to square up a slab table top and it worked just fine! It won't be my favorite saw to use by any means, but it does the job and I am grateful to have it for sure. Not the kind of tool I would use with one hand though! :D