A worm drive saw is a safe, accurate and essential carpentry tool. I carry my Skilsaw HD77M at all times, for use almost every day. Here is Rigid’s attempt to make a wormdrive…

Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

Description:

A heavy-duty 15 Amp Worm Drive motor speeds the saw blade at 4,400rpm. This Rigid Circular saw features a 51.5º bevel cut, a built-in hook to hang it on joist or workstand and a nice long (12′) Rigid-quality power cord.

Experience:
Breaking from the norm of posting solely tools I own, which not only gives me the opportunity to thoroughly examine a tool but also to develop a relationship with the manufacturer and their quirks – I don’t own the Rigid Worm Drive and after using one for a few weeks, I am content to never make that purchase.

I’ve spent over 20 years with a Model 77 in my right hand so I’m no stranger to the tool but it’s going to take a much better saw to change me.

An demonstration of the lickin’ and still tickin’ my Mod77′s can take was repeated over and over by installing a diamond blade, duct-taping a garden hose to the plate and cutting city sidewalks, terrazzo floors, granite, rebar and all… rip off the hose, wipe off some stone dust, put on a 24 tooth and start cutting 45º miters on the ends of trim boards. It’s an awesome and accurate beast which until using the Rigid, I never considered smooth.

Comments:
Really, a Rigid tool that’s not smooth? The orange wormdrive I’m using is rough and rattles loudly. It’s a coarse experience that I’ve not had with any of my beloved Rigid tools… and that’s not a short list of power tools at this point. In fact, though I’m not a huge fan of the orange equipment solely for the reason it’s made from and for the Home Depot, I not only have quite a few Rigid tools, I use them on a daily basis and tout their strengths, innovations and comfort to use.

I don’t like the Rigid Worm Drive because it rides like a Mustang. I don’t need to spend time with it to learn it’s advantages (beside not having to purchase a joist hook separately) before passing a callous brief because though comfortable to push with it’s big black handle the rough and rattle experience with this saw is unsettling.

Guess what tool I needed but didn’t have with me today! Since I emptied and removed my truck boxes to move something huge, I haven’t quite returned all the tools to the box. I’ve been carrying nearly 100 hand tools for the past forever and thought I’d go through them and carry just what I need. Today I needed a sheetrock saw and didn’t have one with me so I used a razor knife.

Experience:

Wow. I’ve been using one of these for 20+ years and I never knew it was called a ‘jab saw’! The Stanley 20-556 6-Inch FatMax Jab Saw seems to be popular. Mine of course looks like nothing special, resembling this Goldblatt Tool 6″ Jab Saw for $4. Though it doesn’t look special and I have no attachment to this one other than it’s mine, this saw has served long enough. The model saw I have, see photo, should not be called a jab saw because if you were to jab drywall it would bend. You have to hammer this one straight on, which doesn’t mean you can’t bevel cut around an outlet. This is a piece of crap I’ve used a million times.

I’m ready to spend the extra $6 for a new Irwin ProTouch Drywall / Jab Saw or the Stanley 6-Inch FatMax Jab Saw but I’m content with this one until I need a new one.

From My Red Toolbox comes a coping saw; the Eclipse 7CP, made in England. Initially, coping wood trim was never a big favorite of mine and happened only when my boss made me. Now, I don’t mind coping an occasional piece of crown or large base cap for a better fit than mitering.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Experience:

I started my carpentry career remodeling the Victorian style houses of San Francisco. Inside those decorative homes, sometimes all the trim would be coped.

Joining wood molding by method of coping saw results in a high-quality inside corner.

In order to describe my common use for this saw; the process of coping trim, let’s imagine we have to put crown molding in a 10′ x 12′ rectangular room. We cut two boards the full length of the wall with square butt-joints and install them at each end of the room. The two missing lengths are cut the full length, 12 feet, and then comes the cool part. We cut the molding profile into the end of the board with the coping saw so that it mates against the first pieces we installed.

Ironically, the easiest way to figure out the trim profile is to bevel the piece on the miter saw, at which point you may be asking why you are bothering with a coping saw.

The coping joint allows the wood trim to shrink and expand without the joint opening. Coping is old-school but it yields a higher quality product than today’s machine-cut miter joints because it allows for expansion and installs perfectly on imperfect 90º corners.

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Links:
Robert Larson 540-2000 Coping Saw
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Excitement, Look what I got! Four Ridgid Cordless Tools in one sack. It’s a pretty heavy sack at that and one that won’t zip closed with all the tools in it. A mega drill/driver, 6″ circular saw, reciprocating ‘saws all’ and a flashlight complete with two 24V LI batteries, charger and carry bag make up this 4-piece combo kit.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Tools included:

• R851150 1/2″ VSR Drill/Driver
• R855 6 1/2″ Circular Saw
• R854 Reciprocating Saw
• R859 Work Light
• 24v XLi Battery Charger
• (2) 24 volt Lithium-ion Batteries

Experience:

I like this tool combo so it’s ironic that while I’ve been putting off this lengthy review some of the tools are beginning to fail.

This Ridgid combo replaced my long-dead Dewalt combo. that was offered well before a “cordless” sawzall was available so the Ridgid would be my first cordless reciprocating saw. I have used it extensively along with all the tools in the bag over the past year.

I’m carrying the Ridgid Combo with me unless a job calls for more and I’ve gotten away with quite a few tasks without electricity.

• Cordless Drill/Driver
• Cordless Circular Saw
• Cordless Reciprocating Saw
• Cordless Illumination!

Plus, I’ve added Ridgid’s

• Cordless Planer
• Cordless Jigsaw

I keep a power inverter in the truck for battery charging.

Comments:

I’d like to say the Drill/Driver is as good as my little 15v Panasonic. Hahah, why do I like that wimpy panasonic?

I’d like to say the sawzall is as tough as my corded model. I’d like to say the Circular saw even comes close to a Saw Boss or that the flashlight is bright. Hmm… What can I say?

I can say that Ridgid makes tools that feel good in my hand. They are simple to adjust, with nice thick nobs and levers that operate smoothly. They are user-friendly and orange.

The Drill/Driver is heavy as hell with the 24V battery and it’s not small either. This is a framing, exterior heavy duty drill driver and I like it. It’s a little sloppy on fit and finish but it’s a brute and lasts long on the 24V… provided it’s not cold – more on that in a sec. I recently used this driver on slow speed hammer drill setting to drive in 1/4″ lags and an hour before to install #6 brass screws into fancy cabinet hinges. This is not a gentle driver.

The cordless circular saw is ok. At first I was excited because it outperforms my retired Dewalt but it’s really not all that impressive. A few sheets of plywood or a bunch of 2x and even the 24V battery is shot. It’s not the one for ripping 2x material unless it’s just one length and the other battery is charging but it is fantastic to have. I use it all the time for things like working on fence, out buildings, attics or basements without power and anywhere a couple of cuts will do.

The reciprocating saw got a lot of use over the year. That’s likely why three parts on mine are broken .. with an important pin lost. It still works. I know I should order the part before it doesn’t exist, since Ridgid has already replaced this model. The sawzall is important on my job. I’ve gotten away with a lot from this saw but let’s just say my opinion matches it’s strength.

The flashlight is outdated in this age of much brighter and more efficient LEDs. Imagine what we should have attached to those huge 24V batteries.

Ahh.. the Ridgid 24V Batteries: First I have say, I noticed that one battery costs $100. The combo kit came with two. That’s $200… so I got a charger, drill, flashlight and two saws for $200? I’ll say that a charging indicator on the battery and super-fast charging are fantastic!

The batteries hate the cold winters in New England. Mine did anyway. The both of my batteries couldn’t figure out whether they were charged or not. Sometimes a single cut would set the battery to dead but setting on the charger shows full after 10 seconds. Nothing I can do about the cold and never had this problem with the Porter-Cable drill/driver battery.

Summary:

Having all these tools cordless is liberating. Do I feel forced to stick with Ridgid’s cordless line since I’m already in this deep with 4 batteries and 6 tools? How do we end up with one over the other… My friend had this one, the tools were smooth. I liked the charge indicator and the tools seemed to last a long time on a single charge. I bought it and I’ve been happy to own a kit such as this. My suggestion would be to read up on these combos, consider what it means to have a half-dozen tools relying on a battery system. Research the batteries and if Ridgid batteries have the best record, go for it.

Links:
Ridgid X3 R963 5 Piece 18v Lithium-ion Combo Kit
Ridgid R964- 4 piece 18 volt Lithium Ion Combo Kit

Ridgid 24V 1-Hour Lithium-Ion Battery Charger 140315001
RIDGID 24V/18V Max Select XLi Lithium-Ion Hammer Drill

A tool inherited from a friend and mentor, my Marples Bow Saw hangs proudly in a prominent spot on my wall of tools but sees very little use throughout the years. Also known as a Frame Saw the traditional Bow Saw is a rip saw used for resawing. Fitted with a narrow blade a Frame Saw is very similar to the smaller Coping Saw used for cutting curves. A Frame Saw with a narrow blade used for curved cutting might be called a Turning Saw.

Experience:

I have a few tools that mean more to me than their function. This Marples Woodworking tool is one example of a tool that I value but rarely use. My Marples Bow Saw is comprised of Beechwood cheeks, stretcher and toggle with a chord tensioner.

I have used this saw for a set of curved cabinet feet and a few dovetail cutouts but I prefer my Jap saws for almost all my straight hand sawing. Saying that brings to mind a feature of the Frame/Turning Saw which is a tensioned blade. With constant tension on a thin blade a push cut delivers the effectiveness of my Jap-style pull saws.

On the jobsite I regularly used a cheap coping saw on crown and fancy base moldings and in my shop I have a Band Saw. My affinity for shop work will no doubt put this old device to work again one day but for now it hangs on the wall in wait. It hangs displayed in memory, in reminder and as inspiration.

A saw with many names – Which is it – a Bow Saw, Frame Saw, Fret Saw, Coping Saw, Rip Saw or Turning saw? Hahah… It’s a Frame Saw referred to as a Bow Saw which can be used as a Turning Saw. Traditionally the design was used as a resawing Rip Saw. Modern woodworking has abandoned the design but this saw can perform a multitude of hand-sawing functions.

Links:

Check out the Gramercy Bow Saw for interesting information on the Bow Saw.

The Bosch 1634VS is also known as the Bosch Panther. The Bosch Panther is a German tank, not to be confused with the Panzer. I don’t know of a harder hitting machine; with it’s 10.5 Amp variable speed motor and it’s hefty weight I’ve taken down houses with this one.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Description:

A heavy-duty 10.5 Amp variable speed motor with up to 2,800cpm. Without putting it on a scale, I think this saw comes in close to 10lbs. It’s a powerhouse of destruction.

Experience:
The Bosch 1634VS in these pictures was the 3rd reciprocating saw in my toolbox, replacing it’s Bosch predecessor. Since the 1634VS has been replaced by numerous newer models since I put this tool into service, little info is available online these days. I bought this second Bosch sawzall, despite it’s weight, because a Panther is much smoother and deadlier than a Tiger, if you get my drift. This saw has demolished more wood, metal, plaster, drywall and random construction material than most of my tools combined. Hold no doubts, this one is all about destruction. I never babied this one; dropped it, tossed it out of the way, dragged it by the cord over pavement, under houses, through the dirt, in the rain and still it’s as powerful as the day I bought it.

Comments:
In a way, this saw reminds me of my start in commercial construction almost 20 years ago. Each morning I’d crank up a big ol’ Bosch jack hammer and rattle away through a sidewalk, street or foundation. I remember learning to let the tool do the work… you sort of just hold on and away it goes. Well, this Bosch saw is a brute and I mean it. This is the kind of saws-all that despite it’s ultra-smooth German manufacture is a pull the trigger and hold on for life. It is significantly more powerful than any other reciprocating saw I’ve owned and requires a bit of muscle to control. I’ve taken this Panther out of my truck toolbox and carry a newer cordless sawzall but when I’m on a large remodel, this saw will be there busting things up. I prefer the German-made tools and this Bosch Panther hasn’t let me down yet with over 10 years of brutal service.

Links:

Bosch Reciprocating Saws at Amazon.com

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

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Experience: I have used a saw boss for over 20 years. I can’t remember when I purchased the 6″ Porter-Cable saw I have these days but it’s cut a lot of plywood. This little saw excels at ripping sheets of 1/2″ for roofing or sheathing and I keep it for just such an application. My Porter-Cable 345 Saw Boss has ripped countless pieces of plywood and the occasional 2x.

Comments: It’s been around for a long time and that should say something for the P-C Saw Boss. Mine doesn’t show any signs of slowing down. The fence is a good one. I’m not a fan of circular saws. I was raised on the wormdrive Skilsaw but I can still drive this little Porter-Cable accurately.

Links:
Model 345 at Porter-Cable (Product Data)

Porter-Cable 345 Saw Boss at Amazon.com (good pricing)
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