Wormdrive beam saw for ripping

[andy]

Hi gang
Is anyone using a Big Foot (Under $400) or similar 10 1/4” circ. Beam saw for ripping CS milled lumber into s2s rough planks ?
The max depth of 3.875” makes it pretty easy to rip #x4 material by slapping a guide board down for a rip fence.
In the field, it's a lot easier bringing the saw to the wood than the wood to the saw with 16-20’ x 20-30” Cedar and fir planks.
Any thoughts or experiences ?
Thanks

 

[Albert Beerstein]

Andy I have used a 9 1/2" Makita circular saw and fence to cut 2 inch thick slabs down to width, it's pretty quick and accurate so long as your fence is straight!

 

[Rob Stafari]

Not yet, but I have the skil 10 1/4 wormdrive I use crosscutting 4x and notching 6x posts.

 

[M.R.]

What I do on, Well on most all my power tools
Is keep the cord length as short as possible & within
/ exceeding the 2% in the table shown in the picture
out of Wiring Simplified
Even stepping up a wire size & cutting the cords
down & installing new ends.
Building excessive heat in the motor otherwise.

 

[andy]

Andy I have used a 9 1/2" Makita circular saw and fence to cut 2 inch thick slabs down to width, it's pretty quick and accurate so long as your fence is straight!

Thanks....Yup you're doing it. That's exactly my thought to do with my material milled to 3 1/2".
I just ordered the Big Foot 10 1/14" saw.
With thinner stock I would straight-line on the table saw but these slabs are so heavy.
As well, the final use is intended to be framing a big greenhouse (not furniture) so a rougher cut from a big worm-drive will be fine.
The BigFoot is a 15amp 110v motor. I've used them at work a bit for cutting big beams and posts.
It should hold up fine ripping Cedar Fir and Hemlock (all softwood conifers).

 

[andy]

What I do on, Well on most all my power tools
Is keep the cord length as short as possible & within
/ exceeding the 2% in the table shown in the picture
out of Wiring Simplified
Even stepping up a wire size & cutting the cords
down & installing new ends.
Building excessive heat in the motor otherwise.

Thanks for the chart!
Skil specs out no more than a 50' #10 extension cord to stay within warranty. I have one (not cheap).
I may drag the Generator out to where my trees are so I can rip the material down where it stands.
I have plenty of power here but not having to move the full slabs is part of the reason to get this saw in the first place.
The trees are much further than 50' from power otherwise.
The Genny is plenty strong... I guess i'll discover just how true that is.

 

[Henry3120xp]

Hi gang
Is anyone using a Big Foot (Under $400) or similar 10 1/4” circ. Beam saw for ripping CS milled lumber into s2s rough planks ?
The max depth of 3.875” makes it pretty easy to rip #x4 material by slapping a guide board down for a rip fence.
In the field, it's a lot easier bringing the saw to the wood than the wood to the saw with 16-20’ x 20-30” Cedar and fir planks.
Any thoughts or experiences ?
Thanks

I use a Makita 5402na 16 5/16 beam saw. It’s a big heavy beast but will cut up to 6-1/4 material.

 

[Rob Stafari]

I use a Makita 5402na 16 5/16 beam saw. It’s a big heavy beast but will cut up to 6-1/4 material.

Oh how I want one of those saws!

 

[Henry3120xp]

Oh how I want one of those saws!

They are fairly pricy new, but I found a great deal on a used one on Craigslist. It’s funny seeing some peoples expression when they see one for the first time. Its not a speed demon but with a little practice you can get very accurate cuts with it. If you decide to buy a used one pay attention to the base, it’s the weakest part of the saw and can get wrapped if treated rough. It’s stamped metal and can be trued back up with some careful hammer work.

 

[Franny K]

Probably should have the type of blade that go on board edgers. I can not recall the word for it but they have a carbide section radially out near the outside of the blade. Or maybe somehow set the teeth more than usual.

I had an 8 1/4 Skill saw go bad and they mailed it back and said armature no longer availale. It was not used all that much. The 8 1/4 inch one was geared down a bit more than the 7 1/4 one. Less choices for large worm or hypoid saws now best as I can tell. Those large Makita conventionally configured circular saws did not hold up well say 25s years ago. Be warned. I do not see that the saw in the link in post 1 is geared for that size blade as they offer a conversion kit for smaller saws do they not?

I have used the Makita double barttery saw that is the shape of a worm drive saw and a concrete screed. It really takes two passes and should have a space under the piece being cut for sawdust to escape. It discharges sawdust in an undesirable way which is more common now than years ago. It does have circuitry to protect the tool and battery, unlike corded. The pictures are of 2 3/8 which is the limit, I suppose if one removed the guard an 8 1/4 blade might fit.

 

[Rob Stafari]

They are fairly pricy new, but I found a great deal on a used one on Craigslist. It’s funny seeing some peoples expression when they see one for the first time. Its not a speed demon but with a little practice you can get very accurate cuts with it. If you decide to buy a used one pay attention to the base, it’s the weakest part of the saw and can get wrapped if treated rough. It’s stamped metal and can be trued back up with some careful hammer work.

Good to know as it is in my routine craigslist search. I'd truly love the big mafell version that is track compatible, but for the price and as much as it will get used, I see the makita in my future. At least to start off.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

Why not just turn the log, make a cut and have all of them edged right then!

SR

 

[andy]

It’s not that kind of log (too big ).

 

[Franny K]

Why not just turn the log, make a cut and have all of them edged right then!

SR

In my case the picture above, I wanted the planks right away, light enough to handle and turned the log 180 degrees. For medical reasons the technique works pretty well. I could see using a chainsaw with an inch or so block on each side near the bar end instead of the circular saw for faster.

 

[Ketchup]

I've used circular saws of many sizes to rip the sides off slabs as well as lots of beam work. They're great, but a beam machine is what you want for rip cutting lots of thick stock if you can't get to a full mill.
A beam machine with a smaller chainsaw will last longer than a big circular saw and doesn't have a cord. I have a 394xp with a 36" bar in a slabbing jig and a 372xp with a 24" bar in a beam machine. It's a good setup for milling beams and thick slabs in the woods. The 372 does 20" side cuts without issues and laughs at 4 or 6" slabs. The hard part is staying square, but you get better with practice.

 

[Coralillo Lo Pro]

I got my Makita 16 5/16" beam saw about a month ago on Ebay, for about $330 with shipping I think. Said barely used and new blade, but seemed fairly old and blade far from new, best I can tell. Still, awesome machine. Had been on my wish list for awhile, not a must have compared to some other upgrades I'd like to make, but couldn't pass it up for the price. Thought it might just be slow in 4-6" cuts in hardwood after my first uses of it, maybe just for beam cutting, not really a ripping saw, but then after watching a how to video on sharpening circular saw blades with a grinding wheel in your circular saw, I went on a sharpening rampage with every blade in my shop and man was the difference tremendous. I'm slowly learning the difference with chainsaw chains and every other blade with a tooth that there's "but it feels sharp" and genuinely make-you-bleed sharp. I should know this by now from being an avid deep sea fisherman and sharpening big hooks really well for marlin and the like, but I've been slow to apply it to woodworking. Have yet to set up a good straight edge and really test its ripping accuracy on some of my 5-6" thick mesquite slabs, but I should try it soon. I can clean up any minor unevenness in my planer. The best use of it for me is making mantels out of slabs. Not sure I'd want to do a lot of ripping with it, or how well it would hold up with extended use. Nice thing about the Makita is it's a BEEFY blade and thus doesn't deflect too easy, though you do lose more wood to each cut than smaller saws. Still, not nearly as much as a chainsaw.

 

[htetreau]

I've been using the Skilsaw Sawsquatch 10 1/4" & love it! Paired with a ripping guide/fence, it makes edging quick & easy.

 

[Ketchup]

I like the worm drive 10 1/4" better for ripping than the Makita 16" beam saw. It's the go-to if I'm just pulling a couple pieces off the stack for a small project. It's easier to use. It has a better bed plate and blade guard. It also feels more powerful. The 16" has an intentionally soft clutch so you don't burn up the internals trying to power through big cuts. I mostly use it as a cutoff saw and for precise joinery in big beams. I feel like I can lean on the big worm drive more and cut a lot faster but you don't get the depth of cut.

Still, if I'm edging multiple beams or thick slabs, chainsaw and beam machine is a lot easier. I've used the beam machine for all kinds of weird thick timber projects. It rips really fast once you get used to it, especially if you stack your cuts. I've had most of my saws in it at one point or another from my 201t up to my 394xp. I like a 16-20" bar for ripping and razor sharp evenly ground 8-10 degree chain.

All great tools really. If you're building from scratch in reasonable volume, I would have them all. Not to mention loads of hand blades.

 

[Coralillo Lo Pro]

Just did a number of mesquite 1" x 6"s out of a 6" slab with my Makita 16" with the newly sharpened blade. For such a formidably hard wood and such a deep cut, was impressed with how well it mowed through them. Slow and steady and pretty damn accurate. Would agree with other sentiments that you can't lean on the Makita too much, and not necessarily the best shoe/bed plate, but a surprisingly good resaw option to let you do 6" wide boards. Cumbersome as hell, no doubt, and the 10 1/4" is a better option if you don't need the width, but it's a nice luxury to be able to do over 6" cuts. I will likely buy a 10 1/4 sooner or later too if I find a deal on one though.