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What is a sidewinder saw?

7 min read

Asked by: Lisa Holt

What is a sidewinder on circular saws?

A sidewinder uses a motor with what’s technically called a spur-gear. By nature of this gear, the motor must be in line with the spinning blade, and this means the blade spins fast, in the neighborhood of 6,000 rpm. As you can see, the motor position allows for a fairly compact lightweight saw.

What is the difference between a worm drive saw and a sidewinder saw?

But for the most part a sidewinder has a blade on the right and a worm drive has a blade on the left. So depending on whether you're right-handed or left-handed.

What is the benefit of a worm drive saw?

Advantages of a Worm Drive Circular Saw



The longer distance between the handle and the blade extends your reach while making a cut, which is helpful for crosscutting sheet goods. A worm drive also has larger gear teeth with more load-carrying capacity than a direct drive, which provides more power but also adds weight.

What is the difference between a skill saw and circular saw?

All skill saws are circular saws. They all have circular blades that spin rapidly to bite through wood. However, not all skill saws are circular saws. Circular saws can be gas-powered, have sidewinder or hypoid designs, or even be fixed to radial arms, which skill saws commonly aren’t.

What brand of circular saw is best?

Top 9 Circular Saws

  • Makita 5007 Magnesium Circular Saw.
  • DEWALT 20-Volt Circular Saw.
  • SKILSAW SPT77WML-01 15-Amp Worm-Drive Circular Saw.
  • CRAFTSMAN 15-Amp Circular Saw.
  • Milwaukee 2830-20 Circular Saw.
  • SKILSAW 5280-01 Circular Saw With Laser Guide.
  • Makita SH02R1 12-Volt Max CXT Cordless Circular Saw Kit.

Is rear handle circular saw better?

Because of the placement of the motor, Rear Handle Circular Saws get a heck of a lot more torque than a standard Sidewinder Circ Saw. Sidewinders get more RPM’s, but the torque and power beats speed when you’re cutting into hardwoods with a Worm Drive (rear handle) saw.

Which is better Sidewinder or worm drive?

Sidewinder vs Worm Drive Torque



A worm drive saw has larger gear teeth with more load-carrying capacity than a sidewinder, offering more power and durability. It also allows the saw to handle higher shock loads. It has more muscle to plunge cut and handle tougher jobs.

Which is better circular saw or worm drive?

Worm drive saws offer more durability and power because they have larger teeth which have a more loading capacity than regular circular saws. This feature enables the user to handle loads with high shock. It can handle tougher projects because it has great muscle to pitch cut.

Why are worm drive saws left handed?

Traditionally, all worm drive saws operated in a blade-left orientation. Furthermore, this orientation likely places the weight of the saw over the portion of the material the user wants to keep, making it easier to stabilize the saw during the cut.

Do you need a miter saw if you have a circular saw?

Circular saws do have more versatility than miter saws. Every cut you can make on a miter saw can also be done on a circular saw, plus a few more. This is why my dad (and some others on the internet) recommend starting with a circular saw. But circular saws are tedious to use.

What is the real name of a skill saw?

A 5-Minute Circular Saw History



It’s here that the handheld circular saw as we know it was first dubbed the “Skilsaw”. The name is so synonymous with handheld circular saws that many people still refer to any brand’s model as a Skilsaw.

How do you cut a straight line with a circular saw?

The first and most obvious way to create a guide is to clamp a board to the plywood. And run the saw along the edge.

Why does my circular saw not cut straight?

What Causes a Circular Saw to Not Cut Straight. A faulty circular saw is likely to have issues such as an unstable blade or a warped blade edge. The problem could also be the way you operate the saw. If you do not operate the circular saw properly, it will not cut straight.

What saw is best for cutting straight lines?

portable circular saw

Despite its name, the portable circular saw (or any circular saw, for that matter) cuts only straight lines. The name actually refers to the shape of its blade.

How do you cut wood with a circular saw without splintering?

How to Cut Plywood With a Circular Saw Without Splintering

  1. Use the Right Blade. …
  2. Use Tape. …
  3. Make a Zero Clearance Base. …
  4. Score the Cut Line. …
  5. Place the Best Side Down.


How do you prevent tearing when cutting wood?

Another thing you can do to prevent tearout involves our old friend blue tape. Just run a strip of blue masking tape along the cut line on the side that you anticipate tear out. The tape helps to hold the fibers in place during the cut, and usually the result is a clean crisp line.

Why does my wood splinters when cutting?

Where the teeth come out of the wood, you can get splinters. The faster the cut, the larger the teeth, the more perpendicular to the surface and the duller the teeth, the more splinters you will get. For a hand saw, the splinters are on the bottom of the wood.

How do you cut thin wood cleanly?

Tip

  1. Cut the thin board or veneer to length using a carpenters square and a razor knife. …
  2. Position the razor knife against the long side of the square that is running perpendicular to the surface. …
  3. Cut curves and shapes into the board, using a hand coping saw. …
  4. Use short methodical strokes when using the coping saw.


Why is my miter saw chipping the wood?

Your wood does not have enough support.



With your miter saw comes the stock miter saw throat plate. This is where your wood is landing, and the work is going to get done. With the throat plate, though, there is a gap between the edges and the blade, making plenty of room for tear-out and chipping.

What is the best saw for cutting thin plywood?

But the best way to cut thin plywood would be by using a high tooth count blade on a table saw. You can use a circular saw as well if you don’t own a table saw. But you still need to use the same blade for it, a blade with a lot more teeth than a usual saw blade.

How do you make a smooth cut on wood?

Material you you want the face of the material. The good part the show part of the material to be forward. Because it's it's similar to the other two as the saw blade pulls into the material.

How do you make a 2×4 straight?

The measurements that you want to cut off of the wood. But it also gives you a straight edge that you can keep your wood up against and it keeps it nice and straight when you're cutting it.

How do I make wood edges straight?

But you know this edge is straight and what you can do is hot glue this board to the straight edge and then run the straightedge against your fence.

How do I make sure wood is square?

Face first then I throw this face up against this surface here to my fence. And then I'm going to true this up to this space so then both these will be perfectly ninety degrees to each. Other.

In what direction should a board be sent through the planer?

Feed the smooth direction forward into the wood planer. With some boards, you might get tearout in both directions. Then the best approach is to take a small amount of wood off with each pass; 1/32 in. is about right.

How do you square a 2×4 without a table saw?

You have 2 options without a table saw:

  1. Put your board, on edge, on a sled for the last step and run that through the planer. The major problem is that you’re limited on width of the board to however high your planer can raise. …
  2. Use a straight edge jig with your circular saw.