Sawzalls

When it came time to decide what to write about this month, I started to think about what tool is an incredibly popular tool, past the obvious choice of cordless drills. The one I came up with is the reciprocating saw. Now for people that are familiar with this tool, you are probably saying to yourself "it's called a sawzall." The truth is the only company that manufacturers a "sawzall" is Milwaukee, and the Sawzall name has become synonymous with Milwaukee. Lets take a look at what a reciprocating saw actually is.

Like the Milwaukee name states, a sawzall will saw all. It can be used to cut just about any material, including wood, metal, fiberglass, particle board, PVC, tile, copper, and just about any other material. The saw is straight, with a back "D" handle design. The blade comes out of the other end and the motion of the blade follows that of a hand saw, which is an in line, or back and forth motion. They come in either two speed, or the much more popular variable speed models. The power that these saws deliver varies drastically from manufacturer to manufacturer, and many manufacturers offer several different powered reciprocating saws within their line. For the most part, the well built tools will be between 4 amps and 10 amps. Another useful feature to look for is called orbital action. The best way to describe this is that in addition to the blade going in and out, the blade goes up and down as well, which makes the saw incredibly aggressive when going through wood.

Up until about two years ago the way you went about changing blades is by inserting an allen key into a screw located at the head of the unit, loosening it, inserting the blade, and retightening the screw. The problems that existed with this system were the overtightening and stripping of the screws, lost screws, lost allen keys, etc. Although their are still many reciprocating saws on the market that use this system, the blade clamping system has come a long way with the introduction of the quick blade clamping system. Porter Cable introduced this first, and several other companies including Bosch and Milwaukee have followed suit with similar systems. The way it works is you turn a knob, insert your blade, and release the knob. Your blade is now locked into the proper position. Dewalt just released a new system which you simply pull a lever, insert your blade, and release the lever. The advantage in this system is that you do not have to touch the blade to remove it from the tool, and if the blade gets hot, this can be an advantage.

A couple of other things to look for: the manufacturers have gone to new lengths to make these tools as vibration free as possible, so run the tool prior to purchase to check and see how much vibration it produces. The footplate should bevel and adjust both in and out to set your depth of cut. Milwaukee offers a feature called a removable quick lock cord. The cord twists on and off, which is a advantage if your cord goes bad. You don't need to take the tool in for service. Simply twist off the existing cord, and twist on a new one.

It's now time for the Guru's best of the best. In the low price category, I go with the Milwaukee model 6509-6. Variable speed, no frills, down and dirty saw. 

I also love the new Dewalt DW309K. It is the highest amperage of all the models, and the blade changing system is the latest and greatest. The reason it did not get the overall nod is it is brand new and has not yet stood the test of time. I guess we will find out in the future.

Till next month,

Dean "The Tool Guru" Barnett, President

International Tool Corporation

Email the Guru.

Read previous months' tips:

Biscuit Joiners
Cabinet Tablesaws
Slide Compound Miter Saws
Mid-Sized Plunge Routers
Cordless Drills
Detail Sanders
Random Orbit Sanders
Brad Nailers
Hammer Drills
Saw Blades