Durability
There was no way for us to determine the long-term durability of the motors and gears in these saws. In my experience, those parts of an inline saw almost never wear out or break. When I’ve had to replace inline saws in the past, it was because parts on the outside were damaged beyond repair.
Other than the slide arm on the depth-setting mechanism, the most frequently damaged component of the saw is the base plate, which may bend if the tool falls. The best base plates are thick and heavily ribbed, like the ones on the Bosch, the DeWalt, the Makita, and the Milwaukee. The worst base plates are flat or nearly flat, like the ones on the Craftsman and the Ridgid. Skil’s plate, with its rolled edges, falls somewhere in between.
Rip Guide
All of the saws can be used with an optional rip guide. In most cases, this is the same scrawny guide carpenters used 20 years back – essentially a bar that connects a 3- to 5-inch fence to the base. It works okay, but I don’t know anyone who uses it on a regular basis. The device is really more of a gauge than a guide; if you push too hard on the saw it will pivot off the fence and the rip won’t be straight.
DeWalt developed a rip guide (DWS5100) that I actually like using. The fence, which will make up to a 14-1/2-inch rip, is about 19 inches long and connects to the saw with a pair of arms. It’s big enough that you can push the saw hard and cut quickly and still produce a very accurate rip. This is a fantastic accessory.
Favorite Models
Nearly all of these saws are well-made and functional, but as someone who frames for a living I liked the DeWalt best. It’s powerful and rugged, and it has well-thought-out features, including an optional rip guide that actually works.
My second choice – despite its somewhat weak base plate – is the Ridgid. This saw is smooth-running, powerful, and equipped with a very nice guard. My third choice is the Skil. Compared with other models, it seems stripped down, but its upgraded guard and venerable reputation make it hard not to like.
Tim Uhler is a lead framer for Pioneer Builders in Port Orchard, Wash., and a Tools of the Trade contributing editor.
Worm versus Hypoid
Inline saws produce more torque than sidewinders because the gears spin their blades about 1,000 rpm slower. Bosch, DeWalt, Milwaukee, Ridgid, and Skil use worm gears; Makita and Craftsman use hypoid gears – as did an earlier model (DW378G) from DeWalt.
You can tell at a glance what kind of gears a saw has. The gears in both types of saw are bathed in oil, but in a wormdrive, there’s a plug in the housing for changing the oil. There is no such plug on a hypoid saw; the lubricant is permanently sealed within the gear housing.
These design differences are due to the way worm and hypoid gears operate. A worm gear slides against the adjoining gear while a hypoid gear has more of a rolling action. Sliding is inherently less efficient than rolling and produces more friction and heat. Under sustained heavy use, the gear housing of a wormdrive saw can become hot enough to degrade the oil – hence the need to be able to change it. To reduce the amount of friction, the steel worm gear mates with a gear made from bronze, which has a lower coefficient of friction. Bronze isn’t tough enough to use in every kind of gear, but it works fine in a wormdrive saw.
If you talk to tool manufacturers, you’ll get conflicting reports about which type of gear is better. The companies that make wormdrive saws claim worm gearing is more robust and that their competitors use hypoid gearing because it’s less expensive to manufacture. The makers of hypoid saws say that hypoid gearing has tighter tolerances than worm gearing and is more durable and more efficient at transferring power.
– David Frane
Bosch 1677MD
There are two versions of Bosch’s saw, the standard model (1677M) and this one, which doesn’t have a cord. You plug an extension cord directly into the base of the handle and loop it through a retainer piece to keep it from coming off. The operator is free to use any length cord and replace cords at will. I like this feature because it allows me to lift by the cord without damaging the tool. If there’s a downside to the design, it’s that you need to use a very pliable extension cord. Some of our 12-gauge cords are rather stiff, so instead of flopping out of the way, they stick straight out and rest uncomfortably against my forearm.
Of course, there is more to this saw than the cord system. The motor is powerful and won’t bog down – even when cutting LVL material. The base is stiff and heavily ribbed, though we did notice a tendency for the depth- of-cut mechanism to bind after the saw took a fall.
Craftsman 28195
We wanted to test this saw because Craftsman is not a brand we use very often. The motor and gearing run very smoothly and this is the only inline model with an electric brake. The brake is a nice addition; it’s one less thing to worry about if you can release the trigger and know the blade is going to stop. I wish every saw had this feature.
However, this model’s exterior components could use some work. The grip has a comfortable shape but the parts do not fit very well – there is a perceptible ridge where the two halves come together. Also, I have some concerns about the durability of the lock levers and base plate. Unlike the levers on other saws, which are metal or metal with a rubberized cover, these are made from solid plastic.
The base is a flat piece of aluminum, and in my experience this kind of plate will bend if the saw takes a hard enough fall. It’s slightly contoured for reinforcement, but not nearly as much as the plates on other models.
DeWalt DWS535
The DWS535 is the newest model we tested – and it shows. The blade guard is exceptional; we couldn’t get it to snag even when cutting 45-degree miters at a 53-degree bevel. I like the design of the rafter hook: It’s wide enough at the opening for 3-by material and then steps down to fit 2-by stock. The bevel gauge can be read from either side, in 5-degree increments from the front or 1-degree increments from behind. I don’t normally use depth scales, but the one on this saw is so clearly marked (it’s etched into the upper blade housing) that I found myself actually referring to it. The cord is heavily reinforced, and attached in such a way that you can hang the tool from it without causing damage.
Of all the saws we tested, this is my favorite, in part because of the rip guide (DWS5100), an excellent accessory that is well worth its $39 price. This guide is nothing like the cheap little versions that come with some other saws; it has a 14-1/2-inch rip capacity, two connection arms, and a 19-inch fence. It’s the kind of accessory a pro carpenter would want to use – we use ours all the time.
Makita 5377MG
The 5377MG has a number of things going for it: The hypoid gears run exceptionally smoothly and the tool is lighter and more compact than other models. For me, this is a very comfortable saw to use; I particularly like the way the grip fits my hand.
However, the saw has some shortcomings as well. First, the arbor is round instead of diamond-shaped, so the blade sometimes slips during very heavy cutting. In addition, the marks on the bevel gauge can be confusing. On most gauges, the numbers are below the indicator marks; on this one, they are to the right of the marks so we occasionally set the saw to the wrong bevel.
The most serious problem has to do with the guard: Although it works fine for the majority of cuts, it tends to snag on compound miters. This won’t be an issue for the average carpenter, but it is a problem for us because we stick-frame roofs and need to cut jack rafters. It’s too bad the saw has this glitch, because if the guard were better, this tool would be one of my favorites.
The 5377MG is one of two inline models from Makita; the other (5477NB) is about a pound heavier and $30 cheaper.
Milwaukee 6477-20
There’s a lot to like about this saw. It’s powerful, the bevel settings are easy to read and adjust, and it feels well-made. I particularly like the shoe because it’s made from a composite material that seems tougher than the aluminum or magnesium typically used for that part. The saw we tested took multiple falls without any damage to the shoe or the depth-setting mechanism.
Unfortunately, I did have some problems with this model. I’m right-handed, and the guard tended to snag when I made short trimming cuts – that is, when the stock was to the left and the waste piece fell to the right. Also, the saw’s bigger and heavier than most other saws and feels awkward to handle. I attribute this to the base plate, which sticks out farther in front than the base plates on other models. I used this saw for a while and was never able get used to it.
Ridgid R3210
The R3210 handles and operates exactly the way an inline saw is supposed to. The motor is smooth and powerful, the bevel gauge is easy to read and adjust, and the depth mechanism operates smoothly. I particularly like that the guard never snags – not even when I’m shaving a sliver-sized piece off the end of a jack rafter. I also appreciate the lit plug, which glows when there is power to the saw. It’s a small detail – but we get a lot of rain in winter, so the power trips a lot on our job sites; the plug lets us know instantly if the power is still on.
All in all, I like everything about this tool except the base plate. The plates on most other saws are thick and heavily ribbed; this one is thin and only lightly contoured, making it more likely to bend in a fall. In fact, we’ve used this model before and the plate did indeed bend. And it wasn’t a fluke. For this review we dropped all of the saws several times from a 4-foot height; the Ridgid’s base plate is the only one that bent.
Skil SHD77M
Like every West Coast carpenter my age and older, I learned on a Skil inline saw. Those old saws were real workhorses, but about a decade ago they began to be outclassed by the new models entering the market, which had a lot more features. In recent years, Skil has updated its saws – and it shows. The SHD77M is as smooth and powerful as its competitors and has better features than its predecessors. It will bevel to 51 degrees and has an upgraded guard that retracts without snagging. In addition, the base plate has been stiffened by the addition of a rolled edge.
There are a couple of things I wish the company had changed, though: The grip is still made from hard plastic (it’s not rubberized), and the forward handle is skinny and less comfortable to grasp than the more substantial handles on other models.
The SHD77M is one of several inline saws from Skil. When Bosch bought Skil, most of the product line was reoriented toward DIYers, but the wormdrives were so popular Skil continued to make them for the pro market. The company still produces some older designs, too, including a 13-amp model (HD5860) with an 8-1/4-inch blade.
Tool Test: Inline Circular Saw Specification Chart
