SKIL 16-5/16 In. Magnesium Worm Drive Skilsaw Circular Saw - SPT70V-11

This thing is great. The stand/base it comes with is very handy and keeps the saw in good condition. Its not too heavy being such a large saw. I'm only 5'7 and can handle it easily. It walks through the wood when crosscutting. I straight lined 400bft of 10/4 black ash no problem. It runs a little slower on the rips with the standard blade, I may eventually get a ripping blade just to keep the saw happy. That being said the one it comes with is a nice combo blade. Min depth of cut is a little under 2.5 in so its not possible to do two passes on anything thiner.

This saw is awesome! It cuts steel like butter. It’s easy to use and cuts a straight line every time. It’s a little heavy, but it’s built for the big jobs. Be sure to wear your hearing protection!

This review is for the SKIL 16-5/16 In. Magnesium Worm Drive Skilsaw. To be clear, I am a somewhat advanced user of home renovation tools, though I'm over 60 years old. I have to admit that buying the saw was somewhat daunting for me, both because of the price and I was somewhat reluctant to handle such a big beast. However, I have now used the saw to do some very heavy duty cutting, starting with cutting through 6" slabs of concrete, using a GRAFF 16" Laser Welded Diamond Blade. Typically, in 5 to 6 passes through very dense concrete, this saw was able to tackle the job without a single foul or kickback. The cuts I was making were through stretches of concrete from 2 ft to 18 ft in length. The saw does spin at a lower RPM than it's smaller siblings and does lose some RPM as it cuts dense concrete, however, the worm drive is very capable at maintaining power all the way through the job, given occasional breaks to allow the blade to spin up. The lesser RPM than it's smaller sibling (the 7-1/4" worm drive) is somewhat deceptive, as the actual speed that the teeth move at is somewhat similar to that of a smaller saw. I find the saw remarkably handleable and can even drop it into a concrete surface with a plunge cut maintaining terrific control; in the many times I've done this, I've not had a single kickback. I've also used the saw for cutting 6"x6" timbers with the supplied skill saw blade and have had great success with handling this very large worm drive saw. Moreover, the accuracy of the angle mechanism from base to blade appears to be extremely good and does not require adjustment with a square, which makes cuts through thick wood or other material more accurate. The magnesium alloy body, platform, and casing makes this saw both lighter and incredibly durable. The saw is not as heavy as it's Makita competition, which I've used, delivers more consistent power by its worm drive mechanism versus the sidewinder, spins at a higher RPM, and is quieter than the Makita as well as its Skilsaw 7-1/4 inch worm drive sibling. One of the features that makes this saw so easy to handle is the placement of the auxiliary handle for added control. The saw also has an excellent stand that comes with it, which makes it easy to store and also easy to change the blade. My single criticism of the saw is that the blade guard is a bit too stiff and can impede moving the saw fully into a cut. Perhaps this will loosen some with time but I do think that Skilsaw should consider putting in a lighter spring mechanism. This would also make retracting the blade guard for a plunge cut somewhat easier. Overall, however, I am very pleased with this saw, which has by its excellent function helped me overcome any reservations that I may have had about purchasing it. Overall, it has saved me hours of intensely unpleasant work, made the work more accurate, and has also saved me the cost of repeated rentals of concrete saws at my local home supply stores! For the money, and in comparison with its competitors, this saw is definitely a cut above, no pun intended.

I am using the saw with the included blade on Douglass Fir beams (8x12,10x10 & 10x7)The saw goes through the wood well and tracks great. Lighter than the Mikita by a noticable amount. Fit and finish are good. Base plate is great.

Excellent. Plenty of power. Cuts through 6x6 post easy.

This is an amazing piece of machinery, very well engineered, and does exactly what expected it to do.

I've had the Makita beam saw for over 10 years and have used it enough that I wanted to give this one a try to compare the two. The Makita is not as ergonomically friendly as the handle sits up higher and the blade guard is a pain to get out of the way. The Makita saw needs two hands on it at all times if you want a good cut and I always feel the saw jumps around a lot while it is running. The Skilsaw beats the Makita hands down with ergonomics as the main handle sits low and behind the weight, plus its lighter. I feel comfortable using the Skilsaw with one hand. I thought the worm drive mechanism would be as good, if not better than the Makita as they are both 15 Amp motors but the Skilsaw seems to lack power. I use the saws for ripping a lot and the only way I felt the power of the Skilsaw came close to the Makita was with a heavy duty extension cord and wedges in the cut to prevent the blade from pinching. I have yet to upgrade the blade. With some moderate ripping of pine the worm drive gear box got so hot I can't keep my hand on it without feeling a burn. I also could smell the motor windings more than I would have liked. The foot for the Skilsaw was a great add for the saw as I cut hand holes in my Makita foot. So my take away is I am keeping the Makita for now as I don't know that the Skilsaw will last with ripping boards. For cross cuts you won't have any issues.

What a beast of a saw! I had my doubts that it would have enough motor wattage to push that 16-5/16 inch blade through the full cutting depth but man of man did it excel. I ripped wet 8x8’s and it never bogged down, unlike my 3hp bandsaw. Just needed a flip and second pass. The blade is scary sharp and with that torque from the worm drive chewed through everything without complaint. Also, I was hesitant about kickback from such a large circular saw but the low rpm and sturdy frame/handles make it easy to control. My only minor criticism is that the spring tension on the guard is a little high for my taste, but not impossible to overcome. The plastic dock is nice for storage and transport and was more stout than expected. Overall, so happy with my purchase. This is a must have for 6x and larger timber work! Skip the higher priced makita, you will be pleased you did.

Acheté pour couper des 6*6 en mélèze, sert bien et très puissante, vient avec un bon support qui sauve la lame de torsion si on la dépose. Toutefois, a ajusté a 0 degré lorsque reçue, la lame avait un angle et on a gâché quelques coupes avant de s'en rendre compte

Nunca había tenido una sierra circular tan grande que al principio me dio respeto usarla, al verla pensé que sería muy tosca y difícil de controlar, pero al ponerla en acción me sorprendió lo suave que corre al cortar, el torque se siente firme pero manejable, es una herramienta que combina potencia con funcionamiento estable y seguro.

Muy buena herramienta ,la uso todos los días haciendo cabañas de troncos en el norte de Georgia

Weight is not really something important in a saw like this ,you will never hold this thing over your head. I have used the makita equivalent and it is not even close,this saw kicks ass ,accurate clean single pass cuts on a 6X6 are no problem. I would like it if the auxiliary handles perhaps had positions on both sides of the saw . The saw keeper or plastic stand thing actually works well with 2 clips to hold it on when storing or in between cuts . Definitely want to check out their worm drive table saw next . Haven't tried the bevel adjustment yet . The blade that came with it cuts well , I may try some higher end blades as well . Love it

This is a beautiful beast of a machine and everyone who sees it is absolutely jealous!’ It cuts through 6x6 like it’s nothing. It’s big and a little intimidating until you use it. It’s a beautifully engineered machine and does not take a lot of muscle to slice through timber.