Ridgid’s R32102 wormdrive is a pro-grade circ saw that cuts fast, smooth, and does comes up big in both the power and prowess I need from rough to trim carpentry.
I came up in the trades on the East Coast. Every circ saw I used was a sidewinder style circ saw. Loved ‘em. They’re light, compact and powerful yet they’re oddly designed with the direct drive motor that sticks out the side (hence sidewinder) and they preclude certain kinds of cutting that I do all the time. Turns out that a much heavier, bigger, front-heavy, harder-to-use saw—a well-designed wormdrive—makes those cuts despite all the apparent drawbacks.
When I hung out my own home improvement shingle—building everything from decks, fences, and retaining walls to interior remodeling—I often worked alone. There was no one to load lumber onto sawhorses, where sidewinders really shine. So, I’m not sure if it was good fortune or brains but I abandoned sawhorses and cut off the pile. When it got low, I hooked the 2-by on my foot, craned my neck over the blade housing and “dropped” the saw along the cut line, what I call “drop-cutting.” This wasted neither steps nor accuracy. Note: You won’t find this move in the tool’s instructions and I’m not telling you to do it; I’m just saying that it gets done that way.
As I learned later at JLCLive and The Remodeling Shows, I was cutting like a California framer. And the Westies’ sidearm, the wormdrive, is beloved in a way befitting the bumper sticker that reads: “You can have my wormdrive when you pry it from my ____, ____hands.” Put more professionally, if you’re not using one you might be leaving speed and quality on the track.
Out of the Box. Almost every Ridgid tool I’ve used is rippin’ ready out of the box. This saw required adjusting the set-screw to cut a perfect 90. Once tweaked, it stayed true. The depth and bevel adjustments have nice, overmolded rubber on the handles. The included blade is excellent.
Power. Long rips in soaking treated 2-by, stair cuts, cross-cuts in cedar—all no problem.
Maneuverability and Speed. The saw’s in-line design makes drop-cutting—everything from 2×4 studs for basement build-outs to deck joists—fast and accurate.
I like the flare on the top of the handle. It enables me to press the tool more firmly to the work with my thumb. A small, but reassuring detail.
The tool also runs plush and smooth on trim sites where I have to cut anything from the bottom of a door (a typical requirement when installing new ¾-inch thick solid hardwood floors) to sizing MDF panels or ¾-inch birch plywood for linen closet shelves. In both cases I use the saw with a straight edge guide called a shoot board. The saw runs smooth and true. And there is no outboard motor like on a sidewinder to hang-up on clamps that hold the straight-edge down.
Details. The blade change is an Allen key, which I wish was a wrench but it works and the key stayed on the saw—which is more than I can say for many wrenches I’ve owned. Maybe an Allen key is fine after all.
One of the most important features of a wormdrive—and not done well in my opinion on all saws I’ve seen—is line of sight to the blade. I want to see the blade hit the line and if there is not enough room between the shoe and blade housing, this line of sight is constricted or even blocked. They did it right on the Ridgid. Lines of sight are terrific.
For making low-angle cuts—what I call “wings” for pergola rafters, stair stringers, etc.—the blade guard rolled smoothly over the work. Nice. The cord is long and flexible, which I love. It coils up nicely which is cool because I store it the top-handle. The grips are comfortable in all positions I used the saw. The trigger is rounded over and a no-pincher. Lines of site to the blade are primo. And the tool is available at The Home Depot so it is easy to find.
Long story short, as much as I loved—and still love—the tools of my formative years, let’s make it heavy.
