The Worx "WorxSaw" Compact Circular Saw

 It's no secret that I've generally found the Worx brand of power tools, particularly the "Nitro" sub-line, to be satisfactory for professional use in non-industrial situations.  By which, I mean environments that don't call for using the tools 8 to 12 hours a day, 6 days a week practically non-stop.   It's better for intermittent daily use. So it's good for professional installers, techs, handyman,  etc...  as a "go to" tool in my experience. 

The compact circular saw that Worx offers is called the "WorxSaw".  It's a 20V tool using their "PowerShare" 20V battery platform.  It is NOT in their "Nitro" brushless platform.


Even though they call it a compact circular saw, it's probably better described as a compact "chop" saw.  The way the base functions, it's very good at plunge cuts.  One might say it seems optimized to that purpose.   This has been very handy in cutting floorboards and cabinet sides, etc... to cut holes for vents, wiring, access, and more.  I've used mine plenty to do exactly those kinds of cuts.

I also find it very useful for cutting millwork, such as  window and door trim, etc...  Used with a parallel guide, it can rip trim pieces accurately, even if you don't have the steadiness hand.


On cross-cuts, it's a bit more interesting.  It's not that it can't do a good job.  It'd more of how the base sits comparative to the blade.  A "V-notch" is cut into the leading edge, as is on many saws.  My issue with it has been that, when it comes to trim pieces especially,  it's too far out front.  By the time the blade gets to where the notch was lubed up, over 2 inches of space has gone in between.   

That may not sound like much, but when it comes to detail cutting, that's a lot of gap.  I personally found a "hack" that works for my by making a mark on the inside edge of the base nearest the blade.  This lines up to my mark within about a ½" of the blade and keeps much better line-of-sight for me.


In cutting very narrow pieces of trim, and even dowels, and more, the plunge-cut is more of a chop-saw where I can set the saw on top of the piece on the mark and not even need to worry about forward motion.

This action is really just part of the safety feature for a blade protection.   There's a switch in front of the power trigger on the handle that engages a part of the blade cover.  When using that switch, a part of that cover moves slightly up and allows the base to disengage and lower the blade. This results in a "chop-saw" effect.  

A few notes about using the "WorxSaw".  

  • First, the base is flat bottomed.  So if you're cutting anything not flat, you'll want to use a sacrificial platform that encloses the piece on both sides to a flush depth.  That allows the base of the saw to ride over smoothly while it cuts.
  • Also, use a sacrificial board underneath the piece being cut because the blade depth is set manually.  And unless you change the blade depth for every different size piece, you'll find yourself cutting far deeper on thinner pieces and possibly damaging the surface of your work table.
  • On that note, if you order your work according to thickness, you will want to reset the blade depth when the pieces get thinner.  If the blade stays set for thicker pieces, the blade will cut deeper into the work table surface and slow the blade, even pinch it.  While this tool is powerful "enough", it certainly is not "overpowered" (remember,  it's not brushless).  A sudden stop by cutting too deep can damage the workpiece, the tool, or you.  Maybe all the above.
  • They have a combo that ships with a 1.5 or 2AH 20V battery.  Don't bother.  This thing really needs to be used with a 4 or 5 AH battery.  I don't recommend much bigger than a 5AH battery though because then it gets to be too heavy and unwieldy to use.




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