Reciprocating Saws

Reciprocating saws, also known as sawzalls, are a very useful tool. They can cut most anything you want, from 2x4's to steel studs. Depending on the blade and your skill level, you could make just about anything with one. It can be used similar to a jig saw or for demolition. That's just an awesome tool. Oh, and they can be used to cut cars in half. That's just cool. This one was cut with a Lenox blade and a Milwaukee V28 cordless recip saw at our annual tent event last summer. It took just 1 minute and 45 seconds to cut this car in half. What an awesome demonstration of cordless technology.

Many of these saws have an adjustable shoe. My Makita JR180DWD has one, but I never understood why. When Makita was demonstrating their new LXT model for us (it will be available soon), they explained the logic behind making the shoe move. Quite simply, this allows you to use different parts of the blade when cutting to extend blade life. It can also be used to limit the depth of a cut, but that wasn't the original reasoning behind the adjustment.

Now that I understand the reason for having an adjustable shoe, I'll probably be using it a whole lot more. The Makita models are, for the most part, a tool free shoe. Many of the others are getting there, but some still require a wrench to adjust the shoe. With the reasoning behind moving it, I can't imagine a wrench would be a good way to go.

I also now understand why so many people call asking for parts for the Makita JR3000's shoe. Unfortunately, that part has gone through almost 14 variations during the product's lifetime. That's why we have a note on our site to take it to a Makita Service Center. Makita won't even help you over the phone with those. They require seeing it to determine what the correct parts are. At this time, we have a few of the JR3000VX1 left, which includes a free pair of gloves. It's been a great tool, which is why it's been so long in existence without moving to a new model.

Currently, the only way to get the Makita LXT Recip Saw is to buy the LXT 4 piece kit. There is a rebate until March to get a free recip saw with that kit. For the price, that's an awesome deal. If I didn't have a kit already, I'd be jumping all over it. But I don't use them enough to justify spending that much for a new one.

For an electric recip saw, my preference is the Porter Cable Tiger Saw. The rotating handle is just cool. As a geek, I like toys like that. It becomes very comfortable in some applications when sideways. Other times, up and down is more appropriate. The rotating allows you to decide based on the job. It also has a keyless blade change and shoe adjustment. Again, very cool and well worth the additional few dollars over some of the lower end models.


My next project is going to be building a desk similar to this producer's station. I'll be cutting an aluminum rack for my equipment to mount on each side. I'm sure I'll be able to use my recip saw for that, and I'm looking forward to it. I'll also get to use my circular saw, miter saw, jigsaw, brad nailer, air compressor, and my drill - both as a drill and as a driver. I'll be sure to post some pictures when I have it completed. I don't know too many geeks that build their own desks. I guess that makes me a unique geek.