Last Updated on May 3, 2023 by Barry Gray
It’s easy to think that worm drive saws and direct-drive circular saws serve similar purposes. They’re both versatile, portable tools that aren’t hard to pick up and start working. But each saw has its own specialties and specific purposes.
There are a few ways to differentiate between worm drive saws and circular saws. Visually, they appear to be similar, but their power, size, maneuverability, price, and ergonomics all set them apart.
The engine is the most significant difference between worm drive and direct-drive circular saws. The worm drive engine puts out more torque but is heavier and located at the back of the saw. On the other hand, a direct-drive circular saw’s engine is more compact and built to produce high rotations per minute (RPMs) rather than torque.
Torque vs. RPMs
Worm drive engines are built to produce high torque, while direct-drive engines spin at higher RPMs. These distinct designs produce wide differences in what the saws can cut, how people like to use them, and the saw’s durability.
Torque is the amount of force the saw’s blades can apply to the material you’re cutting. In terms of woodworking, torque matters because it affects the kind of cut the blade makes and the materials it can cut.
First, high-torque saws will be able to cut tougher materials. Some beginning woodworkers think that their powerful saws will be able to cut whatever they want, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Instead, only high-torque motors are suitable for very dense wood, such as burls or lumber with many knots
Having a high torque also makes the saw’s cuts cleaner. Saws with little power make a mess when they cut through wood, especially the toughest types. But adding torque means that the blade can separate the wood more quickly and with greater force, which results in a cleaner cut and a smoother edge.
A fast engine also has its advantages. Many people find that they can cut more quickly with a high-RPM blade. A high RPM can also be the sign of a quality saw with a reliable, high-performing motor.
The differences between torque and speed could help you decide whether you want to use a worm drive saw or a circular saw. If you want a fast cut and don’t plan on cutting especially tough materials, a circular saw should be fine. But you might want to invest in a worm drive if your project needs to have extremely clean edges or is made of materials that are very difficult to cut.
Portability
Worm-drive and circular saws are both highly portable tools. It’s one of the most appealing things about them–taking these saws to a job site or just moving them across the shop is no trouble at all. That said, there are still significant differences between the two.
The worm drive saw’s extra torque comes at a price: weight. A worm drive engine weighs significantly more than a circular saw’s. That can make it more difficult to move the saw around and position it precisely where you want. Instead, you may have trouble getting the saw where you need it, depending on your own strength
Worms drive saws are also larger. The position of the worm drive motor behind the saw extends the handle and makes the overall saw more bulky.
Circular saws, being highly lightweight, portable, and small, do not have this issue. They can be put up on almost any surface, and their mobility allows you to carry them wherever your project takes you.
Portability is a significant benefit, particularly for woodworkers who operate mostly outside or do not have space for a permanent shop location. In this aspect, the circular saw is difficult to beat, although the worm drive saw is also one of the most portable power tools you’ll find in a woodshop.
Price
Worm drive saws are usually much more expensive than circular saws. Their powerful motors are expensive to produce, although the difference isn’t as large as the one between circular saws and other, larger tools.
A typical circular saw costs between $50 and $100, whereas worm drive saws cost between $150 and $200. This is what serious enthusiasts and even many professionals spend for saws, although it does not necessarily cover the entire range of probable expenses.
A high-end worm drive saw can cost up to $350, whereas a circular saw will cost you no more than $200. Meanwhile, a low-cost circular saw may be purchased for as little as $20, but the cheapest worm drive saw still costs over $100.
In virtually every case, a worm drive saw will be more costly than a circular saw. This makes circular saws more readily available to amateurs and pros just starting out.
Maneuverability and Ergonomics
Both circular saws and worm drive saws are highly maneuverable. They’re prized because it’s easy to take them around a job site and get work done wherever it is. You can cut lumber on a sawhorse, leaning against a wall, or even plunge cut into a standing wall.
Of course, weight affects maneuverability similarly to portability. The heavier worm drive saw may be more difficult to maneuver around than its direct-drive counterpart. But weight can actually work to our advantage too. Many people find that the heavier worm drive saw is easier to maneuver in certain situations, when its weight can act as a stabilizer.
A worm drive saw’s weight can also help you cut quickly without additional effort if you’re cutting on a downhill slope. This type of maneuver can actually be more difficult with a standard circular saw, so the worm drive’s weight doesn’t always make it more difficult to work with.
The worm drive’s weight can also make it easier to drop in certain situations. Saws without built-in support are always at risk of dropping through wood it cuts through, but this risk can be greater with heavier tools.
Worm drive saws’ longer handles make them more maneuverable as well. While circular saws are typically as compact as possible, worm drive saws feature a handle that’s farther away from the blade. This can extend your reach as you cut, and give you options for greater maneuverability as you become more used to the saw’s ergonomics.
That’s not to say that the circular saw’s light weight is a disadvantage. It makes the saw much easier to move from place to place around the job site, and its compact frame means that it is more maneuverable in tight spaces.
The location of the saw’s blade also makes significant ergonomic differences for woodworkers. Most worm drives have the blade on the left side, which makes it easier for right-handed users to see the line where the blade is going to cut. Conversely, direct drive saws have their blades on the right side, which makes it easier for left-handed users to see the cut line.
Types of Cuts
Because you can move them around freely, circular saws and worm drive saws can make cuts of almost any kind, from almost any angle. This becomes especially easy when you buy attachments and accessories for your circular saw and worm drive saw.
Crosscut
A crosscut is a cut across the grain of a piece of wood. It’s considered one of the most basic types of cut, and it’s the first one that many amateur woodworkers learn to make.
Crosscuts with a circular saw are simple. They aren’t always the cleanest crosscuts, but they’re quick and easy, and circular saws can frequently handle crosscuts with at least 3″ of depth. While the crosscut is not the circular saw’s strong suit, it does an admirable job.
Worm saws’ longer handles can make it easier to do crosscuts on very wide pieces of wood like sheets. Otherwise, crosscuts with worm saws are very similar to those with circular saws. Some people prefer circular saws because there isn’t a noticeable performance between the two with doing this cut, but the preference is personal.
Rip Cut
Rip cuts split wood down the grain where a crosscut slices perpendicular to the grain. Rip cuts are difficult to perform with most saws because the grain causes the saw to curve and make uneven cuts.
Worm drive saws, fortunately, are designed to make long rip cuts as simple as possible. They are one of the few saws that can be used to confidently perform long rip cuts, with the blade’s movement allowing for significantly longer cuts than alternatives. The saw’s greater torque makes these cuts more consistent and easier to control than they would be with a circular saw.
Circular saws are also able to make long rip cuts, although their lower torque and higher RPM combine with their lack of supporting frame to make rip cuts more difficult.
Plunge Cut
A plunge cut is when you begin cutting a piece of wood not at its edge, but in the center of the lumber. This is most common when cutting windows or doorways in a sheet of wood. Because plunge cuts come in at the center of the board instead of the edge, they require more power to make cleanly.
For circular saws and worm drive saws, that power comes in the form of torque. As the worm drive saw has much higher torque than the circular saw, it can make a clean plunge cut much more easily. Plunge cuts are difficult to make in general, but they’re at least easier with worm drive saws.
Bevel and Angled Cuts
As the two saws are freestanding, you can cut at any angle with them. But some have built-in beveling features to make that even easier, though angled cuts in general aren’t difficult to make with either type of saw.
