Ridgid Dual Blade Saw
Has anyone ever used one of these dual blade saws? We haven't and for years, we've been searching for someone who has. The closest first hand information we got was from a mason a few years back, "yeah, this friend of a friend had one and said it was pretty cool. So to us, this means that a friend of a friend of a friend likes it. Totally reliable information. We're not sure if this information scarcity is due to that fact that people just don't know about the tool or that people do know about it, but they really just don't care.
Anyhow, Ridgid has one coming out and its release will either be the Waterloo of the tool, or it's true awakening. Once it's on the shelves at every Home Depot in America, there can no longer be the 'didn't know it existed' excuse. People will either go for it, or they won't. So what does the tool do that's so special, you ask? Well...
The saw has two closely set blades that spin in opposing directions. This cancels out kickback and allows for nice and easy plunge cutting. Imagine a circ saw that's been neutered of all it's rage. The dual blade saw works on a variety of materials like wood, metal and plastic.
What Ridgid has done (that we really like) is add a few handles to the tool. The existing models all have very simplistic bodies, like the kind you'd find on an angle grinder. Because it's a tool you're probably going to be using in some unusual situations, the added handles can only help. The Ridgid also has a little port that feeds a stick of wax into the blade to provide lubrication for metal cutting. It only has a cutting depth of a little over an inch, so don't expect that it's going to replace your circ saw.
Retail is going to be about $150, so you tell us...are you going to get one?
At Home Depot
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Posted by Doug Mahoney at February 21, 2011 5:44 AM
I purchased on of these tools. I used it to cut steel roofing. I built a hexagon gazebo there were a lot of angled cuts. The saw did a fair job. one issue was the depth of cut the ridges on the roofing were 7/8 high. as you know the depth of cut is about one inch, without a base plate on the saw it is the operators job to keep the saw at 90 degrees to the item being cut this is difficult when making cuts on the roofing that were 8 feet long. do not see why a base plate could not be incorporated to the saw, i realize that base plate would make the depth of cut less but for me it would have helped. the base plate could be made removable, also without the base plate tipping the saw happens alot with that said i lost a couple of carbide teeth that made the cut even more difficult. These blades are brain dead expensive. I did finish my project with this saw but have not used it since, if i need to do ant further thin metal cutting I will try another option just to see if there is any other tool that mite do a better job.
Used mine today, cutting 2" schedule 40 galv pipe. It was impressive for about 30 cuts. I was very messy about the shavings during the cuts, but that I can deal with. Unfortunately, my last cut, was the tools last cut. The heads of the retaining screws for the inner blade failed. Causing a loud knuckling sound. It seams that these three screws are sacraficial or just cheap. I would have to say cheap by the way they were threadlocked in. They were not ment to be removed as easy as the tourque from the tool sheared the heads off while in normal use.
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