The US-made 77РІР‚в„ўs are indeed getting rare and more sought after/expensive. Still in the mood to pull out my hairs for that. Missed out on a new-in-box US-made gold 50th anniversary on Ebay a few weeks back. I am seriously disappointed that I can no longer buy a new American made circular saw.Р”В¬heck my Flickr feed for pics of my old Skil 77 and Sawcat. I havenРІР‚в„ўt seen many swing tables made for sidewinders either. Sometimes the extra weight and style of the worm drive helps, Like when your not working with saw horses, or gang cutting plywood. Meant to have a limited life and then disposed of once they break. I feel the current crop of saws to be to be designed as disposable tools. I always felt like it was a good solid dependable saw, although it could be a little problematic if seriously accurate depth of cut needed to be set. The latest saw that I really liked was the Milwaukee 6365, which was a drop foot saw. My dream is to see a clone of this saw rendered in carbon fiber and titanium with a magnesium shoe. I believe this was the most ergonomic saw for me to use. It was the first saw that offered a blade brake and I would say it still has one of the best blade brakes offered. I really like the large shoe with the removable piece. My favorite saw would have to be Black & Deckers Super Sawcat. Bosch also had a limited edition saw as well, it had chrome accents. Shame the 75th edition is NOT made in this country. I believe they auctioned them off for charity. They did one in red white and blue as well (2002),It was the 77 anniversary edition, only 250 of them were made. Wow, make me feel old, I still remember drooling over the 50th anniversary saw (1987), the one they did in gold with black trim. Incidentally, whatРІР‚в„ўs your favorite circ saw and why? Skil, how РІР‚в„ўbout a good story? WeРІР‚в„ўre up for it! One objection, though: despite creating a cool-looking custom product site and commissioning yet another corporate-themed chopper, we didnРІР‚в„ўt find much at all about the sawРІР‚в„ўs long history in the product literature.

I mean, youРІР‚в„ўre probably gonna be lookinРІР‚в„ў at the thing for another 20-30 years, right? Considering that the standard model sells for around $170, it might be worth a РІР‚Сљwhat the hellРІР‚Сњ drop of a $20. We found the anniversary model (the #MAG77-75 as opposed to the standard #SHD77M) for $190 online. And if you happen to be in the market for one this year, Skil offers a РІР‚Сљlimited edition anniversaryРІР‚Сњ model, which adds a custom black fleck paint finish, a chromed aluminum foot, a commemorative placard, and a commemorative blade. We understand that the basic Model 77 still sells quite well. Then I looked up the difference: less than a pound. When I built the shelves I wrote about a while back, I used two different circs to cut the shelf notches, and even after cutting only 60 notches, I could tell that one was heavier than the other. Even a small weight reduction makes a difference when you pick up a saw hundreds of times a day. Sean, for example, is a big proponent of sidewinders, and I have to admit that I see his point. Of course, a lot of folks prefer the simpler, cheaper, and certainly lighter sidewinder design. Note that the anniversary model 77 pictured above is loaded up with one of SkilРІР‚в„ўs titanium carbide blades.

In the last few years weРІР‚в„ўve seen significant improvements in circ saw blade design specifically, for a number of reasons: to handle the new materials, to increase battery life in cordless circs (since battery tech has finally caught up enough to make them somewhat feasible), and to improve life and performance. Most of the innovation seems to have come in materials or design, which has led to some significant improvements in blade technology. We still build houses in much the same (basic) way we did 50+ years ago, at least in terms of framing. I suppose a lot of this is due to the fact that the role the circular saw fills in the construction business isnРІР‚в„ўt as different as it might seem. Certainly the Model 77 has seen a bit of innovation over the years in terms of motor and material technology, but it remains essentially the same in shape and function - and itРІР‚в„ўs still a pretty popular model, despite lots of heavy competition. Think about it: Since 1937, mankind went from early aviation to jet flight to the moon.

I know thereРІР‚в„ўs a marketing blitz behind this, but I canРІР‚в„ўt help but enjoy the idea of a tool that survives without major functional changes for most of a century.

Skilsaw model 77 anniversary