Skil 16-5/16 in. Magnesium Worm Drive Saw

A big-capacity beam saw that feels purpose-built

I brought the Skil beam saw onto a job where most of the work centered on posts, beams, and triple LVLs—exactly the kind of material that overwhelms a standard 7-1/4 in. circular saw. After a couple of weeks putting it through framing, timber joinery, and some rough shaping, I came away convinced this is a deeply capable deep-cut saw with a clear focus: fast, accurate work in thick stock.

Build and design

This is a worm-drive platform wrapped in an all-magnesium body. At 27 lb it’s no featherweight, but for a 16-5/16 in. saw it’s surprisingly manageable and notably lighter than some alternatives. The magnesium die-cast footplate is rigid and flat, which matters more than you might think when you’re straddling a 6x6 and expecting the line to stay true from entry to exit. I didn’t see the plate flex, even when bearing down during long rips.

The geometry is classic worm-drive: blade-left orientation, long shoe, and a front pommel that lets you steer with both hands. Sight lines are good for right-handed cutting, and the guard retracted reliably. There’s a 10 ft cord, which is just enough to keep the plug out of the cutting zone without resorting to a cord whip. Skil includes a stand for parking the saw and a multifunction wrench, both of which are more useful than they sound; the stand prevents the huge blade from kissing the floor and keeps the handles accessible when you set it down mid-task.

Under the hood, brass worm gearing and a 15 A Dual-Field motor do the heavy lifting. Worm-drive saws are prized for torque, and this one carries that reputation: it pulls big blades through thick stock without drama and runs cooler during continuous cuts than many sidewinders I’ve used in this class.

Power and performance

The headline here is capacity: 6-1/4 in. at 90°, 4-5/16 in. at 45°. In practice, that means one-pass crosscuts in 6x6, two passes for 8x8, and bevels in 4x material without flipping. I used it to crosscut and notch treated 6x6 posts, trim laminations, and break down beams to length. The saw handled green, wet material and dense LVL equally well. I could lean into the cut with steady forward pressure and the motor kept its pace. There’s an electric brake, which is a welcome safety feature on a blade this large; it doesn’t stop instantly, but it knocks the spin down much faster than a free-wheeling blade would.

Spin-up is deliberate—there’s a lot of blade to bring to speed—but once it’s there, the cut is smooth. The worm drive’s torque meant I didn’t have to feather the feed to prevent bogging. For long rips in 6 in. stock, I found it happiest on a 20 A circuit with a 12-gauge extension cord; on a generator or a 15 A outlet it still worked, though you can feel the system ramp up. If you work off temporary power, plan your cords accordingly.

Accuracy and cut quality

Big cuts are unforgiving of small errors. The saw’s shoe tracked straight, and the depth and bevel scales were honest in my testing. I square the saw to the shoe before any big job, and this one stayed put after transport and a few bumps on site. The 0–45° bevel range covers most beam work, and the detents were positive. At full depth in 6 in. material, I didn’t feel any chatter or plate deflection; you’re guiding a large spinning mass, but the saw feels planted.

For joinery—half-laps, shoulders, and notches—the cut face was cleaner than I expected from the stock blade, though like most factory blades it prioritizes durability over finesse. Switching to a higher-tooth-count 16-5/16 in. blade improved surface finish and reduced tear-out on the exit side. Because the kerf is wide and the blade large, a light scribe cut before a finished pass helps if you care about a tape-measure grade edge.

Ergonomics and handling

Two-handed control is the way to run this saw. The long front handle gives you leverage to keep the shoe flat on wide material, and the balance is nose-forward without being fatiguing. Over a day of beam work I alternated between cutting on sawhorses and on the ground with blocking; the saw’s stand made it easy to set down between cuts without worrying about the blade. The trigger and safety are sized appropriately for gloved work, and the depth and bevel locks are big enough to grip with dusty hands.

There are trade-offs. At 27 lb, taking it up ladders or staging gets old quickly, and it’s not a saw you casually one-hand. The guard did hang up once on a rough-sawn edge; rolling the saw forward to start the cut solved it, and scoring the edge eliminates the issue. Chip ejection is aggressive and there’s no dust port; expect chips on your boots when ripping. Hearing protection is a must.

Blade, arbor, and accessories

The saw ships with a 16-5/16 in. blade on a 1 in. round arbor. The included blade is serviceable for framing and general beam work; if you’re doing visible joinery or log work, budget for a premium blade and consider having a second on hand. The multifunction wrench rides with the saw so blade changes are straightforward.

Blade availability used to be a concern in this size, but I had no trouble finding replacements and specialty grinds. Just remember that a blade this large stores a lot of energy; let the brake do its work and don’t set the saw down until the blade is still.

Maintenance and durability

All-magnesium construction is as much about stiffness as it is about weight savings. I didn’t baby the saw—dirty timbers, jobsite sand, lifting by the shoe—and it remained straight and square. Worm-drive oil isn’t user-serviceable here, so maintenance is basically keeping the shoe and guards clean, checking fasteners, and protecting the cord. Given the load this tool sees, I’d treat the blade as a consumable and sharpen or swap earlier than you would on a smaller saw.

Limitations and where it doesn’t fit

This is not a do-everything circular saw. For sheet goods, 2x framing, or overhead cuts, it’s overkill. At 45°, the 4-5/16 in. depth means you won’t bevel through a full 6x in one pass, so plan for layout that avoids compound cuts beyond its capacity. There’s no onboard dust collection. And while the electric brake helps, the blade’s inertia means you still wait a moment before the saw is safe to set down.

Cost-wise, it sits as a specialty tool. If you only touch 6x material once a year, borrowing or renting might make sense. If you’re regularly cutting posts, beams, or thick LVLs, the time saved versus multiple passes with a standard saw is substantial and the cut quality improves.

How it compares

Within the 16-5/16 in. class, the Skil’s worm-drive layout gives it a torque advantage and a familiar left-blade sightline for right-handed users. It’s also lighter than some direct-drive competitors I’ve used, and the magnesium shoe feels stiffer than the stamped bases you still see on a few large-capacity saws. In practice, those differences add up to straighter tracking and less fatigue when you’re making dozens of deep cuts in a day.

Who it’s for

• Timber framers, deck and pergola builders, and carpenters working regularly with 6x or larger stock.
• Crews cutting triple LVLs or engineered beams on site.
• Anyone doing visible joinery in heavy material who values square, single-pass cuts.

If your work lives in 2x stock and plywood, a standard 7-1/4 in. or 8-1/4 in. saw will be faster, lighter, and more versatile. Keep this one in the kit for projects where every pass you eliminate saves time and improves accuracy.

Recommendation

I recommend the Skil beam saw for professionals and serious builders who routinely work in 6x-and-up material. It’s powerful, accurate, and built around the realities of beam work: a rigid magnesium shoe, brass worm gearing, generous capacity, and an electric brake that makes a big blade safer to live with. The 15 A Dual-Field motor runs cool through continuous cuts, and the 27 lb chassis is manageable for its size. You’ll still need to respect the weight and plan your cuts, but the payoff is one-pass precision on stock that smaller saws turn into a multi-pass chore. If timber, posts, or big engineered beams are common on your jobsite, this tool earns its space in the truck.