SKILSAW, the brand name synonymous with wood cutting circular saws, is branching into new territory and it has concrete shaking in its boots. In the past, the user of a concrete saw would be responsible for finding third party attachments in order to make accurate concrete cuts, but SKILSAW’s new tool has several important features already incorporated, potentially saving you hundreds of dollars and tons of time.
The MEDUSAW, as the new 7” concrete cutting saw has been named, is a reference to Greek mythology’s Medusa, who turned anyone who looked at her face into stone. Utilizing a worm drive motor, which allows for a higher torque, the MEDUSAW is the world’s first “fully-integrated worm drive saw designed specifically for scoring and cutting concrete accurately,” according to the company. The big difference between this saw and others is that it’s packed with tons of additional features, which were previously only available by purchasing aftermarket products. The new saw includes:
- An integrated rolling foot plate with front pointer, which assists in cutting along a marked line
- A wet dust management system with GFCI protection
- A dust collection vacuum port
- A cut ready adjustable plunge lock
- Rust resistance brackets and fasteners
Incorporating dust collection and wet saw capabilities is going to be absolutely huge, due to OSHA’s new silica dust exposure ruling. The controversial ruling significantly reduced the exposure limits that employees could be exposed to silica dust, which is prevalent in concrete and masonry, without having to use PPE and other engineering controls. The two dust control options with this saw will make it much easier to reduce employee dust exposure, since there aren’t any additional parts to set up or lose. Convenience and speed make it much more likely for workers to be safe.
“SKILSAW launched its first concrete cutting saw as part of its commitment to professionals and jobsite productivity. With MEDUSAW, we built features into the tool so you don’t need a second person to hold a vacuum or water hose to collect the dust; or a third person to hold a board down onto the surface to make a straight cut.” said Gregg Mangialardi, SKILSAW product manager in a press release.
Available in January 2017, the MEDUSAW will be available for a suggested retail price of $399
Last summer, Hilti announced that they had developed their first exoskeleton designed for construction tradespeople in a partnership with Ottobuck, a prosthetics, orthotics, and exoskeleton provider. Earlier this month, Hilti officially released the exoskeleton, announced more details, and published its retail price on their website.