Customer Reviews

Prazi USA PR7000 Beam Cutter for 7-1/4-Inch Worm Drive Saws

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I recently finished using the prazi beam cutter for a large timber arbor and gazebo. I was faced with the option of spending $4k on a Protool beam saw or buying a worm drive circular saw and a Prazi beam cutter for under $500. AS THE ADAGE GOES, "YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR." It worked ok, but the cuts were not as accurate as I would have hoped for. Here is my list of areas they could improve on or points to be made:

One, the bar bounces around a lot when you begin to cut into a beam so you get sloppy cuts starting out.

Two, the chain would not stay tight. If they had used the same system that a conventional chain saw uses to tighten the bar it would be much better.

Three, it is not meant for ripping down a beam, it bounces and struggles the whole way.

Four, the rotation of a circular saw is counter clockwise which brings the sawdust up to the surface subsequently blocking the view of the line you are cutting on. THIS IS NO FAULT OF PRAZI, just a fact of adding on to a circular saw.

MY CONCLUSION:IF YOU HAVE THE MONEY FOR A PROTOOL BEAM CUTTER BUY IT! BUT IF YOU ARE NOT IN THE BUSINESS BUY THE PRAZI AND GET USE TO TIGHTENING THE BAR EVERY 10-15 FEET OF CUTS AND DON'T EXPECT THE BEST CUT. OVER CUT AND THEN PLANE DOWN TO GET A SMOOTH EDGE.

I bought a Prazi Beamcutter to trim and notch the tops of 8x8 installed posts that were required for a foundation on a room addition that I'm building. I just needed a saw the would cut the posts square. Also, I knew that I couldn't make a square cut on these posts with a chain saw or with a Sawzall and a long blade. Moreover, I needed something that would work but didn't cost a fortune. With that, I bought a Prazi PR-7000 for my Skillsaw Mag-77HD. It's not perfect, but it does the trick. Mounted on the Skillsaw, the Beamcutter feels a bit awkward, especially when used at a 90-degree angle. Don't think that you can just walk up to a verticle 8x8 post, mark a line, and expect to cut it off square just buy holding the saw steady. You will need to use some sort of fence to rest and guide the saw on in order to get the square cut. I use one of those nifty aluminum clamp-on fences which works very well.

My only real complaint is, like Evan Neale put it in his review, "the bar bounces around a lot when you begin to cut into a beam so you get sloppy cuts starting out". The bar actually vibrates quickly from side to side thus making the start of the cut a little wide, but he vibration quickly goes away once the bar and chain enters the kerf. Overall, the cuts are fairly clean and very satisfactory for my job.

I find the Prazi Beamcutter to be a good value.

Recently bought the beam cutter from Tool Crib to use on old barn restoration. It cross cuts timbers and rips them with ease. Some roughness due to the chain style cut but more than satisfactory for frame work. Speeds up the job 300%. Am now using it to restore a 300 year old home.

We are a timber frame restoration company and love our Prazi!. Makes quick and neat work of rafter joinery. Make sure to have a guide that clamps to the workpiece. Works great on the Bosch 1677 saw but needs a washer added to the supplied bushing to make it fit properly. Wish we got one years ago.

This is a great tool. I primarily use it in log home construction. The problem is that almost all new worm drive saws (including Skil) are incorporating a bump out in the end of the blade gaurd. This doesn't allow for the prazi to mount up at all. If you are considering purchasing this tool, make sure that the saw you are using it on has a blade gaurd with no bump out at the end.

Read the directions and take the time to set it up right. I took the time, got attached to my DW377 and it worked great. It works great cutting SIP panels to add windows or doors. Never had a problem, it is heavy but tracks well. A powerful worm-drive saw works best.

I installed the Prazi on my Skil "77M" and used it to cut 11 7/8" engineered floor joists to length and square. It worked beautifully! No other "beam cutter" saw could cut that wide of joist in a single pass without cutting from the side of the joist. It also allows me to stack about 5 to 6 2x rafters up and cut the bird's mouth cuts all at once. I did find that the saw causes tear-out at the top of the cut, so it is a good idea to use a utility knife to scribe a line just outside the limits of the cut to prevent that.

The chain is essentially a chain saw so the cut is not as smooth as I might like, but, this is a unit for framing not finish carpentry.

Once you have installed the unit on your saw, you are able to remove it and re-install it as necessary pretty quickly. However, it does take some time and you should "group" your cuts to reduce the number of "changeovers" you need to make.

I found some chain saw bar oil, worked into the chain frequently seemed to help the system run smoother than just lubricating the tip, as recommended in the manual.

All-in-all an innovative and well-made product.

We were doing some very heavy timber beam end detailing (8" x 13" solid mahogany). We used this tool to rough them in and finished up with pattern bits on the routers. We could find no other tool that could come close to doing what this one did. It paid for itself on the first beam in labor savings. We put it to some hard use and its still working fine.

As a framer I don't know how I've got along without one. What a time saver for cutting rafters or any racked lumber. Just keep an oil can by your side.

After reading other reviews I was afraid to by this but I'm very pleased with the saw! I put it on a new Skil worm drive by simply removing the saw guard from the worm drive saw and attaching the Prazi in minutes. Other reviewers said that you are limited to a few saws and that's bull. This cuts clean and faster than a 15" saw and rolling the timbers to cut again. GREAT PRODUCT!!