The average do-it-yourselfer may not have a pressing need to fill a cache with a lot of specialized tools, but timber framers and log home builders may want to consider a good chain saw beam cutter. Many pros discover this need after approaching a thick beam with a circular saw from both sides. Somehow, that cut never quite matches up perfectly and sometimes it would be faster to cut it in one pass, like at the end of a tenon butt cut.
The Prazi USA PR700 beam cutter brings a 12-inch depth that opens the door for a variety of cuts, including deep notches, rafter pitches, compound angles and of course clean beam separations. This worm will manage angles up to 45 degrees. The vertical foot plate and fixed sight give craftsmen the design capabilities to do precision work with ease.
The Prazi Beam Cutter also mounts seamlessly to Bosch and Skill 7 ¼ and 8 ¼ worm drive circular saws quickly and easily. You can make the switch in couple of minutes.
How Does The Prazi Beam Cutter Stack Up?
The other comparable beam cutter in this class would be the Festool Sword Saw. This power saw is more of a jigsaw and chainsaw hybrid that manages beam cutting neatly. It will hit depths of almost 13 inches, less than 1 inch more than the Prazi and has some bells and whistles. Experts in the log home and timber world know that Festool makes tremendous power saws
and this is no exception. The downside will be that it’s difficult to get in the United States and will run you upwards $2,000. The Prazi runs in the $150-$200 range.
Tools such as the Makita Beam Saw 5402NA also bring a lot to the table. But with a massive circular blade of 16 5/16 and a cranking 2,200 RPM, pros still won’t get the desired precision single-cut on 8x beams.
What Are Prazi USA PR7000 Beam Cutter Owners Saying?
Overall, the Prazi gets reasonably high marks from owners, I have talked to. The benefits include being a time-saving hero when working 4x material and it ranks as one of the more cost-effective options. In terms of negatives, some users pointed out that they had a lot of chips to deal with and others claimed it amounted to a rough cutting tool. However, there seems to be consensus that the Prazi accomplishes the tasks that it’s intended to do.
The Prazi USA PR7000 Beam Cutter doesn’t belong in every woodworker’s entourage. But if you’re a professional timber framer or log home builder, this worm will save you time at a very cost-effective price.
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I bought a Prazi beam saw with the hope that I could cut large timbers with precision. I was very disappointed for several reasons.
it was not all that easy to mount on my saw. It made a rather ragged cut and brought the chips up into the saw and obliterated any cut line. The chain needs to be oiled by hand in between cuts making it necessary to keep an oil can close at hand. Then there is that chain running largely out of sight down around knees and legs. Rather scary!
I suggest a Hadden Chain Saw Mill or an equivalent mill attached to an electric or small gasoline chain saw and a chunk of 2×6 as a superior, safer and cheaper solution if one has the chain saw. The mill attachment is very easily removed and replaced freeing the chain saw for other uses. There is also a variety of available chains allowing for better cuts.
I agree with everything you have said, it is not the perfect tool but it will rough cut the end of a timber for you.
Have you seen/used the Makita Mortising Machine? If not check it out at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-2izBulLAA
Do you think this would be a good tool for timberframing? Thanks.
I own one. Great tool for cutting mortises. Check out these other resources on the site, https://timberframehq.com/best-mortise-and-tenon-videos/, https://timberframehq.com/makita-chain-mortiser/.
Where can I find one ?
You can find it here