WORX BladeRunner Portable Tabletop Saw, 5.5 Amp, WX572L

This is not a high production unit. It's a upside down jig saw. Use it as it was designed for. For smaller projects it will replace a scroll, band and table saw. I have already made picture frames, what-not-shelf and a mason bee house. LOVE IT.

This is a review of the BladeRunner X2, purchased from Amazon. I have the one from WORX, but it is the same machine as the one from Rockwell. My review is positive but realistic, not “unbox & first impressions”. I have used my BladeRunner to make several items and it's definitely a keeper in my opinion. I am not affiliated with WORX or Rockwell in any way. When I first received the BladeRunner X2, I tried a few things and had immediate buyer’s remorse. This was because, before my divorce, I had a nice workshop and I'd made a few pieces of furniture. I know firsthand that nice woodworking tools can make getting good results fairly easy. If you have unrealistic expectations of the BladeRunner, you will be disappointed. You CAN get good results with it, but you will need to work slowly and carefully within the tool’s limitations. You will not be building a cherry armoire or a walnut grandfather clock case with the BladeRunner, but if you love to make hobby and craft projects and little ideas you think up, the BladeRunner will prove very satisfactory. This BladeRunner review is in three parts: 1) clever and useful features, 2) limitations and how to work around them and 3) final thoughts. 1) Clever and useful BladeRunner features: o The BladeRunner is lightweight and easily portable, has a handle, and the plastic is durable if you handle it reasonably. I bought a DeWalt portable folding workbench for my BladeRunner and it’s a perfect combination. o Front compartment holds spare blades, easy to access. o T-shank blades are available everywhere, lots of choices, though the blades must be 4 inches or less maximum overall length. o Blade changes are ridiculously easy and quick, no tools needed. o A wire bracket folds out to hold the BladeRunner from creeping backwards when cutting. o There are storage slots for the rip fence which work very well. There is also a clip for the miter gauge though it’s a little loose. o The cutting guard works well to hold the work down (more on that below). o Motor is strong enough for the kind of work intended for this tool. o Polarized plug, use anywhere there's an outlet. o Will cut inside curves and squares and can start from an inside hole. o The vertical motion of the blade means that cutting with the rip fence as a sizing guide is very safe and recommended. It will not bind as a circular blade would. This also means that to a certain degree you can make a square cut even if the work is not perfectly square to the blade, as long as you cut to a line marked on the piece. o Both hands are free to control the cut. Using both hands for all cuts is highly recommended. o Vibration is minimal. Noise is a little louder than a vacuum cleaner, but the feet keep it in place. o On-Off switch is easy to reach and has a safety key. o No tools are required for any adjustments. 2) Limitations and how to get good results. o Overall, to get good results you will need to work slowly and thoughtfully, marking lines for every cut, using a square as much as possible, holding the work down and guiding the piece with both hands. o Check and double check the setup of the rip fence, and don’t rely on the markings molded into the plastic top and miter gauge. o Being plastic, don’t rely on the miter gauge to cut square. Instead mark a line for the cut and use the miter gauge as a helper. Watch the blade and the line and guide it with both hands, and you can do well. o The rip fence pivots at both thumb knobs. In other words, it’s not square unless you make it so. Use a square when setting up a cut. o The splitter that holds the guard at the back will bind on long rips unless you accommodate it by giving it space on the right side with the rip fence. HOWEVER, because it’s not a circular saw, it will not affect the cut. Assuming you’ve moved the rip fence slightly to the right at the back to allow a bit of room, you can get a good straight cut as long as you use both hands and keep the piece against the fence. o YOU MUST KEEP THE PIECE THAT YOU’RE CUTTING HELD DOWN, either by adjusting the guard or pressing down on the work (if cutting freehand). o I did not have a good experience cutting a piece of scrap oak, and cutting thick pieces will require going very slowly. This is because, unlike a bandsaw, the top of the blade vibrates, and if you push too hard the blade will curve vertically. Cutting for thickness (as you would with a bandsaw) is not going to work. o Overall, I think you will need to stick with softer woods like pine and poplar that are planed to the thickness you need. Lauan 5.2mm plywood works beautifully, and I think ¼” plywood would be fine. Anything over ½” or ¾” will require slow cutting. The harder and thicker the piece, the more likely you will get into trouble if you don’t slow down and take your time. 3) Final thoughts: I would recommend the BladeRunner X2 to anyone who wants to do small projects and hobby/crafty-type things. In the past I built furniture, but now I’m content to work on my ideas without the benefit of a lot of expensive tools. Life is compromises. The BladeRunner X2 is a cleverly designed, lightweight and inexpensive tool that will do a lot of things that a more expensive tool cannot (like inside corners, scroll cuts, etc.) You are not going to do fine joinery with it, but maybe (like me) you don’t need to or want to. Go for it.

The illustration-only setup instructions are useless...would it really be so difficult to ask a mechanical engineer to sit down and draft clear, concise written instructions to help new owners? Instead, I had to rely on YouTube videos. Once I got it all figured out (and it took less than a few minutes, once I knew what to do), it was a snazzy table jigsaw. I immediately used it to cut some red cedar planks my wife is using as shelf liners. The miter gauge is just a bit wobbly in its slot, so you can't trust it for a 100% perfect cut, but it does get the job done. The rip fence feels solid once you tighten it where you want it. The small set of blades that come with it will get you started, but you'll want to upgrade your collection for more diverse cuts. As light as it weighs, it sits firmly on a good flat surface without excess vibration. Overall, I'm glad I bought it and would do it again, but they could improve a couple of things.

Excellent saw, does everything I wanted it to do,

Received my second saw after3 years with the first one. Solid construction and works well with cutting wood up to 3/4 inch but better suited to 1/2" woods but has a real vibration problem. Not handy for cuts longer than 12" . Light weight and easy to store when not in use. My only complaint is that the etched measurement guides are are the same black color as the table top. It makes it almost impossible to set the width bar to cut. I have had to rub chalk into the track to be able to set the guide. Original unit had the measurement guides in white for contrast and east to read. For small cuts with thinner woods it works well enough. For hobby projects only.

This will work if you’re building bird houses and simple craft projects, but I would not recommend it for modeling projects. Have a surface to screw this think down, the 2 front clamps are not going to hold for heavier materials.

I'm a hobbyist just getting into woodworking. I took a chance on this because I thought it could make more versatile cuts; and it can. It also handles some really tough stuff that I've been throwing at it and taking it like a champ. I was able to cut a straight line on a piece of 3/4 inch plywood with no trouble at all. Maybe took it too slow, but it didn't seem to mind either way. I didn't buy it for anything this 'serious', but it has yet to let me down. I would definitely recommend this to anyone, especially anyone looking for a counter sized table saw that's very capable. Haven't tried yet, but I think my next challenge for it will be tile after I get a new blade. Great purchase that does what I need and doesn't take up much space.

I bought this for my wife since she does small wood projects. I just finally had time to show her on how to use this. We set up the saw and I went over the different blades and how to setup for cutting. I showed her how to setup the fence and the miter. I decided to cut the first piece of wood for her. Now I have worked as a cabinet builder/installer for 8 years and I know the difference between professional tools and not. This saw seemed like it would be good for the wife since it was smaller, light weight and easy to use. Well, after the first cut, I was like what? The cut was not straight. I decided to make a second cut. This cut was just as bad as the first cut. The blade does bend and the miter has a wiggle to it. I watched the Worx video for this saw, I think in the video they had to be cutting Balsa wood of different sizes to make it look like your cutting pine 2x4’s that quick. I tried to cut pine 1x4 and had to move slower than in the video. This I think is a HUGE waste of money. I am just going to purchase professional type tools and teach my wife on how to use them. I would like Worx to send me a box with return postage for this thing and reimburse me on what I spent.

This is a great table top saw. I am very impressed with how well it works. Snd it was great that its so portable so I could use it up on my deck clise to where i was working. I just finished laminate flooring in my kitchen and this cut lengths, notched and ripped the pieces perfectly for what I needed. Very much recommend it!

Me gusta mucho, con la sierra correcta puedes cortar lo que quieras. Es muy ligera y la puedes guardar fácilmente. Se ve de buenos materiales, veremos durabilidad

I was surprised at how well this unit works. low vibration and descent power. very easy to install blades and the hold down works great so you don't have to hold the work down yourself. takes standard blades like my regular jig saw.

Es una máquina que no pesa, se puede usar en espacios pequeños o en el exterior, la puedes fijar cuando realizar cortes grandes. es segura y robusta para cortes de madera.

Compacto, muy sencillo, muy ligero, adecuado para el trabajo que hago y que no requiere de mucha potencia. Sólo tengo una duda ¿se me puede facturar la compra?