Advantages of a Worm Drive Circular Saw The longer distance between the handle and the blade extends your reach while making a cut, which is helpful for crosscutting sheet goods. A worm drive also has larger gear teeth with more load-carrying capacity than a direct drive, which provides more power but also adds weight.

Skilsaw Model 77 Invented After the Great Depression, In 1928, Skil released the Model E Skilsaw, the first generation saw with a worm drive. In 1937, Edward Sterba built the first Model 77 with a 7+1⁄4-inch (180 mm) blade, considered the "workhorse on building sites". The 75th anniversary of the Model 77 was in 2012.