In 1924 SkilSaw invented the first wormdrive circular saw and was an instant hit. The Model 77 was introduced in 1937 and is now celebrating 75 years as one of America’s favorite circular saws. The name SkilSaw is often used on the jobsite as a generic term for all circular saw whether they are red, yellow, blue, whatever because it was the original.
To celebrate this milestone Skil has enlisted the help of Paul Jr Designs from the hit show American Chopper to build a custom bike to commemorate the event. If you are a fan of the show the 2 part build is probably on your DVR right now (Aired May 14 &21). See all 41 close up photos at PaulJrDesigns.com.
Skil will also be creating a limited edition version of their most popular saw MAG77-75 ($189, Amazon) featuring the 75th logo on the tool. Read more about the chopper and the saw in the press release below the Skil video.
Las Vegas, NV. – With 2012 acting as a milestone year for the Worm Drive SKILSAW®, SKIL Tools wanted to celebrate big, and that is exactly what they did. To commemorate the 75th anniversary of “The Saw That Built America,” the power tools company partnered with Paul Teutul Jr. and his crew at Paul Jr. Designs to design a custom chopper that was unveiled on May 1, 2012. The unveiling was timed with the National Hardware Show, held annually in Las Vegas.
The unveil, which was filmed for the famed American Chopper reality series and aired across two episodes on May 14 and May 21, 2012, was attended by show stars Paul Teutul Jr., Rachael Teutul, Vinnie DiMartino and Joe Puliafico. Paul Jr. revved up the cloaked SKILSAW-inspired chopper before driving it out in front of a crowd of SKIL employees, customers and friends during the celebration at the Hard Rock Café on the Las Vegas strip. Incorporating parts of a Model 77 SKILSAW throughout, the one-of-a-kind chopper boasted a built-in solid bronze worm gear, silver and red paint and a truly unique exhaust that demands attention once started. The housing of a Worm Drive SKILSAW circular saw was used to build the air cleaner and the headlight, while the chopper is emblazoned with “The Saw That Built America,” “SKILSAW 75” and “77” to honor the Worm Drive itself.
“Overall, [this is] unquestionably one of our most favorite bikes we’ve ever built,” said Teutul during the chopper’s unveiling. “We absolutely love this bike, we really do.”
Notably absent from the chopper were saw blades. “The easy way to do this would be to put saw blades all over it,” said Teutul. “We really wanted it to be about that Worm Drive 77.”
In addition to this original custom show chopper, Paul Jr. and his crew have designed and built a second SKILSAW-inspired daily rider chopper to be sold through eBay Motors during a 10-day auction this fall. One-hundred percent of the proceeds from this auction will be donated to The Home Depot Foundation, a non-profit organization whose mission is to ensure that every veteran has a safe place to call home. Both the custom show chopper and the SKILSAW-inspired daily rider will be going on a tour beginning at the end of May. Visit www.SKILTools.com/WormDrive for tour dates and locations.
The limited-edition MAG77-75 Worm Drive SKILSAW featuring a commemorative 75th anniversary name plate, a custom black fleck paint finish and a chrome aluminum foot plate is available at select retail and hardware stores nationwide with a suggested retail price of $189.99 (USD).
