Rockwell BladeRunner

Rockwell BladeRunner Review

The folks at Rockwell recently sent me a pair of  BladeRunners™.   One to review and one to give away to one of my lucky readers.

What is the the BladeRunner™?

The Rockwell BladeRunner™ is a light weight bench-top saw that performs the functions of a portable jigsaw, a bench-top scroll saw, and a band saw all in one.  This innovative hybrid saw weighing just less than 18 lbs., is great for home workshops, garage-based shops, or job site use.

First Impression:

The Rockwell BladeRunner™ has a generous 17 in. x 15-3/4 in. stainless steel table top which will not rust.  The BladeRunner™ has the variable-speed blade action of a scroll saw.  A powerful 5 amp motor, with built in T-slots hold a miter gauge and rip fence combination securely in place.  This saw can be used to make cross-cuts, angled and rip cuts.    The saw’s control arm is adjustable for material thickness and flips up and out of the way to set up internal cut outs. A pressure foot in the control arm helps hold the work piece down during cutting operations.

It’s an ideal do-it-yourself and craft projects saw. Make quick, accurate and easy miter saw cuts in wood for molding and trim, picture frames or sign making. Make intricate inside cuts where precision counts by providing access to guide work pieces through the cut. By simply changing the blade, the BladeRunner is capable of cutting PVC pipe, sheet metal or flashing and vinyl siding.

A built in handle makes carrying this tool a cinch, as does the convenient cord storage rack, and blade storage drawer.   A dust drawer collects sawdust and a dust port located at the saw blade easily connected to my shop vac and eliminated almost every speck of dust ~ very nice!

The Rockwell BladeRunner™ Features:

• Includes 5 t-shank jigsaw blades, and miter-gauge/rip fence
• Durable, low-friction stainless steel table top
• Portable and easy to take anywhere since it weighs only 18 lbs
• Perfect for inside cuts, miter cuts, scroll cuts, metal & tile cuts, circle cuts, and rip cuts
• 5.5 Amp input power

 Using The  Rockwell BladeRunner™:

I used the Rockwell BladeRunner™  too cut all types of wood as well as tile, aluminum and plexiglass.  It is a versatile and powerful bench-top tool.  The on/off switch and variable speed control are both locate on the front of the tool and easily accessible.

One thing I will mention is many times when you want to achieve a smooth cuts with a jigsaw a carpenter will hold the saw upside down for the cut.  The Rockwell BladeRunner™ is basically a variable speed jigsaw mounted upside down on a very nice table with slick features; like the combo miter fence, control arm and dust port.

Like most tools, the instruction manual is lacking detail.  It took me awhile to figure out that the control arm could help hold down stock.  If you don’t  use the control arm to apply pressure to the stock, the wood will “jump” up and down on you if your not holding it firmly.

I found changing the blades was effortless with Rockwells quick change system.  All that is needed is to slide back the blade release button and the blade slips out.  Use care not to burn yourself changing a blade that’s hot.  Rockwell even gives you a gripper tool to handle sharp and hot blades.

The Rockwell BladeRunner™ uses  T-shank jigsaw blades, which is the same blades I use in both of my jigsaws – they are widely available.    

The only negatives to this innovative tool was the length of cord and dust drawer.  I found cord a bit short but I suppose a bench-top tool would be set up at an outlet.  Still it seems the trend these days is to provide longer cords to eliminate the extension cords.   The dust drawer is small and fills up fast.

 Cutting Action:

The BladeRunner has a blade stroke of 7/8 in.  The upper control arm has guide rollers that allow the blade to travel up and down consistently at  90°.   The BladeRunner has a cutting capacity of 1- ½ in. in wood; 1 ¼ in. in PVC; 3/8 in. in aluminum, 1/8 in. in mild steel and 3/8 in. in ceramic tile.

Cutting Circles: [optional accessory]

The BladeRunner Circle Cutter (RW9261, $29.99)  allows users to cut precise concentric circles from 3 in to 18 in. in diameter.  The accessory jig utilizes the tabletop’s T-slot to guide the workpiece as it travels through the blade. Set up is easy. Find the center of the workpiece. Mount the circular disc to the work piece, and then mount the workpiece onto the Circle Cutter. Set the desired radius and begin the cut.

Overall Impression:

The BladeRunner really is a multi-purpose, versatile tool geared toward the DIYer or homowner.  There is no need for several different cutting tools.    With a tool like this a homeowner can get into projects that would normally require two, or three tools.   As far as ceramic tile cutting it will never replace a stand alone tile saw but it can be useful for a few cuts or repair work.

The BladeRunner Circle Cutter was super easy to use and allowed me to make quick and simple circle cuts.

There is no need for bulky workbenches or several different tools. With the BladeRunner, simply mount it to the wall with its included wall mount, and get the job running. Its portability is amazing since it only weighs 18 lbs and comes with a drawer that has the included 5 t-shank assorted jigsaw blades and miter gauge/rip fence. Tote this all-in-one Rockwell BladeRunner ultimate cutting machine to the job-site with ease and efficiency with its instant blade changes and versatility of cuts.

The BladeRunner  is definitely worth your consideration for household repairs.

 How Much And Where To Buy:

The Rockwell BladeRunner™ can be purchased online here for $179.99 

Rockwell-RK7321-BladeRunner-Wall-Mount

This review contains my opinion of a product. I take pride in providing my readers with an honest and objective information as well as a practical approach to using a product. I never accept payment in exchange for a positive review. Many of the tools and products are provided to for free by a manufacturer for review.