Hand held circular saw...help needed

Rob Keeble

Member
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Location
GTA Ontario Canada
There is one tool that i have that is long overdue for an upgrade and thats my skill circular saw.

Bought it 14 years ago before knowing about forums or much about wwing tools.

Before i even go looking, the issue i have is how to choose which side the blade is on.

My first was bought on ......yeah price as an immigrant and home depot wow.

Wised up some since then, but still have not figured out the blade side rule.

Help please.....explain.

Also any views as to brand and corded versus cordless.

I aint a contractor, this will primarily be used for breaking down sheet goods, been thinking cordless what with improvements in batteries and merit of no cord.

Cannot justify a track saw for my needs.

My current skill has motor on left and blade on right i find that odd as motor is always in the way of my guide and clamps.

I am right handed.
 
:lurk::lurk:
Will be watching this thread with some interest. My circular saw was a gift from my grandmother. It is a Craftsman and she bought it for me so I could build her a small deck on the back of her house.... in 1970. :eek:
 
Corded: Porter Cable 6" Saw Boss.

Cordless: 18 volt Milwaukee "Fuel."

Actually, after getting the Milwaukee, I hardly ever use the corded saw anymore.
 
corded -bosch, milwauke, makita

cordless - bosch, have used one for a couple years now, works well for even big jobs.. makita makes great cordless tools and are on the commercial work place a lot..

one thing to look at on the cordless versions is the safty switch you need to hit with your thumb or second finger on jobsite apps they can be a pain in the wrong place
 
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My go-to is a mini-Skil saw no linger made. Have had it for 30+ years. Blade is to the left of the motor so right-handed me can easily see where the blade meets the wood when beginning the cut. I use it to break down sheet goods, along with my own Trac system that I no longer manufacture. Sorry, no help there. :(

I like it because, among other things, it is fairly light and easy to handle, especially when I am reaching across a piece of plywood. In fact, that would be my 'test' as to suitability if I were getting another one. I'd reach across a counter or something as far as I could with it in hand to see how that felt. I'm too old to care about what unsuspecting clerks think about my decision making processes. Besides, its my money they looking to get.

If I had to replace it, I would definitely look into a cordless model. And apply the above test. :)
 
If you go with a worm saw/hypotnoid, you will have no choice about right or left blade. Since your in Canada, if you use this on a jobsite, for a normal circular saw, I have heard they have some sort of safety regulations, that right handed should use right bladed, and left handed should use left bladed. The point being to keep the motor between you and the blade for protection. I have never been able to verify this, but I wouldn't have a clue who regulates that.
I have talked to one person who was happy with a cordless saw, but it was I think one of those 30v things, that is a behemoth and heavy. Most I know seem to prefer a corded saw, because those of us who have tried a cordless, know the batteries haven't lasted as long as we need them.
Saw side matters less, when your using it either via some track or via a sawboard.
There are several good brands, so I believe that is more about feel and if you can find a deal. The one thing I do prefer, is it have a blade brake, as it can speed up the work.
 
As a right handed coward who likes to be able to count all the way up to 10, I would not even want to be in the same room as a circular saw with its blade on the left hand side.

I have access to both corded and cordless Festools and will always use the corded version if I am making more than a few feet of cut and have access to mains power. Cordless is, for me, a solution to a specific set of problems to be used mainly when those problems prevail.

Of the brands available in my market I would choose Festool or Bosch , neither of which are cheap options.
 
Like Carol, my favorite is a no-longer-made . . . PORTER-CABLE 424MAG blade on the left. works well with my shop made guides. If they have cordless circ-saws running stronger and longer now I would be tempted in that direction. The realization that months go by between uses would steer me back to a corded saw.
 
Hey Rob, I have a Makita 7 1/4" Circ. Saw corded with a Freud Pro Contractor extra blade. I was hoping to sell for $75.00. You are welcome to try it out to see if it suits your needs.

I lightly used it breaking down sheet goods in the garage.

It sold for $139 + taxes + the extra blade. If you like it, we can bargain, if not give it back, no harm done!
 
I have a corded Worx that I bought a number of years ago. It's a bit unconventional in that the handle moves around to make it more "ergonomic". Runs strong, just a bit of an oddball. I'd probably buy a more conventional one these days, but the Worx has been fine for the 7 or 8 cuts it's made in its lifetime.

No recommendations for brands here, but I'm a left-blade kind of guy. I like being able to see the blade without going into body contortions.
 
My current 46 yr old saw is a right blade and it has always bothered me to not be able the see the blade or line without either switching hands or contorting my stance. I have always noted that the heavy duty worm drive saws that have been wielded by the pros on building sites for decades are, for the most part, all left blade saws. Those behemoths are being replaced by lighter, more agile machines many with batteries. The majority of those offered by Milwaukee, Bosch, Dewalt, etc. are all left blade. This tells me that this is the preference of those that use them daily and depend on them to earn a living. Gotta count for something.
 
I have an excellent right bladed Makita saw, corded, that I use to break up sheet goods. I have two guides I made for it, one 5' and one 3'. This is the guide that has a ledge to run the baseplate against while the blade is guided along the line you put the guide along. No problems.
 
Hey Rob, I have a Makita 7 1/4" Circ. Saw corded with a Freud Pro Contractor extra blade. I was hoping to sell for $75.00. You are welcome to try it out to see if it suits your needs.

I lightly used it breaking down sheet goods in the garage.

It sold for $139 + taxes + the extra blade. If you like it, we can bargain, if not give it back, no harm done!

I think your problem is solved Rob. You get a bargain price, an extra blade AND a visit with Mack!!
It's a safe bet that saw was never left out in the rain.
 
Wow, gotta say our forum is still very much alive and kicking.

A huge thank you for each and every reply.

Mack thanks for the offer but i think i am going to go cordless.

The blade safety position thing never occurred to me.

But seriously i have always felt less in control with my right handed blade having to climb over it to see whats up so i am pleased to hear others shared my experiences.
This is a big part of my drive to get a new one. That plus cord always being in the way.

Glenns point about freq of use is very significant unless the same battery is common to other tools.
That speaks again to Jims point to me few months ago about how many chargers i want. So the marketing man in me says Dewalt seems to have a good thing going with the latest range.
Drew is a ex pro and he bought the new Dewalt so gotta be some merits in that.

I like Carols point a lot. Carol u not alone in the club of crazy things to do when testing a tool. I do all sorts too. As you say its our money and if they want it then they bend.

Thanks all very appreciative of the responses.

I would love a worm drive too but they just too heavy for me these days.

Going to keep an eye out for a deal over holiday period. I like Milwaukee would love a Metabo if they made them and were available here at reasonable price. Especially since this will be a step into the 18v or higher lithium ion battery range.
 
Want to add something to this post.

All credit to Larry Merlau for this info.

First of Larry recognizes what level of woodworker i am. ROOKIE.

So naively i wanted a circular saw with blade on lhs, but note i am right handed.

Well in a most diplomatic way in an offline discussion, Larry warned me about the fact that when cutting with one of these saws you want as much of the baseplate in contact with the wood. Logical eh! You say. Well not obvious to a rookie wanting to see where blade is cutting.

Well if you use a lhs blade saw its entirely easy to end up with very little baseplate supporting the saw, consequence could be a pinch on that blade and little to steady it in fresh air.
Add to this the power potential of something like the 7.25" new 60v Dewalt and you could easily find the saw biting you.

I could actually see this happening to me.

Thanks Larry i owe you one. No more lhs blade for me. Maybe pros can handle them but i don't get to do it often enough.

So those of you with a lhs blade saw take note.

Not saying you can't or should not use them, just be aware. I certainly would not have until my first incident. Then i would regret my eagerness to get one.
 
I should think the issue here is to make sure the cut off is also on the left side. That way I can handle the cut off and also see what I'm doing. Might be counter-intuitive to have the work piece to the right, but I can learn.

That said, the Ambassador is one of my favorite people, and I al glad I can disagree with him once in a while. :rofl:
 
I should think the issue here is to make sure the cut off is also on the left side. That way I can handle the cut off and also see what I'm doing. Might be counter-intuitive to have the work piece to the right, but I can learn.

That said, the Ambassador is one of my favorite people, and I al glad I can disagree with him once in a while. :rofl:

I was about to say the very same thing. Learn to cut from "the other side," and there's no problem.
 
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