Hand held circular saw...help needed

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.

Ditto
:thumb:
 
i quess i need to be clearer next time.. i would like you to cut of the rake side of roof with your right hand and a left handed saw and not wish it was the other way. or hold the 2x up as you cut the end of to size.???
 
... i would like you to cut of the rake side of roof with your right hand and a left handed saw and not wish it was the other way. or hold the 2x up as you cut the end of to size.???

Good points, but both are tasks I'm not likely to do with a circular saw. ;) If I was doing carpentry work, maybe, but my circular saw use is pretty much limited to cutting sheet goods, not dimensional lumber. (And if I do happen to be cutting lumber with it, I'll be holding the wood on something like sawhorses instead of my thigh.)
 
I was looking for a smaller saw a while back and they seem to be much less common than thirty years ago. I would like to have something similar to what Carol is talking about but didn't see much at the big box stores. When I lived in Pa we had a couple of great tool stores in town and then the big box stores came to town. After they ran the smaller stores out of business they quit carrying most of the better woodworking tools. Any suggestions for a modes small circular saw?

Garry
 
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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.

These saws were designed for construction originally and Larry is correct as far as I am concerned. So it may well depend on intended usage..

The motor style plays a big part of why they are left blade. The other thing that makes them the preference, IMHE with contractors, is the availability of parts, and how durable they are built (see them go off of roofs, can get parts for a 30-50 year old tool).

I was looking for a smaller saw a while back and they seem to be much less common than thirty years ago. I would like to have something similar to what Carol is talking about but didn't see much at the big box stores. When I lived in Pa we had a couple of great tool stores in town and then the big box stores came to town. After they ran the smaller stores out of business they quit carrying most of the better woodworking tools. Any suggestions for a modes small circular saw?

Garry
I think they are less common only if your talking corded models. (no Skill 5510, Porter Cable Saw Boss, etc. etc. etc.) Plenty of smaller, battery powered ones, and the ones I see that are corded, have changed design, and now are sold by companies as Worx, Rockwell, etc. (look more like a circular saw blade, on a multitool motor)
 
And Larry may be the only other one here that knows how to french plane or drill holes with his saw.
Get this one Rob and learn how to use it https://www.amazon.com/Makita-5007M...2292953&sr=1-2&keywords=makita+electric+tools
If you look you can see both sides of the blade when starting your cut. It has a nice weight, plenty of power and the ergonomics of it make it easy to use in a lot of ways you will never do.

But if you are using a guide you do not need to see the blade at all. That's the guides job to make the saw cut where you want it to.:thumb::thumb:
I have had maybe six of these over the years the last new one was bought in maybe 2005. So that makes it 11 years old and still kicking. Of course the one it replaced is also still kicking it has just been moved to the diamond blade for cutting metal and rock.
 
My reply would be to consider cordless----I have been using my 18 volt Makita 6 1/2" unit for many years with what I would consider great success. Works for me.
 
I've got 2. One is a PC 6-1/2" Saw Boss form the 80's the other is a 7-1/4" Dewalt that was given to me.

I seldom use the circular saw so I don't know which is better for what you'll use it for. If I had to buy a new one I'd probably go to Harbor Freight and pick up a cheapie.

I recently had to use a friends Skil saw for cutting a piece of 3/4" plywood for a small job at the church. I think the saw probably cost $5.99 back in the 1960's. It had a decent Makita blade and cut fast and straight.

So my thinking is why spend big bucks for something that will seldom be used.
 
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