Circular Saw Purchase

[LSU]

I have an old Craftsman circular saw (about 30+ years old). It still runs fine but I'm thinking about upgrading. I was helping a friend today and he had a Black and Decker model that easier to use than mine. I'm not sure if it had a laser on it or not but I've used one that had a laser.

20 years ago Makita was the saw you wanted to buy.

I'm thinking of a worm drive to supplement my old saw.

I'm a DIY but I do some medium duty building for Habitat for Humanity and various church/charity projects on weekends and summers. It seems that I have darn near ever near every brand of hand tool ever made and my favorite "new" hand tools I have now are my 1/2" Rigid Drill and my Milwaukee "D" Handle Sawzall. After using the 1/2" drill I'm not sure I'd ever go back to a smaller corded drill.

What are the pros and cons of the worm drive vs. the regular circular saw?

What about a laser on them? Did I dream this or did I use one with a laser?

I sort of figure this will be my last circular saw (if it lasts as long as the last one did I'll be passing it along to my grandkids or great grandkids.) so I'm going to buy what I like and am not going to be too concerned about cost.

What blade size would you recommend?

Thanks to all who respond.

 

[slip knot]

Take real good care of your old Craftsman because its hard to get that kinda quality today. My old Craftsman and Black & Decker were way tougher saws than any produced today.
A lot of todays saws are gimmicky ****. My last saw was a Porter Cable mag saw. the toolless blade change was garbage and the base/blade angle never stayed the same which made it almost impossible to use a fence to cut a straight line. I've got a new Makita now but dont have enough time on it to say its any good.

 

[LSU]

Thanks Slip Knot. I guess an old Craftsman is sort of like one of those old HK91's?

 

[machine_punk]

I have the Milwaukee worm drive (I don't remember the specific model) and I am very pleased with it.

Pro's:
- The blade is on the 'left' side of the housing, so that us right-handers can actually see where the blade contacts the woods, instead of trying to look around the saw to the other side.
- Seems to have plenty of power for anything I cut.
- Has a built-in spot of for a little guide...allows you to make cuts parallel to the edge of a piece of wood without having to clamp a straightedge to the wood.
- Has a place to store the hex wrench used for adjustments.
- Has a fold out bracket to allow you to hang the saw from your ladder or a convenient frame member, while working off the ground.
- The fit and finish are fabulous.
- It seems to be easy to me to stay on a straight line with the saw.

Con's:
- It is heavy. Wouldn't want to hold that up over my head for very long

 

[BFBOB]

Worm drive - blade on left. Now, there are conventional lefty saws. I got a Porter-Cable for my wife because she didn't like the lack of easy cut visibility on my conventional 7 1/2" Craftsman. Identical to the righty P-C, just mirror reversed. Not hard to do with today's CAD - CAM techniques.


(No, not a typo. 7 1/2" . Blades NLA as far as I know.)

 

[Toolfool]

I've been using the same Milwaukee wormdrive saw for over 25 years, and I'm a contractor by trade, so it sees use almost every day. Buy one and it will be the last saw you'll need to buy.

 

[LSU]

Bump

 

[geologist]

What are the pros and cons of the worm drive vs. the regular circular saw?

Worm drives tend to be more resilient to use and abuse from my experience.


What about a laser on them? Did I dream this or did I use one with a laser?

I've got a Black & Decker circular saw (which I love), but there is another model that they carry that has a laser. I wish I had bought it instead. to be honest. I'm sure they're not alone when it comes to the laser.

 

[dittle fart around]

I've had my Skil model 77 worm drive for 30 years. It will cut through anything. If you're working for habitat and doing rough framing worm drive is the way to go. When I was in my 20's the contractor I worked for used to rest the 2x4's on his steel toed boot at an angle. Set the base plate on the lumber and the weight of the saw does the rest.

 

[5lima30]

I had my Dad's old Porter Cable worm drive. I rarely used it due to being so heavy. These days I prefer a 15 amp Makita or Hitachi with a GOOD blade. The Milwakee is also a great saw but the ergonomics are not as good as the Hitachi or Makita IMHO.

 

[wheats71]

you cant go wrong with a makita saw IMO

 

[TommyK]

I've used nothing but worms drives for 25 years. Black and Decker used to make a 6 1/2" worm drive that was the best I ever used but it hasn't been available for years. I used the PC direct drive when they first came out and it was OK. I've owned a Skill 77 for 20 years but if I were buying one today it would be a Makita Hypoid. My buddy has one and I like it.

 

[dodge610]

I still have and use my old craftsman circular saw mine is approx. 20 to25 years old. I also have my dads old craftsman saw that is a good 50 years old dads has a cast alum. case on the saw they can have it when I die but not till then both still run like new. And do what I ask of them granted I dont use it everyday but the quality is there I luv em.

 

[LSU]

I've pretty much narrowed down my choice to buying a worm drive circular saw.

I've looked at the Milwaukee, Skill, Mikita, and Rigid.

I've got a 1/2" Rigid Drill I like very much.

I've got a couple of older Mikitas. (22+ years old - is the quality still there?)

I have a Milwaukee reciproical saw which I like. About 3 years old.

Don't have anything made by Skill.

I'm open to any suggestions or comments about the purchase of any of these.

I bought the Rigid drill in sort of an "emergency" purchase when I was on the road and I needed one. I didn't think I would like it as much as I did but I really like it. I did a side by side on a job site with a bunch of other 1/2" drills and found the Rigid was as good, if not better.

If you have any of these saws, I'd like to hear what you have to say and your experiences with them.

Also, I keep seeing on line a Milwaukee with a circular plug. All of my tools, extension cords, etc. are standard 110v plugs. I'd like to hear what folks think about the circular plugs.

Thanks.

 

[Michael Bryce Winnick]

My 22 year old Craftsman works as well now as the day I bought it. I have ordered a few replacement parts with no real issues.

 

[dittle fart around]

I've pretty much narrowed down my choice to buying a worm drive circular saw.

Also, I keep seeing on line a Milwaukee with a circular plug. All of my tools, extension cords, etc. are standard 110v plugs. I'd like to hear what folks think about the circular plugs.

Thanks.

Most tools are double insulated and only have a two prong plug. Heavy duty tools might also have a grounded case that requires a three prong plug. I don't know what you mean by circular plug. 110 volt plugs can be circular or rectangular and have 2 or 3 prongs. Any extension cord for power tools includes a ground and are 14 or 12 gauge wire. Ungrounded extension cords are usually for lamps and are 16 or 18 gauge. The larger the gauge the less voltage drop over the length of the cord. A 25 foot 18 gauge extension cord might burn up using a worm drive saw. My Skil 77 draws 13 amps of current that requires at least a 14 gauge extension cord.

 

[Outlawmws]

I've had my Skil model 77 worm drive for 30 years. It will cut through anything. If you're working for habitat and doing rough framing worm drive is the way to go. When I was in my 20's the contractor I worked for used to rest the 2x4's on his steel toed boot at an angle. Set the base plate on the lumber and the weight of the saw does the rest.

THIS

I have 2, (Picked up the second at a yard sale, and when my son moves out, it's his) Will last a lifetime and parts are readily available if you do manage to munge something (I haven't in 30 years..).

Forget a laser on a hand held. If you need a straight cut on ply, use a straight edge clamped to the ply. (offset the distance of the blade to the saw's shoe.)

for a 2X4 (6, 8,...), use a speed square as a guide.

I also have a circular saw, I use it for abrasive blades. Cheap, plastic case, so if (When) it explodes from abrasives in the motor, minimal risk.

 

[LSU]

Most tools are double insulated and only have a two prong plug. Heavy duty tools might also have a grounded case that requires a three prong plug. I don't know what you mean by circular plug. 110 volt plugs can be circular or rectangular and have 2 or 3 prongs. Any extension cord for power tools includes a ground and are 14 or 12 gauge wire. Ungrounded extension cords are usually for lamps and are 16 or 18 gauge. The larger the gauge the less voltage drop over the length of the cord. A 25 foot 18 gauge extension cord might burn up using a worm drive saw. My Skil 77 draws 13 amps of current that requires at least a 14 gauge extension cord.

Have a look on EBay for the Milwaukee worm drive saws. The ones with the circular plug are on there.

Please have a look and see if you can see the purpose. At first I tjought 220v but appears to be 110v with a different plug?

Thanks

 

[Outlawmws]

Have a look on EBay for the Milwaukee worm drive saws. The ones with the circular plug are on there.

Please have a look and see if you can see the purpose. At first I tjought 220v but appears to be 110v with a different plug?

Thanks

It's probably an OSHA twist lock plug. These come on 110 and 220, and for different amperages.

 

[LSU]

Milwaukee Model #6577-20 is the model#. Looks like same saw as Model 6477 but different plug?

I've got to be missing something?

Thanks.

 

[LSU]

It's probably an OSHA twist lock plug. These come on 110 and 220, and for different amperages.

Never have seen OSHA twist lock plug. Why are the required by OSHA or is the answer "because it is required".