Circular Saw/Sidewinder info

[Teamsloan]

Hey everyone,

I just searched this forum and I couldn't find much info on circular saws.

I'm trying to research which saw would be best for me. I need a saw for general tasks around the house like building shelves, simple furniture building, cutting trim, ripping sheets of Ply/MDF.

So far, I've come across a few saws that seem to have good reviews, but I though I would pick the collective brains of the Garage Journal forum.

My top pick so far is the Makita 5007MG, followed by the Bosch CS20.

Anyone have any trouble with these?

 

[cattleranchmarch]

I know this isn't one of your picks but I got the Kobalt saw. I picked it over the DeWalt, Hitachi, PC, and I can't remember the others they had. It is very sturdy and cuts very nicely.

 

[Teamsloan]

I'll check it out. My concern about it though is the accuracy of the markings, and it doesn't have the cool dust blower feature the Makita has. It is a lot cheaper though.

 

[Rebelphotog]

I'm planning to buy a new saw myself. After researching for several months, I've settled on the Bosch CS5. Gets great reviews, plenty powerful, and the kicker for me is the left handed blade. I love my little 18v DeWalt with the blade on the left. It makes it so much easier for me to see what I'm doing. Not many options in full size saws though without getting a worm drive.

The CS5 runs about $120 online. Lowes and Home Depot sell them as well, but not in my local stores.

 

[SMKS]

There are reasons the blade is on the right on a traditional, right-handed sidewinder saw.

For one, it won't blow the dust/debris right onto you, it blows it away from you. Also, most of the weight of the saw will be on the side of the board that doesn't fall away when you're cutting. That's because the motor will be on the side of the board that you're holding and that should be supported, not the piece that's falling off. That's in most cases, at least.

 

[BLJ]

not on your list, but i got a 15 amp dewalt about 3 years ago and have been more than happy. home owner around the house stuff. i think it was about $125.

 

[woody 73]

Strange thing but tonight my wife left me alone in lowes tool dept. (mind you that is like leaving a drunk in a room full of booze); but the short story is that I found myself looking at all the circular saws. They all look nice and all around the $125.00 and under price range they are very high in amps and low in weight which makes them ideal for many hours of hard use.

My mind is blank at this moment but I seem to recall a few short years ago one of the tool companies came out with a saw that you could hang on a rafter and the best part was that you could wrap the cord through the saw and never worry about the saw becoming unplugged if you pulled on it. Darn I hate getting older the body stops working and the mind forgets things...

 

[woody 73]

Ok Brain lapse but the saw was called a Bosch CS20 now I don't own one but I have seen them in action and they can take some real abuse, but I suspect they are expensive.

 

[woody 73]

Darn More brain lapse the op even listed it...I must start taking my medications!

 

[cheechi]

DW369 is what I use. I prefer DeWalts over all other circ saws, Bosch included. I think they last longer and stay more accurate in the angle adjustments. How often do you check your saw's miter with a protractor or any of that ****? My DeWalt stays square when i throw it around or it falls over.

When I was working with a gc/carpenter most of his tools were DeWalt but he had a Bosch circ. We cut a lot with it and he kept it a long time. It finally fell off the last ladder and we needed to replace it. We didn't think there was anything wrong with it before it died. We got back to work with the new DeWalt, man we didn't know what we were missing. At the time back in the mid 90's, this would have been a Swiss or German made Bosch vs a USA made DeWalt. I think his is still running.

I like Bosch (you may not have noticed) but I don't think they make as good a circ saw as DeWalt.

 

[Rebelphotog]

There are reasons the blade is on the right on a traditional, right-handed sidewinder saw.

For one, it won't blow the dust/debris right onto you, it blows it away from you. Also, most of the weight of the saw will be on the side of the board that doesn't fall away when you're cutting. That's because the motor will be on the side of the board that you're holding and that should be supported, not the piece that's falling off. That's in most cases, at least.

I had actually considered that stuff. However, it's not really an issue with my little DeWalt (which is obviously considerably lighter though). The dust issue hasn't bothered me a bit. I think it's gonna be a worthwhile trade off for me personally going to left side blade. I just have an extremely hard time cutting on my lines with a right hand blade. Once I buy it, it will get a good work out almost immediately, so I'll be sure to post a review of my experience with it when I do.

 

[Rebelphotog]

DW369 is what I use. I prefer DeWalts over all other circ saws, Bosch included. I think they last longer and stay more accurate in the angle adjustments. How often do you check your saw's miter with a protractor or any of that ****? My DeWalt stays square when i throw it around or it falls over.

When I was working with a gc/carpenter most of his tools were DeWalt but he had a Bosch circ. We cut a lot with it and he kept it a long time. It finally fell off the last ladder and we needed to replace it. We didn't think there was anything wrong with it before it died. We got back to work with the new DeWalt, man we didn't know what we were missing. At the time back in the mid 90's, this would have been a Swiss or German made Bosch vs a USA made DeWalt. I think his is still running.

I like Bosch (you may not have noticed) but I don't think they make as good a circ saw as DeWalt.

I had a nice DeWalt that was about 8 or 10 years old. Great saw. But, the deck got bent and then the motor gave up. Took many years of abuse.

I had still considered another DeWalt, but I think I want to try this left hand blade thing for a while. Who knows though.. I change my mind quite often so I may end up with another DeWalt. As long as they're not the ones with those junky plastic decks on them.

 

[duke5572]

A vote for the Makita here. You can live without the magnesium baseplate if you're just doing "homeowner" things with it.

Consider the 5007f while you're at it. I have a pair of them (their predecessors, really) that I've abused for close to twenty years and they're still strong and true.

Good luck.

 

[brickG-man]

Brought into the Building Trades world with Skill Model 77 Worm Drives and can't shake them. Nothing better in my book. I know, they are heavy for some work but the just feel right.

 

[acdc73]

bosch worm drive, best saw I have

 

[Teamsloan]

Great replies, no Makita experiences?

I didn't mention in the original post, but I'm a lefty. Not sure how much impact that has since I grew up using my dads craftsman circular saw. Visibility was awful for me if I remember correctly.

I'll look at the Dewalts a little more but I don't remember them sticking out as a desirable saw compared to the others. Good to see there are some fans of them though.

 

[Teamsloan]

A vote for the Makita here. You can live without the magnesium baseplate if you're just doing "homeowner" things with it.

Consider the 5007f while you're at it. I have a pair of them (their predecessors, really) that I've abused for close to twenty years and they're still strong and true.

Good luck.

Just saw this reply, why would the MG baseplate be something worth giving up?

 

[duke5572]

Just saw this reply, why would the MG baseplate be something worth giving up?

It really isn't a big deal. The magnesium components really just make the saw a little lighter.

The 5007F has an aluminum baseplate and is $15 cheaper. Otherwise, same saw.

Either one is an excellent choice, and for $15-$25, might as well go with the 5007MG.

Can't go wrong, really.

 

[boiler7904]

For a corded saw, don't rule out Milwaukee. I've had a 6390-20 or 6390-21 for 6 or 7 years and love it. Also have a DeWalt tracksaw that gets a lot of use and a Makita 18V cordless for quick jobs so the Milwaukee doesn't get the use that it did a couple of years ago.