So I'm looking at circular saws...thoughts?

[EmptyWallet]

I've been goofing around with the idea of buying a circular saw after we installed some shelves this weekend and I had to use a buddy's.

He had a Dewalt 7 and a 1/4.

Seemed to work good enough. What else is out there? I know Skil makes one I've seen A LOT of people suggest here.

Spending a little bit for one wouldn't bother me, though I'm not looking to get crazy.

Is 7.25 the standard size for most projects?

I'd imagine just about all of them would work a lot better with a good blade..suggestions on that?

 

[ChrisF250]

Freud blades nothing else. Milwaukee has been my favorite out of everything I've ever used.

 

[zporta]

I work construction and I use dewalt, they last and take a beating

 

[zporta]

Freud blades nothing else. Milwaukee has been my favorite out of everything I've ever used.

They are some amazing blades, a little more $ but last way longer

 

[EmptyWallet]

Alright, so something to look at on blades....what's this I hear about worm drive?

EDIT - I am also LEFT HANDED and would prefer to cut with my left hand.

I keep hearing about a skil 77 though.....

 

[allinon72]

I have a Hitachi and it is solid.

 

[twincam00]

Don't get a worm drive saw unless youre ripped, those things weigh a ton!

worm drive vs. sidewinder circular saw preference seems to depend on where you are in the country

 

[EmptyWallet]

Really? Why?

 

[Zeke]

I have lots of circular saws. I can't use a sidewinder with my left hand. It feels like it's going to bind and kick every time. If I were a lefty, I'd look for a sidewinder with the blade on the left. I know they make them.

AFA as a wormdrive, I think they work for everyone. I also think they make a unit with the blade on the right. Normally, WD's have the blade on the left so righty's can see the cut.

WD's are used mostly for level and downward cuts. The weight helps the saw through the work. I do like the WD best overall because if the cut is at all in question, you can grab the handle on top to help guide the tool. It would be hard to hurt yourself with both hands firmly on the machine.

After using one for 40 years, I am thinking I have been reasonably lucky to never have gotten hurt. As I get older and using it less, I think about what I am doing way more. If I don't, it will bite me, I'm sure of it.

And don't block the guard. There are tricks to starting a cut on an angle. It's just not worth it to leave the guard blocked. I know, I know, do as I say....

 

[5lima30]

Hitachi or Makita 15 amp with a freud blade! You won't be disapointed. BTW, I like PC and Milwaukee but they are too heavy and not as comfortable to use IMHO.

 

[Outlawmws]

Alright, so something to look at on blades....what's this I hear about worm drive?

EDIT - I am also LEFT HANDED and would prefer to cut with my left hand.

I keep hearing about a skil 77 though.....

This ^^^ and never look back.

 

[Anotherrcguy]

Dewalt is what I own but also like Bosch

 

[EvilWelder]

Makita hypoid saw, I will put it up against an old Skill 77 any day.

 

[amguttin]

its fairy simple. freud blade skill 77. the weight is definitely noticeable but they are bullet proof. period the end.

 

[Zeke]

its fairy simple. freud blade skill 77. the weight is definitely noticeable but they are bullet proof. period the end.

Fairies don't use 77's. They use Walmart sidewinders.

 

[EmptyWallet]

What is a hypoid saw?

And how much weight difference are we actually talking here? I mean, I lift 3, 4 times a week, is the weight really that noticable from a SW to a WD?

 

[PCO6]

Don't rule out cordless saws. I have a DeWalt 7 1/4" corded circular saw and a Dewalt 20V cordless. Around the house I find myself grabbing the cordless about 80% of the time. The corded saw is right handed and the cordless is left handed. Having both options is nice. And another vote for Freud blades.

 

[twincam00]

typical side winder is 10-11 lbs

Skil SHD77 is 16 lbs, they also make a magnesium version that is 2 lbs lighter

 

[Kev442]

Seriously? He needs a saw once every year or two and he should by a Skil 77 Mag? Wow.

 

[rafe]

I am in the building trade and have used a wormdrive on occasions. Great saws , but I never really needed one. They are good for some things not for others....perhaps if you are doing framing with 3x12's regularly....other than that ....Porter -Cable ...made in the USA ....I swear by them and have never been let down ....although lately I've been buying reconditioned hitachi C's
(they may not look as good ...but are warrenteed) lot's of bang for the buck

 

[Davefr]

Get a Porter Cable 6" Sawboss and use it for 90% of your tasks. It's a little smaller/lighter yet very capable and high quality.

Now get a Skill 77 but save it for your big tasks.

 

[Coach James]

Go to the store and pick up and hold several different saws. If the one that feels best is a good name brand, Dewalt, Makita, Bosch, Porter cable etc, and the price is ok for you, buy it. Consider a thin kerf blade as they making cutting a bit easier.

Really, any name brand saw will work fine. And buying a Skil 77 is like buying a $100,000 car so you can drive it twice a year.

Coach

 

[Bar Ditch]

Skill HD 77. Best saw I own. If you don't like after trying it check out the makita. Used one the other day and was rather impressed. I'm still stickin' with my 77 though.

 

[olytdi]

I had a number of different common makes, none of which I was particularly enamored with. I tried a Porter Cable (blade on the left) and absolutely loved it. Picked-up one on ebay lightly used. Well made, smooth as butter, directional dust exhaust, and blade on the left which works really well for me.

Not sure who else makes blade left exept for the worm gears.

 

[simplec6]

I've got a DeWaly worm drive and it's a f*in BEAST.

 

[bnh7]

My vote would be for a Skil HD77 worm drive. You can pick them up pretty cheap on craigslist. Once you get use them, you won't be able to use anything else. The Porter Cable Sawboss is good choice as well. If you want a smaller saw, check out the Skil HD5510. It has 5.5in blade mounted on the left side. Great for trim.

 

[slip knot]

Do they still make the PC sawboss? I've been looking for a left cutter for a while. the PC mag23 is ****. Mine didn't last thru the original blade before the base got wacked out and you couldn't fence cut with it. I'm not hard on saws either I've still got my original Skil saw I bought 30+ yrs ago in high school. I've used the Sawboss before and its a nice size to power ratio.

 

[machine_punk]

I am surprised nobody has mentioned the Milwaukee worm drive. I have it and I love it, but I mainly got it because it has the blade on the left side and I am right handed and I like to be able to see the blade while cutting.

Since you are left-handed, that is useless advice (except that I have been very happy with Milwaukee tools). But, perhaps someone else will read this, looking for right-handed tools.

M_P

 

[JASTECH]

slip knot, " the PC mag23 is ****. Mine didn't last thru the original blade before the base got wacked out and you couldn't fence cut with it."

Chain Link? j/k

Makita makes a magnesium also, you might check it out. I have a DeWalt 5.25 that is 13+ years old and only used a couple times lightly so it may be USA made like my other DeWalt tools and NIB 12" miter blades, lol

I "hear" Hitachi's new corded tools are very good out this way, might check them too. With my disability now I have to make a lot of tool changes on a very low budget.

 

[Chadwilliam1]

Makita, the blade that came with it is a good rough cut blade.

 

[Charles (in GA)]

Several years ago, I looked around at what the framing crews were using on houses, and that is what I bought, Makita 5007. Standard 7¼" circular saw. I bought the 5007NB which is the "No Box" model. I have recently acquired a orange (black and decker?) metal circular saw case made years ago.

Charles

 

[EmptyWallet]

Anything wrong with this saw:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007QUZ106/?tag=atomicindus08-20

Weighs under 9 pounds. I think it's the newest model that Dewalt makes.

 

[evintho]

No sense spending big bucks on a brand new one, especially if you're not gonna be using it daily. Watch your local CL. There'll be deals on there all the time. Picked up this DeWalt off CL for $50. Works like a champ and with the Freud blade, it cuts like a hot knife through butter!

 

[OEXL16B]

 

[MrMark]

No sense spending big bucks on a brand new one, especially if you're not gonna be using it daily. Watch your local CL. There'll be deals on there all the time. Picked up this DeWalt off CL for $50. Works like a champ and with the Freud blade, it cuts like a hot knife through butter!

I have that saw and the Skil 77 and use them interchangeably. I too am left handed but cannot use them that way. I had to switch to right to be able to see anything.

YOU do realize that you have the blade in backwards and will not be cutting anything, let alone like a hot knife through butter, correct?

It stood out like a sore thumb to me because with the worms you won't be seeing any writing on the Freud blade when it is installed.

 

[MrMark]

If I could have just one saw it would be a mag 77 no brainer. But, I like to cut like a natural lefty sometimes with my Skil sidewinder for little stuff and switch to the hypoid Dewalt or Skil 77 right handed for framing type work.

So my ultimate advice to the OP as a fellow lefty is to get the right blade sidewinder so you can use your dominant left hand. Since no saws are US made anymore, including the Skils, I would have no problem with that Dewalt you linked.

 

[koditten]

So...Reading this thread, I'm a bit confused. It has always been my assumption that saws for righties will have the blade on the right and lefties will have the blade on the left. I'm right handed and cut with my right hand. I was under the impression that the blades we placed on the same side as the hand you use to cut. This was to prevent the saw chips from being flung near your face.

I use a left hand saw so I can see the line I am cutting clearly. I always wear safety glasses to prevent the chips fom going in my eyes, so this is not an issue. The left hand saw works good for me.

I have talked to contractor friends of mine and the ones that were broke in on using a right hand/right hand blade find my left hand saw completely unnatural.

Sorry to derail the thread. Your original question...I have no use for a worm drive. I know of none that don't weigh a ton and the seem to require the use of 2 hands at all times. I will be getting another Porter Cable when mine dies...If it ever does. 18 years old and 3 cords later and still works the same as when I baught it.

KO

 

[OEXL16B]

I have no use for a worm drive. I know of none that don't weigh a ton and the seem to require the use of 2 hands at all times.

It depends on how you're using it. The concrete guys love them because they're aways cutting their 2 x 6 forms downward - so the weight of the saw does all the work for them.

 

[finley31]

We have a Milwaukee worn drive at work and I use it to cut through 1" thick sheets of micarta and other composites all the time with a diamond blade, but it weighs a ton. For home use I wouldn't want to lug it around.

For home use I bought a Hitatchi C7SB2 7-1/4" at lowes, and I'm liking it so far. It feels like a quality saw, and is fairly light. I've used it to cut rough cut oak for our fence and it hasn't hesitated yet. It gets really good reviews online and I was on a budget so I gave it a try. They seem to have gone up in price about $10 from when I bought mine. I should also mention that I am left-handed as well, I guess I've just learned to deal with the right handed equipment.

 

[OEXL16B]

We have a Milwaukee worn drive at work and I use it to cut through 1" thick sheets of micarta and other composites all the time with a diamond blade, but it weighs a ton. For home use I wouldn't want to lug it around.

I don't like the handle of the Milwaukee worm drive saw - they had one at the welding supply store one day.