Should i buy a circular saw

Several different factors weighed in on my decision: I borrowed a friend's 25 year old Craftsman, and one of the features I wish it had the most was a front and rear kerf indicator for both sides of the blade. It got annoying fast not knowing exactly where the cut line would be. The Ridgid has this. The DeWalt mentioned above doesn't. Tool weight and feel. I went to HD and held all the saws. I really liked how the Ridgid felt.

Degree and depth markings. The depth indication also helps a ton. Warranty: The Ridgid came with a 90 day money back guarantee, a 3 year warranty, and a limited lifetime service warranty.

I can barely tell a difference when it's cutting vs. Improve this question. Doresoom Doresoom Keep in mind that the kerf guides will work perfectly until you install a new blade with different dimensions. Still better than nothing! My old Skil saw has an inside guide only. Do think the way a tool feels in your hands needs to be an important factor in buying and using it. Add a comment. Active Oldest Votes. Improve this answer. The question is, would 4 of them last longer than 1 DeWalt?

If you're performing saw-related work on a daily basis, then DeWalt would be more appropriate. But personally, I've been happy enough with my Harbor Freight stuff. On a side note, I've heard positive reviews for Ryobi. That might be a good middle ground. One more vote for inexpensive Ryobi tools over HF - I remodeled my kitchen and had to purchase a bunch of tools for one-off or seldom use and the Ryobi stuff has been stellar.

Mike B kkeilman: I'll definitely keep Ryobi in mind while deciding on a cheaper saw. Doresoom One criticism I've heard about Ryobi is that their stock saw blade is poor. Consider getting a new one if you buy it.

Still a good value though. Show 5 more comments. John Gardeniers John Gardeniers 1, 11 11 silver badges 10 10 bronze badges. Brian Knoblauch Brian Knoblauch 1, 3 3 gold badges 14 14 silver badges 25 25 bronze badges.

Stepping up to what? Never remove the guard or rig it so that it stays up permanently. Cookie banner We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from.

By choosing I Accept , you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies. Choosing and Using a Circular Saw. By Clayton DeKorne. Pinterest Email Pocket Flipboard. Worm Drive Photo by Darrin Haddad Saw Styles Worm Drive The motor is in line with the blade, delivering enough torque to carve up wet lumber or saw through concrete, which makes a worm drive ideal for framing or major renovation jobs. Sidewinder The motor sits alongside the blade, making for a lighter 11 pounds or less saw, which is more maneuverable over a long day than a worm drive.

Small Sidewinder Weight, balance, and handle size are all key features to consider when choosing a saw that fits you. Cordless Battery-driven models have increased in size as their power packs have gained voltage, making them convenient tools out in the field or when the electricity's not on. Sidewinder Photo by Darrin Haddad Features Ease of Adjustment Large, smooth-cornered lever locks and full-round knobs that can be tightened down with the whole hand, like this one on the DeWalt , make it faster and easier to change the depth of cut and bevel settings than small, hard-to-grasp levers and wing nuts.

Shoe Styles "No matter what you do, you will drop your saw," warns Tom Silva. Setup Support the material on a bench or two strong sawhorses, overhanging enough so that the cut piece will fall.

Cross-Cutting For an accurate cut, mark the side of the material that will become waste, then line up the blade to just leave the pencil line on the keep side. Cordless Photo by Darrin Haddad More of Norm's Tips Finish Cutting As a circular saw blade cuts up through wood, the fibers on top splinter off, a condition known as tear-out usually worse on cross-cutting. Ripping Wider Lumber If a board is too wide for the saw shoe to hang over the edge during a rip cut, hold a narrow scrap of wood between thumb and forefinger, bracing your finger along the edge of the board, and butt the saw shoe against the edge of the wood scrap as you push both along the board.

Gang Cutting When cutting more than one piece of plywood to the same size, stack them on top of each other or side by side in the case of dimensional lumber , clamp them together firmly, and cut the lot in one pass to save time and ensure consistency.

Beveling Blade guards have a tendency to jam on steep bevel cuts, so carefully nudge the guard lever with one finger to ease it over the edge. But you know what can make long straight cuts in sheet goods, such as plywood? The home improvement store or lumber yard where you go to buy your raw materials. A jig saw can cut 2x4s and other 2x boards with reasonable ease and straightness, and you can just use a rafter square or similar as a basic straightedge cutting guide.

You can even cut shapes out of the middle of a workpiece, granted that you start the cuts with strategically drilled holes. Years ago, when I started buying my own power tools, I opted to buy a good Bosch jig saw than to spend less on homeowner brands of jig and circular saws. Was it the right choice? After that, my next saw purchase was for a Craftsman inch miter saw.

My circular saw purchase only came after that, and it was for a Festool track saw. I had used circular saws before that, but kept putting off the purchase until I saved up for the Festool. Without room for a table saw, and tired of working with frustrating edge guides, I looked to the Festool for breaking down sheet goods, and it works like a dream. Depending on the project you plan on tackling, a circular saw might be the better choice.

But they do make fine-cutting blades, non-ferrous and plastic-cutting blades, and plywood blades for super-smooth finishes. Circular saws are often better for making long and straight cuts, with or without a cutting guide.

Oh — and corded. Unless someone has a particular interest in going cordless, or already bought into a cordless system they plan to expand or at least maintain over time, corded yields better bang for the buck.

Corded vs. A corded saw, whether you choose a jig saw or circular saw as your first power saws, will last for years, while the batteries of a cordless saw might give out sooner.

Battery longevity is better than ever, thanks to the high performance and features of modern Li-ion battery technology, but sooner or later all batteries must be replaced. For a professional, who might get daily use out of a particular tool, cordless is an increasingly better way to go, at least with certain tool categories.

But for the homeowner, DIYer, or hobbyist that might only dust off and use their saw a couple of times each year, a corded model will deliver greater bang for the buck.

For the same money, a DIYer on a budget can often buy a better corded tool than a cordless one. Eventually, an active DIYer or homeowner might have both. But to start off, I think that a jig saw offers greater potential.

A good blade on a cheap circ can do wonders, but the other way around, not so much. I occasionally have to adjust the fit of doors and frames. Also that first door I set was a exterior door and most of them to be bought come pre-hung these days — as was the case with the one I purchased.

I would go with a decent circ as the first purchase. Cutting straight and square is a great start to projects. Table saws are great-if you have the room and the money.

I bought a jigsaw first, eventually got a circular and recently got a recip saw. Generally, if the motor spins smooth, with no wobble, it will do an acceptable job, maybe at most you will need to check the squareness of the shoe. Simple: If your initial projects lean heavily towards using sheet goods and do not include curves, then go with a circular saw. Otherwise, jigsaw. Does the sawing device need to be portable, or can she bring the project into her garage, basement, etc.

You can do just about everything you can do with a jigsaw. Plus you can rip, crosscut, and limited resaw faster and more accurately. Do you have a band saw that you recommended? I have a table top band saw that I really like. So much I could have bought a really nice bandsaw instead. The cordless circs are much safer than the corded. Remember dull blades are dangerous because they force you to push hard.

I ended up getting both as hand me downs at the same time due to the passing of a relative. With the projects I have been doing I use the circular saw far more than the jig saw. In fact I m not sure if the jigsaw has been out of its box since I got it 6 years ago.

All of the projects that I can recall it being an option were done better or easier with the circular saw. A well-shaped handle and good balance can go a long way toward making a saw more comfortable and efficient to use, so don't overlook these features when choosing a circular saw.

Most any circular saw with sufficient power and fitted with a good blade will do adequate cutting, but for long-term satisfaction, you may want to look for these features:.

Most new saws come with a carbide-tipped all-purpose wood-cutting blade. If the saw comes equipped with a simple high-speed stainless steel blade, it's low price might not be such a bargain; you probably will want to replace it with a more expensive carbide-tipped blade almost immediately. A good carbide-tipped blade might be the only blade you ever need, but there are many other types of blades available for special purposes.

You can buy blades for cutting wood, metal, tile, and concrete. If you plan to do a lot of work requiring clean cuts, consider buying a blade with a higher number of teeth. Changing blades takes just a few moments. Actively scan device characteristics for identification. Use precise geolocation data. Select personalised content. Create a personalised content profile. Measure ad performance. Select basic ads. Create a personalised ads profile. Select personalised ads.