# laser guide on compact circular saw really helpful in straight or precise cutting?



## jaykim (Dec 3, 2019)

I am a DIY and want to have small power tool to cut wood very infrequently.

If I want to cut at most 2 - 3 feet length wood panel straight, is the laser guide on the compact circular saw really helpful in cutting wood straight or precisely? I saw many user comments saying that the WORX WORXSAW 4-1/2" Compact Circular Saw – WX429L is not cutting straight maybe because it does not have the laser guide. On the other hand, some people say the laser guide is hard to see due to the flying saw dust and thus not very useful.

Can the basic compact circular saw like WX429L easily cut wood straight and precise? Or is it very difficult unless you are very experienced? I am wondering the WORX WX429L is good enough for me or should I look to the compact circular saw with the laser guide.

Thank you very much.


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## Nealtw (Jun 22, 2017)

jaykim said:


> I am a DIY and want to have small power tool to cut wood very infrequently.
> 
> If I want to cut at most 2 - 3 feet length wood panel straight, is the laser guide on the compact circular saw really helpful in cutting wood straight or precisely? I saw many user comments saying that the WORX WORXSAW 4-1/2" Compact Circular Saw – WX429L is not cutting straight maybe because it does not have the laser guide. On the other hand, some people say the laser guide is hard to see due to the flying saw dust and thus not very useful.
> 
> ...


 The pros just build a cutting jig for that what ever saw they want to do perfect cuts with.


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## MTN REMODEL LLC (Sep 11, 2010)

YEP...Do a simple jig for precise cutting...

I have several tools that have that laser capability....WHICH I"VE NEVER FOUND USEFUL. You are still following a line if it's that precise a cut.

I do have a left hand skill saw I especially enjoy...as a right hander, it's a lot easier to see and follow the exact saw cut.

I still have several "roofing/framing saws"...those likely to take a beating, that are normal right handers, but I keep that left hander available for finish work.

You do have to consider the flip of the issue with a right hander, as it's plate will be on the drop off piece with little support if held on the right hand side.


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## DexterII (Jul 14, 2010)

Another yup. A mechanical guide, whether a jig like Neal posted or a simple straightedge and a pair of clamps, will do way more for you than a laser will.


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## ront02769 (Nov 28, 2008)

I find the laser on both of my slide compound miter saws handy but it would be useless on a skil type saw. If you need to cross cut up to a 2x12 just use a 12” speed square as a guide, smaller stuff use your small speed square. Long rips either clamp or screw a straightedge to the workpiece...... cause no laser is going to keep your hand from wobbling a bit over long distance. That said, if I am ripping plywood or advantec or the like for flooring or siding, I just snap a line and cut it freehand, no worries. Ron


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## MTN REMODEL LLC (Sep 11, 2010)

JayKim...Here is a simple jig for cutting straight with a circular saw. It is actually made for ripping sheet goods, but the principle is the same.

This has been made for a specific saw of mine (Dewalt saw...different saws have different size shoe plates) such that I can line up the jig plate exactly on the line I want to cut.


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## jaykim (Dec 3, 2019)

Thank you Nealtw, MTN REMODEL LLC, DexterII, ront02769 very much for the comments.

I watched the video and I learned how to make a jig to have a straight cut. I will look for the basic compact circular saw and make a jig for that one. I am glad that I asked this question here.

ront02769, by the way, what is the advantec?


Thank you.


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## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

Advantech is T & G subflooring.
The saw your thinking about buying is going to limit you on what you can cut with it and likely will also be under powered which will slow down your cuts and be more prone to kick back when it binds up.
I'd stick with a saw that takes 7-1/4" blades.


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## jaykim (Dec 3, 2019)

Thank you joecaption very much for the comment and correct word. 

Actually, I want the skill circular saw, the most popular on on Amazon, but then it looks a little daunting and dangerous maybe because I am not as tough and brave as many of you here in the forum. And practically, I do not have much use for the circular saw yet unless I go into carpentry or buy a rather old house with a lots of repair to do.

I felt the compact circular saw looks less daunting, easier to handle, and less pro-like.
I feel like buying a toy-like tool( to many pros here) first and then want to outgrow it.

Thank you.


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## Nealtw (Jun 22, 2017)

Fear is what gets people hurt. People who are timmed with a new machine tend to hold it very gingerly and the machine will take charge and does things that don't end well.
The trick with any tool is to grab it take charge and maintain control.


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## lenaitch (Feb 10, 2014)

I had a Craftsman circular saw with a laser on it and don't think I ever used it, or at least relied on it. I don't often use a circ saw inside, perhaps the garage to cut down sheet goods for finishing off in my small shop. Outside, I found the light too hard to see. I have a couple of saw guides if I need help.


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## Old Thomas (Nov 28, 2019)

I use the laser on my compound slide miter saw when I am using a template for perfect fits and they might be a degree or two from perpendicular. Other than that I have not found them to be useful. Remember to rest the big side of your saw shoe on the side of the cut that is not going to fall off after it is cut. I see many people who get through a good cut and then the saw drops off when the scrap falls off, ruining the cut and being unsafe.


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## ront02769 (Nov 28, 2008)

Each to his or her own. For my $, the worx deal is like a toy....that can take off a finger or other appendage just as fast as that skil saw you looked at. Just what you’re used to. Most often used of my circular saws is my Makita xlx battery deal, 6 1/4”, but expensive due to battery power. Second is My Milwaukee tilt lok 7 1/4”corded at like $129...if I need to cut rafters or the like all day. My older actual “skil” brand saw is at the moment mostly used with an abrasive blade for cutting rebar, brick, concrete, etc. all three of those have a solid safe place for both hands and are workhorses. Ton


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## DexterII (Jul 14, 2010)

A couple more thoughts that came to mind... First off, Thomas mentioned the laser on his miter saw, and I have one on one of mine, which I do use from time to time, and you will find many others who use them with varying degrees of frequency. But the way I use mine, and I think a majority of others use theirs, does not offer validity for one on a circular saw. With a miter saw, the saw is supported, so, once you set the angle, you simply guide the blade to the work. You could sort of think of it as being on auto-pilot once you set the angle because that's where it's going. It's setting that angle though where the laser comes in real handy sometimes, especially when you want to line up that 46 degree miter to match a preexisting 44 degree miter, or whatever. Or if you do like I do with an irregular miter, you fit a piece of paper to the corner, fold it in half, and you have a perfect pattern. And you don't know or care what the angle is, you just want a perfect miter, so you lay that piece of paper on the saw table, hit it with the laser, lock it down, and that's sometimes easier than lining the blade up to it. On a circular saw though, you're doing the steering, all the laser is doing is projecting a line for you, so if you can't follow a pencil line you're not going to follow a laser line. And as far as following anything, the smaller blade on a compact is going to be much easier to get off track than the larger blade on a standard size saw. Obviously depends on what you're cutting, but with a standard circular saw you can almost guide it by ear once you get used to it because you'll hear it chipping once it starts walking off kilter. But you don't have the amount of contact between the blade and material with a compact, making it easier to get off track. Lastly, again, depending on what you're cutting, there is such a thing as being undersized and underpowered, and if you get into tasks larger than a compact is intended you may have something that is not so easily managed, which is when the saw can easily take over control as Neal stated. So, in my opinion, there is a place for compact saws, but it sounds a bit to me like you're looking at the smaller saw as being more of a "beginner's" saw and I would definitely say that is not one of its' attributes.


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## Old Thomas (Nov 28, 2019)

I have owned and used a lot of circular saws and my favorite is an 8 1/4” B&D Sawcat I bought 30 years ago. Blades are not as common as 7 1/4” but that saw just seems to fit my hand and comfort level perfectly. It will cut a 4x4 in two passes. Also it has a 10’ cord so it doesn’t get stuck cutting plywood. When you find the right saw you will know. Go out and handle a few at a store.


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## jaykim (Dec 3, 2019)

Thank you Old Thomas, DexterII, ront02769, lenaitch, Nealtw very much for the overwhelming comments.

I am a DIY, not a pro like many of the commenters here. I do not have the much use and need for it and its heavy-duty cut yet. I just want to have a power tool that I can use with less efforts once in a blue moon for a small or tiny job compared to ones that many of the pros here do. And it is not that much of the fear or danger that I want to buy a small and compact one. I have a small electric chain saw, and with it I once cut down a small 18 feet or so tree in my tiny backyard. 

From what Old Thomas and ront02769 said, I learned that the laser guide can be useful in miter saw, but not in the circular saw. I thank DexterII for explaining the reason that the compact circular saw is harder to cut straight than the regular circular saw. 

As Nealtw introduced and MTN REMODEL LLC showed, I think that the cutting jig is the best method to cut straight for me even with the compact circular saw. 

Again, I thank you for the good advice and comments.


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## lenaitch (Feb 10, 2014)

I'm just a DIYer as well. I actually don't use my corded circ saw that much because most of my projects in the last few years have been shop-based so cutting is done on the table or mitre saw. I will sometimes cut up sheet goods in the garage so they are more manageable in my small basement shop. As such, I will most often use a guide since I don't have huge confidence borne of regular use; particularly if I can't be ideally positioned over a long cut.
I liken the effect that a 7 1/4" blade has on the cut as something akin to the keel on a boat in helping to maintain a straight cut, and the corded power means one less thing to fight against. I do have a small (5 1/2"?) cordless that has it's place, but you can't do a lot of heavy cutting without sucking the battery down pretty quickly.


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## Mystriss (Dec 26, 2018)

As a note, I do not find the small circular saw that much easier to use than the big one personally, with the exception of the weight (and perhaps cord vs cordless) there's just not a heck of a lot more "comfort" given by the small one. 

It's still dangerous as heck "feeling" and honestly I think it might even be a little more difficult to use accurately because it just doesn't have the flat plate stability of the big version, this makes using it without some kind of guide tricky. It is really great for getting into spots though, like in walls and in floors and saves ya from doing it all with the reciprocating saw (which has no blade depth setting and likes to punch through the other side of things HA)

*I have the new dewalt 20v mini, the fullsize dewalt in 14.4, and a corded dewalt circular. The corded is pretty ick, but since the 14.4 isn't so good on powering through old growth wood it was basically required. That said, the 20v mini surprised me with how much power it actually has in it. It handles 2by material just fine, even the really solid old growth stuff in my house.


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## jaykim (Dec 3, 2019)

Thank you Mystriss and lenaitch very much for the additional comments.

lenaitch, if you have miter saw, table saw, and more than one circular saw, and a workshop, I do not feel you are a DIY, more like pro level or close to pro. I thank you for pointing out that it would be easier with the regular circular saw for the straight cut.

Mystriss, what is the 14.4 in 


> dewalt 20v mini, the fullsize dewalt in 14.4,


 ? While searching for that tool, I rather found this DEWALT 6-1/2-Inch 20V Max Circular Saw, Tool Only (DCS391B),Yellow It has very good comments and looks very appealing. I wish I had lots of use for this tool. Like Old Thomas said, I think I have to go to the store and feel the tool myself to see which one looks and feels best for me. As ront02769 said, each to his or her own, I may like the one that you pros do not like.

Thank you.


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