# Circular saw recommendations



## sixeightten (Feb 10, 2009)

That was the wrong blade for that application. Put on a good carbide tipped blade and see how it does. Most of the good saws will run from $100-$200.


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## Oso954 (Jun 23, 2012)

If you are righthanded, look for a saw with the blade on the left. Makes it easier to see what you are doing, without bending over the saw.

I would suggest this Makita for comparison to the one you posted.
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Makita-15-Amp-7-1-4-in-Magnesium-Hypoid-Circular-Saw-5377MG/100594812


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## jeffnc (Apr 1, 2011)

sixeightten said:


> That was the wrong blade for that application. Put on a good carbide tipped blade and see how it does.


It's too late - the saw or blade already went off track and gouged an unstraight 4" section from my jig. How that's even possible I don't know.


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## jeffnc (Apr 1, 2011)

Oso954 said:


> If you are righthanded, look for a saw with the blade on the left. Makes it easier to see what you are doing, without bending over the saw.
> 
> I would suggest this Makita for comparison to the one you posted.
> http://www.homedepot.com/p/Makita-15-Amp-7-1-4-in-Magnesium-Hypoid-Circular-Saw-5377MG/100594812


That seems to make sense, but why do you think no one seems to mention that? That configuration is usually called a left handed saw. Are the hypoid saws different in that regard? And are you suggesting a hypoid saw in particular?


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## Gymschu (Dec 12, 2010)

Jeff, I hope this is the article from Family Handyman. I found it to be very informative.

http://www.familyhandyman.com/tools...ar-saw-review-what-are-the-best-circular-saws


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## SeniorSitizen (Sep 10, 2012)




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## Oso954 (Jun 23, 2012)

> That configuration is usually called a left handed saw.


I don't know about that. It gets confusing.
When I learned it, blade on left was righthanded, blade on right was lefthanded.
Now I just say blade on left (or right) so there can't be confusion.


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## jeffnc (Apr 1, 2011)

Gymschu said:


> Jeff, I hope this is the article from Family Handyman. I found it to be very informative.
> 
> http://www.familyhandyman.com/tools...ar-saw-review-what-are-the-best-circular-saws


Yes, that's where I was first tipped off to the Makita, ha ha


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## jeffnc (Apr 1, 2011)

Oso954 said:


> I don't know about that. It gets confusing.
> When I learned it, blade on left was righthanded, blade on right was lefthanded.


But that was a wormdrive saw, right? Normally a wormdrive (or hypoid) saw has the blade on the left, and a sidewinder has the blade on the right. This is for standard right handed saws. You can read more comments below this article.

http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/21605/seven-steps-to-choosing-the-perfect-circular-saw

After reading Oso's comment, it started to make sense that it would be easier to see for a right hander with the blade on the left, but there are safety and even precision attributes to take into account to. I think for most right handers, it's probably safer to have the heavy motor resting on the material and not falling away with the cutoff piece.


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## oh'mike (Sep 18, 2009)

I've spend most of my adult life with a saw blade on the left---when ever I have used a blade right saw--I cursed it---

I use a Skill mag 77---I have two---I don't know who makes a sidewinder with the blade on the left--Porter Cable once did--but I believe they stopped production on that model.


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## Oso954 (Jun 23, 2012)

> I think for most right handers, it's probably safer to have the heavy motor resting on the material and not falling away with the cutoff piece.


You must be using a badly balanced saw. I've got one of those, it an old craftsman that I just haven't given/thrown away. 

With a well balanced saw and good handle placement the saw is balanced in your hand before you set it on the wood. Between your grip on it and the small side of the plate, it does not fall away from the work piece with the scrap.

The most critical comment I've heard about a blade on left saw is that people will tend to cheat their left hand close to the saw and use their thumb to help guide the saw. That is just bad technique. Slap a speed square on the work to guide the saw, and keep your hand back on the square. The extra few inches will make a huge difference in safety.

Bosch and Milwaukee both make 7 1/4 sidewinders that are blade on left. For some reason, Makita makes one that is 5 1/2, but not 7 1/4.


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## jeffnc (Apr 1, 2011)

oh'mike said:


> I don't know who makes a sidewinder with the blade on the left


They still make them.
http://www.milwaukeetool.com/power-tools/corded/6391-21

http://www.tigersupplies.com/Produc...ft-Blade-Sidewinder-Circular-Saw__BOSCS5.aspx


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## jeffnc (Apr 1, 2011)

Oso954 said:


> You must be using a badly balanced saw.


No, I just meant where the weight of the tool was. Sidewinders tend to fall left if cutting material off on the left, and wormdrives tend to fall right if cutting material off on the right. Of course you can hold them in place, it's just where the weight is. No big deal.


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## Davejss (May 14, 2012)

Porter Cable used to make a nice left-blade saw that was about half the size of your typical sidewinder. I forget what it was called, but Norm used to use one back in the early days of The New Yankee Workshop. I was working part time at Woodworkers Warehouse at the time, And whatever new tool Norm used that week we sold a bunch of them.
I tried one out, (like I did most everything we sold), and it was great. Plenty of power, great site line, and quality built. It used maybe a five inch blade if I recall. In my opinion it was just about the perfect saw for just about anyone other than a production framer.
It was so popular that I'd be surprised if they weren't still making them.


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## jeffnc (Apr 1, 2011)

One problem with a 5 inch saw is it's limited in what it can cut. A lot of what I do is with a jig, and that's about 3/4". If you then wanted to cut through a door, lets' say 1 3/8" to 1 3/4", I'm guessing you wouldn't be able to do it with that saw. But freehanding through 2x4s or plywood, I'm sure it would be nice to have a lightweight tool.


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## concrete_joe (Oct 6, 2014)

i replaced an abused Skil 5150 with a Dewalt w/ electric brake (DWE575SB). like night and day. the 5150 i had for many year, but i abused it recently until it caught fire.

on the Dewalt i dont quite like how far away the front handle is but the Dewalt is nice.

however, you said heavy use, i would then steer you to a magnesium worm drive.


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## jeffnc (Apr 1, 2011)

concrete_joe said:


> however, you said heavy use, i would then steer you to a magnesium worm drive.


Actually I said not heavy use, but I get your point 

How was the brake on the DeWalt? The difference between the Makita 5007MG and 5007MGA is that the latter has a brake, but from reviews, I read it doesn't stop very quickly, which pretty much makes it not worth much.


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## concrete_joe (Oct 6, 2014)

jeffnc said:


> Actually I said not heavy use, but I get your point
> 
> How was the brake on the DeWalt? The difference between the Makita 5007MG and 5007MGA is that the latter has a brake, but from reviews, I read it doesn't stop very quickly, which pretty much makes it not worth much.


my bad, i thought it said heavy use. the worm drives are more of a demo framing saw, so if you need finer control of a cut i would not use worm drive.

my dewalt stops about 1sec (or less) after i release trigger..... i have seen brakes degrade over time (use), but i havent used my dewalt that much...

the dewalt front handle makes it hard for me to hold handle and at same time thumb hold the guard up.... which was real easy to do on my now dead skil 5150. i will search for a replacement handle which might give me the control i want back, etc....


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## woodworkbykirk (Sep 25, 2011)

ive heard quite a few horror stories about the dewalt wormdrives burning up really quick. i know canning custom over on ct and btp had one and his burnt up after 2 weeks of light use


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## jeffnc (Apr 1, 2011)

I've read that the 5007MGA takes about 3 seconds to brake. I don't see the point of paying for a brake that can't stop the blade in about a second. But I'm a noob, so take that with a grain of salt.


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## Oso954 (Jun 23, 2012)

3 seconds beats the heck out of no brake times.

The faster you try to stop the blade, the more strain it puts on bearings and/or brushes. 

The brake is not an emergency stop for kickback safety like on a chainsaw. It is just to cut the run down time so you are a bit more safe when you set it down.


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## jeffnc (Apr 1, 2011)

Well I've read that some can brake the blade in a second or so, but also that it wears the brushes like you said.

I understand that 3 seconds is faster than no brake, but I just wonder how valuable that really is in practice. I mean once the guard snaps back, how useful is it?


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## Oso954 (Jun 23, 2012)

The blade guard may not always snap back. They have been known to jam open. 
Then there are the guys that have been known to wedge it open during certain operations.


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## jeffnc (Apr 1, 2011)

But I guess thats my point. If your guard jams, or you're the type to jam it open, then you probably want a 1 second blade brake.


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## concrete_joe (Oct 6, 2014)

just for clarity, my Dewalt takes about 1sec for brake to start, and probably about 1-1.2sec for the brake to halt the blade (no load).


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## ToolSeeker (Sep 19, 2012)

I have quite a few from Milwaukee with the tilt handle (which was a nice gimmick but I never really used it.) To Ridgid. My favorite were the makita and the Ridgid. Still have them both and both still going strong, Employee dropped the Makita and bent the shoe so it won't cut a straight line. This being bent or out of line is usually the reason they won't cut straight. I never really liked the DsWalts they did OK but just didn't feel comfortable. The Old Porter Cable saws were Great but haven't used the new ones.


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## JustonB84 (Mar 14, 2015)

From a lefthanders perspective, in regards to left side / right side blade. I had an old porter cable left side blade for years, actually it belonged to my father, who was right handed btw. I never put much thought into this particular tool, which is odd since leftys , at least myself take notice of these things since we live in a right hand world so adapting to smearing our writing on a chalkboard in grade school, to having the weedeater blow trimming right back in our face, or handguns ejecting casings into our shirt pockets, is just common. But back to the point , I recently dropped that porter cable, and bent the foot, so I had to replace it. As I looking into my next purchase is the first time I'd taken notice of some blades on the right some on left. So when I asked the associate at Lowe's he explained the "inverted concept" right side for left left side for right. .so I went with Skil, I thought the laser sight would come in handy, and it does, plus the reviews online were great. The saw itself is great, but having had a blade on both sides, I have to say I believe a left side blade works best for lefthanded users. It could also be in the dominant eye, idk. But for me ,left handed, and left eye dominant I find myself positioned directly behind the saw, even to follow the laser. It's nothing a good old fashioned carpenter square can't remedy, but this will be the last right side blade saw I'll purchase. .I should have known considering every saw on the wall was right side blade, except one. That's never the case for left handed options. Hope this helps.


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