Circular Saw Question

[Micro469]

I have a B&D and a Craftsman circular saws. The other day I examined both of them and found a fair amount of ?side to side? play in the blade. almost about an 1/8 ". Just wondering what that does to a long cut, and if that amount of play in the blade is normal. I figured for a circular saw to be accurate you couldn't/shouldn't have any side to side play. Also what is the best circ saw to own??

[teamredjeep]

I'm no saw expert but it doesn't sound right.

[tony.latham]

My old Skilsaw wouldn't cut a straight line. It had developed the same symptom. I threw it away and bought another $50 one. Works great. If I'm careful I can dang near cut a "factory" edge.

Bearings, I'm assuming.

Tony

[MtnDon]

There must be zero slop for the blade to cut accurately. Some cheaper saws have lousy bearings and others have lousy bearing housings. I have seen some that crack due to impact loads as in cutting a nail. If the blade wobbles even a little it is not a precision tool.

What's best? That partly depends on the budget and how much it will be used. I have been a fan of Makita tools since I bought my first Makita tool back about 1975. I still have that drill.

I have a Makita 5007 magnesium frame saw, 7 1/4" that I use when the smaller cordless 5 3/8" is too small. The cordless can do almost anything I want to do. If I had not needed the off grid friendliness of the cordless saw a number of years ago I'd probably still be using the corded 7 1/4 for everything. The one thing I don't like is the handle trigger hole is a tad snug when wearing gloves. Not bad, just not quite as it could be if gloves are needed as in cold weather. Bosch makes some nice saws. I've used one of their 7 1/4"; it worked well and is less $$ than the Makita. Those are all solid dependable saws that should last a lifetime for a hobby user. A friend who builds houses for a living uses Makita and still uses the one he bought about 20 years ago. It has hard a part or two replaced, but that is also a great thing about a saw/tool like that. Parts are available, unlike some cheaper throw away class tools.

[Martiangod]

1st... Makita
2nd... Dewalt
3rd... Hitchi
Most Mid to top tier saws are worth every penny in accuracy comfort and longevity
My Makita compound Miter saw is going on 25 years and still accurate and still strong

Bottom of the lake... Black and Decker, Skil and many many more

If you can't see the leading edge of the blade from either side of the saw, throw it in the lake with the black and decker and dime store saws with laser guides, sink them also

[Irmo Atomics]

For best saw - I vote for my worm drive Skil saw. Once you get used to it, you'll never want to use a regular electric saw again. The blade is easy to see, the handle is behind the blade and lets you drive it straight and the power is awesome.

Skil77m.jpg (2.71 KiB) Viewed 776 times

[GerryS]

Price is no object saw, the Festool track saw... Cuts have near tear out, are glue ready and as good as a panel saw, and you know exactly where the cut will be because of the rail and it's sacrificial edge that is matched exactly to take saw. Also, dust collection is important. Breathing sawdust is dangerous. Ask Norm Abram about COPD causes by woodworking. Festool saws collect nearly all of the dust produced. I've cut laminate floors in a customers living room and a vacuum cleaner wasn't needed to clean up the mess.

Also, the cut depth is adjustable down to a millimeter accuracy, and the latest version is even more precise than that.

Remember, the question was what is the best....not cheap, best compromise between price, cost, and performance.

.

[mustangcats]

If you need to make long, straight cuts I recommend the Kreg Rip Cut tool that attaches to a circular saw. I used it to make the cabinets in my trailer and the cuts were square and accurate. I would never have been able to do that freehand.

[BobBash]

I would just add that a good quality , sharp & correct blade ( for the type of cut you are making ) will make a world of difference to any saw ..........

[Dale M.]

I would just add that a good quality , sharp & correct blade ( for the type of cut you are making ) will make a world of difference to any saw ..........

Ditto.... Good quality carbide tipped blade are best investment ever for use with your saw.....

Dale

[bobhenry]

My old Craftsman developed the wobbles too. You could almost tell by the sound. The bearings that stabalize the blade shaft were just flat worn out. I haven't had the heart to toss it and still use it for very rough framing projects to protect my good replacement saw ( A Ridged 7 1/4 ) from the abuse of nails and cutting 4x4's and 4 x 6's to rough lengths where accuract is not needed. I do, however,find myself spoiled with the new saw and have less and less to do with my old pal the Craftsmen. I think it's about 15 years old and has had thousands of hours of use so it has been a good one.

[Watercamper]

If you find yourself in the market for a new saw (IMHO I think you should toss both of the old saws), you should know that there are left handed and right handed saws. Other things to think about are cordless models, dust pick-up & weight. While I absolutely love the worm drives, for my day to day use and panel cutting I don't use them - too heavy for these older hands. I also hook a DIY dust collector hose from my saw to my shop vac so that I can breathe when cutting in my shop in the winter. I bought one of those Craftsman attachments that lets you plug the tool and the vac into it such that when you turn the tool on, the vac comes on.

[woodywrkng]

I personally use a 10+ year old Porter Cable, but would say that any decent saw should cost at least 100 bucks. At that price, any of the major brands should be worth owning.

[jstrubberg]

First, have you checked the blade? A poor quality blade or one that has gotten too hot can easily warp enough edge to edge to cause that kind of movement.

Second, Pull the blade and make sure the shaft surface behind the blade is clean. Doesn't take much of a piece of debris caught back there when changing blades to give you all kinds of wobble.

Third, once you reseat the blade and tighten it down, grab the top of the blade carefully and try to wiggle the blade side to side. If the blade and shaft move side to side slightly, but together and level, no problem. If the blade seems to "wobble" you have bearing issues and a new saw might be the answer.

I always check the cheap stuff first before I go looking at new tools.

[Breytie]

When choosing tools, I have a simple set of rules.
1 - Decide how much you want to spend on it
2 - Add 25% - That is your price class to look at.
3 - Draw up a list of min/max specs. Any tool that does not match everything gets an immediate red card.
4 - Now it is much easier to pick a winner.

For a saw look at
Well known brands with tech support in your area.
A groove in the baseplate that will allow it to run on a guide track.
Very little flex between motor/blade and base plate.
Easy and reliable setting and locking of depth and angle
Weight and balance to suit me.

I believe the Kreg guide follows the edge, so it is useless for splitting sheet goods down the middle or material with bad / curvy edges.
I am a firm believer in and user of a guide track - so much easier and more accurate than any other option in the price class.

Happy shopping and sawdust making.

Andre