Circular saw handedness

Just bought a circular saw. Now I find myself wondering why it's the way round it is: held by the back handle, the blade is on the right and the motor on the left. This means that if you hold the back handle in your right hand, the widest part of the sole plate -- the side you want to rest on the widest part of the work -- is towards your body. So if you want to cut a strip off the edge of a large sheet, you either have to take the weight of the saw in your left hand, hold your right arm across your body or crawl along the top of the sheet. Am I missing something? Surely for right-handers, having the motor on the right would be more convenient?

Searching google images, I get the impression that most mains saws are this way round, but cordless ones (and masonry saws?) tend to be the other way round. Why is this?

Reply to
Jon Fairbairn
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Yup.

Without doing too many mental\spacial gymnastics maybe you need to saw the panel from the other direction ?

The only problem I ever have with circular saws is making sure the clamps holding the straight edge don't obstruct the motor when sawing at depth. Which means using an extra wide plywood strip with a factory edge as a straight edge\guide.

michael adams

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Reply to
michael adams

Yup.

Without doing too many mental\spacial gymnastics maybe you need to saw the panel from the other direction ?

Sorry wasn't paying attention. Missed "crawl along the top of the sheet" there. That's essentially correct. Although with a full sheet of ply you'd want to lay it on the floor on top of say some odd lengths of 2 x 2 and reduce it to more manageable sizes there. In the absence of enough floorspace, for thicker sizes stand it against a wall with a spacer behind and cut it with a circular saw maybe running the saw against a clamped guide. From both ends which means switching the guide around Most\all jigsaws require the weight of the saw to do a straight cut IME and so are of no use. Haven't tried a reciprocating saw with a short blade. Thinner full sheets can be in half etc with a handsaw again cutting from both ends. The only tricky bit is finding enough room to turn the sheet upside down having sawn down to half way.

The only problem I ever have with circular saws is making sure the clamps holding the straight edge don't obstruct the motor when sawing at depth. Which means using an extra wide plywood strip with a factory edge as a straight edge\guide.

michael adams

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Reply to
michael adams

I think that's rather the point the OP is trying to make. Imagine trimming 1 inch of an 8foot sheet of ply, the only way to do it with the foot-plate sufficiently supported is to crawl along the board. Not that I think there's any viable alternative to doing this anyway.

Reply to
Kevin

Once the cut is underway (with the left hand side of the baseplate following a guide) there's nothing to stop you walking alongside the board. Cutting from the other direction leaves the weight of the saw in thin air, which makes it difficult to get a 90 deg cut

Reply to
Stuart Noble

Use the saw to detach each of your hands in turn (you may require an assistant for the second cut), then ask the surgeon to reattach them on opposite arms.

Alternatively learn to handle the saw ambidextrously, or like you suggest - hold the saw right-handed but on your left side.

Reply to
dom

Those who haven't used a circular saw before might not find the basic operation all that intuitive, but it's really the only way to work.

As for the rip guide, I don't think I've ever used one because the idea of following the edge of the offcut doesn't make for accuracy. Always have the left of the baseplate running against a guide of some kind and you can't go wrong.

Reply to
Stuart Noble

The viable alternative is to use a left-handed saw, which surely is the OP's point.

Reply to
Matty F

Feel free to advise us all where one may obtain a left-handed saw.

Reply to
Kevin

Looks like the answer is to get a cordless...if it's really a problem!

Reply to
GMM

Why not cut left to right with the base of the saw supported, left hand holding the operating handle, right hand holding the front handle? Thats what I do. Makes no difference, there is no particular motor skill involved when using a rip fence.

In fact doing it this way means you can see the blade & keep an eye on the rip fence to make sure it stays on the edge.

Reply to
The Medway Handyman

Cut from the underside instead? ;)

Reply to
Jules

I get the impression that most mains saws are

Maybe something to do with the way the power lead trails?

Reply to
Rednadnerb

There was a left-handed saw on the diy wiki discussed in this newsgroup. I even commented on it myself:

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Reply to
Matty F

In message , Rednadnerb writes

Maybe they have all developed from the B+D drill attachment?

regards

Reply to
Tim Lamb

The first handheld circular saw was invented in the US* in the 20's and was known as a skilsaw. As they still were on building sites up until a while ago. Skil also became the company name. * This is discounting all the possible Russian, Japanese, Chinese, and French claims to the contrary.

A quick look at google images indicates that skil saws have came in both flavours down the years. The modern ones seem to follow the conventional pattern but some earlier ones don't.

model 167 1946-56

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truly dedicated tool anoraks there's more on here

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adams

Reply to
michael adams

I have also been frustrated in the past by this stupid design of most circular saws, the only thing I can think is that it is some sort of health and safety thing but as far as I can see it makes it more dangerous to use, as you end up swapping hands around or trying to bend over the saw to see where your cutting. I have personally got round the problem by buying an excellent Festool plunge saw with guide rail which makes things a lot easier. Apparently in the USA they don't have this problem as a lot of saws have the motor sitting parallel and behind the the blade or something.

Reply to
Housemartin

The first handheld circular saw was invented in the US* in the 20's and was known as a skilsaw. As they still were on building sites up until a while ago. Skil also became the company name. * This is discounting all the possible Russian, Japanese, Chinese, and French claims to the contrary.

A quick look at google images indicates that skil saws have came in both flavours down the years. The modern ones seem to follow the conventional pattern but some earlier ones don't.

model 167 1946-56

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truly dedicated tool anoraks there's more on here

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and now having actually read that link -

- the motor in the 167 in the illustration is at right angles to the blade. As are modern day angle grinders etc,

However when heavier direct drive motors were used it was found that the extra weight to the right of the blade made the whole saw unbstable at the end of a cut. (For right handed users) And so the motor was moved to the left of the blade although this obscured sight of the blade, again for right handed users.

Sidewinder saw developed

Because the original worm-drive saw was protected by the invention patent, [ the worm drive which allowed a right angled drive] manufacturers started playing around with what is called an in-line motor

Unfortunately, the motors at that time were as big as coffee cans, as I was told by Edward Sterba, and were very heavy. When the saw approached the end of a cut, the weight of the saw dropping down and to the right would either split or crack the wood. This style made these saws impossible to handle, so the motor was mounted on the left-hand side. Now during a cut, the weight of the motor sits on the piece of the material that is being cut. This became known as the sidewinder, or top-handle circular saw.

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adams

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Reply to
michael adams

Or perhaps a little learning on how to use the thing may help, rather than blaming your lack of knowledge on a "stupid design".

Never mind, it's your body parts at risk eh?

Reply to
Unbeleiver

The usual recommendation is that you should really only use a circular saw with either the rip fence attachment or a straight edge. Not only is this on health and safety grounds - pushing the fence against the work or the side of the base plate against the straight edge allows you to resist the rotational energy in the spinning saw blade, but it also allows straighter cuts and saves a lot of wood. Basically if you need to see where you're going in the middle of a cut with a circular saw then you're already in trouble. As its very hard if not impossible to change direction. Not without the saw flying backwards at 100 mph. at least.

michael adams

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Reply to
michael adams

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