circular saw recommendations

[Jon Wood]

My old B&D circular saw just died. I have $150 to spend (birthday money). Any recommendations? Thanks,

--Jon

[Tony]

Hi, I have the 7 1/4" Porter cable, the one with the blade on the right, I love it, cuts smooth and really quiet.

[nospam]

skil 77

[Lew Hodgett]

If you are a framing contractor, nothing beats a Skill 77.

If you are a hobbyist, take a serious look at battery operated units.

I have an old 18 VDC DeWalt unit that still does what I ask of it.

HTH

[GTO69RA4]

If you're looking for one for general use, get a Porter-Cable or a non-tilting Milwaukee (loosely based on an old Rockwell and later Bosch design). If you want the ultimate circular saw and can put up with the weight, get a Skil77 wormdrive. Very heavy, but the best ever made.

GTO(John)

[Mapdude]

I got the PC with the blade on the left. It cuts wood like it is butter. I hate to use anything else.

J> My old B&D circular saw just died. I have $150 to spend (birthday money).

[Bob Davis]

Go for an industrial strength saw. The difference compared to a B&D or Skil is very noticeable. Porter Cable and Dewalt are both very good. I have a Dewalt DW364. Its a bit of an unusual design, with better than average adjustments for making sure things are lined up. Its the only circular saw I've seen with a screw adjustment that allows you to absolutely ensure the blade and base are lined up with each other. Its a great saw, but perhaps a bit heavy for use where low weight is strongly desirable.

Bob

[DanG]

Any of the major brands make good tools.

I have: B&D Sawcat (no longer available) Skill 77 B&D barrel saw Milwaukee 8" & 7 1/4"

3 Porter Cables.

Personal favorite: old Milwaukee 7 1/4"

The key is to decide between worm drive (barrel saw) and D handle (sidewinder) then pick one that feels good in your hand. It is a shame you can't spend a day running several different saws. Each has a different feel and a different balance.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Keep the whole world singing. . . . DanG

[Greg G.]

Ditto that, unless you are a serious contractor...

Greg G.

[Kevin]

I have a Milwaukee with the movable handle and a Freud thin kerf combo blade and it cuts doug fir, white oak, pine, anything I throw at it with no tear on the edges. Mostly I cut down stock that is to big for my table saw or band saw. Of course, the blade is probably the key and you wouldn't go wrong with a PC or Dewalt, I'm sure. I've been partial to Milwaukee circular saws since my days of doing tool repair. My blade was 14 bucks at the now defunct Woodworkers Warehouse.

Kevin

[nospam]

I have that saw, the Dewalt DW364. it doesn't live up to it's promise of a super accurate shoe adjustment, because the depth adjustment is so sloppy that the shoe never seats at quite the same place twice. it's not a heavy saw, certainly if compared to a skil 77. it has plenty of power and the brake is adequate. I have had to replace the switch on mine. I bought it because of the shoe adjustment. if it died today I wouldn't buy another.

if you're looking for a top quality saw the industry standard is the skil 77. built like a tank, plenty of power.... if you want a lighter saw the porter cable or milwaukee saws should be good. any other saws from skil (other than the 77 and it's variations) are consumer grade junk. Bridger

[Grandpa]

[BeerBoy]

I've got the blade left PC too. Love it.

[Never Enough Money]

How about worm drive cicular saws for left-handers? -- I want the blade on the right but all the wormdrives I've seen have the blade on the left....

[nospam]

afaik none exist.

[Andy Dingley]

Unless you're a European "framing contractor" where timber framing is foot-square oak, not 2x4s. Then the favoured saws are the big Makitas

- maybe a Maffell if you're rich.

For general use, Skils are pretty good.

-- Klein bottle for rent. Apply within.

[Howard]

I don't have much to compare it to, but I like my Porter-Cable a lot. The one I had before that was a crapsman, so the difference was really startling.

-- Howard

[FrankPeckham]

If you don't mind going with the old stuff, Mall and Wappat both made right side worm drives. Nice beasts as well, make a man of you with the heft- All metal construction doncha know! Plus they were 8" or in the case of the Wappat, up to 9" blades.

[e-mail] wrote

wormdrives >I've seen have the blade on

[Renata]

To add a couple more cents (with a bit of repeat):

Get something with a nice big square base, a blade brake, and the blade on the left (if you're right handed). Blade on left lets you see (better) what you're cutting. Don't know which of the big names currently makes the best saw, but I suspect they're all pretty decent (Porter Cable, Bosch, Makita, Milwaukee, etc.).

Renata

smart, not dumb for email