Right Blade, Left Blade

Leon said

Leon, On most every post you make I tend to agree with you. However, you are the one who is dead wrong. Skill, Bosch, Makita, Milwaukee and Dewalt all make worm drive saws for the construction industry. Do you think all framers are left handed?? Just try to find a right bladed worm drive. For that matter, how many cordless circular saw have left blades? Do you think anyone who uses a cordless circular saw is left handed?

Dave

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Reply to
Teamcasa
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I guess that all those skil 77 guys must all be left handed then... No dust in your face means you aren't looking where you are cutting :-) j

Reply to
J

I can only attest that if you are using a right blade saw with your right hand you are going to get more dust thrown into your face.

Reply to
Leon

Dave:

Doug Miller:

Wrong. After making untold thousands of cuts with both, sidewinders and real construction saws (worm drive), I can tell you for a fact, you should NEVER support both sides! Serious kick back can and most certainly will occur should you try this. Anyone who has ever made a living cutting lumber will tell you to leave one side free to fall off. As for the weight issue, if a

2x4 or whatever is cross cut, the saw will rest on the side that is supported and not fall with the fall off, the weight is not an issue if the sawyer holds onto the saw.

See my response to Leon.

To the OP, the majority of saws are left side blades. That's a fact.

Dave

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Reply to
Teamcasa

"Swingman" Snip

I agree the old 77 gets heavier, but the MAG77 is a lighter. But, like you, it gets heavier every year! I just can't justify getting a sissified sidewinder yet! Maybe when I'm to old to lift the 77, I'll get the Makita wormdrive, it's lighter still.

Dave

Dave

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Reply to
Teamcasa

"Can occur", perhaps. "Most certainly will occur", absolute nonsense. That means it would happen every time, and my own experience contradicts that. The only way that supporting both sides could cause a kickback is if they are not supported equally, causing the blade to be pinched.

Hmmm.... how come radial arm saws support both sides of the cut? I've seen a lot of guys in lumber yards using radial arm saws to cut lumber to length - presumably they're making their living cutting lumber - and I haven't seen an RAS yet with a provision for the waste to fall off.

Do you mean that when you crosscut a 2x4, you're holding the *entire* weight of the saw, with *none* of it resting on the board?

-- Regards, Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

Nobody ever left footprints in the sands of time by sitting on his butt. And who wants to leave buttprints in the sands of time?

Reply to
Doug Miller

OK, and the final answer, For this type saw, sidewinder, PC Model 423 left hand blade. USE YOUR LEFT HAND.

Look at the owners manual where is clearly indicated to hold the saw with your LEFT HAND ON THE TRIGGER.

Look here

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on pages 14,15,16.

Reply to
Leon

So are you saying that when you are working on a $100 piece of plywood and want to cut it to rough size by cutting 3' off of one end that you let the

3', $37 piece fall to the ground?

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a look here at the Porter Cable site and owners manual from the OP's saw and see how it shows to support both sides of a cut. I too have made a WHOLE buncha cuts ;:~) with a portable circle saw and have not had a problem supporting both sides when setting up properly. Done with a worm drive it may be a scarey thing. BUT, the worm drives are not in question here. The OP is concerned about a sidewinder.

Maybe on the Left coast but just about anywhere else, walk into any store selling portable circle saws you will find the right handed ones and the few left ones will be displayed and stocked in about the same proportions as right handed and left handed people.

Reply to
Leon

I have always used a "blade-left" saw and I'm right-handed. It is not a problem. Don't over-think this.

-j

Reply to
J

Just try to find a right bladed worm drive.

The Porter Cable Worm Drive Trim Saw is right handed. While it is not a large saw like you are talking about, the side winder that the OP is talking is not as heavy and large either as the worm drive that you are talking about either.

Reply to
Leon

snip

Who said anything about a RAS or other saws designed to support the wood. A circular saw is supported by the wood.

Nope. Maybe a visual will help. A 10' 2x4 needs to be 9'. A line is made at the 9' mark. The 2x4 is setting on a set of sawhorses spaced 5' apart. A 15" section is extending past one of the sawhorses, unsupported. With your left hand, you are holding the 9' section down and with your right hand you grab your trusty left blade saw and slice the line off. The small, unsupported piece falls safely to the ground, the saw is still on the 9' section. You then remove the saw from the now 9' 2x4.

Dave

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Reply to
TeamCasa

Leon said

Nope. I was not talking about plywood sheets, just lumber. And the OP was concerned about left vs right cutting saws not sidewinder vs worm drives.

Maybe at Wal-Mart. However, facts are stubborn things. Left side blade saws are more popular. Each manufacture will tell you that. And if you are correct, why do the saw manufacturers only make left side cordless versions? (At least I haven't seen any right side ones.)

Dave

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Reply to
TeamCasa

"Roger"

I'm must be confused... I thought the OP asked about Right or Left blade.

Try it in your right hand or left, the old 77 cuts great either way. Say, why is it that left side saws out sell right sided ones? Are more professional carpenters left-handed or ambidextrous?

Dave

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Reply to
TeamCasa

Gentlmen,

This is EXACTLy the kind of post I was looking for, before I bought the PC 423 (blade left) and eventually, the 324 (blade right). I sincerely appreciate the spirited discussion. I was thinking I was the only one scratching my head, but it appears I'm not alone. There is some confusion.

I followed your logic and your visual all the way to the end. But with the PC 423 (blade left) saw, the unsupported piece falls to the ground, with the saw. The weight of the motor, forces the saw off the board. I suppose it's possible to hold it up, but once it's start to slip off, there is very little shoe holding it up.

Having said that...you realize, I'm talking sidewinder here, not worm gear. Your visual may well be correct, with the worm gear.

As far as my particular saw goes, it appears that Leon found the answer in the owners manual (but who reads those...right?). It clearly says, hold in LEFT hand.

I'm not saying anybody is wrong, but it struck me as odd, that so many right handed people liked the blade left saw. It just did not feel comfortable to me, when cutting anything other than sheet.

Again gentlemen, I thank you for your opinions and suggestions. I am grateful.

I have the blade right PC 324...and feel comfortable again.

Thank you

Reply to
luv2cmwork

I'm Someone, not Pat

What he and others are telling you, quite simply is: The weight of the saw, for safety's sake, is to be resting on the supported side of the wood being cut. How you accomplish that is up to you.

Oh well, you've got the concept down but... So you're not left-handed. We aren't talking about handwriting here, just simple motor skills. Yeah, it can be a bit awkward the first few times but look at it this way: You CAN do it, you WILL concentrate on what you're doing in order to do it and CONCENTRATION is a GOOD THING when dealing with power tools.

Still think you can't do it? Can you manage to get a can of beer up to your mouth while holding a sandwich in your right? or vice versa? If so, you can handle the saw regardless of what side the blade is on. Just remember - KEEP THE MOTOR OVER THE GOOD, SUPPORTED PIECE, not the cutoff!

Reply to
Unquestionably Confused

No that was the title of the OP post. He specifically is talking about the PC model 423 Sidewinder.

Reply to
Leon

Nope, the OP is talking specifically about the PC 423 Left hand Sidewinder.

Reply to
Leon

Unquestionably

You gave me an idea.....Maybe I should sit back, enjoy a beer and not let all this bother me!

Thanks!

Reply to
luv2cmwork

I suspect that a lot of right handed people like the left because you can see the blade and cut line easier. BUT that is a more dangerous situation than having the blade outside the width of your body. As for as the Wormdrive is concerned, most are left bladed but IMHO since they are "heavy" and most people are right handed the right hand more easily would grab the weighted end of the saw and the left hand hold the trigger end. More than likely many framers use it in the opposite fashion, and I have seen framers remove the guards. Typically if you are right handed, cutting a 2x4 to length is naturally easier going from right to left to make the mark. Pull the tape with your left hand and mark the line with your right hand. Since cutting from the left end of the board would be the natural next step, use a left hand saw.

Reply to
Leon

LOL, ;~) I don't shop at Walmart, I shop many places and even considering all the places that sell to the trades, the right hand is the predominent one that I see. If you work in a location or region that the trades use worm drive I can see your point. But in Texas I can honestly say that I have never seen any one use a worm drive. Now, Swingman and I live relative close to each other but he is the first person that I know of that uses a worm drive. I have worked for a builder and make my living in the wood working industry so my experience here is not shadowed or limited. Side winders are mostly what are used here and most are right bladed.

However, facts are stubborn things. Left side blade saws

I am clueless with an answer to that one but then I am pretty clueless why a cordless circle saw was even produced.

Reply to
Leon

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