Circular saws: Which type to buy? Worm-drive or side-winder?

[RicodJour]

[Josh]

"Ken Moiarty" wrote

I have both types, but would recommend for the novice, a cheap sidewinder with a superior carbide blade. IMHO, good blades make the best of the saw come out.

Unless you have built yourself a set of carpenter forearms, you're correct the worm drive may not be for you.

The Makita sidewider is nice, but I have one complaint about it. If you do any guide work on sheet goods, the shoe being flat, likes to slip under the guide work. The cheap model saws with a steel shoe, have a curve on them which prevent the shoe from slipping under guide work.

[Hopkins]

all but the heaviest jobs. It has plenty of power, is relatively light weight, has a left handed blade and...

[TURTLE]

this is Turtle.

your ideal might be good but we might try to buy the tools that Cuba , Libia, or maybe France. i sure like to help out other country that love us so much.

One point here is your telling this man to pay about 3 times what a normal saw will cost from the states and use it one time a lot and use it maybe 5 or 6 time in the next 20 years. he will never get the use out of it to try to get his money back on paying 3 times as much. Now he could put it on display in his living room and set up at nite and say, that's a very nice say and i love it to death. Worm gear saws are only for people who really use them a great bit and not a hobby wood worker. Also the worm type will wear you out just picking it up in use as being heavier in weight. I have had 4 Skill saws in my life and never wore one out yet. One went with 230 volts plugged to it and the other one went with Van run over it. the other 2 is still in my Van being used. So Skill tools are not all that bad of stuff as you speak here.

TURTLE

[Stormin Mormon]

Did you jump onto someone's porch and plug it in? Was that how?

[Stormin Mormon]

In theory, using good quality tools is less expensive in the long run. However, I will admit to buying junk tools on a regular basis.

[Sylvan Butler]

Yup. After a circular saw, for general construction a (sliding) compound miter or the more expensive radial arm saw is very handy.

While this may be heretical, I'm quite happy with my #90891 from Harbor Freight (regularly comes on sale for $99, and is almost identical to a previous model Makita). Best $100 tool bargain I've purchased. Might not hold up or satisfy a professional, but it performs well.

sdb

[Rudy]

Magnesium case. worm drive..Last one you'll buy

[TURTLE]

This is Turtle.

No , on top of a school where they had a Diconnect box with 230 volt 3 phase and the help hooked on to two hots with alligator clips and sawed about 1 inches. I do all the hooking up from that time on.

TURTLE

[Lil' Dave]

"worm-drive"

If you choose to buy a less expensive circular saw, be careful. An aluminum table bevel arm, and depth arm can easily bend. Very difficult to straighten correctly without dismantling the table entirely. The blade may head in one direction, and the table edge may slighly off-direction in case of aluminum tables on some less expensive circular saws. I built a one car garage/workshop with such a circular saw. Ignored the table edge and followed the line with the saw blade instead.

Critical bevel cuts, like in fascia, I used a miter/drop saw. Mass-produced common rafters with the same miter saw as well, with an 8' table on either side of the miter saw. A miter saw won't try to walk off a cross-cut line, like some circular saws do. Miter saws are not influenced by cupping or minor surface defects in the wood.

Worm-drive saws are heavy in weight compared to the less expensive circular saws. I doubt if you can bend their tables by typical bumps and short drops to the earth. They tend to have more amperage to cut with, generally do a good line cut without much user guidance.

Right now, after finishing the garage, painting a house interior, trenching mostly rock for water pipe and conduit to the house and garage, am suffering from strained tendons in my right elbow area. Doc is treating me with localized cortisone shots. If I had been using a worm drive saw on that garage, suspect I would be hurting a bit more. You're right, ergonomics is a factor.

[HeatMan]

Yep, that was the point I was making, about the good saw lasting.....

[HeatMan]

I did that to a vaccumn pump once. It didn't let out the magic smoke, but didn't pump too well. As soon as I realized what I had done, and that didn't take too long, I corrected the wiring. It's still running years later.

[PhotoMan]

Saws, computers, and most appliances run on smoke. When the smoke gets out they stop running.

[Stormin]

I have one too and am finally getting used to the left hand blade. The only negative is the lower guard, it usually refuses to open without manually lifting it. Any ideas for modification?

Stormin

[No]

The worm drives are better build and have more torque. The Skill 77 , IIRC, is the standard here. Bosch has a good worm drive with a top mount handle. I own it and like it fine. I also own a Porter cable sidewinder which is also great. The PC saw took a 1 1/2 story fall off a roof a couple of weeks ago and is still going strong!

The Worm drives the blade is installed backwards and also require a blade with a knockout. Not a problem really, they are everywhere. Only problem is once the knockout is punched you cant use the blade on a sidewinder. Also, the cheapie blades do not have the knockout. Not sure if the Skill uses the knockout blades. The Bosch does.

Here is a link to my Bosch worm drive saw (with top handle like a sidewinder)

Now - Put the circ saw discussion aside. For your project I would rather use a SCMS with a stand.

There I use a Makita ls1013 with a TrackRack. IMO a miter saw has about 10x more utility with a good stand. See

Disclaimer - I am not affiliated in anyway with the above mentioned products or companies.

[G Henslee]

Wtf are you talking about, backwards? Also you're wrong about not being able to use the blade on a sidewinder. Save the knockout and just put the knockout back in the blade and it can be used on the other type of saw. Tighten the nut and oila! Are you sure you own either of those saws?

[Phil Scott]

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Every time I do a job I budget 10% for tools... my little giftie for having to sweat ...so now I have maybe 4or 5 side widers 5" to 12"... an 8.5 skill worm drive, a 16" miter saw, and 3 smaller ones..and a 12" chinese sliding compound miter saw...they gatther a lot of dust but boy am I ready to saw the hell out of anything on a moments notice. I'm a hell of a driller too.. you name it and I can drill the hell out of it.

Same with torches and electrical gismo's... So now mini warehouse storages in 6k a year... brilliant hu?

Phil Scott

[Phil Scott]

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okay for

so I want to buy

value-per-price

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make of

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precision or

I'm posting this

careful. An aluminum

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The blade may

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edge and

saw. Mass-produced

table on either

cross-cut line,

by cupping or

expensive circular

and short drops

generally do a

interior, trenching

garage, am suffering

treating me with

saw on that

right, ergonomics is

I have a super light craftsman 5" side wider for a lot of work...very handy. doesnt wear you out..but its slower than a bigger saw. It cuts a 2x4 narrow with in one cut, straight but not beveled of course..and its great for overhead work. Its half the wt of a larger saw.

Phil Scott

[Phil Scott]

Skill 77 , IIRC,

mount handle. I

sidewinder which is also

couple of weeks ago

My 25year old craftsman 3/8 drill sank with a house boat into salt water for two weeks... I dried it out and it still works fine.

The chinese jobbies suffered vibrating bearings after than and had to be euthanized...but were OK electrically...same with the Riobi table saw and router..

Phil Scott

require a blade

Only problem is

sidewinder. Also,

Skill uses the

like a

would rather use

saw has about 10x

mentioned products

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value-per-price

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make of

saws?

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know). And the

minds eye, at

for close,

'enlighten' me in this

advance...

[No]

Yea, I own them. I have never saved the knockout. I keep the 2 saws at different locations.

Anyway.

The Blade install is opposite for the two saws, backwards if you will. Please refer to the owners manual, page 8, for the Bosch. http://66.77.255.87/Images/BOSCHPDF/1678_pdf/PDF_MANUAL/2610912403%201-03%201678.pdf And to Page 8 of the PC saw manual

Now - Notice a typical Circ saw blade.... have never bought this particular blade, just a decent picture)

The teeth point to the left at the top of the blade. The arrows on the blade indicate a counter clockwise rotation. Put that on the PC saw label out. You put that on the Bosch, assuming it had a knockout, label IN. In other words backwards.

This is typical for blade left designs, I th>