Recommendation For First Circular Saw

ense. Its very useful for lots of situations. Hopefully it was cordless. I have and use electric drills frequently, but only in special situations. Cordless drill for 90+% of tasks. Back to saws. If it has to be an elec tric, powered saw, then I'd suggest a jigsaw. Can't get hurt, its not dang erous. Like a drill, a beginner with no knowledge at all can operate a jig saw and not get hurt. It does not cut straight or smooth like a circular s aw. But cutting up pallets for a compost bin it would be perfect. And wit h circular saws, the wood needs to be stationary and clamped down to make a good, safe cut. And you need a guide too. I know construction crews mak e freehand cuts in midair with circular saws. But they have a lot more ski ll and daring than your daughter. Or me.

I could lend her my reciprocating saw - she's already used it to help me cu t up a sofa bed mechanism - but it's way too limited in its "woodworking" applications. Woodwrecking, sure, but probably not a saw she needs to own.

Of course, Fesstool.

A lot of people have irrational fear of circular saws of any kind My Dad was doing a good bit of building at one point (200 foot bulkhead,

sense. Its very useful for lots of situations. Hopefully it was cordless. I have and use electric drills frequently, but only in special situations . Cordless drill for 90+% of tasks. Back to saws. If it has to be an ele ctric, powered saw, then I'd suggest a jigsaw. Can't get hurt, its not dan gerous. Like a drill, a beginner with no knowledge at all can operate a ji gsaw and not get hurt. It does not cut straight or smooth like a circular saw. But cutting up pallets for a compost bin it would be perfect. And wi th circular saws, the wood needs to be stationary and clamped down to make a good, safe cut. And you need a guide too. I know construction crews ma ke freehand cuts in midair with circular saws. But they have a lot more sk ill and daring than your daughter. Or me.

Whether that was true or not, that's what any Dad worth being a Dad would say. ;-)

Well I am a bit late, I have a Bosch CS 20. I like it a lot, main thing I like was no tail, just plug in your extension cord and go.

Though not my preference to buy used, especially for a daughter's gift of a ny kind, consider this, maybe:

Seems your daughter is a practical woman. She may appreciate a practical gift option, even if used.

Home Depot has this Ryobi combo set for $129. I bought one about a year a go, a convenient kit I kept at my Mother's house.

The drill is very good. It's nice to have an additional drill (I have 3 to tal, 1 heavy corded, keyed chuck Milwaukee and 2 battery Ryobis). I use a ll of them, often. These Ryobi drills aren't quite strong enough to easil y drill a half inch hole in cypress, a somewhat soft wood, but otherwise do es a very good job with smaller bits. The quick change bits (no keyed chuc k) is convenient for most of my uses.

The saber saw is somewhat weak, but ok for small cuts. The blade that cam e with it is poor, for cutting 1" poplar boards (see chair example below). I don't know if better blades can be purchased. A better blade would mak e it an overall better tool, than as is.

Same for the circular saw, weak, but ok for thin boards and/or small jobs ( like pallet boards). I recently used the circular saw to cut up a arm chai r frame.... 1" poplar wood. It performed reasonably well for this job. It's not a heavy duty tool.

??? A pawnshop buy may be reasonable for a stronger/beefier tool, despite used. I would suppose pawn shops may be receiving lots of reasonable tool s this time of year. Might be worth a look-see, there. Hand-spin the ar bor to check for odd sounds, roughness, grinding or other unusual anomalies (possible problems?). The pawnshop should have an outlet to test its op eration, as well.

Some years ago, while visiting my sister in NC, I bought a C-saw at a pawn shop for $35, for doing a few chores, there. She still uses it, still in g ood condition.

Sonny

ense. Its very useful for lots of situations. Hopefully it was cordless. I have and use electric drills frequently, but only in special situations. Cordless drill for 90+% of tasks. Back to saws. If it has to be an elec tric, powered saw, then I'd suggest a jigsaw. Can't get hurt, its not dang erous. Like a drill, a beginner with no knowledge at all can operate a jig saw and not get hurt. It does not cut straight or smooth like a circular s aw. But cutting up pallets for a compost bin it would be perfect. And wit h circular saws, the wood needs to be stationary and clamped down to make a good, safe cut. And you need a guide too. I know construction crews mak e freehand cuts in midair with circular saws. But they have a lot more ski ll and daring than your daughter. Or me.

No. Its much harder to cut a straight line with a Sawzall. And to follow the 2x4 stretcher boards and cut out the 1x baseboards. Difficult with a S awzall. Easier with a jigsaw. Not easy or simple, but much easier than us ing a Sawzall. I think you are assuming a pallet is rough and oddly shaped . Its not. Pallets are fairly simple and generally clean and easy to work on. You're just cutting a bunch of 1x6s.

As for your implication that a jigsaw is dangerous. I bet if you checked e very emergency room in the USA over the years, you would find far more than a few with cases of people cutting off their fingers with circular saws. And you might find one or less of people cutting off their fingers with a j igsaw. You might, maybe find a couple cases of people going to the hospita l for stitches from a nasty jigsaw cut.

I didn't say a jigsaw was "dangerous" just that it was not "safe" - IE it CAN do bodily harm. NO TOOL is intrinsically safe. (or as I put it

- IDIOTPROOF.) Cutting 2X hardwood with a saber saw is an exercise in futility. It was the 8 foot 2X stringers" of the pallets I used that were the attractive bits - although I did use the 1X boards for decking of the attic floor. I had to drill every blooming hole before I could nail the suckers down

I know what a pallet is - and I know what kind of wood is often used. I built my shed using lumber from sheet metal pallets and the wood was all "mixed hardwood" including ironwood, birch, maple, locust, ash, elm and oak. Being kiln dried and IPPC heat treated the stuff was HARD. Cutting the 1X6 portions with a sabre saw would have been DREADFULLY slow and hard on blades. The Sawzall with a demolition blade was hard enough - while the carbide blade in my 8 1/4 inch Milwaukee circular saw went through it almost effortlessly - and was not appreciably dulled after a few hundred cuts through the rough 2X4 sections.

I've had more injuries from a hand held coping saw than from any and all other saws I've operated combined. (and I sttarted using saws - starting with that coping saw, 60years ago.)

any kind, consider this, maybe:

l gift option, even if used.

ago, a convenient kit I kept at my Mother's house.

g-P883/203466914

total, 1 heavy corded, keyed chuck Milwaukee and 2 battery Ryobis). I use all of them, often. These Ryobi drills aren't quite strong enough to eas ily drill a half inch hole in cypress, a somewhat soft wood, but otherwise does a very good job with smaller bits. The quick change bits (no keyed ch uck) is convenient for most of my uses.

ame with it is poor, for cutting 1" poplar boards (see chair example below) . I don't know if better blades can be purchased. A better blade would m ake it an overall better tool, than as is.

(like pallet boards). I recently used the circular saw to cut up a arm ch air frame.... 1" poplar wood. It performed reasonably well for this job. It's not a heavy duty tool.

I inherited a Ryobi 18 volt combo set from my Dad. The old blue & black sty le.

e used. I would suppose pawn shops may be receiving lots of reasonable to ols this time of year. Might be worth a look-see, there. Hand-spin the arbor to check for odd sounds, roughness, grinding or other unusual anomali es (possible problems?). The pawnshop should have an outlet to test its operation, as well.

n shop for $35, for doing a few chores, there. She still uses it, still in good condition.

I picked up a barely used PC690 Router and a Dewalt ROS for $80 at pawn sho p last year. All I was looking for was an extra fixed base for my 690 to moun t to the router table I had just built when I stumbled across the Craigslist ad for the whole router. I didn't know that it was a pawn shop until I called them. I hadn't even planned on buying a ROS, but I'm sure glad I found that one amongst the pile of beat up sanders.

This place also sells a lot of brand new combo sets, mostly Dewalt. Only problem is that their price isn't low enough for me to forgo the warranty. Maybe I should check again and see what they have in stock.

What kind of saber saw do you have? My Bosch has no trouble going through 1x6 lignum vitae.

What kind of blade do you use cutting rough 2X ironwood? And how long does it take to cut a 4 incher? What about cutting 45 degree cuts? Or better yet double 45s? 45 degrees across the board and 45 degrees through the board? With a sabre saw?

Good luck. My 8 1/4 inch circular saw can do any of those cuts simply and quickly AND accurately. The sawzall will do it quickly but not accurately and certainly not consistantly.

No sabre saw I have ever used can do it - period.

More of my required cuts are something other than a square crosscut. Ripping with anything but a circular saw is an exercise in frustration. I reserve the sabre saw for cuts that are not straight. Even blind or plunge cuts with the circular saw are relatively simple (just finish up with a hand saw or sabre saw to square up the end of the cut)

A BAND saw is another really handy saw, but not , generally, for portable use --- -

I'm sorry but I did not take a stopwatch to it, I didn't notice anything remarkable about the cutting. As for the blade, it's whatever Bosch recommends, I don't know the number off the top of my head.

If I need accuracy that's that the table saw is for.

"I" said I used all the rough 2Xs to frame my shed. 8 footers. Used the 1X hardwood for the attic decking too

Cutting framing on a table saw?????? Sure it CAN be done, but it's easier to handle moving the circ saw over the wood than moving 8 ft harwood 2X over the table saw.

And accuracy is good for framing too.

Back in '64 building the addition on the family home Dad ripped half the length of 14 foot 2X10 at an angle from 2 inches at the end to zero at the 7 foot point, then nailed that wedge on top of the other end to give a 4 inch roof slope. Nothing but a hand held circular saw was in the running for that job - and a "cheap" saw wasn't up to the job either!!!The roof was 36 feet long - burned out one saw and used up most of the life of another one - after which he bought his first GOOD circular saw.

I'm sorry but I've never seen framing I couldn't cut adequately with a Bosch.

We seem to have different definitions of "accuracy".

I don't think that this is the sort of work that the OP's daughter is planning to make from pallet wood. If she starts building warehouses she'll likely need a more comprehensive tool set.

You think perhaps we've gotten a little off track here? ;-)

You're not answering the question. What sabre saws (brand, model) have you actually tried with?

I concur on the accuracy, power and usefulness of the Bosch, and believe that would be the best power saw of the three for DadiOH to give to his daughter (which was the point of this thread).

Who likely will never need to cut 2x ironwood or a 4 incher.

Correct. Jig saws are for cutting curved lines, circular saws for straight lines. Get the right tool for the job.

I highly recommend a circular saw with a laser guide that makes cutting LONG straight lines easy for beginners and anyone w/o a track saw. Not needed for pallets though.

For pallets, I recommend getting her tools for ripping the pallets apart, such as a pallet buster and something to remove nails and staples. Once ripped apart, and nails/staples removed, she can use any cheap saw to cut them up.

If she wears this one out, she can buy a good one, I like my Makita

I forgot the other saw I have that I find very usefull - my mitre/chop saw. It's not a sliding compound miter saw which would be even handier

You would frame a shed doing all yout cuts with a jigsaw rather than a circular saw???????????

Straight right angle square cuts within 1/8 inch tolerance. By straight and square Imean 90 degrees all directions.

Not a simple task with a jigsaw - whether it's a cheap one, a bosch, or a Fesstool.

Just a bedroom and dining room addition plus a garage - not a warehouseby any stretch.

She MAY very well want to accurately rip pallet wood to get a nice smooth edge though - again not easy with a sabre saw. A good planer blade on a circular saw can leave an edge as good as a jointer/planer (which she WON'T have - - -)

You can stick with your "jigsaw" - but it's the last saw I'd own as my ONLY power saw!!!!