Circular Saw Recommendation

[RickOverman]

Looking to purchase a (non-track) circular saw any recommendations or links to reviews greatly appreciated?

Thanks!

--Rick

[Ben H]

I use a Bosch CS20. It's a very nice saw. Tis' a bit heavy though. Good saws are heavy. What I think is nice is the saw does not have a hard wired cord. You plug an extension cord into it. Mine did come with a very heavy blue Bosch cord (I'd guess it to be 25ft) They do this so when you cut cord by mistake, just grab a new extension cord and keep rolling.

Linky

[Juicegoose]

I just bought the Milwaukee circ saw from Home Depot. A quick look at amazon and other woodworking sites will show that it's generally regarding as being a powerfull reliable saw. I'm not dissapointed in the least. It comes with a nice case and blade isn't shabby either.

[bywc]

I have an old porter cable the thing must be 12 years old and its still working perfect so I would recommend that brand but... with how cheap newer tools are made I can't comment on the current quality.

[Juicegoose]

I would have to respectfully disagree with the purchase of a newer porter cable electrical power tool product. Ever since the buyout there quality has gone down as is evidence of reviews on amazon and the like. But the ultimate decision is yours. Look at the feature set a saw offers and compare that with your needs. Be truthfull with yourself on what a saw offers and you might use. The bottom line is that any saw will cut a straight line given the proper technique and setup. The other stuff just makes life a tad easier. Go to the local stores and pickup each and everyone and see which one you like the best as far as feel. Then go on the nt and look for reviews to see if any major concerns have come to light. If none then pick it up and use the saw.

Naturally I again recommend the Milwaukee!! heheh

[jimmykx250]

iv'e heard good things about the porter cable trim saw. It is worm drive but much lighter than most. If I was shopping i would atleast check one out.

[SignWave]

I like my Milwaukee circular saw (6390-20). It's powerful, accurate, and the tilt-loc is easy to adjust. I have only a couple of things that I'd like to change. One is that the base is flat on the edges and only about 1/8" thick. This means that you have to be careful that your guide is snug with the piece you're cutting, otherwise the base can slip under the guide. This hasn't been as big an issue as I thought it would be, but I thought I'd mention it.

The other thing is that it doesn't direct the dust as well as it should. There's what appears to be a port on the guard to direct the flow away, but it's only about half effective. This is a mild annoyance, but not so much that I'm ditching the saw.

But with a good blade, it cuts very well (the blade that it comes with can't compete with, say, a Freud Diablo).

[Juicegoose]

Ya i immediately put a diablo 60t on mine and mounted to the woodcraft clamp rail base plate so it's essentially a track saw. But the power alone is great. I can cut a piece of 3/4" ply with really no effort or sounds of bogging/binding. It's nice I especially like the adjustable handle. granted you wont change it much but in my setup the adjustability made it a little more ergonomic.

[Onboard]

Looking to purchase a (non-track) circular saw any recommendations or links to reviews greatly appreciated?

Thanks!

--Rick

The problem I had with looking up reviews is finding something current. I put a few review links below to look through. However, once you’ve narrowed your choices down, it may be better to go to Amazon.com and read the customer reviews for those saws.

Inside Woodworking – 1

Inside Woodworking – 2

Popular Mechanics - On this one, I'm not sure what happened to the graphics / pictures, but it does have some good brief pro / con comments on each saw.

[PaulMarcel]

I like my Milwaukee circular saw (6390-20). It's powerful, accurate, and the tilt-loc is easy to adjust. I have only a couple of things that I'd like to change. One is that the base is flat on the edges and only about 1/8" thick. This means that you have to be careful that your guide is snug with the piece you're cutting, otherwise the base can slip under the guide. This hasn't been as big an issue as I thought it would be, but I thought I'd mention it.

Maybe you could fix it by putting a straight piece of hardwood on the plate on that side flush with the edge of the plate and screw it in place from the underside (countersunk)? Good warning you have, though.

[SignWave]

Maybe you could fix it by putting a straight piece of hardwood on the plate on that side flush with the edge of the plate and screw it in place from the underside (countersunk)? Good warning you have, though.

At one time, I thought about doing something like that, but as long as the piece is well supported and the guide is well clamped, it works just fine. And that's really a much better way of cutting, anyway. (I no longer cut an unsupported sheet of plywood draped between two sawhorses, for example. )

[Juicegoose]

In addition to my earlier post on the milwaukee setup I now have I figured I'd show some pictures.

On the picture of the bottom of the plate the wierdness to the cutout for the circ saw blade to go through was from my original task force saw and it's tendency to start the blade ocillating. It was scary to say the least. This setup with the guides and plate are great!!