capnjack2 Posted March 6, 2016 Report Share Posted March 6, 2016 (edited) Hey, All! Haven't posted often here but I always love the advice of fellow woodworkers and tradesmen. I have a cordless circular saw which I bought years ago. It's a Craftsman 14.4 volt NiCd. Needless to say, the batteries are shot now and I'd like to upgrade. They don't make a 14.4 volt Li-ion battery for Craftsman (do they?) and I wondered if I could buy an 18 volt and remove cells. Then, how to charge?! Any advice would be appreciated. jack Edited March 6, 2016 by capnjack2 Spelling Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tpt life Posted March 6, 2016 Report Share Posted March 6, 2016 There is a battery depot or something like that in my city that will swap cells in battery packs. I am not sure if the same charging unit will work with lithium cells but it can't hurt to ask at a place like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted March 6, 2016 Report Share Posted March 6, 2016 batteries plus stores do rebuilds of old rechargeables Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rodger. Posted March 6, 2016 Report Share Posted March 6, 2016 Cordless circ saws are pretty inexpensive these days. Might be worth going to hd and buying a new model. I bought the ridgid combo kit with the cordless circ saw, drill, some batts, charger, and a bag for like 149 or something similar. It Li-ion and lifetime warranty 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kixnbux Posted March 6, 2016 Report Share Posted March 6, 2016 I've got the dewalt 20v. It's a great little lightweight saw. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capnjack2 Posted March 13, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 13, 2016 Thanks for the replies, folks. I've been using an 18v battery and no ill effects so far. But I won't push it. I'll pull the trigger on a new Ridgid combo soon, I think. Jack Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brendon_t Posted March 13, 2016 Report Share Posted March 13, 2016 4 hours ago, capnjack2 said: Thanks for the replies, folks. I've been using an 18v battery and no ill effects so far. But I won't push it. I'll pull the trigger on a new Ridgid combo soon, I think. Jack Did you have to modify the battery? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmaichel Posted March 13, 2016 Report Share Posted March 13, 2016 I just bought a Dewalt 20V circ saw from HD a couple weeks ago. I went with this saw because it uses the same battery that my dewalt miter saw uses. I also bought a couple extra batteries. I upgraded the blade and have no issues with the saw. I have not used it a lot but it seems decent, however I am not using it for any furniture builds but did come in handy when I needed to break down some plywood to build a shooting board. It's nice and compact and there are no cords in the way. It is a little weak on power so I would not go crazy using it with any 6/4 or 8/4 hardwoods. If I were build a shed or deck out in a backyard this circ saw would be my best friend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Cancelleri Posted March 15, 2016 Report Share Posted March 15, 2016 It would probably be best to bury a new saw. 14.4v is the equivalent to 12 nicad batteries in series. Lithium ion batteries can not be charged by a nicad charger as it is a different way of charging, and the cells need to be balanced as they are charged. Sent from my 831C using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capnjack2 Posted March 20, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 20, 2016 I agree with you guys, especially about just getting a new saw. I really like my old one-it's sooooo lightweight! And I just strapped in a Ryobi lithium battery. Used a Velcro strap and it stayed in. I removed the battery afterwards. I may just get the Ryobi saw, not the Ridgid, as I posted earlier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denette Posted March 20, 2016 Report Share Posted March 20, 2016 Add my vote to the 20 volt lithium DeWalt camp. It's a good little saw with a lot of power and a long battery life. Plus one huge perk of the Li Ion battery is that it runs full power until the battery dies, then it just stops - it doesn't seem to gradually weaken like older styles of batteries do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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