Choosing Circular Saw

[Bill Luce]

I know it's been beat to death, but....

I recently had an older (Japanese made) Makita Circular Saw stolen that worked fine for me.

I read reviews about various models and picked up a Makita 5007MG. Haven't actually used it (other than to turn it on and such) and in most ways it seems pretty nice.

But a surprise for me, and a deal breaker, was how short the "left" side of the base is because of how Makita cut away the corner of the base I guess to make the adjuster easier to get to.

One way I use a CS alot is with a guide cutting sheet goods, so having that side missing almost a third in length seems unacceptable for me. Would make long cuts with a guide even more a challenge that the are already.

So I"d love to hear any discussions of what CSs folks like for woodworking. Two other models I am considering are the milwaukee and the bosch (although I am not sure I want a left handed saw).

Thanks, Bill

[Matt Day]

I have the Makita 5007mg and like it. I was just ripping sheet goods with it yesterday using a shop made guide. I attached a zci base to the bottom of the saw so the cut away foot doesn't make a difference to me.

[Don Roberson II]

We have a family owned a construction company & we use the Dewalt DWE575SB We have a few of these & have had good luck with all of them. Good with sheet stock, ripping, cross cutting 2x's, etc. No negatives

[Lonnie Gallaher]

I bought a DWE575 a few weeks ago to cut sheet goods. It works great. It is light weight. Has a nice base. I have a Skill 77 for framing lumber and rough cutting, so the 575 will only be used for sheet goods. After using the Skill, it seems a little on the light weight side for construction site use, but it weighs about half what the 77 weighs.

I get flawless cuts in furniture grade plywood with a Diablo 60 tooth Ultra Fine blade. So I am happy with the 575.

[Mike Cutler]

Bill

I have an older Makita also, probably the same model you had stolen. I call it "The Screamer", but in 20+ years of ownership it's always been a good saw.(I promise it wasn't me that took it.;))
I also have a Milwaukee 8 1/2" worm drive saw, "left handed", and I thought it would be easier on edge guided cuts because the handle would be in my right hand versus left for the Makita allowing me to see the blade, and I could orient the waste cut towards me. What a mistake! Doing it that way threw a ton of debris, and dust right at me. Gack!!
I now have a Festool TS75. Complete overkill for most tasks, but I rip a lot of thick material to begin the breakdown process, so it works for me. The TS55 is equally as nice but is smaller and cheaper.( If a Festool can be considered "cheaper".)
I like my Festool, but I found that my Makita, with an EZ rail, can cut a narrower, thicker board, than the Festool because of the orientation and placement of the clamps. The Festool has a deeper depth of cut though.