Nuther one on circular saws

[Dale Rodabaugh]

I have been looking at the Porter Cable trim saw,for around $225.seems like a lot of money for a saw that will only be used for trim work.I have been using my old Craftsman saw,and it does a fair job when used with a good straight edge guide.I am thinking of just buying a better 7 1/4 circular saw,in the $100.to $150.price range.I use it mainly for squaring up glued up panels.Any comments?:confused: :confused: :confused:

[Richard Gillespie]

Dale;

There are a lot of good saws on the market. Recently, I did a search on this and other forums to see which were being recommended. PC's with cast bases in the $140 range were being rated highly. Went to the store to get one but spotted a Hitachi with the very features I was looking for. The Hitachi lists for $87 at Lowe's. So far, it has been a absolute joy to use

You have a tough decision ahead of you. Good Luck.

[Steve Wargo]

I'll second the Hitachi. I picked one up about 8 months ago to replace my ancient Craftsman and it has worked perfectly.

[Kirk (KC) Constable]

As I've posted before, I was quite pleased with the Ryobi...especially for the money. With a decent blade (Freud), I cut much. much 6/4 and 8/4 mesquite. I have the Makita at home, which is also quite serviceable for the price. I don't use the Makita 'hard', but it does the job.

KC

[John Brennaman]

It takes a little more time but, when I am squaring up panels I do a rough cut with my circular saw. Then for the final edge I use a straight edge and square the panel up with my router and a straight cutting bit. Makes a really nice edge. Especially if you use a good quality bit.

[Hal Flynt]

I lucked out 2 Christmases ago finding a DeWalt 18 volt Drill and 5.25" (I think that' right, might be 5 5/8th") at Home Depot for $199. It came with a good charger and 2 XL batteries.

It's my Go to saw for panel trimming and most everything short of 4x4's. Mine makes a much cleaner cut in plywood than any saw I have used to date.

This package is generally not available, BUT last Christmas Time Home Depot had the same deal again.

[Von Bickley]

Dale,
I really like the Makita circular saw. :)

Whatever you decide on, look at the amperage on the saw. A good circular saw will pull 13 - 15 amps. :cool:

[Andrew Ault]

There are several really good circular saws on the market. I grew up with a heavy old worm drive Skill saw (it's a west coast thing, apparently). One thing I liked about it, besides the power, was the left blade. But, the thing is just so darn heavy for one-handed use...Ok for framing, but not so good for finer work, Popeye arms or not. (Well maybe Steve Garvey in his day.)

Then, I tried a left-bladed Porter Cable and I really liked it. Mine is older, but still has the magnesium construction that results in durability and light weight. With a 40-tooth Freud blade and a good straight guide rail, it cuts a good straight and smooth edge on panels. Of course the right-bladed version would also. I don't have one of those nice guide rail systems for this, I use a straight piece of MDF that I check periodically. The two different guided systems discussed here sure are nice... Anyway, I like the left blade because I'm right-handed and I feel more comfortable with it, not a big deal. It has minimal runout and it easy to set to a given angle. It's got plenty of power and feels good in my hand. It's got a chunky, of-one-piece feel that I like.

Like John said above, using a router works well for your purpose. This weekend I needed to true a glued up tabletop and I used my router with a straight bit and a guide. It worked great and I needed the router to bevel the bottom edges anyway (bevel bit with bearing freehand). I checked it with a straightedge and it was dead on. I find that the cost of wood really focuses my mind when making tricky cuts.

The new Porter Cable saw seems to build on the strengths of the older model and includes better dust management and tool-less blade changing. Personally, I'd pick up a few different brands and see how they feel. Try changing the angle, blade depth, etc. After reading reviews, what is left is how well a particular saw works for you.

-Andy

[Dale Rodabaugh]

THX for all the feedback.Guess I will browse around and look them all over.John,I have used the router with a straight bit also,works very good.Gonna take a ride down to Hartville tool this weekend.They have all the major brands.:rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

[Larry Norton]

I have the PC 314 and like it. I recently replaced the blade with a Forrest. It doesn't have a huge amount of power, but it's perfect for cutting up plywood. I got mine a few years ago for $179. Shortly after that, they went up dramaticly.

[Kelly C. Hanna]

Get the PC 7.25"...comes in right or left blade models...great saw and only costs $129!

[Corey Hallagan]

I recently got the PC Tim Saw. Great little saw. I got it to trim panels and break down sheet goods. I think it should only be used on 3/4 or less stock as it isn't meant to cut 2 x material for any length of time. I like the light feel of the saw. It is an expensive saw. I also considered the Dewalt lightweight Circ Saw. I was in sears last night. The have a 5 1/2 inch corded trim saw that I had never seen before. Nice and compact but fairly heavy for a small saw.

Corey

[Todd Davidson]

I currently have three corded circular saws that see quite a bit of use in my work - a 7 1/4" Porter Cable (blade left), a 7 1/4" Milwaukee (blade right), and a Craftsman 5 1/2" trim saw (blade left). For sizing up sheet goods I almost always reach for the Craftsman (Bosch/Skil make an identical version). It's lightweight, tracks well, and is comfortable to use. I initially picked this saw up for Kim (LOML & partner in our remodeling business) as a full size saw was a little cumbersome for her, but find myself using it so much I'm thinking about buying another. As far as the 7 1/4" go I love the left blade feature of the PC but I'd have to say the Milwaukee is the most powerful and most accurate saw I've used (noticed the borg has 'em on clearance for $100 too). Just my .02

[Don Baer]

I have 2 Milwaukee's and a Skill they all do great work. I keep a differant blade in each one so I don't have to change blades.

[Don Baer]

Oh and LOML got me one of those little 3 1/5 " 18 V cordless ones from Mikita. It does a great job if Idon't want to hual out the extension cords.

[Ron Jones near Indy]

I'm suprised no one mentioned the PC Saw Boss. :confused: The 6" blade's on the left, light, good power and dust collection.