New Circular Saw in My Future?

[Roy Hatch]

I received an email offering a Makita 5277NB 7-1/4" Hypoid Worm Drive Saw for $94.00. My name is roy, and I have a problem ignoring a "good buy". My use would be breaking down full sheets of plywood, MDF, etc. Currently am using an old Skil that cost about $29 about 20 years ago. It's cheap, looks cheap, and is makes an awful racket.
I suppose the biggest negative for the Makita is the weight of 15#, which is a lot for this old guy. A PC circular looks good, but would cost considerably more. And, of course, there are others of equal quality. What do you think?
The Makita: http://www.heavydutytools.net/Scripts/prodView.asp?idproduct=276
(It will show as $125, but my email offer is for $94.)

[tod evans]

94 bucks for a wormdrive! jump on it, my mag 77 costs more than that wholesale..........02 tod

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Roy....30 years ago....I worked for a neighbor who was a contractor building houses and the 1st day he took me out and bought me a Skill work screw drive CS. Later I bought my first Skill CS that wasn't wormscrew drive...it was a Right Bladed...Left Handed saw. In short I struggled with that thing for 20+ years....having to look over my right hand to see the cut line. I replaced it last year with a PC Left bladed Right Handed saw. Money really wasn't an object. I found that I could no longer handle the additional weight that is traditionally found in a worm drive saw....I'm older and weaker. PC and other companies now offer a CSs that are both left bladed and right bladed. The left bladed PC I bought is not worm drive, is lighter and I can control it better and I can see the cutline. Good luck with your decision!

[Dave Falkenstein]

That's a great buy, Roy, but... Why would you want to use a 15 pound saw to break down sheet goods? That's way overkill, and hard on the back. A much lighter (smaller) saw, like the Porter Cable Saw Boss, would be a better tool for the job. If you really want to do a great job of working with sheet goods, take a look at one of the Guided Circular Saw Systems (GCSS). Festool, EZSmart (Eurekazone) and TruGrip/Micro Fence are three of the companies that make GCSS. Be prepared to spend more than $94 if you get into a GCSS! Smile. Happy New Year!!!

[Roy Hatch]

You guys have convinced me that I was blinded by a good deal. Ken, you and Dave have got me thinking more about the weight of the saw, and I never was built for heavy lifting (more for speed).:)
Your post regarding the left blade saw has my attention. Being right handed, it seems it would be much easier to follow a line with the blade on the left. Are there any drawbacks to that configuration?
HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!

[Chris Barton]

While I don't have the LT blade PC (I use a Festool ATF55e) I do think it's the best choice in the $100-200 range. The worm saw would be good if you were a 19yo timber framer but, for the kind of work you are talking about a smaller saw would be better. Maybe you should also consider a pannel saw...

[Dave Falkenstein]

You guys have convinced me that I was blinded by a good deal. Ken, you and Dave have got me thinking more about the weight of the saw, and I never was built for heavy lifting (more for speed).:)
Your post regarding the left blade saw has my attention. Being right handed, it seems it would be much easier to follow a line with the blade on the left. Are there any drawbacks to that configuration?
HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!

One drawback to a left-blade circular saw: If you later decide you want to go to a Guided Circular Saw System where you provide the saw, then you would need a right-blade saw, at least for those I have seen. For example, the EZSmart system requires a right-blade saw. (Festool uses its own saw.) I'm left handed, so I think right -blade saws are terrific.

[Burt Waddell]

I have one of the Makita's like you are considering. First, it is a geat saw but you do need to consider the weight. Mine is installed in a jig and I don't attempt to use it free hand. A lot of the newer saws are in the 10 pound range. That extra five pounds is a lot of weight. Like Dave said, go with a right hand saw for the guided system. If you just want a light weight saw take a look at Makita, Sears and Skil 5 1/2" saws for something easy to handle. Normally, I won't recommend a Sears power tool but this one is the same as the Skil.