Choosing the right tool for your woodwork is an essential thing that you should consider as per needs. The right tool will help you handle your task easily. There are a variety of circular saws available in the market. You can pick the best circular saw that suits your needs and budget. The features of the saw can make the woodworking task simple. Powerful and high-quality tools can help you handle the most enormous woodwork tasks.
Circular saw
It is one of the most common saw that is used extensively in home improvements and construction projects. The circular saw uses a blade edge with round metal, its sharp teeth can cut the materials like cement blocks, plastic, woods, fiberglass, metal, brick, and slate. The blade spins mechanically to give a clean-cut material. It can be used easily with right or left-handed equipment and can be mounted to a table. Circular saw is an effective and quick tool that can be simply adjusted as per the required depth and height.
As it is clear now that the circular saw is one of the best power tools that are used nowadays for efficiently handling the work. With appropriate choice of blade, the saw can be used to cut wood, masonry, steel, and even the ceramic tiles. Here is an extensive guide on how to buy the best circular saw that can be effective in your project.
Basics of Circular Saw
The circular saw can be used to make straight and quick cuts across or along the length of the board. Bevel cuts can also be made using the saw. The standard components of the saw include:
- Blade Guard: Thee guard covers the blade when the tool is not in use. When you need to use the saw, the guard retracts, exposing the blade.
- Shoe or footplate: The shoe is present to steady the saw against a work piece.
- Depth Adjustment: this enables the user to adjust the saw for different thicknesses.
- Bevel adjustment: The part is essential for making the bevel cuts. It lets the footplate of the saw tilt along the blade for a bevel cut.
Usually, the size of the circular saw is classified by the diameter of the blade. The most commonly used sizes are 5 ½ and 7 ¼ inches. Although blades of different sizes are available, you can choose the size based on your needs.
There are two different designs of saws to choose from:
- Inline or sidewinder saw: The traditional and most commonly used design of saw has a motor located along the axis of the blade. The shaft of the saw runs from the motor and drives the blade. These saws are lightweight and are more compact than worm drive saws. The saw is well suited to be used in most of the applications of the circular saw.
- Worm drive Saw: The motors of these types of saws are positioned at an angle of 90 degrees to the blade. The gears are used to increase the torque, making the saw useful for heavy-duty applications. These types of saws are very quiet in operation and are longer than the inline or sidewinder circular saw.
Power Source
The type of power source you require depends on how and where the saw is to be used. The power supply of the circular saw is available in two different types:
- Corded Circular Saw: The corded circular saw does not require a battery for operation and is suited for applications where you need tough cutting like steel, masonry and when you want continuous cutting. The saw is available in many different sizes but 7 ¼ is the most common of all. You may require an extension cord for operation in far areas. For extension cords that might be suitable for your corded saw, you may refer to the manufacturer’s recommendations.
- Cordless Saw: The cordless saws are perfect for the applications where extension cords cannot be used. Due to their compact size, the saw can be effectively used in applications with confined space. This type of saw can be used for cutting wood as there is a limited power supply. Although, the saw can be used to cut tough material, but the heavy usage of the saw can drain the battery quickly. The typical size range of cordless saw is 5 3/8 inch to 6 ½ inches.
Features of Circular Saw
Once you have chosen the right power source and design of the saw, you need to look for other features while buying the circular saw:
- Blade Capacity: The other important factor to be considered is the capacity of the blade. It determines the depth the saw can achieve while cutting. The larger the size of the blade, the deeper is its cut. The size of 7 ¼ inches is the most commonly preferred blade size. A saw having blade capacity of six inches can be used to cut through 2-inch thick lumber with an angle of 45 degrees in one pass. Whereas, a saw of blade size 5 3/8 can cut the same material in one pass at 90 degrees while at an angle of 45 degrees, it will require 2 passes.
- Power Rating: Volt measurements on the cordless saw and Amp measurements on the corded saw define the power. Higher the volt or amp rating, the higher is the cutting power.
- Electric Brakes: The brakes in the saw reverse the electricity flow. This immediately stops the momentum of the blade. The brakes can stop the movement of the blade in about two seconds, faster than the saw without the brakes.
- Shaft lock or Spindle: The shaft lock makes the changing of the blade easier by mobilizing the blade and the shaft.
- Bevel Capacity: The capacity of the bevel indicates the ability of bevel cut the saw can give.
- Laser Guide: The laser guide in the saw can help in improving the cutting accuracy by projecting the light beam on the work piece.
To buy the best circular saw, follow this comprehensive guide. The guide will help you choose the best saw that will be suitable for your project.
