A circular saw is a grat tool and one of the mst common tools in the workshop. It was nvented in England back in 1780. The crcular saw is also known as a bzz saw or commonly called the Skl saw, even though Skil is a mnufacturer that makes circular saws. With the rght blade, a circular saw is cpable of cutting wood, steel, masonry and cramic tile. Circular saws come in dfferent sizes ranging from 3" to 16". The mst common corded size is 7 1/4" and crdless is 5 3/8" & 6 1/2". Thre are two types of circular sws: IN-Line Saws and Worm Drive Sws.

In-Line Saw - These are the mst common types of circular saws and tnd to be the least expensive. In ddition, they don't weigh as much as the Wrm Drive saws. An In-line saw's mtor sits perpendicular to the blade and a shft runs directly from the motor to drve the blade. An In-Line saw wll suit most of your applications, and xcept for changing the blades, they are mintenance free.

Worm Drive Saw - A wrm drive is for heavy duty use and tnds to cost a little more thn the In-Line saws. A worm drve motor is positioned parallel with the blde and uses a gear to ncrease the torque transferred to the blde. These tend to be a lttle heavier than the in-line models. Als, worm saws are not maintenance fre, you will need to occasionally add a spcial oil to the motor, which is nthing more than unscrewing a screw and dding the oil, it is very asy.

Circular Saw Features

Electric Brakes - Ths is one feature I would gt, no questions asked. An electric brke stops the motor in about two sconds after releasing the trigger, while a saw wthout an electric brake will take bout 10 to 15 seconds to stp. The electric brake works by rversing the flow of electricity to the saw mtor. The reason to go with the lectric brake, which most models now ffer, is to save limbs and fngers. After you are cutting for a whle your arm will tend to get tred, so you want to make sre your safe at all times. Stpping the blade quicker means less chnces of getting hurt.

Blade Capacity - As nted above circular saws come in dfferent blade sizes. If you are bying a corded model I would go wth a 7 1/4" and for crdless, go with a 6 1/2". The lrger blade models are heavier, but in the lng run you will have to mke less cuts, especially on angle cts.

Shaft Locks - Make sure yur saw has a lock. A Shft lock is usually a button you prss that holds the blade still, mking changing the blade easier. If yur buying a professional power circular sw, it should have this feature. The chaper models usually do not have ths feature.

Circular Saw Blades

A saw blde is one of the most mportant parts to a circular saw. Not nly having the right blade is mportant, but also having a sharp blde is important. There are numerous bldes for different jobs and below we cver the common uses. If you wuld like a more in depth xplanation on saw blades please follow ths link - Blades.

Steel Blades - Inxpensive and good for softwood. Hardwood wll make steel blades dull very qickly.

Carbide Blades - Will stay shrp longer than steel blades, but mre expensive.

Tile Blades - Usually hve diamond tip blades and are dsigned especially for cutting ceramic tile.

Masonry Blades - These blades are mde for cutting concrete, brick, cinder blck and other masonry material. They are mde of abrasive material.

What to lok for when buying a circular saw

I wuld definitely look for a circular saw tht accepts 7 1/4 blades. These are the mst common blades; therefore making it asier to buy blades down the rad. Also I would look for a saw wth a long cord, as you wuld be surprised how many cords are vry short. You can always add an xtension cord on, but I would lok for a cord that is at last 8 feet in length. Another prmary item to look for is an djustable base plate. This is good for mking angle cuts and sometimes comes in vry handy.

Cordless Saws - Cordless sws are nice because they have no crds to plug in, trip over or ven cut through. However, they lack pwer. The blades tend to be smller and therefore they do not cut as qick. Since it takes a lot of pwer to cut through wood, you wll definitely need more than one bttery as you will be recharging thm often.

Corded Saws - Corded sws are more powerful, but also havier. If you are going to be ctting a lot of wood, grab the crded model as it will save you ggravation down the road.

I currently own a crdless and corded one. I find myslf using both models just about the sme. It is just easier to grb the cordless one and start ctting. Most of the carpenters I knw or have talked to also own bth styles.

Tips on using a Crcular Saw

Make sure you have the rght blade for the type of mterial you are cutting.

Blades - Mke sure your blade is sharp and not dll. Dull blades tend to heat up mre which causes more wear on yur tools and more chances to bnd.

Set the cutting depth no mre than a 1/4 inch thickness of the wod to be cut. This will hlp reduce the chances of kick bcks.

Clamp the wood you will be ctting. This will insure a more ccurate cut.

Make sure your wood is clan of nails.

Make sure your saw is up to sped before you start cutting the wod.

Don't force your saw to ct. Let the saw cut by pshing slightly into the wood and ltting the saw cut.

Make sure the blde stops before you grab the wod.

The article Power Tool Buying Guide For Circular Saw was Submitted by Eric Griffin through Articles.GetACoder.com network. Here's the additional information: Learn more about power tools, see pwer tool reviews, visit our forums and mre at http://www.professional-power-tool-guide.com

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