Circular Hand Saw How To Choose

Choosing a hand-held circular saw for wood Review of hand-held circular saws for wood: main types, their characteristics, rating of popular models, their pros and cons, how to choose the best one and tips for maintenance

Classification of “circulars” and criteria for their selection

circular hand saw how to choose

The most obvious criterion for classifying a power tool is power

It is important to take into account that with an increase in the power of a circular saw, its weight and cost will inevitably increase, so think three times before overpaying for a top-class tool if you plan to saw it, for example, plywood.

So, according to the power of the “circular” is divided into:

  • Low-power (up to 800 W)
  • Middle class (800-1500 W)
  • High class (more than 1500W)

Finally, the third criterion for classification is the type of power supply of the instrument. Depending on it, circular saws are divided into network saws (connected to a regular household outlet with a voltage of 220 V) and rechargeable saws (they have a power source built into the body). The latter are preferable in the case when there is no centralized power supply near the future place of the main work. But you can not count on long-term autonomous operation. With such engine power for most “circulars” it is limited to 1-2 hours.

How to choose a circular saw and blades for it?

Choosing a hand-held circular saw for wood

Working with lumber in small volumes is a task that hand-held hacksaws and jigsaws can quite cope with. But what if you want to get maximum performance in minimum time? The obvious solution is to use hand-held circular saws, which, firstly, have sufficient power, and secondly, they are distinguished by convenience and mobility, which are not characteristic of stationary sawmills.

Circular saw blades

An important consumable in the sawing tool is the cutting blade. Each model has its own characteristics:

  • Height and number of teeth;
  • Cutting profile geometry.

Conventionally, all circular saw blades are divided into:

  1. Consumables for soft materials such as wood or plastic. They have a positive sharpening angle, the number of teeth is about 50-100, which ensures an even cut.
  2. Discs for hard materials are produced with a negative sharpening angle and fewer teeth. They are capable of sawing harder materials, but the edges will be more “ragged”.

The principle of the circular hand saw

The tool is used to cut surfaces evenly, longitudinally or transversely. Arc sawing with a circular hand saw is not possible. The principle of operation of such a unit is simple:

  1. From the shaft of the electric motor, the torque is transmitted to the cutting disc.
  2. The sawing disc rotates around its axis at high speed, which makes it easy to cut the desired surface.

Depending on the depth of cut, the tool is divided into several categories:

  1. Mini circular hand saws can cut material up to 46 mm thick.
  2. The medium tool handles surfaces up to 55 mm.
  3. Large equipment is able to cut workpieces with a thickness of about 70 mm.
  4. Professional equipment cuts products about 140 mm thick.

Circular hand saws rating

Professional builders and do-it-yourselfers identify certain tool models that have the most optimal characteristics for the job. Among them:

  1. Makita HS7601. A great device for home use with two branded discs included. Cost. 121.
  2. Dewalt DWE560. A model with the ability to connect a construction vacuum cleaner. Cost. 140.
  3. Hammer CRP 1500 D. High quality lightweight saw with a convenient carrying case. Cost. 93.
  4. Bosch GKS 190. The Bosch hand-held circular saw is considered one of the best tools in its price segment. Cost. 128.

Circular saws

The circular saw is a classic time-tested power tool. She has long established herself as an irreplaceable assistant during repairs, in the country, during construction, in carpentry workshops, in assembly and production work. The circular saw is versatile and can work with both wood and other materials most commonly used in the construction process. For example, drywall, metal, plastic, acrylic glass, etc. The capabilities of a particular tool depend on the number of teeth on a circular disc. The more there are, the more a wide variety of materials the saw can interact with. In this case, the shape of the teeth is also important.

Like many other tools, circular saws are available for household and professional use. Household saws are more compact, lightweight and convenient to use. In such technical characteristics as power and maximum cutting length, household circular saws are inferior to professional ones, but they are more than enough for ordinary repairs.