Thinking of a new circular(Skil) saw.

D

docmirror

Touchdown! Greaser!
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Cowboy - yeehah!
Ok, let's not get this over the falls and down the river. I had a Black & Decker model and it's a goner. The time has come to replace it.

I want; moderate cost. Moderate weight. Need to have a miter angle flange. AC powered(no batts).

Whadya got? The new Black & Decker are made in China, and would prefer no Chinese made if possible. I use it for home and hobby work, not every week, but when I need it, I need it. Prolly won't get a worm type but when I used them before, they were pretty sweet, just heavy. I have a Bosch recip saw and love it.
 
You'd be hard pressed to go wrong with a Bosch. Bosch, DeWalt, Milwaukee. All should be good. Black & Decker has been junk for quite a while. Sears Craftsman might be OK, it depends on who actually makes it.

I've still got my Skilsaw. It's 32 years old. But, like you, I don't use it every day.

John
 
Skil 7 1/4" worm drive. Especially for a right hander. Heavy is part of what makes it so good.
 
I'm just about to use my 'refurbished' Skill saw. I bought it at least 15 years ago, light use, works fine.
 
My old Skil still gets the job done after about 25 years. It's not commercial grade (not a worm drive), it's at the upper end of their consumer grade, but with a fresh blade it works well.
 
All those are made in China except the Porter Cable. I'm gonna look at the Porter later today and see what I can find.

I've had my B&D for 25 years. I dropped it on the blade guard and broke it. Kept using it without the blade guard for a while, then the trigger started going flaky. I fixed that, and now the tail shaft bearing is worn out, so between that and some broken and chipped parts, it has to be replaced.

I'm also going to go to a couple pawn shops and see if I can find a US made used one that is still in decent shape. Prolly take some wood chunks and test a few.
 
docmirror said:
All those are made in China except the Porter Cable. I'm gonna look at the Porter later today and see what I can find.

I've had my B&D for 25 years. I dropped it on the blade guard and broke it. Kept using it without the blade guard for a while, then the trigger started going flaky. I fixed that, and now the tail shaft bearing is worn out, so between that and some broken and chipped parts, it has to be replaced.

I'm also going to go to a couple pawn shops and see if I can find a US made used one that is still in decent shape. Prolly take some wood chunks and test a few.
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Go to a pawn shop and buy a Skill Model 77 worm gear. Likely $50-75. Make sure it runs before you leave the store.

Your grand kids will some day pass it on to their children.
 
JoseCuervo said:
Go to a pawn shop and buy a Skill Model 77 worm gear. Likely $50-75. Make sure it runs before you leave the store.

Your grand kids will some day pass it on to their children.
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How heavy? I know the weight keeps the saw in place but dang, if after using it for 20 min overhead, and vertical, and stuff my arm is burning. Also, I think only one 'l' in 'Skil', but I know what you meant.
 
Although they are heavier, I get less tired using a worm-drive. They are smoother operating, and easier to keep on track, so the cutting goes faster. I have a Bosch, but have used the others and don't notice much difference between any of the pro models.
 
Porter Cable. The one I have is similar to the one highlighted in the review linked above, but a bit heavier. Tons of torque, plows through tough cuts and is very stable.
 
Makita is a pretty good bang for the buck.
 
I have 4 of them. I will sell you one cheap.

Seriously, look on craig's list or an estate auction and pick one up cheap. Unless you use it every day no need to buy new.
 
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My Skil died and I just replaced it with a Ryobi. I don't use it that much so not sure how it would be in heavy duty use, but so far it's working for me. For under $60 as I recall.
 
docmirror said:
How heavy? I know the weight keeps the saw in place but dang, if after using it for 20 min overhead, and vertical, and stuff my arm is burning. Also, I think only one 'l' in 'Skil', but I know what you meant.
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More than 20 minutes of cutting overhead??? What are you cutting?? If you really use a saw that much, you need a worm drive quality.

For cutting overhead (like trimming rafter tails), the worm drive is preferred as you can operate it one handed. The other nice thing, when cutting overhead, is you can see the blade due to the design of the saw, as opposed to the other types of saws.

Yes, a wormdrive is heavy, on purpose, but that weight works to its advantage.
 
My buddy, the general contractor and builder of things that won't fall down, uses his tools hard. I can't remember for sure, but I think he's partial to DeWalt. I used his circular saw (and mine) side-by-side one day. There were two immediate differences: the pro models with the worm drives are 1) heavy and 2) able to cut through pretty much everything without slowing down at all. With a little practice you can use it one-handed and freestyle a lot of good cuts.

I think I'll stick with my old Skil consumer grade model. I'm like docmirror on this - I don't use it often, but when I do I just want it to work.
 
There is one of these in the hangar across from me... With three segments and I think 24 blades. ;) :D

jed-tree-saw.jpg
 
docmirror said:
All those are made in China except the Porter Cable. I'm gonna look at the Porter later today and see what I can find.
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That's what I would recommend. They ain't cheap but I've never come up short by buying quality tools.
 
Honestly my Ridgid circular saw has been great. They make mine in both the traditional and worm gear style. It's not overly heavy, but solid enough that I don't worry about dropping it. Single lever for changing the miter, and strong power. I bet it lasts another 20 years on top of the 10 is already got on it. I've built two decks, a pole barn, privacy fence, and several miscellaneous small projects with it and is been flawless.

Now if I was using it weekly, I might opt for the worm drive, but for occasional projects the regular configuration works perfectly.

I've got Dewalt cordless drills and such, which have held up well, too. The Ridgid framing nailer is smooth as silk, too. The Black & Decker Firestorm series had some good stuff, but their regular line was pure crap.
 
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We bought a Porter Cable one a few years ago. It works well. Not too heavy, was reasonable on cost. For our use, it works well. I'd buy it again.

I do have some cheap tools that have worked out, but I've gotten to the point where for most things, I just buy a DeWalt and be done with it.
 
Jeff Oslick said:
Porter Cable. The one I have is similar to the one highlighted in the review linked above, but a bit heavier. Tons of torque, plows through tough cuts and is very stable.
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^this

I love my poter cable, heavy, but can cut through the rough stuff with easy. And for some reason I like my built in laser.
 
Whelp, after posting this, I went searching on amazon and ebay. Found a new old stock SKIL brand name saw made in US from the late 90s on ebay. Won the bid for $30 plus shipping. Not worm, Al foot, and comes with a carbide tip blade.

SCORE!
 
docmirror said:
Ok, let's not get this over the falls and down the river. I had a Black & Decker model and it's a goner. The time has come to replace it.

I want; moderate cost. Moderate weight. Need to have a miter angle flange. AC powered(no batts).

Whadya got? The new Black & Decker are made in China, and would prefer no Chinese made if possible. I use it for home and hobby work, not every week, but when I need it, I need it. Prolly won't get a worm type but when I used them before, they were pretty sweet, just heavy. I have a Bosch recip saw and love it.
Click to expand...

I'd go Milwaukee, no idea where they're made.i have 2, one is big enough to cut through a 4x4...somehow I get stuck setting fence posts all the time.
 
All the Milwaukee and DeWalt I found were made in China. I am DONE with chinese made power tools. Fini. No more.

If that means I have to spend triple for something, so be it. I'll buy chinese hand tools in some cases, but no more power tools. My miter saw was given to me, and it was from china, and it lasted one - whole - job, then died.
 
Bought a porter cable some 10-12 yrs ago to cut sheet metal . It has a nice stout cast alum table on it. Put several metal roofs on and built several houses with it. Still as tight and accurate as the day I bought it. Would buy another in a min if this one ever gave up the ghost, but it shows no sign of that happening any time soon.
 
docmirror said:
All the Milwaukee and DeWalt I found were made in China. I am DONE with chinese made power tools. Fini. No more.

If that means I have to spend triple for something, so be it. I'll buy chinese hand tools in some cases, but no more power tools. My miter saw was given to me, and it was from china, and it lasted one - whole - job, then died.
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FWIW....back in the late 90's I was a Reliability/test engineer for DeWalt Power Tools (aka Black & Decker). bout 2000 ish they closed all their US plants and moved manufacturing to low cost locations (Mexico, Poland, Taiwan, China). Around mid 2000's they purchased Porter Cable, Delta, Emglo and a few other companies......so, basically yer screwed if you want US produced power tools. :goofy:

The HomeDepot Rigid brand did well in product testing....back in the day. :yes:
 
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