Cordless Circular Saws and the Battery Systems That Go With Them

[claritycycler]

If I were left handed I might consider a worm-drive saw as an alternative as it lines the motor up with the cut line- easier to see.

Worm drives are almost always used by right handed pros (especially framers/rough carpenters), the motor is to the right of the blade, the cut line is plainly visible to the left of the blade. The vids above explain this, but of course we all have our personal preferences. If I(right handed) had only one saw it would be a corded 7 1/4" worm drive, preferably a light weight model. It's been a while, years,(retired licensed contractor) since I've been on job sites, so maybe preferences have changed, don't really know.

[j44ke]

Seemed like the finish carpenters all used battery stuff except for the table saw and that was actually a huge shop-sized saw with a cast metal table. Also their miter saw was corded.

The framers definitely used corded saws. Circular, table and miter saws. Generator powered too because no electric when they first got there. And no heat. Winter. Bad for batteries also. Framers must be tough.

Does anyone use a corded drill or screw driver any more? I guess anyone doing stuff with concrete. Hammer drill or concrete saw. Or one of the big drills mixing plaster or concrete.

Battery saws do make corded saws seem a good deal. $150 does get you a very nice lightweight magnesium 7 1/4” saw with (in the case of Makita) a zippy blade.

I really don’t want to spend any more money in all honesty, but I want even less to spend money twice.

[Mabouya]

Does anyone use a corded drill or screw driver any more? I guess anyone doing stuff with concrete. Hammer drill or concrete saw. Or one of the big drills mixing plaster or concrete.

There are some specialty applications where corded still makes sense. I have a fairly beefy, low RPM Milwaukee that I use almost exclusively on the scissor car jack I use to lift my '73 Alfa GTV. When I bought the lift about 5 years ago the guy who made and sold them said that cordless drills could not do the job, but given that the technology's been improving quite a bit lately, that may no longer be right.

It takes quite a bit of work to lift a few thousand pounds ~20" (that's about the max range of the lift - enough to allow you to get under there, but you still have to use a crawler to move around) so I'd truly be impressed if today's cordless batteries could do the job.

I also have a few other cordless drills that are holdovers from the pre-cordless age that I use every now and then, but as you said, they typically just stay on the shelf.

[jclay]

Mostly just homeowner-stuff: I'm going to build a bunch of storage shelving in January, and a woodshed next summer.

Anything will probably meet my needs. Except DeWalt. Growing up a friend's contractor-uncle had a garage full of DeWalt stuff. Fourteen year old me thought he was a d-bag, so we stole his beer and I've never bought anything DeWalt.

But there are needs, and then there are needs. Growing up, I saw my dad build a barn with hand tools, a drill, and a circular saw. You can do anything with a circular saw. Part of the need filled by a good circular saw - one that exceeds my functional needs - is subconsciously holding out the possibility that one day, when the world floods and burns, I'll move back up north and build a barn for my herd. I'd speculate that this second sort of need sells a bunch of pro grade tools. Perhaps what I'm looking for is the Peter Lugers of circular saws.

I'm not up on the tech details but I don't think you can go wrong from a general performance and durability perspective within same/same category products from the majors.

I work in my framebuilding shop and around the house; but I did build the house (and I mean build, not contract). I've had only two cordless drills, serially. I don't do cordless otherwise because it's not necessary for me and I have a problem with throwing away tools that would otherwise last decades, or enjoy getting ripped off buying replacement batteries. My latest 18v NiCad Porter Cable drill sat idle for three or four years because replacement batteries were offendingly expensive, until a couple of months ago when I decided to replace about 3,000 screws on the roof metal. I found $20 replacements on Amazon and cordless is a must for that work (7/12 pitch). If I was building anything for which cordless level portability wasn't seriously beneficial I'd use corded. Before I found inexpensive batteries I used an old hand drill for the odd hole needed for moving artwork or clothes hooks in the house.

FWIW: The old Porter Cable Saw Boss 6" (or 6.5?) is (was) the slickest, most under-appreciated sidewinder ever; light (before magnesium), manoeuvrable, small. It's a shame that it didn't make it in the consumer market even though it would cut a 2x4 on a 45 bevel. Haven't used my 7-1/4 in 20 years.

Good luck, whatever you choose.

[caleb]

A few months in, all I have to say is that I love, love, love my cordless Makita circular saw.

My only issue is that the stock blade is too corse for most anything other than framing. I bought a Diablo fine plywood blade to rip a couple sheets of plywood for basement shelving, and I've been using it for everything. I'm not in that much of a hurry.

The saw is so much more useful than I anticipated, partly because it's cordless and so convenient. For example, I've been zipping up a bunch of dimensional lumber for kindling with it. Not a task I would have anticipated.

I've liked both the saw and drills so much that I bought a Makita string trimmer this spring. So far, it's the best trimmer I've ever used.

The pros might still be using cords, but we are not the pros. For a homeowner, I struggle to see a strong argument for cords. The battery systems are just too good now.

[claritycycler]

FWIW: The old Porter Cable Saw Boss 6" (or 6.5?) is (was) the slickest, most under-appreciated sidewinder ever; light (before magnesium), manoeuvrable, small. It's a shame that it didn't make it in the consumer market even though it would cut a 2x4 on a 45 bevel. Haven't used my 7-1/4 in 20 years.

Great saw, highly recommend it as well, tough to find(discontinued) but they occasionally pop up on CL or ebay.

[jclay]

The pros might still be using cords, but we are not the pros. For a homeowner, I struggle to see a strong argument for cords. The battery systems are just too good now.

Don't get me wrong - current cordless stuff is fantastically good, powerful and convenient. The pros are using tons of cordless; they couldn't compete without them and the cost of new batteries and periodic voltage obsolescence is just part of the equation.

I have a low tolerance for the limited overall lifetime of batteries (though they're quite good now) and having to chuck otherwise good tools in the bin because of expensive replacements and ever changing voltage standards.

Enjoy your new tools! No doubt that they rock.

[j44ke]

A few months in, all I have to say is that I love, love, love my cordless Makita circular saw.

My only issue is that the stock blade is too corse for most anything other than framing. I bought a Diablo fine plywood blade to rip a couple sheets of plywood for basement shelving, and I've been using it for everything. I'm not in that much of a hurry.

The saw is so much more useful than I anticipated, partly because it's cordless and so convenient. For example, I've been zipping up a bunch of dimensional lumber for kindling with it. Not a task I would have anticipated.

I've liked both the saw and drills so much that I bought a Makita string trimmer this spring. So far, it's the best trimmer I've ever used.

The pros might still be using cords, but we are not the pros. For a homeowner, I struggle to see a strong argument for cords. The battery systems are just too good now.

Good to hear. Is yours a single battery 18v or one of the double battery 36v saws? And 6 1/2 blade or 7 1/4?

[ides1056]

Great saw, highly recommend it as well, tough to find(discontinued) but they occasionally pop up on CL or ebay.

That was the only tool I ever had stolen.

[caleb]

Good to hear. Is yours a single battery 18v or one of the double battery 36v saws? And 6 1/2 blade or 7 1/4?

Single battery with the 6 1/2" blade. I can see the usefulness of the larger blade, though. Mine won't quite cut a 2x4 at a 45 degree angle. I'm guessing it wouldn't be a problem with the 7 1/4" blade.

[j44ke]

Single battery with the 6 1/2" blade. I can see the usefulness of the larger blade, though. Mine won't quite cut a 2x4 at a 45 degree angle. I'm guessing it wouldn't be a problem with the 7 1/4" blade.

Thanks!

[caleb]

Thanks!

Sure thing. Also, thank you for the recommendation long ago to build some Wave Hill chairs. I put some together this spring using this saw, and I've really been enjoying them this summer.

[j44ke]

Hey that's great! Part of the task for my (future) saw as well.

[claritycycler]

Great saw, highly recommend it as well, tough to find(discontinued) but they occasionally pop up on CL or ebay.

Forgot to add the biggest downside is availability of 6" blades for this saw(Porter Cable Saw Boss), probably can't find them locally in small towns, tooth count pretty much in the 24t and 40t range, and no, a 6 1/2" blade won't fit.

[j44ke]

Forgot to add the biggest downside is availability of 6" blades for this saw(Porter Cable Saw Boss), probably can't find them locally in small towns, tooth count pretty much in the 24t and 40t range, and no, a 6 1/2" blade won't fit.

Diablo makes them but yeah 24 & 40 only.

[Bobonli]

Recycling this thread to ask:

If Caleb is still satisfied with his cordless saw?
and

What are your thoughts/experiences with cordless compound mitre saws [URL="https://www.milwaukeetool.com/Products/Power-Tools/Woodworking/Miter-Saws/2739-20"[/URL]. Like is the operative word. I'm not married to this specific model, in fact it seems to have some issues according to the reviews.

I'm not building barns or anything, just occasionally need to make compound mitre cuts and am intrigued about battery versus corded. My instinct is that the battery capability would be more valuable in a circular saw, which is designed to be mobile/portable, than a mitre saw which is often used attached to a bench with an outfeed table-type situation.

[rec head]

For a miter saw I would only consider a cordless if I needed to take it to job sites. They are probably easier to carry than my corded 10" saw but I don't need to move it very often. If you already have the batteries then maybe cordless is a little more appealing. But for $850 I think your money will go way further with a cord.

Buuuuut I just got a cordless Makita track saw today and it seems way better than my corded Wen which I regretted as soon as I got it. The cordless lets me easily take the saw to the plywood instead of the other way around. I will probably be making cuts in the home center's parking lot before even loading the plywood into the pickup.

Moral of the story is if you are taking the saw places to do the cuts then batteries make sense.

[j44ke]

+1 on corded. More power for denser wood, 12” blade for larger lumber & trim molding dimensions and eventually you will want to set up a table with in- and out-feed surfaces so you can manage larger board lengths and set up stops for repeated same length cuts. That’s what miter saws do really well. The battery is best in a circular saw where - as mentioned above - you can take the saw to the sheet material.

The carpenters who framed our house used a battery miter saw until there was power to the site. Then they brought their corded saw and put the battery saw away.

[Bobonli]

Thanks, that's what I thought.