Circular Saws

Blades Using Safety Accessories

Circular Saws

A good circular saw is a "must have" tool, it will be used for home improvement and renovations, and it is the easiest way to cut a sheet of plywood down to sizes manageable on a table saw or bandsaw for your projects. There are many different styles and models on the market,select a style that feels comfortable, I find some very heavy, others have an awkward positioned handle. Purchasing a higher quality model is a good investment, this is a tool that you will use for a lifetime so you might as well get a good one. Don't go cheap on the blade it is not worth having tearout on an eighty dollar sheet of plywood an inch wide on each side of the cut to save twenty dollars.

Types of Saws

Worm Drive

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This style offers better control and accuracy of cuts.

Direct Drive

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This is the most common style, available in right and left hand models from several manufactures.
Cordless

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These are suitable for small jobs where power is not readily available.

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Bring the accuracy of a panel saw to any site with a Festool saw and guide rail system. This combination provides straight, splinter-free cuts on both sides of the blade right out of the box. Unlike conventional pendulum-cover circular saws, Festool’s design allows the saw blade to retract into the housing giving you the option to start and end the cut accurately anywhere on the material. All of this innovation means a quicker, safer and more cost-effective precision tool. The dust extraction port ensures less dust and a clear view of the workpiece.

Saw Blades

40 Tooth

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The more teeth on the blade the smoother the cut, thin kerf blades require less power and result in less waste of material.
16 Tooth

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This blade is used for construction grade material.
Vinyl & Panelling

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The fine teeth on this blade make it suitable to cut thin material.

Using a Circular Saw

Always treat these saws with respect, make sure that you have a firm hold on the saw and the material being cut. Position the saw on the edge of the material aligned with the cut mark, start the saw and push it straight into the material. Be aware of where the cord is, it is easy to saw through it. Make sure that you will not be sawing into your sawhorse or bench. Use a sawhorse with a wide top to hold material being cut. Use a cutting box or a cut-off square such as shown below to make accurate cross cuts.

Cutting Large sheets

Use a Sheet Rack to support the sheet, cut along a straight edge, either make one or purchase a factory made one. Cut on the back side of the sheet with a quality blade for a smoother edge.

All-In-One Clamp Guide

The first zero-deflection straight edge clamping guide! Provides you with straighter and more accurate cuts, dadoes and routing without additional clamps. New and improved design features: 30% wider integral clamping jaws for tighter clamping and less marring of wood. 50% wider locking lever for quick, easy clamping of guide. Full-color measuring scale with large numbers (in 1/4").

All-In-One Clamp Guide

Shop Built Panel Saw
Cut large stock accurately and save hundreds compared to other systems when you build your own pro-quality saw with our plan and hardware kit.Now available, Downloadable PDF Panel Saw Plan Shop Built Panel Saw

Cut-off Square

This triangle shaped guide allows it to be held to the board with your left hand with room for the saw motor to pass. Make the sides of the triangle about 9" long out of 1/4" plywood, the front guide is a 3/4' x 3/4" strip about 14" long. Fasten the triangle to the strip with wood screws, the first cut with the circular saw will cut through the right end of the strip and this is now used as a guide to position the jig.

Accessories

Straight Edge

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You can attach or slide fixtures or templates along the bar with the handy T-slots and key slots. One end also features Tru-Grip's famous cam lever tightening, which eliminates the need for C-clamps. Comes in 8' and 4' lengths. Expensive but accurate.

Saw Base Plate

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Simply drill mounting holes to afix your saw to the plate. Measures 9 by14 inches.

Portable Panel Saw

This portable panel-saw system allows you to use your hand circular saw to cut sheet goods more accurately than you could with a panel saw. The unique design of this system duplicates any panel-saw cut. It cuts sheet goods of any length or width and at an angle with cabinet-making accuracy, and it sets up quickly and easily. The system comes with a tracking fixture that attaches to the saw plus a special fence designed to work with the fixture. The fixture mounts to the fence so that your saw tracks exactly true to the fence when cutting. The set contains a 108-inch rip fence, 64-inch crosscut fence, and ball bearing tracking fixture.

PPS-2 Portable Panel Saw

Check For Recalls

1. Wear eye protection when using the saw.
2. Have firm control of the saw and material being cut.

3. Make sure the blade is sharp and suitable for the job at hand.

4. Make sure blade guard is working, never tie it up out of the way.

5. Check used material for nails or other foreign objects before cutting.

6. Unplug saw before making adjustments or changing blade.

7. Do not over-reach, always have firm footing.

8. Allow saw to reach full RPM before starting cut.