Just Curious - Cordless Circular Saws?

[Mike Kreinhop]

While I would love to have a worm drive saw, I haven't been able to find any made for the European market. I have the Bosch GKS 18V 57G cordless saw that uses 6.5-inch blades and has two 5Ah lithium batteries. So far, it plows through anything I cut without bogging down, such as 23mm MDF. It is the only cordless Bosch saw here that has the blade on the right side and works with the Bosch guide rails. I went with cordless because most of the places I go don't have commercial power. Fortunately, all of my Bosch cordless tools take the same family of 18V batteries, so I'm never stranded between charges.

[Martin Wasner]

They're super handy for making a few cuts when you don't wasn't to drag a cord back out of the trailer or in somewhere it'd be a pain to drag a cord.

With big Li-ion batteries, they're better than ever, but all day work is not their gig. If I'm on the ground cutting all day, give me a left worm drive. Trimming tails, or on a roof I like a regular right hand saw.

[Eric Commarato]

I have the Dewalt 20 Volt model, I only bought it to use when I buy lumber at the mill or someone's house and I need to cut it before loading...

[lowell holmes]

I think there is a cordless "skillsaw" in my future.

[Steve Jenkins]

I bought a Makita because it uses the same battery as my drill. Needed it to put up about 1800' of cedar fence.it worked great

[Kyle Iwamoto]

The battery world has certainly changed as mentioned. This could change the power tool game. Theres a jobsite inverter that runs off of your tool batteries and powers 110v ac tools. As long as you don't need an air compressor, it lasts a long time. While this may seem backwards, it does make sense. Not having to run a temp power pole to the jobsite will save a ton of money. Just don't forget to charge your batteries when you get back to the shop!

[Alex Mielko]

Few years ago, I have purchased Craftsman cordless circular saw. I was never happy with it. It was OK for any soft wood that was 1/2" or less but it would struggle with 3/4" plywood. Even with the latest generation batteries. I sold it, bought corded Skilsaw and now I am a happy camper. For the record, I do not do any construction so all I need is an extension cord that reaches from my garage to the driveway or to the deck in the back.

[Mike Goetzke]

I use a track saw system that utilizes standard circular saws. In the past I had a few corded saws but the Li-Ion batteries have progressed to a point that I am now cordless. I have both right and left blade versions the Makita X2 (36V) circular saws. They are every bit as powerful as my past corded Makita saws. I also have my 6-1/2" Makita cordless saw permanently attached to a ply ripping jig (this was part of a tool kit and previously not used).

Mike

[Rick Alexander]

I use a track saw system that utilizes standard circular saws. In the past I had a few corded saws but the Li-Ion batteries have progressed to a point that I am now cordless. I have both right and left blade versions the Makita X2 (36V) circular saws. They are every bit as powerful as my past corded Makita saws. I also have my 6-1/2" Makita cordless saw permanently attached to a ply ripping jig (this was part of a tool kit and previously not used).

Mike

I had hands on this tool http://www.homedepot.com/p/Makita-18...BoC_YgQAvD_BwE at the Makita factory during a visit by our woodworking club. That thing outperformed my Makita 5008 MGA corded saw and is a whole lot lighter. I wouldn't get rid of my corded for sure but I bet I will use that saw more than the corded one.

[lowell holmes]

It certainly looks like a formidable saw. I have no real need for one, but I would like to have one. Hmm.. . . .

[John K Jordan]

My question is do framing carpenters really use battery powered saws? I think you would still need tpoles
when building a house.

I'm not a framing carpenter in the trades but I am a framing carpenter when it comes to my own construction. I used a Dewalt 18v cordless circular saw a LOT when building my shop, 24x62. Although the Bosch glide miter saw handled all the studs, bracing, etc, the cordless was invaluable on a 10' ladder when trimming and notching 6x6 posts to inset beams. I notched 16 posts for 2x10s with several batteries on rotation. Plenty of power.

I used it extensively recently when building a 12x24 building on the farm for a new peacock house. I also use it quite a bit when cutting off a short length of a longer board in and around the shop since it is so handy to grab and use.

If I had a lot of 2x lumber to cut I'd drag out the heavier corded Skil saw. My good friend Tim who builds houses on both spec and contract uses a corded saw exclusively and often in his work.

JKJ

[Jake Elkins]

A bit pricey, but the Bosch 36v saw lineup (both the recip and circ saws -- which I don't think they are continuing) is really nice. The circ saw is just as powerful as my Makita hypoid saw, and much lighter.

[Scott T Smith]

I've had a 28V Milwaukee cordless saw for about 8 years and it gets used a lot around the farm. It's no substitute for a corded saw, but is very handy for making a quick cut on something or if you're working on a roof or off of a ladder.

[John Sanford]

Pretty much all framing carpenters today have a corded, and many have a cordless as well, few are exclusively cordless, if for no other reason than the fact of cost. Those who can afford to go exclusively cordless have likely been in the trades for a while, so they have legacy corded tools. Noobs, who might be inclined to go cordless given the ever improving quality of cordless will be unlikely to spend the coinage on it yet. They both have their advantages, but cordless are closing the gap. DeWalt's newish (1 year old now) 60v Flexvolt saw is a beast, as strong as most corded tools and it has really good runtime. Is it the tool of choice for the guy down on the ground who's spending most of the day cutting? No. But reports indicate that for many, it can do a full day's work on a pair of batteries.

The replacement of most corded tools by cordless will follow a different path than it did with corded drills. The cordless drills soon incorporated clutches, something that was rare (and is even more so now) on corded drills. For most other cordless tools, they rarely have a lot of additional features than their corded counterparts, so the primary advantage is convenience.

I don't have a cordless circular saw yet, but it's on my "want list."

[Ed Labadie]

Just ordered a 7 1/4" DeWalt 20v brushless....bare tool with a free 6amp/hr battery. Time will tell.

Ed