Circular saws - left blade vs. right blade

[Bill Spievak]

I've used worm drive saws, all of them have been left blade, and sidewinders that have the blade on the right and and few with the blade on the left. I own one worm drive and one sidewinder. My sidewinder is right bladed and presents some difficulty seeing the cut, but it is lighter and easier to hold when no saw horses or bench is available. I bet that my worm drive, a 15 year old Skill, is 5 pounds heavier than my Mak sidewinder. Cuttiing 2x stock one at a time, I use the sidewinder. That said, when I gang cut the worm drive is all I use, and when I cut without a saw horse or bench with the worm drive I let the weight of the saw make the cut, so I'm only using my strength to guide it.

[Greg Sznajdruk]

My problem is that I'm ambidextrous--it doesn't matter WHAT saw I use or WHICH direction I run it, everything feels equally right and wrong at the same time. If one of you would just COMMIT with enthusiasm to an answer on this, I could just be done with all this waffling, buy the saw you recommend, and feel good about my circular saw finally!

Dave:

I'm ambidextrous too, unfortunatly I can't do anything with either hand.
( An old plum my Dad used to use.)


Greg

[Matt P]

Matt,

So to address your question, by cutting like this the weight of the saw is unsupported by the material after the cut is made leaving you to control the saw by strength.

So with a left-blade saw, if I continue to use my left hand to hold down the keeper piece, the only part of the saw resting on the keeper would be 1/2 of the shoe, with the motor over the scrap piece. Is that correct?

[Kelley Storch]

So with a left-blade saw, if I continue to use my left hand to hold down the keeper piece, the only part of the saw resting on the keep would be 1/2 of the shoe, with the motor over the scrap piece. Is that correct?

If you meant to say about 1/2 an inch of the shoe or so, then yes thats correct.

[John Thompson]

Ditto Tom Veatch's comments on using it from the other side. When I originally thought I thought this thing through, I factored I could just start the cut from the other side to gain the slightly better sight line. So.. the the left sounded like a winner for me on paper.

When I got it home and "dry fired", all was still well with the first "dry cut" across a 8" piece of stock.... But... when I ran it across a sheet of ply to simulate cut down... that feeling of joy "went south" as soon as I had to lean forward reaching the far side.

What I realized is that my strong right hand was holding the saw.. but my left hand would at that point be placed on the good side to help with balance as I made the lean. I am not an NBA player with 5' arms. I felt totally out of control, twisted and contorted trying to keep my balance and I realized that I did not want to deal with this feeling with 15 A's being powered to a spinning blade.

So.. again I re-iterate that it would be best to put a saw in your hand and not only replicate a narrow cut... but a wide one that most of us without sliders use to down-size a sheet of ply before taking to the TS. It just makes sense to me to see how you feel under all conditions you use the saw for before deciding which is good for you.

You have to provide your own answer ito which is best for you is perhaps the bottom line of reality.

Sarge..

[Matt P]

Also, most of my cuts will be not too well stabilized - e.g. the keeper piece on a saw horse, held down by my left hand..

It doesn't seem great that with a left-blade saw, only a little of the shoe will ride on the keeper piece.. ugh.. still confused.

[Mike Cutler]

Hi,
I am right-handed and am used to a right-side blade, where my left hand holds down the workpiece, and the scrap falls off to the right.

If I use a left-blade circular saw, does that mean I have to reverse everything?? - that is, can the body of the workpiece still be to my left as it was before?? But then the weight of the saw motor is resting on the scrap piece?? Not sure I explained this clearly..! I'm confused.

Tx,
matt

Matt.
I use both a Makita right handed saw, and a Milwaukee Wormdrive left saw.
I personally don't feel comfortable having the weight of the saw on the offcast piece, unless it's supported properly. Just me though.
One point I haven't seen mentioned, or missed, is dust. A left handed saw throws the dust up into my face( At least my Milwaukee does). Not a big deal, it can be managed, but it is a difference.
I should mention that I use a circular saw for a lot more than breaking down sheetgoods and cutting 2x4's. I use it in conjunction with an edge guide system to make the initial rips on long boards. To either get them closer to correct size, or ready for jointing an edge.
This probably accounts for how I can get a face full of sawdust.

I like having both available.

[Pat Germain]

I think we're debating something here which is purely personal preference. While only 10% of any population is "left handed", there are also variables. Some lefties, like me, do almost everything left handed. Some mix it up depending on the task.

Thus, whether one prefers the blade on the left, the blade on the right, or likes to have both available is going to depend purely on the individual. I don't care what OSHA or any other safety bureacrats say. There is no right or wrong way in this case. If you're a lefty, but feel most comfortable using a saw with the blade on the right, then you should do just that.

Personally, I hated growing up a lefty in a right-handed world. Even worse were ignorant teachers who (like OSHA) tried to tell me they knew best. When I went to buy a saw, I bought the PC lefty saw because that's what I wanted and it works great for me. I think the suggestion to try a saw first is a very good one. YMMV.

[Matt P]

I guess it just seems that if I am going to do a lot of guided cuts with the saw (using a straight-edge guide), with the keeper piece on the left, that a left-blade saw wouldn't have enough base to keep it stable (only a little of the shoe would be riding on the keeper piece, with the motor over the scrap). So it seems that a right-blade would be the better choice here.

[Billy Chambless]

I've found it easy to see the line of cut on my Milwaukee 6390-20. it's a right-blade saw with an apening in the blade guard to allow the user to view the cut line.

[Brian Weick]

Hi,
I am right-handed and am used to a right-side blade, where my left hand holds down the workpiece, and the scrap falls off to the right.

If I use a left-blade circular saw, does that mean I have to reverse everything?? - that is, can the body of the workpiece still be to my left as it was before?? But then the weight of the saw motor is resting on the scrap piece?? Not sure I explained this clearly..! I'm confused.

Tx,
matt

I think you meant right or left cut setup- I don't believe they make a right or left sided blade as far as circular saws go.
Merry Christamss,
Brian

[Randal Stevenson]

I think we're debating something here which is purely personal preference. While only 10% of any population is "left handed", there are also variables. Some lefties, like me, do almost everything left handed. Some mix it up depending on the task.

Thus, whether one prefers the blade on the left, the blade on the right, or likes to have both available is going to depend purely on the individual. I don't care what OSHA or any other safety bureacrats say. There is no right or wrong way in this case. If you're a lefty, but feel most comfortable using a saw with the blade on the right, then you should do just that.

Personally, I hated growing up a lefty in a right-handed world. Even worse were ignorant teachers who (like OSHA) tried to tell me they knew best. When I went to buy a saw, I bought the PC lefty saw because that's what I wanted and it works great for me. I think the suggestion to try a saw first is a very good one. YMMV.

In America it is considered strictly a choice. Canada, it is a regulation. While I am nearly ambidextrous (like a lot of lefties have to be), I am left dominate. With a right blade saw, the dust would tend to shoot out, right at me, as I would cut. The keeper piece could be either piece, depended on what I was cutting (smaller keeper pieces tended to be the cutoffs so the motor/saws weight was supported). I thought, based on hearing it, that the line of site would be better for me. I didn't then use the site notch, instead I tried to align the blade at the last minute. (wrong thing) Guide systems of any kind (sawboards, EZ, etc) can help with that with either type though.
A worm saw, is a different beast. Its handle is further back and the weight is one the plate, when the saws depth is adjusted to just cut through, the material. The right handers that I knew that used them, didn't use the guards handle as much as us lefties, but most of the users I knew were roofers. They would be holding the saw with their right hand, and cutting down the roof (for board replacement or openings for things as vents, etc). In these cases, the left hand was normally for stablization (the electrical cord, themselves, etc), or to hold their safety lines (on steep roofs).
The problems I have heard with left/right and right/left have been dust issues, and when using a nonfully supported saw, the blade cut towards the user. One user dropped the saw and caught it, finger on the trigger, blade bounced off the leg.

[Matt P]

Randal - "when using a nonfully supported saw, the blade cut towards the user. One user dropped the saw and caught it, finger on the trigger, blade bounced off the leg."

That is a great piece of advice to consider!

[Tom Veatch]

I guess it just seems that if I am going to do a lot of guided cuts with the saw (using a straight-edge guide), with the keeper piece on the left, that a left-blade saw wouldn't have enough base to keep it stable (only a little of the shoe would be riding on the keeper piece, with the motor over the scrap). So it seems that a right-blade would be the better choice here.

If both sides of the cut are supported, as in dismembering a sheet of plywood, then I, as a right hander, like the blade left saw. If the offcut is not supported, as in turning a 12' 2x6 into a 11'9" 2x6 then the blade left saw scares me.

As Pat Germain mentioned, it's entirely personal preference and what you feel most comfortable and secure doing.

Did it understand it correctly? It's against some Canadian regulation for someone to use a blade left saw with the right hand, and vice versa? Pat, I agree with your position, OSHA and other regulation worshiping bureaucrats are welcome to stay out of my shop!.

All my comments are simply my observations and opinions and worth exactly what you paid for them.

[Bill Ryall]

I am right handed, but MUCH prefer a left hand saw. I have a PC with the blade on the left, a Ridgid cordless with a blade on the left, and and older Ryobi with the blade on the right. I used a RH saw for 20 years before switching to the left hand saw. I am much more comfortable with the LH saw in my right hand. I can also comfortably use the LH saws with my left hand, but I have never been able to comfortably use my RH saws in my left hand.