A sturdy small circular saw? 5 1/2 inch?

[Stephen Tashiro]

I'd like to purchase a small circular saw to replace my Craftsman 5 1/2 inch model 135.27540. The saw will mainly be used for cutting plywood.

I'd like to avoid the problem that I've had with the Craftsman saw and cordless saws. In the abusive treatment that I apparently give lightweight circular saws, the bases always get bent or out of alighment. I don't have this trouble with my larger Makita and Porter Cable circular saws which have fairly substantial bases. But the thin metal on the bases of cordless saws is easily bent. I don't see that the base of my small corded Craftsman saw is bent, but the face of the blade is no longer parallel to the edge of the base and there isn't any adjustment provided to correct this.

The picture of the Skil HD5510 saw that I see on Amazon makes me think that the base on that saw is as insubstantial as the base on my Craftsman. Can any owner of that saw tell me if my impression is correct? And does anyone know of a lightweight circular saw with a sturdy base? -or with adjustments for the position of the blade relative to the base in multiple directions?

[Simon Dupay]

Might want to look at the PC 314 also it's a classic.

[jim tracy]

I have used the Porta Cable 345 - 6" Saw Boss for ten years and I must say it is my go to circular saw. It is a great little saw!

[David DeCristoforo]

I think you will find that most of the small circular saws employ a similar construction for the bases and their adjusting mechanisms. They are typically stamped steel and I have never noticed any one being heavier or "better" than any of the others. The key here may be in your statement "In the abusive treatment that I apparently give...". The small circular saws are intended to be lightweight and easy to handle. Perhaps you might want to consider a less "abusive" way to handle them.

I would second the recommendation of the PC 314. Very nice little saw. I have an older one which does not have the variable speed "feature" of the newer ones. Fine with me since it's one less thing to break and I cannot imagine anything less useful than being able to make the blade spin slower. Maybe if you are using it to cut metal or stone.... I also am not a big fan of the battery powered saws unless you simply cannot reach your work site with a power cord.

[Robert Meyer]

Originally Posted by Stephen Tashiro

I'd like to purchase a small circular saw to replace my Craftsman 5 1/2 inch model 135.27540. The saw will mainly be used for cutting plywood.

The picture of the Skil HD5510 saw that I see on Amazon makes me think that the base on that saw is as insubstantial as the base on my Craftsman. Can any owner of that saw tell me if my impression is correct? And does anyone know of a lightweight circular saw with a sturdy base? -or with adjustments for the position of the blade relative to the base in multiple directions?

I have the Skill HD5510 and while the base plate is stamped steel it isn't any weaker than my big Milwaukee that I dropped from about 5ft onto gravel and broke the casting. I take very good care of the little Skill and feed it sharp carbide blades and it just keeps chugging. I only use a larger saw for 4x4 posts etc. I wish I had bought the Skill years ago. The small worm drive PC saw is nice but difficult to get non PC blades for.

[Brian Penning]

It's not 5,5" but a great little saw,,,
http://www.toolsnob.com/archives/200...raming_saw.php

[Stephen Tashiro]

I'll definitely have to reform my abusive ways if I buy a saw costing hundreds of dollars. To use the PC 314, I'd also have to reform my primitive jig for guiding the saw. I use a strip of aluminium on a pair of 3/4 inch boards. (The spell checker software on the forum wants me to write it as "aluminium" instead of "aluminum". ) There wouldn't be much depth of cut left if I went to a 4 1/2 inch blade.

I'll look at the Rigid Fuego saw. At 13 lbs, it is heavier than I want for this purpose, but maybe it will replace my larger saws!

[harry strasil]

In one of the Wood Mags a few issues back there was an Ad for I believe a Milwaukee that they dropped from 2 floors up with no damage.
Might have been one of the special issues, it was close to the back.

[Steve Kohn]

Originally Posted by jim tracy

I have used the Porta Cable 345 - 6" Saw Boss for ten years and I must say it is my go to circular saw. It is a great little saw!

+1 Used with a plywood blade this is the saw I use to break down plywood sheets.

[Don Orr]

Give the Rigid 6 1/2" circ saw a look. I have one and like it. Solid base that is supposed to be unbreakable. Uses same blades as cordless circ saws-thin kerf. Good saw, good price, good warranty.

[Mac McQuinn]

The Ridgid Fuego weighs just over 8 lbs......not 13. I've had one for 6 months and it's the best sidewinder circular saw i've used. Amazing how little resistance there is when running through plywood. I also use it w/ a guide to cut down ply before running through my TS. Very smooth and controllable. Worth taking a closer look.

Mac

[Stephen Tashiro]

Thank you for pointing out the correct weight, Mac. I was reading the shipping weight of the package instead of the weight of only the saw. This makes it an even more interesting choice.

I looked up the Skil HD5510 on eReplacementparts.com and I think my old Craftsman 5 1/2 inch saw is essentially the same tool. Thinking back on how the alignment of of the Craftsman saw got out of whack, I remember that after using the saw for awhile, I noticed that the metal part that has the slot involved in the depth adjustment wasn't riding parallel to the body of the saw. It set at an angle and made it hard to do the depth adjustment. I straightened it so the saw moved up and down smoothly. I think that mistake threw the alignment of the side of the base and the blade off. I don't feel too guilty about this. The saw should have been made so the depth adjustment worked.

I also looked up the Makita 5005BA 5 1/2 inch circular saw. My interpretation of the design of that saw is that the aligment of the base to the blade is controlled by a more substantial pivot on the front part of the base and does not depend on the metal band that has the slot involved in the depth adjustment.

[Chip Lindley]

Originally Posted by Stephen Tashiro

I'll definitely have to reform my abusive ways if I buy a saw costing hundreds of dollars. To use the PC 314, I'd also have to reform my primitive jig for guiding the saw. I use a strip of aluminium on a pair of 3/4 inch boards.... There wouldn't be much depth of cut left if I went to a 4 1/2 inch blade.

I recommend the PC 314, as David above does! I <3 My little 314 for thin sheet goods! It is a worm-drive saw and surprisingly powerful for it's size!

While you are reforming your abusive saw-handling ways, you might as well make a new straight edge jig to fit your smaller saw. Keep the aluminum (aluminium too) and lose the 3/4 board for something much thinner, like 1/4" *tempered* hardboard. NO Straight Edge Abuse either !!

Each circular saw is different, and your old straight edge jig probably won't fit the base of any other new saw anyhow! I made my jig of some commercial aluminum window frame stock from a glass dealer's recycle bin. It is about 1/4" thick by 2" wide and 9' long, attached through the bottom with countersunk flat-head machine screws and nuts, to 1/4" hardboard 8' long,

The saw is run against the aluminum straight edge and trims the hardboard exactly with the saw blade. Now the jig can be clamped on a line for very exact cuts. Just remember if you are cutting inside or outside the line!!

[scott spencer]

Stephen - I recently acquired the Skil HD5510. For a $120 saw it isn't overly impressive, but it is small, light, left bladed, etc. Blade selection in the 5-1/2" range is limited, and the steel blade supplied by Skil is as bad as they get. When I complained they did promise to send me a 24T carbide blade, but I'm not expecting much from that either. I bought an Oshlun 24T that fits well and cuts like a 24T blade. I ended up removing the guard, and putting a 6" Freud Diablo 40T on it for a better cut (I'm not suggesting that anyone remove their blade guard, just stating that a better blade will fit if you do)

Have you considered the Ridgid Fuego R3400 Pro Fiber Cement saw? (~ $169) It's ~ 9#, 8 amps, 5" blade dia, 5/8" arbor, DC port, magnesium base, right blade. The biggest drawback might be finding blades suitable for plywood for it, but if you're not opposed to enlarging the bore, or having that done, it'd open up more possibilities. I have not tried this saw, but it did enter my mind....hopefully that aren't any other drawbacks that I've overlooked.

[Curt Harms]

It looked interesting due to what looks like excellent dust collection. 1 R'uh R'oh though--no load speed is listed as 9250 RPM. Aren't most saw blades limited to around 5500 RPM? On a related note, I noticed Tommy & crew were using Ridgid tools on that show. Sponsorship change?