Replies

1. 
   DanH | Oct 29, 2007 09:44pm | #1

   Check weight and balance. Also flatness of the soleplate, and soleplate size. There're not really a right or wrong answer for these (except perhaps flatness), but you want something suited to your use. And if you're prone, eg, to carpal tunnel syndrome you'll want to emphasize low weight and good balance.

   Besides that, a decent case is nice.

   If your view never changes you're following the wrong leader
1. 
   MikeHennessy | Oct 29, 2007 10:36pm | #4

   "Besides that, a decent case is nice."

   Man, we're on opposite sides of the fence on that one. Of all my power tools, I only keep a few in their cases -- the ones I hardly ever use, or the ones with lots of parts that the case accomodates (like the Dremel).

   The rest, once I took the tool out, it never went back in. I kept the cases though -- "just in case" -- for years until one day when I got tired of them taking up good space that I could fill with new tools & I pitched 'em.

   Kind of wondered what the garbage crew thought when they picked up 15 Makita/DW/PC cases neatly stacked in front of my house! I'm betting they were hoping they weren't all empty.

   As for the OP's original Q, I'm currently using a DW sidewinder. I can't wait for it to die 'cause the sole is not square to the blade causing it to bind when using a guide. Also the depth adjustment is a royal PIA. My next will probably be a Makita or Bosch.

   I have an old Skill wormdrive, but I swear that thing's so heavy it breaks the wood instead of cutting it. ;-) I have a PC mounted to a guide rail system. OK saw, but not great (torque's a bit low).

   Mike HennessyPittsburgh, PA

1. 
   DanH | Oct 29, 2007 10:43pm | #5

   Yeah, the importance of the case is a personal thing. I've finally figured out to manage my tools by cases and bags. Rather than everything stacked up in a jumble I'm slowly (as I get other carp out of the way) getting the cased tools in a row on my garage shelving. This way I can clearly see and easily grab only the one tool I want rather than the storage crate with a sith-load of stuff I don't want and maybe the tool I'm after in the bottom.Of course part of this comes from advancing age/PPS, and the recognition that I can no longer toss around 50# crates.
   If your view never changes you're following the wrong leader

2. 
   JulianTracy | Oct 30, 2007 03:57am | #10

   >>Kind of wondered what the garbage crew thought when they picked up 15 Makita/DW/PC cases neatly stacked in front of my house!FYI, if you ever need to get rid of stuff like that again - use Freeclyce.org or Craigslist free ads. Hate to see anything of use get put into the trash pile.Hopefully someone snagged them before they made their way to the dump.JT

1. 
   MikeHennessy | Oct 30, 2007 03:51pm | #11

   I don't remember if they were recyclable -- if they were marked as such, I'm sure I would have put them out on recycle day. (I'm pretty careful about that.) But I didn't realize there would be any use for them other than to hold the particular tool they came with.

   Thanks for the tip!

   Mike HennessyPittsburgh, PA

1. 
   JulianTracy | Oct 30, 2007 03:56pm | #12

   There's always someone who'll take something for free. I've cleared out a lot of #### from my basement using Freecycle. It's an email list yahoo group kind of deal - they are in most areas.Takes a little dinking around with compared to throwing stuff away, but nice to know that stuff is going to use instead of sitting around taking up space in the landfill.Regards,Julian

2. 
   DanH | Oct 30, 2007 03:59pm | #13

   With a hot knife you can cut the liner out and use them for all sorts of stuff.
   If your view never changes you're following the wrong leader

3. 
   MikeHennessy | Oct 30, 2007 05:11pm | #16

   Now that there's a good idea!

   Mike HennessyPittsburgh, PA

4. 
   JulianTracy | Oct 30, 2007 04:16pm | #14

   Imagine if they were Festool containers - those suckers sell used for $40 apeice!J

5. 
   MikeHennessy | Oct 30, 2007 05:10pm | #15

   Hmm. No matter how hard I try, I just can't imagine they were Festool containers.

   That would mean I would have spent $20 large for the tools, and that's just too hard to grasp! LOL

   Mike HennessyPittsburgh, PA

2. 
   csnow | Oct 29, 2007 10:33pm | #2

   I like the PC because it is light (magnesium base plate) and has a vacuum attachment capability.  The Bosch is nice, but the plastic base plate had too much flex.

   Actually, I now have 2 PCs, one left and one right.

1. 
   DanH | Oct 29, 2007 10:36pm | #3

   Yeah, I have a PC because it's lightweight and has a very flat, stable soleplate.
   If your view never changes you're following the wrong leader

3. 
   IdahoDon | Oct 29, 2007 10:49pm | #6

   I love the shape and design of the Dewalt humped back framing saw that looks like a worm drive, but I guess the gears aren't really a worm design.  I've replaced one and the newer is not as smooth running or true between blade and sole plate as the older. 

   If you are cutting from a shooting board it's nice to have a saw that can be shimmed so the blade is exactly true to the sole plate, and the older tracks well and the new one just can't be shimmed any more. 

   Unfortunately the saw isn't that durable, so for use day in and day out I can't recomend it over a Bosch sidewinder.  My older saw has had 5 screw holes strip out and the bearings are on their last leg, whereas a Bosch would barely be broken in.

   My partner has a sidewinder Makita that has lasted for a very long time.  It was just replaced with an almost identical saw and it's just as durable, light and smooth cutting.  If I were to get a sidewinder that's my choice.

   I had a porter cable side winder and gave it away.  To me it seemed hard to adjust, akward to use and heavy compared to the Makita.  I could cut smoother lines with the big Dewalt worm-drive.

   If my two worm drives were taken from me, I'd pick up a new Bosch worm drive, perhaps the mid-handle version that's closer to the Dewalt design.  In 10 more years I'll be ready to trade off the extra weight of a worm drive and the Makita side winder would be my choice.

   Good building

    

   Beer was created so carpenters wouldn't rule the world.

4. 
   DanH | Oct 29, 2007 10:55pm | #7

   Another thing to check out when looking at a saw is how much the soleplate flexes. Some, especially the cheaper units with stamped steel soleplates, have a lot of flex, and this will make the blade tend to wander if you put too much weight on the saw.

   Also, it's been alluded to but not stated explicitly: Check how easy/hard it is to make adjustments. One minor gripe I have with my PC is that the height adjustment is a bit difficult to deal with.

   If your view never changes you're following the wrong leader
5. 
   davidhawks | Oct 29, 2007 11:01pm | #8

   Been using the Makita 5007NB's for years w/o so much as a hiccup.  Last week bought the Makita Magnesium, and far as I can tell, it's a DW copycat.

   Why is it that on so many of the newer saws, the left rear corner of the table is clipped off??????  Not liking that "feature".

   Live in the solution, not the problem.
6. 
   Abm | Oct 30, 2007 02:57am | #9

   Milwaukee Tilt Lok... best saw out there in my opinion. The Makita is also a good tool with the Porter Cable being number three.

7. 
   Hazlett | Nov 06, 2007 02:10pm | #17

    Mike,

    in 20 years i think I have had 3 saws

    milwaukee for about 12 years

   PC-- loved it  lightness--but it burned up in 2 years

    and finally milwaukee for about 5 years now.--it's mildly heavy---but plows through everything.

    I WOULD at least look at Bosch.

    I imediately throw any cases away---except for routers and drills--things with a lot of accessory parts.

   stephen

8. 
   Toolpig | Nov 06, 2007 03:12pm | #18

   Bosch 1677M worm-drive. 

   I had a new Porter Cable "lefty" saw for a few months and had nothing but problems with it (wouldn't track straight, hard to adjust, wrench-less blade change knob sucked, etc.).  It was a noisy bugger, too!

   The Bosch wormy is heavier than other circ saws I've used, but has much more torque and is a dream to use compared to my other saws.  The trick is to find ways to use the weight to your advantage.  There are a couple of archived articles on FHB with tips on using worm-drives.

   Oh, and the "east coast vs. west coast" thing is bull-####.  I live in Boston and see worms all the time.

   TP

    

   Toolpig (a.k.a. The man formerly known as "Toolfreak" and "Toolfanatic")

   
   

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   Edited 11/6/2007 7:14 am ET by Toolpig