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Circular saw trivia

| Posted in General Discussion on November 14, 2001 01:44am

*
Guys,

Why does a circular saw blade rotate upward instead of downward?

Mike

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  1. Mongo_ | Nov 13, 2001 02:35am | #1

    *
    Serious queation of a joke?

    If the former, I'd venture it's because they took the way the standard motor turned and oriented the motor so that the cutting action of the blade would "pin" the wood against the saw's base plate. Better than having the blade spin the other way, and hitting a knot or something, causing the blade to try to climb out of the kerf.

    If this is a joke...I guess it's on me.

    1. r__ignacki | Nov 13, 2001 02:40am | #2

      *Above the equator, North America, it rotates upward.Below the equator, Australia, it rotates, downward. You heard of down under, right?

      1. Phill_Giles | Nov 13, 2001 02:41am | #3

        *It only rotates "upward" on one side.

        1. Mr._Pita | Nov 13, 2001 02:42am | #4

          *If it spun the other way, the blade would tend to pull itself into the cut, I believe.

          1. George_Ivins | Nov 13, 2001 03:06am | #5

            *Don't quote me but I recall reading somewhere that electric motors only rotated one wayat that time and the motor was put on that side to keep the saw on the wood. We've come a long way!!!!!! I might have my facts screwed up ever since that bump on the head at birth..........

          2. Michael_Rimoldi | Nov 13, 2001 03:26am | #6

            *Guys, No, this is a serious question. I thought I was the only one in the world who didn't know exactly why...Mike

          3. Ralph_Wicklund | Nov 13, 2001 03:49am | #7

            *Lift your blade guard and try to cut a 2x by pulling the saw toward you. This would be like a radial arm saw but without the pinching action of the fence and table. The least little bit of inattention to what you are doing and the saw will climb all over you.Are you sure you use these tools to make a living?

          4. piffin_ | Nov 13, 2001 03:55am | #8

            *Now Ralph, I van't believe you suggested that he try to castrate himself like that! What a messy way to spoil a good thing!

          5. Michael_Rimoldi | Nov 13, 2001 05:33am | #9

            *Ralph, Hey, maybe thats why my business is failing? Now is it the reciprocating saw I cut trim with??? Mike

          6. xJohn_Sprung | Nov 13, 2001 09:33pm | #10

            *OK, the real trivia:The first motorized hand held circular saw dates from 1924. It had no base plate and no blade guard, just a motor with handles and a worm drive. It was intended not for carpentry but for cutting sugar cane. A couple years later they adopted the name Skil Saw, and invented that stuff. The saws didn't catch on all that much at first, probably because they required getting temporary power to the job site. They were used a lot by the military in WWII when a lot of temporary buildings were needed, and having proved their worth they became standard equipment in the civilian building boom after the war.-- J.S.

          7. Scott_R | Nov 14, 2001 01:10am | #11

            *If the motor turned the other way the blade wouldn't cut, DUH.;)

          8. GACC_DAllas | Nov 14, 2001 01:28am | #12

            *OK, the fake trivia:The Skil Saw got it's name from the inventor, Mr. Alexander J. Skill of Milwaukee Wisconsin. He just used one "L" in the saws name because after years of trial and error he only had one finger left in the middle of his right hand. This led to a commonly know hand gesture because of old Alex's hatred of said saw, but that's another story.After leaving Wisconsin (for reasons relating to his one finger wave to his fellow citizens of Milwaukee) he settled his family in the Deltas of Louisiana, USA. He furthered his inventiveness with the aid of his son Porter (he had most of his fingers)and invented the hole saw and the cable saw.He named his new company "Delta" because the people of his home town wouldn't let him use the hometown name of Ryobi, Louisiana (again because of his misunderstood one finger wave). His son Porter, ever being the dick that he was, stole the patent rights to all his family's inventions after his father was shot dead while waving to a policeman.He intended to name his new stolen company "Porter's Big Hole Co." but settled on the name of his eldest son, Bosch. However, his son Bosch left Louisiana after marrying the prettiest girl in town, Makita Johnson (it was a shotgun wedding I'm told), and moved back to Milwaukee.From here the story gets gray because of Bosch's drinking problem (he was driven to drink by Makita's desire to have 50 children). They gave birth to eight sons, Bosch Jr., Klien, Freud, Jorgenson, DeWalt, Stanley, Blackmon, Decker and one daughter Bessey.We have lost track of most of the children since about 1940, but we believe they are in the tool business somewhere.That's all I know.Ed.

          9. Alan_Ray | Nov 14, 2001 01:44am | #13

            *Ask Gabe. he he he

  2. Michael_Rimoldi | Nov 14, 2001 01:44am | #14

    *
    Guys,

    Why does a circular saw blade rotate upward instead of downward?

    Mike

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