Battery circular saw
- Thread starter MichaelW2
- Start date
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mistyoptic
Vintage
- Location
- A parallel reality
6½ inch should cope with most things. I'm sure you don't need to be told to wear a good mask with MDF
Cycleops
Legendary Member
- Location
- Accra, Ghana
Rather than the machine itself I think you need to focus more on the blade. Thr one that comes with it might not be suitable for MDF, bit of research might be needed but I would think but quite fine teeth might be better? A quick google suggests 80-90teeth and it appears there are some specifically for clean cuts in MDF.
Electric_Andy
Heavy Metal Fan
- Location
- Plymouth
Yes I would echo the above; if you can find a Freud Diablo blade in the correct size and number of teeth, this will have far more benefit than the saw itself. My (cheap) table saw came with a very cheap blade and even from new it struggled. I spent £30 on a new Freud Diablo blade and the difference is night and day. Amzaon is awash with various brands of blade for about £15 but IME they're all fairly mediocre unless you're cutting rough wood or are not bothered about chipping out.
If buying a hand held circular saw, I'd either get the bare unit only if you already have batteries for another tool of the same brand, or I'd go with DeWalt which I've found the best quality/price balance. They are also very popular which means lots of choice, lots of availability and a wide range of other tools to use with the one battery. Toolstation for example have just done a good deal on combi drill and multi-tool in the DeWalt range. Also ensure that the guide is accurate and of good quality, as this can be a make or break factor with cutting straight lines
If buying a hand held circular saw, I'd either get the bare unit only if you already have batteries for another tool of the same brand, or I'd go with DeWalt which I've found the best quality/price balance. They are also very popular which means lots of choice, lots of availability and a wide range of other tools to use with the one battery. Toolstation for example have just done a good deal on combi drill and multi-tool in the DeWalt range. Also ensure that the guide is accurate and of good quality, as this can be a make or break factor with cutting straight lines
I believe dewalt are ridding themselves of the 18v battery ...this is likely how you may see a few deals on dewalt 18v unit's as you will not get batteries for them soon
MontyVeda
a short-tempered ill-controlled small-minded troll
- Location
- Lancaster... the little city.
good advice.
I learned this a couple of years back with router cutters. I used to think, Why spend 30-40 quid on one cutter when i can buy a set of twelve for a tenner? The cheap ones are OK on softwood but when I got a nice chunk of hardwood to work on, they lost their edge in minutes. I spent more time sharpening than cutting before spending more money on a quality cutter. As you say, the difference is night and day. not only that, but a good cutter will put a lot less strain on the motor, so it's win-win.
Sterlo
Early Retirement Planning
- Location
- East Riding of Yorkshire
I'll second the blade discussion, I bought cheap from Amazon, mainly because I couldn't find my odd sized blade anywhere else, bought 2 different ones (20T and 40T from memory) and they were both next to useless from the off. Supposed to be carbide tipped too! Ended up buying a new saw with a more standard sized blade.
