Cordless circular saws

Fed up using a normal saw.

googled 18v cordless circular saws and there’s quite a few and was just about to buy a makita 136mm lite model and noticed the blades was on the left but the ryobi one is looked at it was on the right, this has really intrigued me why some have the blade on the right and some on the left. But they’re not advertised as right or left handed.

I’m in the makita and ryobi battery system, so will get one from either of these camps.

bit before I do – does it really matter which side the blade is on ?

am I missing something.

and any recommendations for any, I’d like the lightest one possible whilst still able to cut through 2×4’s

Don’t really make much difference….

I had the 18v Makita skill saw and the blade was on the left

Had the Festool 55 and the blade was on the right.

Recently used the Makita 2x18v plunge saw and the blade was on the right.

If you’re already bought into a battery system then it might not be as big a difference price-wise…

But I’ve often heard that for tools you’ll want to attach dust extraction to, it’s worth saving money and getting a corded version.

Certainly for my occasional DIY use I don’t have a problem with my £70 Makita corded.

Thanks, will get on and order one.

Watched some YT vids on this and understand that in certain circumstances a right handed person using a circular saw with the blade on the left may have to hold their piece of wood with the arm crossed over the body, or go at a cut from not the normal end for a right handed use and then use the saw with their left hand so the saw body is supported and not flapping about.

hmm.. my track saw has the blade on the R..and thinking about it, I’d prefer it to be on teh LEFT! (being R handed).

However, it’s on a track, so it’s fine!

DrP

Yep, I’d never even noticed what side the blade was on. Or that different models had the blade on different sides.

Id assumed they were all designed the same

I think at a basic level left blade is better for cross cut saws, right blade for rips (for a right handed person) due to how you hold them. This positioning effects what bit of the blade you can see easily, how easy you can eject dust away from the user/motor, where the weight/support is when cutting etc. I think most top handle saws (generalist/ripping saws) have a right blade, and most framing saws (rear handled cross cut saw) have a left blade for this reason. I would want (as a right hander) a right blade on a general saw, a left one on a framing saw.

I have a Makita DSS501 which gas a 135mm blade and has a cutting depth of 51mm – I like it because it’s not too powerful that you can use it safely one-handed.

I’m now going to have to go into the garage to which side mine is on. It’s makita so assume its on the left as well…

@dovebiker

I have a Makita DSS501 which gas a 135mm blade and has a cutting depth of 51mm – I like it because it’s not too powerful that you can use it safely one-handed.

that’s the one I was about to buy before I spotted the blade positioning on different models.

I have the Ryobi one…. it’s ok.  Blade is on the left as you say, which means that you don’t have to look “over” the tool to see where it’s cutting.  I have a corded Makita tracksaw too, so the ryobi is just used for convenience, where accuracy is not so important.  Have also got a Kreg crosscutting jig that I use with it, which is handy, and somewhat negates the need for a mitre saw.

Edited to say:  Like chainsaws, there is no such thing as a minor circular saw accident.

Would a chop/mitre saw be more suited to cutting 2×4 unless cutting it length ways? You can get cordless ones i believe. Not so compact of course!

Little Skilsaw(5140) I have has got the blade is on the left – This is a great little saw. not hugely powerful 500w and only got a 40mm depth of cut, its fine for 90% of jobs. Small, lightweight, easy to handle and 2nd hand on ebay you’ll pay 20 or 30 quid.

Maybe not suitable for yourself if its 2×4’s

My other saws are a Festool TS55 and a makita 4153 – Both are right side blade

If you’re not used to such things a 2000w 85mm cut is probably more a danger than anything.

I have a Ryobi one. I have a lot of Ryobi tools as I got a job lot off a mate who was a former Ryobi rep.

They’ve done a lot and for their price are decent, but I think there is a significant gap between my expectations of what a circular saw can do and what the Ryobi can achieve. If I was planning on doing more frequent cutting I’d probably replace it

Quick update

bought the Makita DSS501, not cheap and took a few attempts to actually get one,  as a few places offering great prices don’t have any stock.

Got it now, and it is a lovely well made and surprisingly really light tool.

i do also have a chop saw, but I bought it years ago on sale and it’s a large capacity flippable model, so it’s not very portable, is very heavy, nor is it compact ! Don’t think when I bought it, there were many cordless ones available anywhere near my measley budget.