Circular Saw Care

[abokolor]

I read some previous posts here that mentioned that proper circular saw care is important. What are the main points in keeping a circular saw "in good shape" to last years?

Thanks

[Roger S. Dillman]

Main advice,Don't abuse your tools. Use only cut-speed rates that don't heat the motor up. Heat is the worst thing for electric motors. That includes blade sharpness. If you are having difficulty getting through a cut,the blade probably is dull. Circular saw blades can be bought for reletively low cost. More expensive blades for doing rough cutting really don't give you much advantage. Some new blades cost less than re-sharpening. Only use carbide-tip blades. Follow the manuals instructions on maintenance and/or lubrication,if needed. Cheaper saws have self-lubricating bearings. They are made to wear out. If you can
afford a higher quality machine,they have access to lubrication.
They will last longer. A saw will only stay accurate as long as you take care of it. A saw that is tossed around,dropped off ladders,etc. will not be worth having,in a short time.

[Ned Mellon]

I check my circular saw regularly for the following:

1. Sharp blade. No rust on blade.
2. Foot plate not bent, edge of foot parallel to blade.
3. Foot plate is perpendiclar to blade when set to 0 degree bevel.
4. Cord and plug are in good shape.
5. Blade guard swings freely. No snags or hangups.

The following things might have to be replaced on a semi regular basis depending on how much and how hard you use your saw.

Power switch
Motor brushes
Power cord, plug
foot plate if it gets badly bent
motor armature, pretty rare

[makito]

take them for a walk so dont get bored

[Tom B]

Hello everyone, I'm new to this site, but I suspect I’ll be here often, I love the tips!
Anyway, regarding circular saw care; my father was a homebuilder for almost 20 years, and I too am now a carpenter, and have inherited his worm-drive Skill saw. He bought it when he first started building, and together over these many many years of daily hard use we have only ever needed to replace the bushes due to common wear and tear. It still runs as smoothly as ever, and cuts beautifully. Anyway, the moral to this story, don’t consider yourself to be doing something wrong if you can’t get a good cut, or have trouble with durability, sometimes spending the extra money on a good saw that can handle the workload is a sound investment. Chances are you will have that tool for many more years than the cheaper brands or models.

[abokolor]

Thanks. Lately when I'm using my circular saw, it will stop half-way into my cut. The blade just stops cutting and starts to slightly "kick-back". I looked at the blade and it didn't look dull. Also, I haven't cut very much on it, but I have had the same blade since I bought the saw about 2 years ago. Do I need to replace the blade?


TIA

[jim (Guest)]

Yeah, a new blade probably wouldn't hurt. Also, it sounds like the blade is binding in the kerf, that's what makes it want to kick back.

You might want to try making yourself a straight edge to avoid binding the blade. If the foot is bent, that could cause binding also.

Good luck.

jim