Cut through a two-by-six or a piece of plywood with a hand saw, and there's
likely to be not just a lot of huffing and puffing, but a meandering line as
well. Yet switch on a circular saw, and the cut will come out straight and
easy.
Circular
saws are the workhorses of any construction job, from framing an addition to
building a tree house. They glide through lumber in seconds, and can be fitted
with an assortment of blades that rip through everything from nail-embedded wood
to concrete blocks and bricks.
The saws come in a variety of sizes, but the most popular contains a blade
7.5 inches in diameter. The blade on most models can be adjusted to cut on a
bevel up to 45 degrees, which is useful in cutting boards to frame the pitch of
a roof. Larger jobs, such as cutting the timbers used for post-and-beam
construction, require saws with blades of at least 12 inches in diameter.
Correspondingly, lighter saws with reduced blade circumference should be used
for smaller projects such as cutting plywood or two-by-fours. Regardless of the
size of the blade, circular saws come in two varieties. More...
Check out our other Tool Buying Guides
Are you looking to replace your faucet? Before you call in a professional, you should weigh the pros and cons to paying for
something that can easily be accomplished yourself. More...
The ToolBox has a fine selection of guides, books and magazines available in our library. They make excellent gifts for the handyman in your life.
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