How to choose a handheld electric circular saw?

A hand-held electric circular saw is a very popular tool, it will come in handy on a sawmill, an apartment renovator, a carpenter lover, and even some summer residents. At the same time, the apparent simplicity of the design should not be misleading: such a tool can differ significantly from model to model, and only a reasonable selection of a specific unit will help to extract all the expected benefits from it.

The device is designed primarily for cutting wood and its derivatives, although many specific models involve working with other sheet materials, including tiles and soft sheet metal. A metal disc with special solders and sharp teeth is used as a cutting part, the number of revolutions of which is several thousand times per minute. Such a constructive solution does not allow the use of a curly cutting tool, but in most cases it provides a very accurate and accurate cut in a straight line.

The weight of the unit can vary from 2 to 10 kg. Depending on the mass indicators and the method of feeding, all circular saws can be conditionally divided into stationary and portable, network and battery-powered. Mains need a working electrical outlet to work, while rechargeable batteries use a battery to power the engine. The design in the form of a round cutting element, which simply does not imply a reverse movement, helps to save battery power, and at the same time significantly increase productivity when cutting. Therefore, all movements of the sharp edge are beneficial, resulting in energy savings of approximately 50%.

An electric saw of any manufacturer and of any class is arranged almost always the same, with the exception of small parts, which already belong to the category of convenience rather than productivity. The main driving part is an electric motor connected directly to the power supply or battery. With the help of a drive belt, the torque is transmitted to the cutting disc, which is mounted on the spindle and can be replaced either due to wear or for cutting a specific material. In the overwhelming majority of cases, the working area of ​​the cutting disc is fenced with a reflective visor, which does not allow sawdust and small fragments of the cut material to fly apart, increasing the risk of injury.

The spindle for the disc and it itself are attached to the cuvette, that is, the body of the unit, holding the cut-off wheel in the correct position. Precise control is carried out using a support attached to the cuvette on a movable hinge. This version of the device of a circular electric saw today is already considered rather primitive, since it does not reflect the popular nowadays desire to make every simple device "smart". Most modern models have more complex parts in their design that are responsible for the safety of the operator and the mechanism itself: for example, some saws are able to turn off the engine when the load on it has increased excessively, or automatically adjust the power,increasing it as the resistance from the material increases.

Choosing one or another electrical appliance, you need to understand two things: for the sake of what tasks it is acquired and what basic characteristics it should have for the sake of their successful solution. In the case of an electric saw, the most important point is usually the engine power: it depends on what size the disk is and at what speed it can rotate. The larger the circles you plan to use, the higher the power of the unit should be, but do not forget that an increase in this indicator also increases the weight of the device. In general, models with an engine power below 1.2 kW are considered to be household and designed only for simple tasks, and units more powerful than 2 kW are considered professional.

The cutting depth is another important factor, because if this value is too small, the saw simply will not take the material intended for cutting. This criterion depends not only on the power of the engine, but also on the size of the disc socket. There are only four main typical sizes: household # 1 (up to 4.5 cm cut), semi-professional # 2 (5-5.5 cm), professional # 3 (6-7 cm) and very rare industrial # 4 (up to 14 cm). Experts advise choosing a cut-off wheel with only a small margin of cutting depth, otherwise it is almost impossible to guarantee the stability of the workpiece and the tool.

The speed of rotation of the disc in the case of dense wood should be as high as possible - so the cut will be more accurate, and the productivity will increase significantly. For cutting plastic, this logic does not work: during operation, the circle can heat up significantly, and the plastic workpiece can melt under such conditions. Expensive universal saws, designed to work with different types of materials, allow the operator to adjust the speed. At the same time, the widespread opinion about a direct relationship between engine power and maximum speed does not always correspond to reality, because in this equation a place should also be found for the weight of the disc. Many modern models also have the function of cutting at an angle. If you are interested in a circular saw for cutting boards or plywood at home, this function is unlikely to come in handy, but for professional construction needs it can be critical.

In addition to the main technical characteristics that affect the production capabilities of the tool, it is impossible not to pay attention to many useful additional functions. In many of today's models, the launch is specifically carried out by two buttons remote from each other. - this prevents the unit from starting up accidentally, which minimizes the risk of injury. The good thing about the smooth start is that the disk picks up speed, albeit quickly, but gradually, which is why the engine does not experience an instant load and wears out more slowly. Many models provide in their design the presence of a special nozzle for a vacuum cleaner, while others even have a stationary device for removing shavings - all this allows not only to keep the workplace clean, but also to prevent dust from getting into the eyes or lungs.

The concept of the best models in the case of circular saws is very vague, because each consumer starts from his own needs. In addition, the model lines of all leading manufacturers are regularly updated, so any allocation of seats does not seem appropriate. With this in mind, let's take a look at several popular models from leading brands.

• Makita HS7601 Is one of the best home solutions. With a modest price of about 4 thousand rubles, this device is equipped with a 1200 watt motor. A disc with a diameter of 19 cm rotates at a speed of more than 5 thousand revolutions every minute, allowing you to cut materials up to 6.5 cm thick. The weight of the device with all the characteristics is quite small: only 4 kg.
• Bosch GKS 190 at a price of the same 4 thousand rubles, it is already a worthy semi-professional solution. Although the blade has the same diameter of 19 cm, a thinner spindle allows to increase the maximum cutting depth up to 7 cm. In terms of rotation speed, this saw is one of the most outstanding, providing 5.5 thousand revolutions per minute. The increase in power and the number of revolutions practically did not affect the weight: it is 4.2 kg.

• Interskol DP-165/1200 - a typical representative of the domestic industry, which is popular due to its lower cost: it does not exceed 2.5 thousand rubles. In this case, the manufacturer offers a household saw with more modest performance than the Makita HS7601: with a power of the same 1200 watts and a reduced disc with a diameter of 16.5 cm, the rotation speed did not increase, and even dropped to 4700 rpm. At the same time, both the cutting depth (decreased to 5.5 cm) and weight (increased to 4.5 kg) suffered, but for this price it is still one of the best solutions for home use.
• DeWALT DWE560 - an alternative semi-professional solution with a capacity of 1350 watts from a well-known American manufacturer. The specified power allows the 184mm disc to rotate at up to 5500 rpm per minute, cutting sheet materials up to 65mm deep. The advantage, albeit insignificant, will be some weight reduction: of all the models described, this is the lightest, since it weighs 3.7 kg.

A circular electric saw is a rather simple tool in technical terms, but at the same time, its improper operation can be fraught with injury, not to mention damage or accelerated wear of the main components of the mechanism. To prevent all these negative phenomena, you should carefully read the instructions supplied with each copy before installing and starting work. Even if some of the provisions from the instructions seem far-fetched or insufficiently substantiated, it is better not to ignore the advice of the creators.

Even before buying, you should carefully study the instructions for the saw for specific working conditions. This is especially true for battery units, which can discharge much faster in severe frost conditions, or, in the case of an old nickel-cadmium battery, have a "memory effect", forcing the battery to completely discharge before charging. It is also important that charging the battery in such units usually takes about half an hour, however, for each model, you can use only a specially released licensed charger that provides the required current characteristics, otherwise a quick breakdown of the battery cannot be avoided. Recall that the battery can be replaced, but it usually costs more by itself than all the other parts of the unit put together.

For information on how to choose the right hand-held electric circular saw, see the following video.