# Left-handed circular saw



## crquack (Oct 10, 2008)

The battery on my cordless Hitachi (C14DMR) has all but given up the ghost. I have not been able to get a reply from Hitachi re: Availability of a replacement battery. Judging by the cost of other batteries the replacement will cost as much as a new saw. So I went hunting for a new saw. I thought I would get a corded model this time. Then I noticed something strange:

All the corded models in the shop had the motor on the left hand side of the cut line. All the cordless had it opposite. My cordless has the motor on the right which I actually prefer: I can walk along the cut and see the mark with the housing of the saw supported by the workpiece.

With the corded saws one has to stand next to the workpiece and push the saw away from oneself which amongst other things is awkward and obscures the mark. Obviously cutting with the saw supported on the cut-off piece is a no-no.

So the questions are:
1) Why the disparity between the different types of saw?
2) Are there any corded left-handed saws? I think Ridgid has a left-handed worm drive ($$$) and Makita a small 51/2" one (too small).


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## Thrifty Tool Guy (Aug 23, 2007)

Porter Cable sells left-hand saws. They're great for seeing the cut, but I suppose you could argue that feature makes them more dangerous for a right-handed person.

However, I do like my little 345 Saw Boss. Very handy.

TTG


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## GBM (Dec 18, 2007)

I only discovered left bladed saws a couple of years ago... I love mine... years of bending over trying to see where the blade was cutting.... GONE .... 
One interesting thing I found was that most of the bigger gear driven saws were this design...... 
Several companies make them .....


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## Hamlin (Dec 25, 2005)

Take a look at sears. They should carry both.


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## crquack (Oct 10, 2008)

Interesting. I expected to get shot down in flames and told why the motor absolutely *has* to be on the left side.

It seems I am not the only one. Note this new product by Bosch and the "best line of sight" spiel in the description.

7-1/4" Left-Blade Circular Saw/ Model: CS5

It is only Cdn $130 at Fastenal. I might toddle over. If it is half as good as the 1590 jig saw I would be happy.

I wonder if the motor side issue had been identified some time ago but re-tooling the existing production lines would have been too expensive. With the new saw design (cordless, hypoid, worm-drive) this was not the case .


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## crquack (Oct 10, 2008)

Correction: That's $130 US.


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## ebill (Jan 17, 2009)

crquack said:


> Interesting. I expected to get shot down in flames and told why the motor absolutely *has* to be on the left side.


- I always thought the worm drives were blade left and the overhand-direct drives were blade right. Guess your Bosch example blows that theory. 

- On the other hand <G> although I have two Skil 77s in the shop, I find myself now consistently reaching for my Ryobi cordless (18v - P501) which I got along in some package deal with a cordless drill for basically the price of the drill. 

- I did upgrade the blade it came with to a plywood blade, but other than that, I love it for quick cutting plywood and small 'cut to length' uses that don't require a trip to the miter saw. 

- ebill


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## Ralph Barker (Dec 15, 2008)

I'm waiting for one with a laser-guided inertial navigation system that shuts the saw off if it deviates more than a couple of mm from the intended path.


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## Hamlin (Dec 25, 2005)

Hi,

I have 2 skilsaw worm-drives plus a Makita cordless. I prefer the worm-drives over any other circular saw period. Very difficult at best to "bog" these down. The drawback to them is, their weight. My Makita, gives them a very good run for the money. It's done many jobs for me that the wd's couldn't due to their weight and safety reasons. 

I do have an older skilsaw direct-drive that's just plain junk.


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## Ghidrah (Oct 21, 2008)

There are only 2 good reasons cutting from the cut off side of the stock is a no-no.

1, The guard has been pinned or removed from the saw.

2, When you don't have the arm and wrist strength and the confidence to complete an accurate cut.

Left handed carpenters and framers do it all the time, one of the benefits is seeing the cut as the blade moves along the line. One of the drawbacks is wood chips if you don't have eye protection. The only time I ever saw a carpenter or framer with eye protection was on TV. They're impractical due to fogging and sweat drips


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## crquack (Oct 10, 2008)

> I'm waiting for one with a laser-guided inertial navigation system that shuts the saw off if it deviates more than a couple of mm from the intended path.


2 mm? You can do that with an astrolabe. Or sense of smell.


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## crquack (Oct 10, 2008)

A Postscript:

The CS5 Bosch saw was featured in the RONA flyer this week for $119. I sort of anticipated what was going to happen but went there anyway. You guessed it: Not only did they not have the saw, the computer showed that none of their stores had the saw either.

This is the third time this scenario happened with three different items (I think I posted about the Porter Cable saw and the RONA routers).

Once is happenstance, twice is coincidence, third time is intent: Is this the way for Rona to get people into their store under false pretences in the hope that they will buy their other crap once in?

One particularly moronic employee asked me: "Do you know how large RONA is?" My answer was: "Do you know much I do not care?"


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