Circular Saw Notes.pdf

Advanced Machining Portable Circular Saws aka Skilsaw                 Common uses for cabinetmakers are for site work or to break-down large sheets o Track saws are now very common for breaking down sheets  Uses a plunge cutting circular on a track, makes very clean cuts Saw blade c...

Advanced Machining Portable Circular Saws aka Skilsaw                 Common uses for cabinetmakers are for site work or to break-down large sheets o Track saws are now very common for breaking down sheets  Uses a plunge cutting circular on a track, makes very clean cuts Saw blade cuts upwards o Cut with the good face of your part down Have a tilting shoe/base for mitered cuts Blade guard retracts automatically o May need to use lever when cutting narrow pieces or angled cuts o Will have to use lever when making plunge cuts Adjustable depth of cut o Lever is on the shoe to the side of the blade Light to medium duty will have a direct drive motor Heavy duty saws will have a worm drive o Has a series of gears o More torque o Longer and heavier saw o Need to use 2 hands (recommended) Some are made for left handed people Size is determined by max diameter of blade Guiding systems are available o Can make your own – straight piece of plywood  Should be relatively wide Notches on front edge of shoe identifies where blade is at 90° and 45° Some have a built-in riving knife to help prevent kickback o Circular saws are prone to kickback if parts are not supported properly o Can be very dangerous if not used properly o Having the blade out of site can also cause serious injury if you reach too far to support the offcut Designed to cut straight lines, not curves, hard to correct a cut, must do so over a distance or restart the cut Diamond shaped arbor hole helps prevent the blade from spinning on the arbor Can be used to cut aluminum, flip the blade and use the backside to cut Making plunge cuts o Nose of the shoe flat on the surface of the workpiece  Always register nose first o Retract guard o Bring saw up to speed o Slowly lower saw down and through the surface and push the saw forward