Circular saw for a beginner - corded vs cordless

ozaz

I'm getting a bit fed up of hand sawing and am thinking of getting a circular saw.
I've never used one before. Would it be better for a novice to start with a corded or cordless circular saw?

It will be for DIY rather than regular hobby use. I'll be mostly cutting wood, but I envisage occasional need to cut metal.

I've been looking at Evolution R165
Corded version £55: https://shop.evolutionpowertools.com/collections/circular-saws/products/r165ccsl
Cordless version £199: https://shop.evolutionpowertools.com/collections/circular-saws/products/evolution-r165ccs-li-18v-cordless-circular-saw-inc-multi-material-blade?variant=39963054473252

But also open to suggestions of other makes/models

Thanks

pramsay13

What's the purpose of the cut wood? I would probably go for a jigsaw before a circular saw.
Generally the argument for corded v cordless is power v manoeuvrability so depends whether you need the extra power, or if you will always be near a socket.  

ozaz

Most immediate need is to re-arrange my kitchen a bit which will involve some cuts in kitchen worktop. Next is to build a storage bench for hallway. Both will involve relatively long straight cuts.

I don't think I need the power of corded. Cordless is more expensive but I wonder if its better for getting started?

TELLIT01

Unless you are going to use cordless often, or remember to regularly charge the battery even when not being used, I would go for the corded at a quarter of the price. 

GDB2222

The cord s not that much of a nuisance. It’s not like you will be using it up a ladder.

You can change the blade, if you need to for cutting different materials.

Mr.Generous

TELLIT01 said:

Unless you are going to use cordless often, or remember to regularly charge the battery even when not being used, I would go for the corded at a quarter of the price. 

I would for occasional use too, a cheap cordless will be underpowered whereas a mains will do what you want. I use Milwaukee cordless and they are excellent, but I use tools quite a lot when renovating property. If looking at cordless pick a battery platform for all your tools and stick to it, go DeWalt, Makita, Ryobi or Milwaukee or whatever, but stick to a brand so you have a few batteries and a couple of chargers. Once you do this you can buy  tools "bare" that come with no battery or charger so much cheaper.

FreeBear

ozaz said: Most immediate need is to re-arrange my kitchen a bit which will involve some cuts in kitchen worktop. Next is to build a storage bench for hallway. Both will involve relatively long straight cuts.

Cutouts in a (laminate or solid wood) worktop are best done with a router. If you are doing any joints (either straight or mitred), a jig is essential. If the worktop is being scribed to the wall, then a router is needed. But you do need a bit of practice before using one in anger and you must pay attention to the direction of cut lest you chip/gouge a corner.

A circular saw is good for long straight cuts, but you can't do internal corners (that's where a jigsaw is useful).

Section62

ozaz said:

I'll be mostly cutting wood, but I envisage occasional need to cut metal.

The Evolution blade will cut metal, but you need to understand the limitations on thicknesses and shapes before attempting to do that.  In some respects a jigsaw may be better if you plan to cut metal.

Similarly, cutting kitchen worktops requires certain skills - it isn't as easy to do with a circular saw as it might appear.  A jigsaw and router may prove to be a better combination to achieve a good DIY result.

Also bear in mind the wear rates of the Evolution blades when cutting different types of materials. And the cost of new blades.  I have a couple of Evolution saws, but use them sparingly.

Finally, if you've only got limited experience using power tools (especially saws) bear in mind that the circular saw is probably the most effective of all at removing fingers and other body parts.  Personally I'd consider starting with a jigsaw (still quite dangerous) and learn the safe use techniques, before migrating onto a more dangerous beast. Kickbacks and jams will happen, with a circular saw it is vital to know how to deal with them before you experience one for real.

ozaz

Thanks for responses all

GDB2222 said:

The cord s not that much of a nuisance. It’s not like you will be using it up a ladder.

Cord potentially getting in way was one thing I was thinking about. But I was also thinking about kickback which I understand is something beginners in particular need to be wary of. I wondered if it might be easier to control with a cordless saw (due to less power).

FreeBear said:

ozaz said: Most immediate need is to re-arrange my kitchen a bit which will involve some cuts in kitchen worktop. Next is to build a storage bench for hallway. Both will involve relatively long straight cuts.

Cutouts in a (laminate or solid wood) worktop are best done with a router. If you are doing any joints (either straight or mitred), a jig is essential. If the worktop is being scribed to the wall, then a router is needed. But you do need a bit of practice before using one in anger and you must pay attention to the direction of cut lest you chip/gouge a corner.

A circular saw is good for long straight cuts, but you can't do internal corners (that's where a jigsaw is useful).

Initially I'll just be doing straight cuts (e.g. shorten a kitchen worktop in a couple of places) but I will want to start doing joints for other things I have in mind. I'll look into this. 

ozaz

Section62 said:

ozaz said:

I'll be mostly cutting wood, but I envisage occasional need to cut metal.

The Evolution blade will cut metal, but you need to understand the limitations on thicknesses and shapes before attempting to do that.  In some respects a jigsaw may be better if you plan to cut metal.

Similarly, cutting kitchen worktops requires certain skills - it isn't as easy to do with a circular saw as it might appear.  A jigsaw and router may prove to be a better combination to achieve a good DIY result.

Also bear in mind the wear rates of the Evolution blades when cutting different types of materials. And the cost of new blades.  I have a couple of Evolution saws, but use them sparingly.

Finally, if you've only got limited experience using power tools (especially saws) bear in mind that the circular saw is probably the most effective of all at removing fingers and other body parts.  Personally I'd consider starting with a jigsaw (still quite dangerous) and learn the safe use techniques, before migrating onto a more dangerous beast. Kickbacks and jams will happen, with a circular saw it is vital to know how to deal with them before you experience one for real.

Thanks. Only saw your post after my previous post. When you say jigaw and router combo do you mean a clamped straight guide for one side of the jigsaw to slide against, or something more sophisticated?

I have a jigsaw but not very happy with results so far and have preferred just to hand saw for stright cuts. However it's an old one that was given to me and I only have one blade, so maybe I just need to try new/different blades. 

Section62

ozaz said:

Thanks. Only saw your post after my previous post. When you say jigaw and router combo do you mean a clamped straigt guide for the jigsaw to slide against, or something more sophisticated?

I have a jigsaw but not very happy with results so far and have preferred just to hand saw for stright cuts. However it's an old one that was given to me and I only have one blade, so maybe I need to try different blades. 

Use the jigsaw freehand to make a rough cut, then the router to trim to the finished line.  You can use a router jig, or for straight cuts just clamp a straightedge to the workpiece.

No point using a clamped straight edge with a jigsaw as the blade is flexible and will wander from side to side.

The key with jigsaws is using the right blade for the job. Get yourself some new blades appropriate for the material you need to cut (and practice with them).  Standard jigsaw blades cut on the up-stroke, but you can also get reverse-teeth blades which cut on the down-stroke which helps to reduce chipping when you have to cut on the 'clean' side (e.g. making a sink cut-out in a fitted worktop).

On the point you mentioned about kickback and saw power - jams and kickback are typically more likely where the saw is underpowered.  The blade needs to be spinning fast enough to cut effectively - if it slows down because the saw is overloaded, the risk of jamming or digging-in increases.