Why are 7-1/4 circular saws the standard outside of framing? I know they’re the smallest that can make miter cuts in 2x, but it seems like the times non-framers are going to need to do that you’d use an actual miter saw instead? Meanwhile as small as a 4-1/2” makes a 0/90 degree cut through 2x no problem and is way more portable. What’s the use case everyone has that demands 6.5/7.25” saws? It’s a lot of extra size, especially for the kind of average home gainer use all the cheapo saws out there are for.Wondering this acutely because I want to kit a small saw out with a nail embedded wood blade and… it seems like those don’t come smaller than 6.5”.
>>2864563so buy a 5-3/8 steel cutting blade. negative rake blades are ass for wood though. the little cordless saws dont have the nuts to bulldoze with them
>>2864563Skil wormgear saw or it isn't even worth owning... I do have an old black and decker worm drive saw as well and it is an odd sized blade like 6" or 6.5" you didn't say specifically in your post. Are you looking for corded or cordless?
>>2864619I got a makita worm... well hypoid drive that has a brake, never seen that with the modern stuff. old brakes really were quick.
>>2864619I think I have 3 skil worm drive saws and the black and decker. Two of the skils I bought at auctions for like $15 a piece and went through them and got them back in good shape again. One of them I've abused the shit out of with concrete blades putting saw cuts in slabs, and used with a ferrous blade for cutting steel and it still gets a wood blade thrown on it for ripping shitty old plywood and other wood once in awhile. One is at my folks shop and I use it there if I'm working on something for them, and then I have a brand new magnesium skil at my house that is babied. Pic rel is the ol B&D. It was the first worm drive saw I ever got. It ended up eating the gear after using it for a while, so I went ahead and ponied up for the parts and rebuilt it because it really is a pretty good saw. Hasn't seen much use since I got the others though.
>>2864619Modern high-end cordless saws are more powerful.
>>28645637 ¼" saws strike a fair balance, having more inertia to carry through harder materials. They also allow higher blade speed at the same angular velocity thus improving on cut speed and precision. Smaller saws have to spin at fuck you speeds and kickbacks are hard to control because of the insane torque that the small radius causes.
>>2864619I have a Skil Mag77 actually, it’s powerful but totally unnecessarily big and heavy if I just want to cut down a bunch of 2x. At the same time it’s too small to do anything 4x in one pass and I have to go to the miter saw for that. Like I was saying in the OP, it just seems a weird inbetween size for everything but what it was made for (framing) and I’m looking at getting a compact saw to actually use and not get annoyed. Cordless because why not? I have a few models in mind but was mostly wondering, the only buying advice I’m looking for or mentioned is nail embedded wood blades smaller than 6-1/2.>>2864812This is an answer, how much harder to control are these small ones?>>2864592How are steel blades on wood, or are they the negative rake blades you’re talking about?
>>2865311>>how much harder to control are these small ones?It's far more likely jump out run the run onto of the material
>>2864812This pretty much. When you get to the smaller saws, it becomes like an angle grinder. With larger blades, you can get a higher speed at the teeth with lower RPMs and you have the momentum of the blade spinning to chew through that wood.I have the babby 5-3/8” Ryobi. It’s ok but not super versatile. Even if you’re mostly doing trim or plywood, it’s nice to be able to make a 90deg cut in 2x material since it’s so damn common. I’m a big fan of the new 6-1/2” brushless orange guy I got, tech has come a long way on the cordless circ saws. The cutting depth on that one is about the same as my old Craftsman 7-1/4”, and the magnesium shoe and little brushless motor with some power make the thing nice to use.
>>2864563Miter cuts are your biggest concern? Try tracking pencil marks, following curves, preventing tear-out of thin veneers and hard laminate or melamine, plunge cuts, compound cuts, long rips. >not get annoyedThe only acceptable battery saws for this are the 40v. Regular dewalts drop a battery partway into any cut I need to get done. The mag77 is the real deal. Run a 4 inch saw battery saw for a few days and see if you don't go back.
>>2865730>The mag77 is the real deal. Run a 4 inch saw battery saw for a few days and see if you don't go back.https://youtu.be/q5_x_h4EG-w?t=399
