What to saw

What can you do with a board? For example, sawing. We measured it all seven times that way, marked it out, saw it. We saw, of course, with a saw, but which one? Saws are known to be hand, electric and gasoline..

Let’s first figure out that there are hand saws. There is enough of this good in stores and markets, and domestic copies are not inferior to similar imported ones. Finally, we have learned how to make durable canvases and more or less comfortable handles that do not rub calluses on their hands when working. By the way, the price of “our” and imported saws does not differ very much. In one of the next issues, I will definitely tell you more about hand saws, but now I want to give a couple of useful tips on what you need to know first of all when buying a hand saw.

Firstly, never buy hacksaws or replacement blades (especially for metal) made in China. They saw badly, but they break well – apparently due to a violation of the hardening technology. This is money thrown away.

Secondly, the so-called “self-sharpening” saws are now on sale. As the sellers explain, the saw “sharpens itself during operation due to friction against the material being processed.” Therefore, they say, such a saw always remains sharp. Do not believe – miracles do not happen. It’s like your car will not only consume fuel while driving, but also generate it itself. The “secret” of these “miracle saws” is ridiculously simple: the blade is made of a harder material than usual, and therefore remains sharp several times longer. But keep in mind: when the saw does get dull, it will be very difficult for you to sharpen it again – precisely because of the hardness of the material! (By the way, sharpening an ordinary hacksaw with a file and a file is not difficult – technologically. Describing this process on paper is a thankless task. In any village there is a craftsman who will gladly explain this to you “on the fingers”.)

Move on. Next on the list are electric saws. There are many models from different manufacturers, which naturally differ in price and quality. It is clear that the main difference between the existing types of electric saws is the principle of operation, but almost all of them (to a certain extent) are interchangeable.

Let’s deal with their classification. Electric saws, like everything else in this world, are imported and domestic. Imported ones are divided into disk (circular), jigsaw, miter (the principle of operation is the same as that of disk), saber, chain and carpentry electric hacks. Domestic ones are divided into disk, jigsaw and chain. Other species, at least to me, are unknown.

Let’s start with circular saws. The cutting tool in them is a metal disc with sharp teeth, which rotates at high speed around its own axis. The circular saw is used to make long, straight cuts. The saw can be held in your hands and moved relative to the surface to be cut, or you can fix the saw in the bed and move the workpiece itself (for large volumes of work, it is best to do this).

Circular saws are very useful for summer cottage construction and repair. For example, a specific case.

I have one friend – a man with golden hands. He earned very well – he worked hard from dawn to dawn. And he spent the long-awaited vacation in stuffy Moscow. Sometimes, of course, I went to some resort, but…. A person did not have a soul for such a rest. And he decided to build himself a house in the suburbs. I bought a plot, put a log house, began to attach a terrace. Well, then – the story is painfully familiar to everyone: crisis, job loss, casual and insignificant earnings … In general, the frame for the terrace is made, but there is nothing to cover – there is no “gold” reserve.

And then a miracle happened! The peasant had the opportunity to “privatize” an unedged board in a quantity sufficient for upholstering the terrace. Well, he, of course, privatized this “croaker”, and then what? To cover the terrace with a croaker? Ugly. Such a structure will look more like a shed, but, as you know, a terrace is needed. It was then that the “circular” bought in the best times came in handy (I don’t know what model). In short, a man sawed a normal edged board out of this firewood – not “super”, of course, but quite “at the level”. He poured a terrace, and still remained in the barn. And at leisure, my friend started counting. It turned out that in the end he fully recouped the cost of his saw. This summer the man is quite successful in “messing around” with the help of his “circular”, that is, he makes a net profit. Here’s a story.

But just in case, I warn you: a circular saw pays off pretty quickly if you are engaged in construction seriously and for a long time. When performing “piece” work, it is worth buying a household-class saw and cheaper, you can use it.

Now about the different types of circular saw blades. First of all, discs are available with carbide-tipped and un-tipped. Unsoldered discs are usually used to obtain clean and beautiful cuts in soft wood. This disc will not cope with hard wood, and even more so with metal. If a nail is accidentally caught in the board being sawn, the disc will remain “without teeth”. It is impossible to revive it: “false jaws” are not released for these purposes.

In this sense, carbide-tipped models are much more interesting. Such a disk will easily cut a nail that has fallen on the tooth and will calmly continue its (your) work. But here you have to come to terms with the fact that, working with such a disc, the cut is not very clean, even slightly “shaggy”.

About the shape of the teeth: they are, I’m not afraid of this word, active (positive sharpening angle) and passive (negative sharpening angle). Let me explain: if the tooth is bent, as it were, in the direction of rotation of the disk, this is a positive sharpening angle; if against the move – negative. A positive angle allows you to cut wood, wood with nails, plastic, etc. A negative angle will be able to cut, for example, tin and copper. Theoretically, it is possible to cut wood with such a disc, but the cut is very “shaggy”: the teeth do not cut, but tear the wood fibers. So before choosing a disk, you should decide what kind of work you need it for? And sellers will suggest a specific model.

Now about specific models. I am pleased to note that circular saws are produced in Moscow, which are not inferior to imported counterparts either in design or reliability. Power 1200 W, disc 200 mm, cutting depth up to 65 mm, equipped with a protective cover. The price at the beginning of summer was about 1300 rubles. Manufacturer – Moscow Radio Engineering Plant. A similar model is produced in Perm, the price is the same.

About imported models, I can say that nothing fundamentally new has been invented lately. But I will tell you about some models.

Black & Decker. Model KS 865

Power consumption 1200 W, blade diameter 184 mm, cutting depth 65 mm, 2 blade speeds (2700 and 4000 rpm), complete with carbide-tipped saw blade and protective cover. Also, the model is equipped with a parallel stop (from the bottom for more accurate guidance of the saw on the board). 2 year warranty. Price approx. DM 280.

Bosch. Model PKS 66 CE

Amateur-grade electric saw. Power consumption 1400 W. Blade with a diameter of 190 mm, cutting depth up to 66 mm, stepless speed control from 1800 to 4100 rpm, complete with carbide saw blade, parallel stop. The control electronics provide constant torque under load as well as soft starting for precise cuts. Weight 5.2 kg, 1 year warranty. Price approx. DM 290.

Makita. Model 5703 R

Power consumption 1300 W, disc diameter 190 mm, cutting depth up to 66 mm, disc rotation speed 4800 rpm. Weight 5.2 kg. Includes carbide disc and rip fence. Price approx. DM 460.

De Walt. Model DW 62

Industrial power saw with cutting depth up to 62 mm. Disc with a diameter of 184 mm, power consumption 1150 W. No load speed 3800 rpm. Weight 5.0 kg. 1 year warranty. Price approx.DEM 325.

Bosch. Industrial model GKS 66 CE

Power consumption 1600 W, blade diameter 190 mm, cutting depth up to 66 mm, smooth speed control from 1800 to 4100 rpm, control electronics, overload protection. Weight 4.8 kg. 1 year warranty. Price approx.600 DM.

Skil. Skilsaw 5140

Power consumption 1000 W, cutting depth up to 40 mm. Disk rotation speed 3500 rpm, weight 3.9 kg. 1 year warranty. Price approx. DM 150.

Atlas Copco. Model K 66 SE

Power consumption 1500 W, blade diameter 190 mm, cutting depth up to 66 mm. Control electronics, soft start. Disk rotation speed from 2000 to 5000 rpm. The set includes a carbide disc and a key for changing it. Weight 5.7 kg. 1 year warranty. Price approx.680 DM.

Milwaukee. Model 6365-2

Power consumption 1450 W. Disc diameter 184 mm, cutting depth up to 84 mm. The rotation speed of the disk is 5800 rpm. Weight 3.2 kg. 1 year warranty. Price approx. 450 DM.

More about models. Here I have cited the most interesting of them, but this does not mean that they can be seen in all stores and construction markets. There, as a rule, copies are sold that are simpler and cheaper. With these simple, cheap power tools, we decided to put on a kind of experience or, as it is fashionable to say now, we conducted a “rating”. The essence of the process is as follows: we took two models of each of the above manufacturers (from those that can be purchased on the market), equipped them with exactly the same saw blades (domestic production), brought to the editorial office several identical spruce boards 6 meters long and 50 mm thick. And then we chose a “group of comrades” from among the editorial staff (including beautiful ladies) and suggested that they take turns sawing the board lengthwise, using the available electric saws. Then each model was assessed on a five-point scale and an average score was derived. Here are the results of this test.

Black & Decker. In general, the impression is good, although there are some drawbacks, especially noted by the weak half of the editorial team: not a very comfortable handle (for a person with a small palm, it is not at all comfortable), a sufficiently high level of vibration – it is difficult to keep the saw exactly on the cutting line. Result – 3.75 points.

Bosch. Amateur-class electric saws are recognized as more comfortable to hold in hands than the glorious representatives of professional saws. Slightly higher noise levels than Black & Decker, but the vibration is lower. Result (collectively amateur / professional class) – 4 points.

Makita. A very good experience. The team decided that the only drawback was the rather high price for this model. Result – 3.75 points.

DeWalt. I liked this model, perhaps more than anyone else, the design is not bad and the handle is comfortable. The noise and vibration level is low, the model is suitable for comfortable long-term operation. The price for a power tool of this class is quite acceptable. The only drawback noted by our ladies is the yellow color of the case. Say, it will quickly get dirty and will be ugly. But, on the other hand, an instrument of such a bright color is clearly visible in the grass – you won’t lose it. Result – 4.5 points.

Skil. Opinions differ greatly here. On the one hand, it is very similar to an amateur model from Bosch, but too “clumsy” processing of the case, on the other hand, it is quite an acceptable price. Result – 3.5 points.

Milwaukee. An extremely rare visitor to the Moscow markets. I got this copy, according to the seller, quite by accident. The impression is good, but the price is unreasonably high. What are we overpaying for – is it not clear? It is declared that we pay for quality, but this brand is new for the Russian market, and consumers’ opinion on this matter has not yet been formed. But in general, it is a rather easy-to-use electric saw. Result – 3.75 points.

Electric saw manufactured by the Moscow Radio Engineering Plant (MRTZ) makes a very good impression for its price. Of course, there are certain disadvantages (who doesn’t have them?), But for the money they are all very insignificant. Result – 4.25 points.

Atlas copco. I have not found models from this manufacturer either in the markets or in stores. True, in the representative office of the company they told me that I was not looking well, but they agreed that the appearance of this brand in retail is an infrequent phenomenon. Therefore, we have not yet been able to test these electric saws, but in the future we will definitely test and tell you.

Speaking about circular saws, I want to emphasize: each model is designed to use a blade of one specific diameter. You simply cannot install a disc with a larger diameter, and a disc of a smaller size is unacceptable for safety reasons: in this case, a gap forms between the disc and the protective casing, into which a finger can accidentally fall. Considering the speed of rotation – without a finger, you will be instantly.

Jigsaw electric saws, as well as saber electric hacks, can be no less useful in the household, and a chain saw can be useful, but more on that another time.