The best way of enjoying the delivery of any type of saw out there is by using it appropriately. How to use a circular saw, We will be covering some useful points in this article to help you use the saw as it’s supposed to.
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How To Use A Circular Saw For Beginners?
A circular saw/Track saw is one of the commonly used types of saw for general home improvement projects. For a beginner, it is important to have some information at your fingertips. This article will help you with that.
Before you understand how to use a circular saw, you should first understand the basics. Other than the saw anatomy, there are some must-do things. One of them is to ensure that you are not wearing any loose clothing or dangling jewelry. If you have long hair, tie it back.
The Anatomy
Learning how to use a circular saw properly is important. However, it’d be better to understand the basic features of the circular saw first. Here are the common features of a compact or mini circular saw;
- Footplate/shoe. You will find a flat piece that the blade runs through. This is the footplate or shoe, and it will lay on the work surface when the blade is spinning.
- Blade guard. The plastic shield, which covers the blade on the circular saw is the blade guard. This guard will retract automatically when the blade is running.
- Bevel adjustment. You will use this feature to adjust the angle at which the blade cuts.
- Depth adjustment. This is a feature that helps to adjust the cut concrete blocks depth as you wish.
- Laser guide. When you switch on the circular blade, you will notice a beam of light on the cutting surface. This laser beam will help you achieve straight cuts.
Cutting Through Stuff
Now that you have a clue about the major features of a circular blade, let’s see how you can cut with it. But before you even plug the saw into the socket, you should start by setting the shoe on the surface that you want to cut. Also, set the blade right up against the wood. This will let you know where the blade will start to cut from.
Ideally, make sure that the blade extends between 0.25 and 0.5 inches beyond the bottom of the wood piece.
If you are cutting framing lumber, make sure you allow the free end to fall to the ground. Doing so helps to prevent binding. But if you are cutting plywood, ensure that you support the entire piece. You can lay 2 by 4-inch wood blocks across the sawhorses. The plywood can then sit on top.
How To Use A Circular Saw Without A Table?
When using a circular saw without a table, always go for pressure-treated plywood or one that has a high content of moisture. There are also specific circular saws for that. From there, you can fit the saw with the edge guide to make even cuts. The depth of the blade must be set accurately to around .025 inches.
After this, you’ll have to place the pieces of wood on the sawhorses to allow you to cut the wood freely as you wish.
If you want to learn how to cut straight with a circular saw, make sure you slide the shoe of the saw against the rip guide of the circular saw. You may then press the saw firmly against the straightedge as you push it along. A straight board or metal straightedge can be clamped to the sheet to make straight cuts.
Important Tips to Help You When Using a Circular Saw
The best way to get better at using your circular saw is to understand it even better. Here are some helpful tips that will help you as you use the circular saws;
Exploiting the bevel release/Angle Cutting
A bevel release that sits next to the saw allows you to have full control of angle cutting. With the bevel release, you can adjust the angle of cutting easily by releasing it.
Don’t forget about the saw brake
A saw brake is a unique feature that allows you to cut different parts of the wood pieces at a go. What this feature does is pause the saw until you are ready to place the next piece of wood on the panel.
Use support panels to make straights cuts
If you want to make a straight cut on a thin and medium-sized board, the support panels will help you with that. What you’ll need to do is place two or more panels while at it. This helps you to avoid damaging the saw and ensuring that there is no accident or damage as you make the straight cuts.
Always use a cutting guide
Using a cutting guide will help you to cut perfectly straight lines whenever you are using a circular saw. Ideally, make sure you get a good cutting guide for the process. Once you are sure that the cutting guide you good is strong and reliable enough, ensure that you clamp it to the cutting board accordingly.
How Do You Change a Circular Saw Blade?
As you are working on the wood, plastic, or metal pieces on your mini circular saw, you might notice that the blade is broken or damaged. The only solution for this is to replace the blade as soon as possible. Using a damaged blade can lead to bad results. Here is how to go about it;
- 1Switch off the saw and unplug it from the socket.
- 2Check that the saw brake is on.
- 3Once you confirm that, you can proceed to remove the blade accordingly.
- 4 Take the new blade and ensure that it is firmly put in position.
- 5Confirm that everything is okay and that the blade is installed as directed on the user manual.
- 6If everything is in place, you can then plug the saw to the socket and test if the new blade spins and cuts accordingly.
For more, you can check how to change the blade
Final verdict
Don’t forget that you must ensure the saw is off and unplugged from the socket when you are changing the blade. If the new blade is not spinning even after confirming everything is in order, make sure you contact a professional to help you with that.