Why are circular saws left handed

Cheaper to thread the armature and nut with a right hand thread than a left. Originally Posted by ewlsey. I noticed my small cordless DeWalt is the opposite hand of my plug in skil saw, and wondered the same thing. Because when you have a blade left saw, and someone tries to borrow and use it, they get this confused look on their face If you want a right handed saw buy a Skilsaw. I've always had a Skilsaw and I'm left handed so it's always been a PITA and at least one in 10 carpenters is left handed.

Circular saws are hobby saws. Nobody in the trades, that I've ever met, would use anything but a worm drive saw. Anything else has to be replaced every six months. A properly maintained Skilsaw will last an apprentice to his retirement. It's too bad Skil doesn't make a left hand model, that I'm aware of. Skil does still make a worm drive saw, but it's Chinese now, like everything else. The worn drive saws are quite heavy compared to a regular saw. Depends on which side of the planet it is made on!

Just be glad they ain't made in Australia! Years ago I had an art deco late 30's? Can't recall the now-defunct brand, but it also converted to a radial arm saw.

Twenty pounds or so was common in the early days for 8" or so sizes. Most right handed folks support the work on the left and have the cut off drop to the right. Motor on the left means it's supported with the work and not left to drop with the cut off. That pattern stuck with us for quite a while. These days motors and castings are lighter; and a lot of us would rather see the blade and cutting line rather than some almost-right indication on the foot of the saw.

I've always thought that tape measures were backwards, too. Ludasmith , fusker liked this post. Porter cable makes a nice 6" saw, blade on the left- an ideal light weight companion to a wormdrive- it has a dust collection connection also- I used that thing to cut up veneered mdf panels in a condo for a while- very, very nice to not have have that fine powder dust everywhere.

Archerx liked this post. Left handed saw makes it easier to trim your fingernails, nail bed, knuckles, fingers on your right hand. Ask any seasoned carpenter short a few fingers. Big B , fusker liked this post. Originally Posted by Krutch.

I am right handed and I am glad the blade is on the right, because it just feels more natural and right to cut accurately with the blade on the right. This was one thing I didn't like about all worm drive saw, that being left side blade.

The only exception was the 7. Well, I'm a life-long leftie, and have been using right-handed tools all my life. I am more skilled using RH scissors than most right handers I've observed. I grew up in the west and so I learned on a worm drive. All worm drives are blade left except for a discontinued porter cable trim saw which used a worm gear drive. I love to be able to see the cutline with the saw in my right hand.

I also like that the handle is closer to the plane of the blade. This ensures that when you are pushing the saw through a cut it is much more neutral and causes less lateral force and deviation from the cutline. I do have a blade right saw that comes in handy when cutting compound angles Or bevels because in that case the blade is more visible.

The bottom line is that every manufacturer should give us the choice of left or right and in many cases they would sell twice as many saws because some of us like both.

Build them both and we will come. There are equal arguments! I was voice typing and apparently I stuttered? Where is the edit button? I use a saw less than 2 months and during any work I found very discomfortble to use a normal saw on the left hand. The second you feel that the saw is unstable. Last week I cut myself that I almost lost my leg. It was almost in the knee and I could see my bones. How funny. The goal is an accurate cut, and safe work, if a user prefers a profile, let them use it.

Any argument about viewing the cut, or holding the work piece comes down to how you approach the task. There is more than one way from A to B, choose what is best for you. I do notice that in general, I think a bit more about set up with the left handed saw, having done so many more cuts with the right handed saw over the years.

The extra cost for the saw is cheaper than injuries, cost to re-hire, re-train, and also reduces liability by showing the employer has considered the safety of their employees. Sometimes the solution, at least in this example of circular saw configurations and use, is to go from B to A and the problems are solved.

L vs R is not the only variable for me. I typically prefer Bosch worm drives for almost all sawing. Worm saws are SOOO much better at ripping straight lines in sheet goods, presumably because of the way the gears spin and their position to blade and so on. The handle position and greater stability combine favorably with a more substantial weight to present a more controllable and thus safer saw.

This also allows vertical downward cuts that sidewinder saws are less than ideally suited for. Worm saws, with their vastly increased torque levels, deal with the inevitable twists in dimensional lumber quite well. There are even dado equipped worm drives utilizing the same 15 amp Bosch units! Worm saws, especially the types with diamond blade arbors, have noticeably less blade wobble or centrifugal run-out if you prefer. Sawdust in face: I think that sawdust ports or the lack of ports is the main culprit rather than L vs R blade location.

Ex: Bosch CS5, a left-blade saw with port, is notorious for messy sawdust ruining user experiences on what seems to be a pretty solid saw otherwise. Steel and aluminum bend. Right-side saws are fine for track not to be confused with guides setups. You know, with dust-extraction and all.

But not hopeful. Makita used to sell one. Porter-Cable used to sell at least three types. Still waiting. Though Mafell battery powered tracksaws can be ordered with a bit of effort. Not perfect, but still one of the best sidewinders around these days. I was not so impressed with the Dewalt in that regard as the brake seems to take some time to activate once you let off on the trigger.

I did not do a side-by-side comparison with my Super Sawcat — but tried them both about an hour or so apart — and the old Sawcat seem to stop the blade almost instantaneously — while there was a perceptible delay with the Dewalt. I think I also like the line of sight on the blade on my old sawcat. The reference point notch in the front of the sole and blade center are further apart than in sidewinders. Long views like that always provide better reference for straight work, much like using a long hand plane instead of a shorter one for jointing, or a farmer plowing straight lines by sighting a distant object instead of a near one.

My question is for Stuey. My guess is the 6. The old Rockwell — Porter-Cable — while not your typical saw — a a blade-right worm gear saw — alos one of my still favorite saws:.

By the way, some Youtube reviewers are saying the flexvolt circ saw will be available around October but on the Home Depot site they are expecting the saws to ship mid August.

I trust that DeWALT is not going to jeopardize the roll-out of such a big new line of tools by releasing a half baked product so am looking forward to picking one up as soon as they become available.

I prefer left handed saws in my right hand … — better visibility on a blade and the guide…. Right hand, preferably lefty. Never had an issue of cutting my left hand. Not sure how inches further from my left hand makes it so much safer. I put the safety of seeing my sight line and not having to lean over the saw and possibly being off balance. I found a old hard bound catalog. I found a saw in it that I wish they still made. It had adjustable shoes top and bottom. Oh well.

A number of years ago, porter cable made a saw in both left and right. Both had adjustable dust shoots. I believe it had two switches to spin it in 2 directions.

I recall being once told that it could be a dangerous-to-operate tool. I have the adjustable PC with the blade on the left and tough magnesium shoe, etc.

I LOVE that saw. That it was discontinued is a lot like the VHS-Betamax type scenarios, where the superior design failed because of poor marketing and consumer ignorance. You then just attach the correct one for what side you need for your hands, and go to work?

I dunno. I can follow lines on a circular saw just as well with my Left hand on the trigger. For instance, I grabbed the Ryobi oscillating tool because it was the cheapest way I could get a cordless corner sander at the time, and I had been wanting an oscillating tool for a while.

It works great on light to medium weight materials. But I completely gave up on it, even with a brand new blade, cutting stranded bamboo flooring for a heat register opening recently. The Milwaukee had no such issues. That depends entirely on the specific saw being used.

It is not universal to the position of the blade. Some are much better than others at routing the dust away. I believe the current initial model was simply the result of polling. I am a right handed and I like left handed circular saw, when I cut plywood or MDF with very little width, left handed circular saw is the best for me.

Framer 30 yrs,i agree both types of saws should be available. Im right handed and use blade right. I know over 40 framing crews and never seen anyone using blade left to frame houses…battery saws are blade left and are used occasionally for a quick cut…..

Left or Right, makes no difference to me. I drill, cut, saw, screw, plane and paint with either hand. The only thing I struggle to do with my left hand is to hammer. Probably the biggest reasons saws are handed one way or another is that electric motors are timed, as in they will make more power spinning one way versus the other.

This is why I bought a saw called eager beaver back in the 60s the fence folded right or left used it very few times but was handy on certain cuts Still in. Original box just like new. The balance and safety of them is not good for me. That way causes the motor to hang down, messing up my balance. Even more problematic is that some cuts require holding the guard up out of the way and yes I know it is a baaad practice and not safe but sometimes it happens.

I have to reach across the saw and the motor with my dominant hand and grip the saw in a right-handed non dominant for me, uncomfortable grip. A left blade saw solves these issues. Also, my right hand is much safer with my left hand gripping the saw as I push it through the work. I am learning, little by little to push the saw with my right hand, but it is a bit of a struggle. Using mine a lot the saw dust while you are cutting shoots directly up in your face, in your nose and eyes.

What the ——-dewalt? This positioning prevents your arms from crossing over when operating something risky. Right-handed circular saws have their bases sit over your piece of wood, and all cut-offs will fall to the right. Compared to the right-handed saw, the design of the left-handed circular saw is the exact opposite of course—the blade is on the left side and the motor on your right side.

And like the right-handed circular saw, this will allow you to hold the main handle with your left hand and the auxiliary handle using your right, preventing any crossing of arms, which can block your sight when cutting wood.

When using circular saws, it is ideal that you get a circular saw with a blade on the side of your dominant hand. That is obvious. So, if you are right-handed, get a cordless saw with the blade on its right side. The same for the left-handed ones. Why are cordless saws left-handed, you ask? Well, the reason is to prevent, as mentioned, safety hazards resulting from the crossing of arms, like blocking your line of sight when cutting and having your arms over or near the blade guard, which might fail or be missing.

Another consideration you need to take is the placement of your wood when cutting it. You must place it over the side of your wood because when that piece falls, your saw will lose its support. Most circular saws manufactured are left-handed, and you want to know why? Well, left-handed circular saws have notable characteristics that make them better than right-handed ones:. Since the question of why are cordless saws left-handed is answered, the last thing you need to know is that not only circular saws usually come in left-handed designs.

Another saw that is typically left-handed is the worm drive saw—it is another kind of circular saw but with its motor at its rear. Of course, left-handed saws are not the main preference since some manufacturers and brands offer both designs. It all depends on you! You have to consider various and multiple factors in using right-handed, and, more importantly, left-handed circular saws.