Skill saw setup

This is where it is locked. Place the saw in an inaccessible area if you have kids at home. Using a skill saw can be harmful if you are not careful.

Keep your hands off the trigger when you are not going to cut anything. You might accidentally start the skill saw and cut anything in the way, even yourself. This guide had the complete process of how to use a skill saw. There might be some differences, depending on the model of the skill saw you are using. But the basic steps remain the same. You can use a skill saw for doing so much around the house, from cutting tiles for bathroom renovation to doing DIY woodwork projects.

One reminder: Stay safe while working with sharp blades. Additional menu A skill saw can make any DIY project more manageable, whether it is for leisure or for any renovation around the house.

Table of Contents. How to Install Pergo Outlast? Methods for Wood and Concrete Floors. How to Repair Torn Drywall? My trusty old corded saw has adjustments for blade parallelism, but I rarely see the equivalent on cordless saws. If bolts connect the body of the saw to the shoe, you may have to loosen all of them and re-tighten them with the saw twisted in the desired direction.

Failing that, you may have to carefully bend or pry some of the linkage parts that hold the body and shoe together. You may even twist the body and shoe apart. For the greatest degree of cutting accuracy, you need a saw that will cut straight and true. Craftsman and writer Michael Springer specializes in testing tools and covering the tool industry for construction and woodworking professionals. Based in Boulder County, Colorado, but going wherever the story takes him, Michael crisscrosses the country yearly to visit manufacturers and attend trade shows, and occasionally gets as far afield as Europe.

We attended the world debut of both Hilti Nuron battery technology and updated power tools. They plan to have an expansive and interactive booth in the new Diamond Lot outdoor exhibit area. Makita will present a full range of demonstrations for contractors.

They plan to show off more cordless solutions that deliver lower noise, less […]. The heart of most woodworking shops is a table saw. Even when you have the choice of using a Festool track saw, panel saw, or any of the various types of miter saws, the table saw still reigns king for most woodworkers. Of all the tools, the best table saws provide tons of versatility.

With […]. So this year I finally decided to hack our Christmas tree stand so I could use a power tool to secure it. Finally, push the saw slowly and smoothly over the surface of the material, following along the line you marked. To learn how to make beveled cuts with a circular saw, scroll down! Did this summary help you? Yes No. Log in Social login does not work in incognito and private browsers.

Please log in with your username or email to continue. No account yet? Create an account. Edit this Article. We use cookies to make wikiHow great. By using our site, you agree to our cookie policy. Cookie Settings. Learn why people trust wikiHow. Download Article Explore this Article parts. Tips and Warnings. Things You'll Need. Related Articles. Article Summary. Part 1. There are many different brands and styles of circular saws, but most varieties feature the same basic design.

The Right Blade for the Job Circular saw blades come in several different sizes. Wear gloves and eye protection to keep yourself safe while you work. If you have sensitive airways, strap on a dust mask or respirator to avoid inhaling sawdust. Place your material on a saw table or between two sawhorses.

Doing so could cause severe damage to both your work surface and the blade of your circular saw. Use the central lever to set the blade to the desired cutting depth. Pull the shoe lever in between the two handles all the way down to disengage the baseplate and allow it to move freely.

Setting it too deep will not only force it to work harder, but also leave more teeth exposed, which can be dangerous. Setting the saw blade to the correct depth will ensure cleaner cuts and reduce friction, which can wear down the teeth and leave imperfections in the surface of your material. You have to intuitively and habitually conceive a saw with a pinned-back blade guard as a fast-moving weapon of pain and death, so that even when you're tired or distracted, your instinct can keep you safe rather than relying on conscious memory.

I once saw a guy with a grizzly flap-wound scar on his thigh that was the result of his holding his saw too close to his side, and the blade caught on the handle of his hammer that was hanging from his framing apron. That jerked the saw into a rotation, right into his thigh, and from the looks of things, it penetrated as far as it could go. Another danger is putting the saw down on the floor before the blade has stopped spinning, where it becomes a one-wheeled clockwise-rotating go-cart that heads right for your toes.

Pinning back the blade guard is useful for some precision cuts, because it makes a smooth entry into the wood easier, but use the wedge, and remove it as soon as the cut is done.

The snap-tie method is both less safe and more likely to lead to a dull blade. Reply 6 years ago. Bo88y, it's never okay to wedge or tie your guard open on a circular saw.

There's no reason to either. Circular saws are designed to be used 2 handed, the left hand can hold the guard open safely via the lever and it springs back over the blade as soon as you release it. I've met a guy who will never squat his own body weight again because he severed his quad with a circular saw. It's just not worth the convenience. If you need 1 hand on the job while you are sawing then you are taking a short cut. Stop, use a clamp or a guide and do it properly! Great guide Jay, it's nice how the saw 'foot' doesn't come in contact with the material, mine often leaves rust marks behind coz my saws old and cheap.

Reply 6 years ago on Introduction. Another way to keep the foot from marking up the material is to occasionally run a file over it to take down any "pimples" that may have been pushed up by nicking or rust. Then, a couple of 2-layer strips of masking tape running lengthwise over the foot will hold it up a smidgen above the work.

Wrap the ends of the tape up over the top, to avoid snagging. Most of what I said about the wedge was a warning of what could go wrong, and advice not to use it if inexperienced. But there are reasons that professionals use it, and there are reasons for blade guards' having little handles on them, so that even without the wedge, one can manually hold the blade guard retracted while cutting. Some blade guards will not retract properly on certain thicknesses of material, but will act as a hook that prevents the saw from being pushed forward.

Some saws will tend to twist to the right when starting a cut, because beginning the blade-guard retraction exerts a drag to the right side of the handle. The quality of the work can be affected. If you put the saw against the guard on the other side motor opposite , you will be pushing AGAINST the guide instead of away from it, so the saw will not tend to drift away. Also, on most? With this method, you can use C-clamps to hold the guide down instead of nailing it.

Thanks for submitting this. Good instructions; but I would add one consideration since I had to remake mine a couple years ago. When you make that second cut to generate the base, be sure it is wide enough to allow clamping beyond the saw motor.