85mm saw choices

[Peter907]

I have a large, heavy circular saw, which is fine for big plywood sheets, but most of my work is small, so I'm in need of a small convenient circular saw and looking for advice.

The following item has good reviews and I love the idea of the handy mitre base that I think would be very useful for me. But this saw doesn't tilt which might be a slight inconvenience.

Wolf 89mm Compact Circular Saw 705w Precision Mini Plunge Saw + Metre Base, Laser Guide & 3 Blades Amazon.co.uk

Then I spotted this Bosch that is cordless, takes the same batteries I already have for drills, and it tilts. Since I can buy the mitre base above separately, does anyone know if the Bosch will fit the Wolf mitre base.

Bosch Professional 06016A1001 GKS 12 V-26 Cordless Circular Saw (Without Battery and Charger) - Carton, 33.8 cm*21.0 cm*13.2 cm https://amzn.eu/d/6pNLa5b

Any comments or advice about these or similar sized saws will be much appreciated.

 

[Sideways]

Please tell us about your applications.

If it's for sheet material of any real size, then there conventional circ saws small enough for single handed use - corded or cordless - with more power and stability.

If it is for cutting boards upto 2-3 feet on a side, a small tablesaw would be my choice as the wood is small enough to take to the tool and you should have a far cleaner cut, be it for furniture or toy making.

If you are making short cuts to fit inbuilt cupboards or some such, then a jigsaw or multitool is a more versatile option.

I'm not sure what the small blade circ saws excel at. They are small for so many jobs and a 12V battery tool will be light but isn't going to cut many feet of anything very thick. If it can't cut far, thick or accurately then a good handsaw will do the same for much less.

 

[Homeless Squirrel]

Not a lover of Bosch these day's apart from the Uighur issues in China as that's where most made now!
Quality is pants on many of there tools. Did look at a saw while back on offer but then checked reviews came back Structural integrity of an Airfix Kit or less!
Go look at Lidls they have a trim saw in middle isle there kit is ok esp for DIY but many trades use and find spot on.
I don't like Amazon for various reasons plus find expensive and they push you into things like Prime if your not on it! but can sometimes get a deal?.
If find anything you like just type model details into search and often find so many deals as did that when was looking for Led Lenser headlight took me to tool sites also which had one selling model above for around same price as lower one then found them on ebay used my %15 off code which made a great deal.
Did same with cordless Maki Recip and 5" paddle switch grinder.
FFX/Toolmate etc often have deals plus can see whole ranges so can choose something more to purpose of your needs.

Like you ive a Big saw which is really too big for my needs Makita 5903 but got myself a maki 18v 680 which is great plus pretty light.
mind for cutting small things/areas can use the Fein multi tool even.

 

[Peter907]

@Sideways thanks, I'm not experienced with woodworking, but enjoy it and keep practicing and improving. This saw would be used for all manner of small things I want to make, like bird tables and bird boxes, wooden toys and box type things etc. My daughter has also just commissioned me to do some wall panelling on the lower part of a wall and down a staircase at her house, so I would be cross cutting at right angles and other angles some approx. 12mm thick x 150mm wide PSE, no long cuts. If I ever need to cut up sheets of ply, I have my big circular saw. The main thing is that the small saw is convenient and handy, and it doesn't need to be fast because I'm a slow woodworker with plenty of time now I'm retired .

I won't even consider a table saw as I'm sure I'd lose a finger sooner or later . I nearly lost one to my jigsaw last year, but at least it gave me such pain that it taught me to respect tools more and to take a break at the first sign of frustration!

 

[TheUnicorn]

going back to the original question of whether the bosch saw would work with the wolf base, I couldn't say for certain, but I would say most likely not, whilst they might be approximately the same size, unless they are made in the same factory and put into different boxes they would most likely not be precicely the same size (the exception being something like the katsu router which is modelled exactly on the similar makita version).

 

[Inspector]

I was given a similar saw over a decade ago as a Christmas gift. I have rarely used it and it would never be a saw I first think of using. With the blade being ahead of where you hold, plunging is not an easy one handed operation. Starting a plunge in the middle of a board or sheet means holding the base so it doesn't slide around while you try and plunge. Not a good place for digits. It certainly isn't a saw for working with little pieces. It does come in handy where you want to get into a small space or close to a wall but I reach for other saws including hand saws first. If I didn't have it I wouldn't miss it and I just went into the shop and couldn't quickly find it so it has become buried or hiding in the garage instead. Shows where it sits in the pecking order of things, at least for me. My go to saw has always been a solid cabinet saw that I have a healthy respect for but no fear of. Guess it is the way we start out. Just because the little saw you are looking at seems small, handy and looks controllable, don't be lulled into thinking it safer than another bigger machine. They can still have a savage bite. Mine didn't come with a mitre base so I can't speak to that. I do remember seeing a little track saw like the Bosch you linked that I thought would be more useful but haven't seen one since.

Pete

 

[HamsterJam]

I have the 85mm Bosch. Not the most accurate saw but very handy for cutting stuff approximately to size and great where there is no power available (eg trimming fence boards or cutting sheets down to fit in car.)
Also useful for tight spaces although a jigsaw is just as good.
It is compatible with the Bosch guide rails but I just use a straight edge.
Battery life is surprisingly good.

 

[deema]

Get yourself a panel saw, very little chance of cutting bits off, very easy to sharpen: I’ve written a thread on here about how to sharpen hand saws. You want to look on auction sites for a nice old saw, but you can start with a modern disposable.
For short stuff I always use a handsaw, by the time I’ve got out a circular saw plugged it in, I will have finished the cut with the handsaw. Nice and quiet, no sawdust thrown everywhere, just a small pile under where your sawing. No need for a dust mask. Neighbours not disturbed, and best of all you can reduce blow out on the back by angling the blade very close to horizontal.

 

[Peter907]

Having taken in all your valued comments above, I've decided to save some money, for now, and take a different tack.

Since I'm looking for something safe to use and do accurate cuts on smaller pieces of wood, I thought it was about time I put some effort into learning how to use one of these properly...
Spear & Jackson 9550B Traditional Brass Back Tenon Saw, 12" x 15pts Amazon.co.uk

 

[Spectric]

Those small saws are ok for cutting out dot & dab plasterboard to fit back boxes and such.

 

[Inspector]

Look into the Nobex line of mitre saws. It is a handsaw setup that gives you accurate cuts including small work. They aren’t meant for ripping but if you can figure out a way to hold it it would rip short pieces. Depending on the model cost $100Cad to $300Cad. You can do the conversions. You can also look at the old/vintage/antique ones if you prefer.

Pete

 

[deema]

I wrote this a while back, the picture locations have been disturbed during one of the site upgrades, but I believe it’s still easy to follow.

https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/thread...and-re-teething-of-a-99p-saw-completed.98494/

 

[Peter907]

@Inspector thanks those Nobex saws look good. Better than the cheap ones limited to 45 and 22.5 degrees. I'm having a look at some used ones on eBay. Could be a cheap yet accurate way to go .

@deema thanks, looks like a very detailed and useful thread that I shall return to when I've worn out this new Spear and Jackson saw.

So far, I'm not getting on very well with this new tenon saw. It is sharp and cuts reasonably cleanly, but I'm struggling to keep it accurately on line. Need to persevere and get some more practice with it. This woodworking is a very interesting learning curve for me, but I do like trial and error, preferably with less of the error .

 

[deema]

First don’t worry about cutting to a line, focus on cutting straight and true. The most important thing to cut perpendicular to the stuff is firstly to make sure it’s horizontal and then second, make sure you look down right on top of the saw, not to one side. If you look on one side you will pull the saw out of vertical.

Chancers are the new saw has a wide kerf set, this makes keeping it straight very difficult as it ‘wiggles’ in the cut. Don’t try ‘resetting’ the teeth, sharpening it is the best solution. What ever you do, do not stone the teeth.

 

[Peter907]

Thanks @deema.
Please realise that I'm not at a level of skill to even dream about re-setting, sharpening or stoning the teeth on the saw . I'm new to all this, but very eager to learn. However, I really appreciate your input, and will work on the advice in your first paragraph above .

 

[deema]

When cutting joints, as an example, a wide kerf saw causes the cut to be ‘wonkey’ and even the most adept would find it difficult to make good (for instance) dovetails with a saw that has an excessive kerf. A wide kerf does make it very easy to redirect a saw if it starts to go off line, where as a ’tuned’ kerf makes starting off correctly imperative, but once started the saw stays true and doesn’t wander.

Buy a ‘99p’ saw, a file and an Eclipse setter and have a go at sharpening a saw the way I suggest. Go to say an Axminister saws and have a try of a LN, LV or a Pax saw to see what a well sharpened saw feels like and cuts like. I think you will be really surprised how easy it is to sharpen a saw and what a huge difference it will make to how easy it is to make accurate cuts and joints straight off the saw.