Best circular saw size for cutting rafers? 190mm or 230mm

[fobos8]

Hello there

I've been doing more and more "cut" roofs these days so I think I need to get myself sorted with a decent circular saw.

I'm interested in any size recommendations people have. 190 or 230mm. My mate has a old Hitachi 190mm saw which I've been using which feels nice and light but it struggles to cut when the timbers are wet.

Typical timber dims are 7x2

What do other people use and what size would you recommend?

Many thanks, Andrew

 

[johnf]

Hi fobo

Hitachi 230 handles all your hip & valley 45 cuts OK

 

[chippy1970]

Hi fobo

Hitachi 230 handles all your hip & valley 45 cuts OK

Ditto it will do most cuts

 

[wizer]

yeh get the bigger one

 

[chris_d]

yeh get the bigger one

Is that the woody equivalent of teenage peer pressure?

 

[wizer]

That's the Raison Detre of this forum Chris. We all egg each other on to get bigger and more expensive tools to make us feel better for the big expensive tools we've all bought. It's a massive woodworking pressure pot.

 

[Chippyjoe]

That's the Raison Detre of this forum Chris. We all egg each other on to get bigger and more expensive tools to make us feel better for the big expensive tools we've all bought. It's a massive woodworking pressure pot.

Yep, it's all Tom's fault I bought the Felder :lol:

 

[fobos8]

thanks for the replies

how do the bigger saws feel when you're using them?

I normally like to use tools that feel balanced and that I am in control of. For example my favorite router is the Festool 1010watt. It is lightweight, balanced and I could use it all day long.

The weight of a typical 190mm saw is 4.5 - 5.0 kgs whereas a typical 230mm saw is 7.5 kgs.

When I've picked up a 230mm saw in the past they feel so bloody heavy compared to a 190mm saw that I dunno if I could use it all day long.

Any comments on this?

 

[FatFreddysCat]

how do the bigger saws feel when you're using them?

Heavy and slighty unwieldy. It's the difference between using your Festool router and a deWalt DW625. I can use the bigger router all day but it makes my shoulders hurt!

Agree with the comments about 230 versus 190mm, though. The 190mm is a bit limited for compound cuts.

 

[johnf]

thanks for the replies

how do the bigger saws feel when you're using them?



Any comments on this?

You get used to them, you realy need the extra depth of cut and the power

 

[Night Train]

yeh get the bigger one

Is that the woody equivalent of teenage peer pressure?

Get a Stanley hard point hand saw from your local diy shed.
When you are on the roof, balanced on a ladder and the rain is about to start you will appreciate its lightness and lack of bits that go bang when wet or dropped.

It's what I use. I've watched Harrison Ford raising a barn in Witness, its the way to go. :wink:

 

[houtslager]

how about this, new on the market - just € 900 and weighing 6.5kg