UKC

I could probably post this in a builders forum but UKC usually provides the answers!

I'm looking for advice on which saw to buy to finish cladding a building. It's a chalet 3m high and I've replaced the cladding. I now need to cut the window surrounds, cills and the top bit that keeps the rain off (upper cill?) and corner timbers. For the new cladding I invested in a very nice mitre saw from Screwfix which cut the cladding but need a saw to cut long slim lengths of timber. I have a cheap jigsaw but always cut a wonky like with that. Do I need a good jigsaw or some other saw?

Amongst others I need to cut some 2m long strips that are around 40mm wide.

What saw? A good jigsaw? A bench saw? A circular saw?

Thanks.

In reply to estivoautumnal:

I would suggest a table saw if you have a decent amount to do, screwfix do a fairly cheap one, of it's just a couple then get a better jigsaw as your more likely to get some future use out of it.

In reply to estivoautumnal:

Table saw.

Watch your hands in it they're nasty things.

In reply to estivoautumnal:

I have one of these...
https://www.its.co.uk/pd/MT55CC-KIT-Mafell-57mm-Circular-Plunge-Cut-Saw-Pac...
it's the best there is, but you can get much cheaper tracksaws that will be good enough for what you want, I haven't used my tablesaw since I bought it.

In reply to mwr72:

I'm guessing you use this sort or stuff day on day and can justify spending almost £500 on a tool. It's very nice, but as you admit you can get very reasonable circular saws that would do the job for a fraction of the price and for that money it would probably be cheaper to get someone in to do the job.

In reply to mwr72:

How does that differ from a circular saw? I'm doing a self build at the end of this year so happy to spend a bit on something that I'll use again.

In reply to estivoautumnal:


I confess I just clamped my circular saw upside down in my workbench, and used that for the odd time I needed it as a table saw. But it is NOT designed for this.

In reply to estivoautumnal:

Circular saw is versatile for building/repair work and with the right bench and clamps can easily rip lengths of timber. Track saw is an expensive way of doing g what you can improvise with a circular saw, clamps and a 1x2 for occasional jobs. Bench saw is best for carpentry rather than repair/building work. I bought a circular saw for the sort of work you describe, it's not perfect but it's good enough. Screwfix rage branded saws ones are good for the money imo, i have a couple and the chop saw has been worked silly hard for years, it's loud bendier than ideal and cuts everything!
Jk

In reply to estivoautumnal:

This kind of thing is fine for ripping board, and occasional crosscuts if done with sliding mitre. Making up a crosscut-sled will make it even safer:

http://www.screwfix.com/p/titan-ttb674tas-254mm-table-saw-230-240v/9486j

I've processed several hundred metres of oak through one and it's fine.

In reply to estivoautumnal:

Another vote for a reasonable circular saw. My bosch was little more than 100 from screwfix and did everything I needed to build our garden office including framing, cedar cladding, window trims etc. V. versatile.

In reply to estivoautumnal:

You can get another brand cheaper (well all other brands) you mark your piece at either end, put your track on the piece you want to keep and away you go, the body is spring loaded so when you release the handle the blade automatically retracts through the base.
I still have my 9" circular but rarely use that other than for rough work such as for work.
I have heard good things about the Bosch tracksaws (same design as the Mafelll but with cheaper parts and fewer functions).
I really don't know how I've gone all these years without one!
Also have a look at the makita.

In reply to jkarran:

Have to disagree with your comment about the evolution rage saw, cheap and nasty, and the kerf is so thin that combined with the cheap steel the blades tend to warp like crazy, I burned out 2 work ones on 20mm beech flooring before bringing out the big makita which cut through it like a hot knife through butter.
Also the harbour size makes it difficult to but a decent blade to replace the rubbish oem one.

In reply to estivoautumnal:

That's because the blade is so narrow front to back that it turns too easily. Great for cutting jigsaws, but not straight lines. So you need something with a large front to back blade width like a 9" circular or bench saw. If your saw has adjustable depth and you're cutting through something completely, then running the blade as deep as possible means the effective blade width is a large as possible and the cuts will be straighter.


A circular saw with 'fence' will do that admirably and take up less space in your shed than a bench saw assuming you can support the workpiece properly.
What about getting your timber cut for you? My nearest builder's merchant is only ten minutes away so I get them to cut things like sheets of ply down to a manageable size for 25p a cut on their massive wall saw.

In reply to mwr72:

Weird, that's totally the opposite of my experience. I wonder if they've subcontracted manufacture of different batches or models. Both of my Rage saws are the biggest models they make or made at the time. My Rage compound miter saw was bought as disposable for one job so was abused to process loads of metal including lots of really tough stainless after which it had shed a few carbide teeth. One new blade and it has since done years of good service cutting wood for the house renovation. My circular saw has the same bombproof blade in it. My complaint with both is they're a little bendy, none of the stops/clamps/fences are super accurate or stiff so care is needed to get good repeatable work. Both are horrendously noisy, I presume they have a pretty sloppy planetary box on the motor. For the price with ear defenders on I'm well pleased with mine. I have a lathe so funny sized arbors don't bother me as much as they might someone else.
jk

In reply to estivoautumnal:

For some recent DIY jobs I bought a pretty good Bosch circular saw and a relatively cheap Rage mitre/table saw.
In table mode the Rage saw wasn't great for long cut as the guides aren't good. I had much more success doing the long cuts with the circular saw when I took the time to screw or clamp battens as guide rails onto the timber to be cut.
Obviously, screwing on battens relies on the resulting screw holes being hidden once your timber is fixed in place where you want it.

In reply to estivoautumnal:

If you want to rip (cut along the grain) long thin strips of wood, then you probably want a bandsaw. Much safer than a table saw and easier for the novice to use. Probably cheaper too.

I can't really understand why so many people immediately recommended a table saw tbh.

If you're looking at a circular saw then a track/plunge saw is again easier to use for the beginner. Now that I have one, I never touch my circular saw. I have one of these:

http://www.screwfix.com/p/scheppach-pl55-p2-160mm-plunge-saw-240v/2535g

Great bit of kit.

In reply to estivoautumnal:
Some great safety advice and saw tips from DIY guru Reg Prescott here youtube.com/watch?v=lo7l1QAe_es&

In reply to estivoautumnal:

A modest little saw bench. Will cut stuff quite precisely up to 75mm deep. If you try to use a hand held circular saw you'll get a disappointing result in comparison. For that kind of work, a small planer or thicknesser will give a better finish and reduce sanding. Just cut them a couple of mm thicker on the saw bench first.

In reply to mattrm:

Probably cheaper too.I can't really understand why so many people immediately recommended a table saw tbh.

A bandsaw for ripping joinery-size timber that's cheaper than a table saw?

Table saws are fine if you take care and follow simple rules. I have seen more injuries with a bandsaw...

In reply to estivoautumnal:

Can you fit a cutting guide on your jigsaw?

Failing that, clamp/screw/nail another bit of timber on top of the one you want to cut and use that as a cutting guide.

In reply to jkarran:

I don't know what's with the blades on them tbh. All my other saws have Freud blades in them apart from the Mafell.
I do like the rage metal cut off saw though, loud like all the others but s nice clean cut in both ferrous and non ferrous metal.

In reply to the post about jigsaw blades wandering, there's only one manufacturer that guarantees that their saw will cut straight (if used with a track) and at 90 degrees regardless of the blade used and unless you want to spend £500+ on one then I definitely recommend a tracksaw.
Just remembered aswell, I've heard good things about the track saw Aldi sell, superb performance for the price!

In reply to mattrm:

That's expensive!

In reply to estivoautumnal:

I have the screwfix titan plunge / track saw. It's excellent for the price, however the first one i had wasn't flat on the base so i returned and swapped it with no hassles. I've also bought two 1.4m makita tracks for it (theyre compatible) as the supplied 70cm ones are a bit short.

I also have the titan table saw, I would say ok for the price. The bed on mine isn't quite flat and it needed a bit of fiddling to get it to cut straight. I mainly use it with a cross cut sled i made as the supplied mitre gauge is rubbish. I now want a proper table saw tho!

In reply to estivoautumnal:

Thanks to all for the advice.

In reply to estivoautumnal:

After lusting after a nice plunge saw I ended up buying a decent bosch circular saw which you can fit onto a track, best of both worlds for me. I generally just use it as a circular saw but at times when I want to do a long rip cut the track is fantastic. You don't even need to clamp it.

In reply to estivoautumnal:

An extra consideration is how heavily it will be used. Bench saws generally have bigger motors and won't get hot or over heat so quickly.

In reply to Greasy Prusiks:


Yes please be careful. These things are powerful and don't discriminate between fingers and wood.

A guy I know who and has done work for us had a horrendous accident a couple of week back. He was machining timber to make window frames and something went wrong. Lost little finger on his left hand and part of another. Had to have grafts and one joint fused. Fortunately he is right handed but being self employed he is suffering a serious loss of income.

In reply to mwr72:

Also different to my experience with the Rage saw. I've done plenty of wood cutting with it, but also about 50 metres of full depth cut (60mm IIRC) through reinforced concrete with the ceramic cutting blade they sell. The bearings are a bit dry now because of the concrete dust, but I knew this would happen before using it and even if I had to replace it, it was cheaper than the alternative. So yeh, I'm pretty impressed by it! Agree with the noisy comments though.

In reply to NottsRich:
Yep same here. For £150 it really is an unbeatable saw. Surprisingly good quality blade on it too. It isn't square out of the box and took a little while to set up which is something to bear in mind, and it's really noisy, but apart from that you'll be looking at spending £300 to match it.