Why buy a plunge saw

qhe0i9zvfgdou8

Hi could anyone tell me if there's any reason you'd buy a plunge saw over a circular saw apart from the obvious of been able to start a cut mid board

Bonzo Delaney

The plunge feature is only another feature of the saw
The real selling point of it is the fact it sits in to a track rail enabling you to cut dead straight lines at all times
An invaluable piece of kit for any carpenter/ joiner
I see one of our German supermarket chains have one on offer this week must have a look and see how it compares to the professional German festool plunge/ track saw

qhe0i9zvfgdou8

Yes the fact it's in one of the German stores is what prompted my question. Maybe you'd be good enough to post your opinion.
Also does the length of the guide rail limit what you can cut. For example could you cut the the length of an 8 by 4 sheet of MDF

Bonzo Delaney

Usually you need the rails to be at least 8 inches longer than the piece of timber material been cut to give the saw a bit of stability
As regards the quality of the kit in our European friends chain store I'd be highly suspect of its ability to pull of a professional quality task as the entire kit is about half the price of a blade for my Festool kit.
It's like asking a taxi driver would he rather go to work in a vw lupo or a merc
s class both have 4 tyres, a steering wheel and an engine, and that's where the similarities end both entirely different beasts altogether

cletus

A good question to ask might be the needs of the OP regarding the saw.

I've seen people on this forum recommend that a poster buy a 400 SDS drill to make four 10mm holes in a concrete block.

If the OP is a carpenter/joiner, then festool may be the route to go.

If he is a diy'er with occasional use for a plunge/circular saw, the the Lidl/Aldi saw may be just fine

Bonzo Delaney

That's a fair point in fairness.
If the op's needs are purely occasional I'd recommend buy a decent quality circular saw which would be more user friendly and practical than a plunge saw and make your own rails out of ply and lath. I use that method for osb & ply roofing & flooring using my 9" saw. Saving the good saw for finish work.

qhe0i9zvfgdou8

Thanks lads the saw will be used for occasional diy work. I have a small circular saw at the moment that is getting shook but it owes me nothing.
So I'll buy another circular saw. The one I have is only a four inch blade I think it is and so is grand and light.
I'd be hoping to get a seven inch one but I'd like it to be light as possible so if anyone can recommend one I'd appreciate it

Bonzo Delaney

Any of the hitachi, dewalt ,Makiata,Bosch blue ,range of 7" saws will last you a life time.
Other ranges lidil, aldi included would prob suffice depending on usage and size of material been cut but it's hit and miss how long the motors hold up I'd always recommend to use a good quality sharp blade that can be resharpened that way the load on the motor would be minimal.

cerastes

Bonzo Delaney wrote: »

Any of the hitachi, dewalt ,Makiata,Bosch blue ,range of 7" saws will last you a life time.
Other ranges lidil, aldi included would prob suffice depending on usage and size of material been cut but it's hit and miss how long the motors hold up I'd always recommend to use a good quality sharp blade that can be resharpened that way the load on the motor would be minimal.

Are the blades of a plunge saw the same or similar to a circular saw? Im surprised to hear anyone say they can be re-sharpened? something Id thought was not possible or not carried out due to simply fitting in a replacement blade?

What would be a good intermediate make? where to get?
Ive an evolution circular saw, which I think was fairly good, the blade is multi use for material (metal/wood), Ive just kept the old blade for chopping up lumps of wood though as its taken a toll sawing through everything.

Bonzo Delaney

At 100€ plus for good chop saw blades you'll get about 7 re sharpens out of it same with plunge saws and circular saws although not as dear as 12"chop saw blades still pricey enough but they're made of a more tempered metal to the cheap blades so won't heat up during constant use
Freud and dewalt extreme blades would be of top quality
festool's own brand are top notch also.

qhe0i9zvfgdou8

Would this be a good buy
http://www.powertoolonline.ie/aisle/makita/14mak020-makita-5704rk.htm

CJhaughey

I have this saw, its good. Do you need a 110v version or would 220v be better?

cerastes

Bonzo Delaney wrote: »

At 100€ plus for good chop saw blades you'll get about 7 re sharpens out of it same with plunge saws and circular saws although not as dear as 12"chop saw blades still pricey enough but they're made of a more tempered metal to the cheap blades so won't heat up during constant use
Freud and dewalt extreme blades would be of top quality
festool's own brand are top notch also.

I thought most of the cutting bits were bonded or welded in?
Never considered they could be resharpened as it didnt seem practical, even thinking about it now, it seems like the cutting teeth would be easy to chip out of the main part of the blade.
Who does it and how much approx?

qhe0i9zvfgdou8

CJhaughey wrote: »

I have this saw, its good. Do you need a 110v version or would 220v be better?

Good spot thanks it's for home use so I'd need the 220v. Do you mind if I ask where you bought yours and for how much.

CJhaughey

I bought it in a local tool place about 8 years ago, when I was building my house. I think it was around 150 then but I can't be sure,I was buying a lot of stuff at the time.
Mine is 110v as all my stuff was sitework and I had traffos already.
They are good saws, powerful enough for most stuff.

colm_mcm

cerastes wrote: »

I thought most of the cutting bits were bonded or welded in?
Never considered they could be resharpened as it didnt seem practical, even thinking about it now, it seems like the cutting teeth would be easy to chip out of the main part of the blade.
Who does it and how much approx?

We used to get them done in Limerick, but there are places in Dublin that do it too. These were serious blades though cutting aluminium all day. They would replace broken teeth too.
Hardly worth it on a Lidl blade.