What is a circular saw good for?
A circular saw is probably the most commonly used saw for professionals and DIY jobs, as a circular saw is good for a variety of cutting jobs.
Helping you to save time on your next home improvement, a powerful circular saw is a great tool choice as it can cut multiple materials including, timber, roofing plastic and metal* (*with the appropriate blade).
Choosing the right circular saw for the job will help you to achieve the best results. Here is a breakdown of common questions on circular saws with tips from the experts at Ryobi.
Is it hard to cut straight with a circular saw?
Despite its name, a circular saw is ideal for cutting straight lines! It's very simple to cut a straight line with a circular saw as the large flat blade tends to keep the tool on a straight line.
Circular saws are designed to cut long straight lines in sheet timber materials. So if you haven’t used a circular saw before, you may need a little practice – but simply holding the saw with both hands reduces the chance of the tool veering off the cut line.
Most circular saws are supplied with a parallel guide fence, which can be set up to guide the saw over a specific distance from the edge of the material, to ensure you achieve quick and repeatable accurate straight cuts.
Types of Circular Saw
If you're looking for a standard circular saw then Ryobi offers a range of circular saws, which offer max cut depths from 45mm up to 62mm.
Alternatively, there are two types of circular saws available, called plunge or track saws which slide on a rail during the application, or mini circular saws for quick and light-work cuts.
- Plunge or Track Circular Saws
Circular saws have an exposed cutting blade with a spring loaded guard that are designed to be pushed through the material from the edge. While plunge saws (sometimes referred to as track saws) use a similar blade system, except their blades are completely enclosed and are plunged into the material from above. Plunge saws typically run on a guide rail or track which ensures quick, accurate and repeatable cut results, with better dust collection.
There is also a sub-range of circular saws called mini (or compact) circular saws. Mini circular saws are helpful handheld tools, which are great for quick cuts in sheet timber materials, where accuracy isn't important. They are also great for cutting waste materials into smaller sections for disposal.
The mini circular saws compact size and one-hand application is a great DIY option, but it is important to note that mini circular saw don't always offer the same degree of accuracy as full-sized circular saws and that their smaller blades reduce the maximum material thickness they can cut through.
Assessing how deep a mini circular saw will cut can vary from model to model, so you need to read the product specification before deciding on whether it will successfully cut what you need it to.
For example, the Ryobi R18MMS-0 multi-material saw is the best compact circular saw for a variety of jobs as it can cut up to a max thickness of 26mm in timber materials. Plus, unlike most other mini circular saws, the Ryobi multi-material saw also comes with blades which allow you to cut various materials such as plastics, plasterboard, ceramic tiles, non-ferrous metals such as aluminium and copper and much more. Smaller than a typical circular saw, the lightweight and compact cordless circular saw offers greater control when making cuts in tighter or more confined spaces.
Our range of 18V ONE+™ cordless circular saws includes cordless brushless circular saws, cordless multi-material circular saws and more.
Basic Types of Circular Saw Blades
Circular saws are categorised by the diameter of their blade, with DIY jobs often needing to cut through various materials and depths.
There are 3 basic types of circular saw blades available for precise results. These are rip cut, cross cut and combination blades.
- Rip cut blades typically have a low number of teeth which are set at a specific angle to allow for fast cuts in timber materials when cutting along the grain.
- Cross cut blades typically feature a higher number of teeth and thicker blade body as they are designed to cut across the grain of timber materials. These blades will cut slower due to the increased number of teeth and the increased resistance from the material when cutting across the grain.
- Combination blades combine the features of both rip cut and cross cut blades together to give the best of both worlds.
Ask Ryobi’s Circular Saw Experts
If you’re looking for the best circular saw for the job, shop the range of cordless circular saws from Ryobi or speak to our experts for help deciding which model is the best to buy for your needs.
Contact us today