Circular saws are a key woodworking tool that belong in everyone's tool collection, whether you're making a few cuts around the house or using one daily to make a living. Our testing procedure was designed around how new users might use a circular saw, how experienced users will come to expect more from a circular saw, and how professionals who use a circular saw daily use and abuse their tools. We performed various cuts of different lengths in both wood and metal to get a real-world perspective on how these saws measure up across different uses. We also changed through framing, finish, and metal-cutting blades to get a hands-on feel for how easy or difficult blade changes are likely to be.
Bevel
Bevel (angle) cutting capability is pretty standard on circular saws in today's world, though some are much more accurate and user-friendly. Our assessment of bevel capabilities involves reviewing how angle adjustments are made and seeing how well-marked the angle indications are. Often, the indications are stamped into the base. Ideally, commonly used angles like 22.5 and 45 degrees will be marked in a contrasting color, making them easily visible under a variety of lighting conditions. We appreciate when saws incorporate quality blade movement features with levers, but thumb screws also get the job done on a budget. Positive stops are a nice feature on some saws, allowing you to quickly set them to a commonly used bevel angle without having to pay close attention to get accurate, repeatable cuts. This part of our testing also involves reviewing the blade depth settings and mechanism, as well as the sight lines and their accuracy.
Cross Cuts
Cross cuts are likely the most common cut people make with a circular saw, so how fast and easily a saw can perform them is very important. We use a 12"x6" wood beam to evaluate cross-cutting performance, and set the blade depth of each saw to the maximum to push the saw's limits. We perform several timed trials while cutting with both framing and finish blades to calculate an average score for each saw, representing its cross-cutting capabilities. Half of the tests are performed with a framing blade, and the other half with a finish blade to see if we can tease out any issues using different blade types. All saws use the same size blades with the same number of teeth unless the blades are smaller than 7 1/4 inches. If they're smaller, like some of the saws we test, we look for the closest blade-to-teeth ratio we can get to maintain consistency in our results.
Ripping
Ripping is another common use of circular saws and is also a great way to gauge a saw's power, as ripping is a power-intensive task. We give each saw several runs at ripping a 10-foot 2"x12", pushing the saw to its limits and trying to rip as fast as we can without bogging down and stopping the blade. Corded saws with a dedicated power source tend to rip faster than battery-powered saws, but some of our battery-powered ripping results were surprising. Oftentimes, we find that while battery-powered saws are convenient, they are usually slower than a corded saw for long, difficult cuts and require some patience.
Metals Cuts
Cutting metal is less common than cutting lumber, but when equipped with a metal-cutting blade, circular saws can be very useful for many applications. To evaluate metal-cutting capabilities, we equip each saw with a metal-cutting blade and give it a few opportunities to cut as quickly as we safely can through 2 feet of 16-gauge sheet metal and a 2-inch galvanized steel pipe. A circular saw isn't our first choice for cutting metal, but it's nice to know that with a quick blade change, you can count on it to cut metal when necessary.
Blade Change
Our blade-change testing isn't a scored metric, but it is still something we review for each and every saw. We get hands-on with the blade-change tool, if included with the saw, and see if the wrench has enough leverage to make blade changes simple. We appreciate when a saw has designated, secure storage for the blade change tool when it's not in use, so you always have it when you need it. Well-designed saws incorporate a spindle lock that you can comfortably use to hold the blade in place while you break loose the blade bolt to change the blade. Some saws go the extra mile and mark which way to turn the blade bolt to tighten and loosen it, which is very helpful as some are opposite of normal.