Reading another thread on blade left saws got me to thinking…
I have a PC Sawboss. For those of you who are not familiar with it it is a 6″ blade left sidewinder.
I love the way the saw cuts, and sometimes I can make cuts as accurately as with a miter box, but it has a few problems, one of which is unforgivable (for me): 1) I have replaced the blade guard return spring 3 times – kind of an annoyance. I think PC should give the springs out free to anyone requesting them as I think it’s a design flaw that is safety related. 2) the pointer design is ridiculous – I fixed this with some of my own “tooling”. 3) the shoe is a heavy stamped sheetmetal and bends fairly easily. This I cannot tolerate – right now mine is bent badly – maybe from a drop off a roof while doing overframe bevel cuts. Didn’t see what happened, but all I know is when I put it back in the truck it was mutilated. I “reformed it” but it is still pretty much out of wack.
OK – so what is another smaller sized (but not tiny) blade left saw that has a magnesium foot and is readily available.
TIA,
Replies
I too have a Saw Boss, and while I have not yet had problems with the spring, I too have already bent the flimsy base. Otherwise, I like it a lot. But clearly, this is not a brute, and needs to be babied.
There was a thread on small circ saws a while back, and the the only competitor seems to be a Skil 5 1/2" (aside from the cordless models) -- one of the few leftovers from their industrial line (before Skil was bought by Bosch).
I'm sorry, but I don't have the model number -- but the price was about $100. The guy touting this saw said it was way sturdier (also with ####more powerful motor) than the Saw Boss. However, the blade is not quite big enough to do a 45 degree cut on 2X stock -- which is the reason I did not buy it.
Thanks Nikki. I seem to remember a similar discussion several years ago, but did not buy. I found this link for what is probably the saw you are referring to:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0000223FJ/103-2631800-4515840?v=glance
Really though the base looks just as flimzy as the Sawboss, and as you point out, the 5.5" blade is a major draw back. I'm almost thinking about the new mag blade left PC. It is almost as light as the Sawboss. I do love PC circ saws... Matt
Re: Skil 5 1/2" circ sawThats the one (Amazon Link)......In the past I've always used the Skill wormdrive for framing; bought the Saw Boss about a month ago, and used it to frame a porch; I must say, I really like it. I used it for compound cuts on hip rafters, and it did really well. It fell off my cutting rack (about 2') and that's what bent the base; however, I was able to straighten it out easily with a channel lock.These old arms aren't as strong as they used to be, so the small size and light weight is really great for me -- so I guess i would say it's a "keeper."
"I think PC should give the springs out free to anyone requesting them as I think it's a design flaw that is safety related."
PC has a;ways been very good with replacement parts. A year or 2 back-pre B&D-I bought a used router with only 1/4" collet and no wrenches. The sent me free replacments and manual.
Call and ask.
Cor.
Dang, now I've got to check my saw boss's spring<G>Ya know I'm left-handed, and I got the saw boss so I didn't have to cut stair skirts backwards with a right-blade<G>...still, the right blades don't do a thing for me...and ever since I picked up a 12" miter saw, I haven't cut a skirt with anything else...While I don't heavily use the boss, it's small, stronger than any cordless; and if it broke, I haven't seen anything else to replace it.Get another Saw Boss, and a Makita or Milwaukee Tilt-Loc...the best of all worlds...LOL Don't worry, we can fix that later!