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Hello Dennis,
I recently bought a Craftsman 5 1/2 inch 18 volt cordless saw and consider it my best toy yet. It is actually a Dewalt with Craftsman name on it. I use it to cut 3/4 plywood and 2 by dimensional stock. It handles so well that it is hard to believe. It is not a production saw, but with 2 fully charged batteries,(1 hour charge time) I am able to keep the extension cord rolled up and away. One tip to remember is that the Dewalt blades are 5 7/16″ and are not able to cut all the way through 2 by stock . The Craftsman blades are a full 5 1’2 ” and handle it just fine. I really like it. I am a DIYer not a professional. I am building an addition onto my place on the shore in Cape Breton NS. Nice thing about Sears is the unconditional guarantee. Try it out and if you don’t like it, just bring it back. No questions asked. Sears is great that way. I hope this helps. Billy Gear
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Hello Dennis,
I recently bought a Craftsman 5 1/2 inch 18 volt cordless saw and consider it my best toy yet. It is actually a Dewalt with Craftsman name on it. I use it to cut 3/4 plywood and 2 by dimensional stock. It handles so well that it is hard to believe. It is not a production saw, but with 2 fully charged batteries,(1 hour charge time) I am able to keep the extension cord rolled up and away. One tip to remember is that the Dewalt blades are 5 7/16" and are not able to cut all the way through 2 by stock . The Craftsman blades are a full 5 1'2 " and handle it just fine. I really like it. I am a DIYer not a professional. I am building an addition onto my place on the shore in Cape Breton NS. Nice thing about Sears is the unconditional guarantee. Try it out and if you don't like it, just bring it back. No questions asked. Sears is great that way. I hope this helps. Billy Gear
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Billy,
Joseph Fusco
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Hello Joe,
I bought a three pack of different blades for the trim saw (Dewalt brand) and didn't know that they were a bit too short to go through the 2 by stock until I tried one. Maybe something to watch for. The blades are printed 5 7/16 on the side. The Craftsman are printed 5 1/2. Could be the deck alignment difference between brands. What size do your Dewalt blade say they are? Thanks for the input Joe. Billy Gear
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Dennis - years ago I was working for another contactor who had a 5 or 51/2" Skil. It was a sidewinder but the blade was on the left, similar to a worm drive. It was kind of plasticy and I sure wouldn't have bought one if I ran across it in a store. But it was a great saw. Took all kinds of abuse and the adjustments worked fine. Plenty of power for trim work and really light to handle. In fact, this came up here a month or so ago and I looked last time I was in HD, they still sell the same model. I highly recomend it. - jb
*The granddaddy of them all is the Porter Cable worm drive 4 1/2 inch trim saw, model 314. Most of you are referring to battery machines and the PC is a corded saw. However, it is light - I've used it on roofs to cut sheathing and trim cedar shakes across grain. It's compact, very powerful and does a beautiful job. I use it a lot for interior trim work - all my jobs have electric so the cord is really not a problem. Living in the backyard of Black & Decker, I know too much to ever buy a Dewalt (they are constantly running into quality problems and their help wanted ads show it). Stick to the Black & Decker brand if you can find any left - most models are being dicontinued for the lower end DeWalt machines.
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Hey speaking of Dewalt,
Anybody know anything about that new worm-drive lookin' thing? I know Mr. Gregg (and many others) might have a problem with DW, but it is pretty light as well as cheap for a saw that looks like some kinda jedi-construction-thingee. Is it even a worm drive? A hypoid? Que?
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Ed, when I buy a tool I look for the best that I can afford. Always liked the Black and Decker Heavy Duty stuff. Switched over to the DeWalt stuff and haven't had a problem. There cordless drills (18 volt &12 volt) can't be beat. I use their 18 volt saw and abuse the thing. Never had a problem cutting 2x stuff at a 90 angle. For trim saws that plug in, Makita makes/made a sidewinder type that has held up for years for me. The old PC trim saw is a good choice and was never let me down. next question is why the blades cost more for the little saws?
*Anything compact that does a good job has my vote.Ed. Williams
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Hey Dennis,
I've had a 5" Makita for 10 or 12 years and it is a good saw. The table doesn't like rough treatment but the saw has a lot of power and handles easily. However the blade being on the left demands a different style of use than normal sidewinders. I discovered this the hard way in'90 when I was making a pocket cut on a piece of siding and in the middle of making the cut stopped the saw and repositioned my hand behind the blade to hold the board as I finished the cut.
You guessed it, when I pulled the trigger the saw kicked back . As the blade rolled over my left thumb it cut the ligament and proceeded to chew the pad of the thumb almost completely off. It happened really fast. I was lucky and they pinned and sewed everything back together leaving only some numbness and stiffness.
But you know every time I heard the saw wind up after that it kinda made me sick to my stomach.
Other than that it is a great saw. You can't blame Makita for an idiot operator.
I've still got the saw and I use it now and again when I'm feeling cocky.
Anyway that's my story
Good luck.........................Steve Jackson
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clayb - 2 or 3 issues ago, JLC had an article on worm drives and I'm pretty sure they reviewed that one. I have also come across more than one thread about this saw, you might try "tools" and "archives". - jb
*Ed, Thanks for the tidbit about Dewalt. It's just that sort of thing that I like to find when I'm cruising around this place. I've had plus/minus experience with thier tools.Richard Max
*Steve:router mounted in router table - blade spins at about 15,000 RPM and does very quick work on all types of "material" - not my favorite tool... Lessons learned: purchase the profiles you need if possible and, do not work with small peices of stock on this tool.
*Matt, a shaper with a panel-raising wing-cutter will get you religion too.Dennis, the little P-C mentioned above gets my vote.
*Dennis:My 14.4 deWalt saw is useless: I spent more time changing batteries than I woulda have spent running a cord. Then I tried a friends Makita: What a nice machine. Large thumbscrews for easy adjustments (heighth, depth, angle), runs fast, electric brake, light, powerful. My first choice. Hammer
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Do any of you use the small 5" saws and if so what are the advantages over a 7 1/4"? Also, is there a favorite brand and model. I have seen the small Makita used in various articles.
Dennis
*Dennis,
Joseph FuscoView Image
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I once posted here (5 months ago) that the cordless trimmers were mere toys. I was wrong. I bought the new Makita 18v combo-kit with the drill and saw. I'm very impressed with both tools. they are strong, run hard for a long time, and are built very nicely. On the last remodel for a kitchen, I never even fired up the good 'ol P-C....the saw kept up with limited amount of framing and demo required. Ergonomics are better on the Mak than on dewalt...blade turns slower but is 6 1/2". Brent.