Circular saws

The right blade:
Two kinds of circular saw blades will see you through just about any job. The first should be a general-purpose combination blade with 20 to 24 teeth: the other should he a fine cutting blade with about 40 teeth, Both blades should be carbide-tipped.

Cutting metal:
If you plan to cut metal, use a special metal-cutting blade — and brace yourself for a shower of sparks. To ensure safety wear hearing protectors and goggles or a full-face mask and work far away — say 30 feet from sawdust, flammable liquids, and anything else that is likely to catch fire. Don’t try to saw metal unless your saw has a metal blade guard; a plastic guard will melt.

Permanent marker:
The cuts you make with a circular saw will be more accurate if you mark the cutting line on the front of the saw’s baseplate. Do it with paint or an indelible felt-tip marker.

Measuring circular saw cuts:
Here’s an easy way to measure and set your circular saw’s cutting depth without having to pull out a measuring tape every time. Mark 1/2″ (12 mm), 3/4″ (19 mm), and 1-1/2″ (38 mm) blade depth measurements on the saw’s blade guard with a fine-Point permanent marker. Then just line up the bottom of the saw’s soleplate with the appropriate mark.

Cord drape:
To keep the cord out of your way — especially on long cuts — drape it like a cape across your shoulders. It will then move with you and be less likely to snag on something.

Wax works:
Want your saw to glide as it cuts? Rub a block of paraffin wax on the underside of the saw’s baseplate. If you first heat the surface slightly with a hair dryer, the wax will coat the area more completely.

Jig saws

If you would like to have a great jig saw, try one with an orbital action rather than one with only a simple up-and-down movement. The orbital action, which pushes the teeth into the work on the cutting stroke and away from it on the return stroke, cuts amazingly fast and cleanly.

To make the most of a jig you need to buy the right blades. Here’s a sample of what’s available: (A) a hollow-ground blade for fine cuts; (B) a doublesided blade that can back out of tight spots; (C) a flush-cutting blade that makes straight cuts flush to a wall or other obstruction (it’s too wide to cut a curve); (D) a knife-edge for leather and carpeting; (E) a carbide-grit abrasive blade for cutting hard materials such as ceramic tile; and (F) a metal-cuttlng blade that will work on aluminum, steel, and pipe with 1/8″ (3 mm) thick walls.

Cutting curves:
Need to cut a curve with a small radius? Choose a 1/4″ (6 mm) wide blade rather than a 1/2″ (12 mm) one. But be careful — the thinner the blide, the easier it is to break.

Put more teeth into it:
As a jig saw blade makes its ’sewing machine’ up-and-down motion, only a few of the teeth do the actual cutting. With use, these teeth become dull and the blade useless. You can extend the life of a blade by adding a piece of plywood to the baseplate. This auxiliary baseplate should be at least as thick as the length of the saw stroke. Use your jig saw to cut a notch in the plywood to accept the blade. Then outline and cut the plywood to fit the metal baseplate. Sand, finish, and wax the plywood to make it as smooth as the original metal plate. (It will also guide the blade and keep it from wandering as much.) Mount the plywood base with doublesided tape or hot glue. When the blade wears in the new spot, remove the base and change the blade.

Cleaning and storing

Oven cleaner:
Sawing a lot of pine causes pitch and resin to build up on saw blades, making even sharp teeth seem dull. To clean a blade, spray it with oven cleaner. For easy application, suspend a circular blade on a dowel and hang it inside a cardboard box. Because oven cleaner fumes are toxic, close the flaps of the box for the 10 to 20 minutes it takes to loosen the gunk. Then wash the blade off with soap and water, dry it, and spray it with a lubricant to protect it from corrosion.

Soaking pan:
To clean saw blades by soaking in acetone or mineral turpentine, you’ll need a shallow pan with a lid to contain the fumes, rubber gloves, and a stick or other lever for handling the blade. You can recycle an old oven pan and cover it with aluminum foil. Or cut off the bottom from a plastic 20 litre bucket with a knife and use it as your soaking tray (the lid can serve as a cover).

Capping saw teeth:
When you are finished for the day, store your unmounted circular saw blades (and table and radial arm saw blades) so that the teeth stay sharp and won’t injure anyone. You can buy a carrier made for the purpose or make your own saw cover by slitting a length of garden hose or old plastic tubing. Other possibilities include stacking saw blades in a round plastic pie or cake container (put some cardboard spacers between the blades). Or slip them into old record album covers (one blade in each sleeve). If you use album covers, be sure to reinforce the covers’ edges with strong tape because the teeth will soon cut through the cardboard.

Shelf insert:
To store a jig saw upright on a shelf, cut a hole through the shelf to accept the blade. Cover the blade by gluing a length of tubing to the underside of the shelf, Then just rest the saw on the shelf.