Getting ready to use my Skilsaw for the first time! What should I worry about?!


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Old 06-17-17, 07:02 PM
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Getting ready to use my Skilsaw for the first time! What should I worry about?!

Ok. I bought my new Skil Saw circular saw for $99 and I bought a 60 tooth Diablo blade for cutting the 1/4 plywood I'm going to lay on top of an old work bench. Anyways, I've NEVER used a circular saw and have been watching some YT videos about how to use them, but I'm still a little scared!

I don't wanna CUT MY HAND OFF or something!!! LOL!

Today, WITHOUT it plugged in of course, I learned how to adjust the depth of the blade and put the blade on, etc. The teeth are facing in the direction of the arrow on the shield, etc.

I was told to go "finger tight" with the bolt that holds on the blade, which I did. Then it says to go another 1/8th or 45 degrees of a turn to tighten the nut, but I can't seem to turn it that far, it gets tight and I don't wanna break it. It's also got a slip clutch or something in case the blade slips.

So, I'm going to be practicing on 1/4 plywood. Should I maybe practice on 1/4's and stuff first, maybe with the 24 tooth Diablo that came with the saw or is it safe to practice on the 1/4 inch plywood??

I also went out today and bought 2 Milwaukee red clamps and I've got a 1/4 that's about 8 feet to use as a guide for the cut.
 
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Old 06-18-17, 02:33 AM
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The main things are to keep the wood being cut firmly in place and make sure your fingers [or other body parts] are clear. The most likely time for an issue is when the wood being cut isn't supported well or moves while you are cutting it! Depending on how big the cut off piece will be it might benefit from support also. If the blade isn't tight enough you'll find out as you cut - the blade will slip.
 
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Old 06-18-17, 02:41 AM
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To prevent jagged edges on plywood put the good side down. Otherwise you will have splinters on good edge. I have a special diablo blade for plywood for my table saw that prevents chipping. Blade cost 80$ +. Keep loose clothing and fingers away from blade. I have a thumb that reminds me every time I use a saw.
 
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Old 06-18-17, 04:29 AM
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Two hands on the saw at all times, eye protection, stock tightly clamped in place, cut area clear of obstructions underneath during the cut and mind the cord as you go, it has a tendency to get hung up on the end of the stock as you cut. Practice on scrap until you are comfortable. Always respect the tools you are using, stay alert and don't do anything that the tool was not designed for.
 
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Old 06-18-17, 06:37 AM
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You what the part of the wood that's going to show on the bottom so any splintering will happen on the top side.
I'd be using a plywood blade for 1/4 material.
Do not force the saw, let the blade do the work.
Make sure the saw is running full speed before making contact with the wood.
 
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Old 06-18-17, 08:13 AM
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I'd be using a plywood blade for 1/4 material.
Can I use my new Diablo 60 tooth blade?
 
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Old 06-18-17, 09:32 AM
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yes just make sure the good side is down. If you are worried about splintering on the top with saw put a strip of 2 inch masking tape over the cut. It will minimize the splintering.
 
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Old 06-18-17, 09:37 AM
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If it's just practice cuts it doesn't too much matter.
 
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Old 06-18-17, 07:33 PM
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Ok guys I did it, BUT I was scared to death of the thing!! YIKES!! and it was LOUD!!!!

Should I wear hearing protection? I was wearing safety goggles.

Here's my problems:

1. I had the SKIL on the 1/4 inch depth and was using the new Diablo 60 tooth, BUT it didn't cut all the way through! What did I do wrong? I haven't dared to touch the thing since.

2. I'm cutting off 3 inches or so near the edge of the plywood and the plywood is laying off the side of my work bench with a piece of wood clamped down to guide the saw, but it's a little awkward to say the least. The plywood also dips down a little off the edge of the workbench when I set the saw on it. Should I be using 2 horses or something?

3. The cord ends up catching the end of the plywood and stops me from making a full cut to the other side!
 
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Old 06-19-17, 02:33 AM
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#1 - you need to readjust the depth. Most times I like for the blade to go a 1/4" or more past the thickness of the board being cut.

#2 - it's often beneficial to support both sides of the wood being cut. The longer the cut off piece is the more important that becomes.

#3 - sometimes you need to hold or otherwise position the cord so it won't get hung up.
 
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Old 06-19-17, 03:33 AM
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Practice, practice, practice you will feel how it works and used to the sound. Hearing protection will help if I knew about it 5o years ago I probably could hear now. Marksr advise good but nothing beats practice. Go buy a 2x4 sheet of plywood and put some lines on and try to follow them.
 
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Old 06-19-17, 06:12 AM
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Cutting Plywood

Use 3 or 4 parallel 2x4's on 2 saw horses to support the plywood. Make sure at least one of the 2x4's is directly under the body of the saw to support the weight.

The cord should be in front and away from the saw so that slack occurs as you cut.
 
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Old 06-19-17, 07:53 PM
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#1 - you need to readjust the depth. Most times I like for the blade to go a 1/4" or more past the thickness of the board being cut.
Thanks, I did that and it worked great Marksr. I'm wondering though, why the 1/4 mark on the saw if it doesn't work to cut 1/4 inch plywood? Shouldn't I just have to set the depth to whatever the marking says for the corresponding wood thickness??

What's the point of having the marks on the saw if not?
 
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Old 06-20-17, 03:17 AM
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I've never paid any attention to the marks but set my saw on the edge of the material to be cut and lower the blade until it clears the bottom side of the wood I intend to cut. If there are any 'bumps' in the wood or the saw isn't completely flat on the wood it will raise the bottom of the blade. That's why generally it's best to set the blade a little deeper.
 
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Old 06-20-17, 04:58 AM
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The depth of cut numbers you see stamped or cast into this saw, or any circular saw for that matter, are for reference only, and should not be used as gospel when a precise depth is required. And, even if they were dead on, you typically would not set the depth at 1/4" to cut 1/4" plywood, nor 1-5/8" to cut through a 2x4. First off, few things are perfectly flat, so even if it looked good to start, there are going to be gaps between the saw table and material at various places through the length of the cut, resulting in not cutting all the way through. Secondly, look at the rotation of the blade. The teeth are cutting into the material from the bottom, so you want the blade to engage that surface, not simply skim it. For general cutting, you will want the blade set to a depth the minimum of a tooth deeper than the thickness of the material, although I typically go more than that even. For notching or whatever, you will set the blade to an exact depth, and that's when you measure the reveal of the blade from the table.
 
 

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