New circular saw

On Tuesday, August 15, 2017 at 5:46:17 AM UTC-5, Dr. Deb wrote:
> I bought a Black and Decker 7 1/4" circular saw a few months ago and loved it.
>
> Last Friday I was breaking down some 2" Southern Yellow Pine (with the required 12' rips) and it started blowing smoke, vast quantities of smoke, out the motor vents, with the melodic sound of bearings going south.
>
> Did a bit of research and the DeWalt 575 was the first or second on everyone's list. It should be in today and we will see if it lives up to its billing.

People seem to really like that saw. I bought a Milwaukee 6390 years back when they were on sale at Sears. I just used it this afternoon. It's on the heavy side, but it's never disappointed me for power.

On 8/15/2017 5:19 PM, -MIKE- wrote:
> On 8/15/17 5:40 PM, Just Wondering wrote:
>> On 8/15/2017 4:31 PM, DerbyDad03 wrote:
>>> On Tuesday, August 15, 2017 Scott Lurndal wrote:
>>>> notbob <[email protected]> writes:
>>>>> On 2017-08-15, Scott Lurndal <[email protected]> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> Skil no longer makes the worm-drive saws).
>>>>>
>>>>> You may be wrong:
>>>>> https://www.skilsaw.com/saws#17696
>>>>
>>>> Doesn't even show up on www.skiltools.com. Confusing indeed.
>>>
>>> I get this this great big banner, alternating with a banner for
>>> their homeowner circular saw line. Right on the main page.
>>> http://i.imgur.com/LYORA7j.jpg
>>>
>> If you go on amazon.com, search for 7 1/4" circular saws, and sort on
>> customer reviews, the top 12 saws are all Skil, Dewalt, and Makita.
>> No. 10 is a worm drive Skil.
>> https://www.amazon.com/SKILSAW-SPT77WML-01-15-Amp-Lightweight-Circular/dp/B00B7EUS46/ref=sr_1_10?s=power-hand-tools&ie=UTF8&qid=1502836676&sr=1-10&keywords=circular+saw&refinements=p_n_size_browse-bin%3A387625011
>>
>
> There's a lot more to the sorting by reviews than just the reviews.
> You could have a dozen widgets with the exact same reviews and they'll
> get sorted a certain way for various reasons.
> Amazon is a bit tricky that way.
>

I thought this thread was about the availability of worm drive Skil
circular saws. I'm not getting sucked into a discussion of the merits
of various methods for assessing the value of Amazon customer reviews.

On Tue, 15 Aug 2017 21:02:48 -0400, Ed Pawlowski <[email protected]> wrote:

>On 8/15/2017 8:02 PM, [email protected] wrote:
>
>>
>>
>> I always take the reviews with a big grain of salt -
>> - the Chevy Vega was MotorTrend Car-Of-The-Year for 1971 -
>> .. yep I owned one ..
>
>I drove one cross country. It was good on the trip but bunred oil after
>that. I guess an 800 mile day is too much for it.
>
>
>> As for circular saws - I have yet to learn how to use one -
>> after about 30 years of owning 2 or 3 ..so I can't comment .
>> ... seriously - I always struggle with this tool. not sure why.
>> John T.
>I know why for me. I'm left handed.
Yiu just need a lefthand saw - - -

On 8/15/2017 6:46 AM, Dr. Deb wrote:
> I bought a Black and Decker 7 1/4" circular saw a few months ago and loved it.
>
> Last Friday I was breaking down some 2" Southern Yellow Pine (with the required 12' rips) and it started blowing smoke, vast quantities of smoke, out the motor vents, with the melodic sound of bearings going south.
>
> Did a bit of research and the DeWalt 575 was the first or second on everyone's list. It should be in today and we will see if it lives up to its billing.
>

B & D was the choice of professionals in the past but the last pro
quality tool they made was probably about 1960. They were fine for the
home handyman use. I had one for many years for light duty. Making 12'
rips was not their forte.

I don't know about DeWalt. They used to be a higher quality. Meantime,
can you get the B&D repaired under warranty? Keep it as a spare or sell
it and recoupe some of your cost.

On Tuesday, August 15, 2017 at 2:29:01 PM UTC-4, Scott Lurndal wrote:
> notbob <[email protected]> writes:
> >On 2017-08-15, Scott Lurndal <[email protected]> wrote:
> >
> >> Skil no longer makes the worm-drive saws).
> >
> >You may be wrong:
> >
> >https://www.skilsaw.com/saws#17696
> >
>
> Doesn't even show up on www.skiltools.com. Confusing indeed.

I get this this great big banner, alternating with a banner for
their homeowner circular saw line. Right on the main page.

http://i.imgur.com/LYORA7j.jpg

On 8/16/2017 9:37 AM, Unquestionably Confused wrote:
> On 8/16/2017 4:27 AM, Just Wondering wrote:
>> On 8/15/2017 6:02 PM, [email protected] wrote:
>>> On Tue, 15 Aug 2017 18:19:17 -0500, -MIKE- <mike@mikedrum
>
> [snip]
>
>>>> There's a lot more to the sorting by reviews than just the reviews.
>>>> You could have a dozen widgets with the exact same reviews and they'll
>>>> get sorted a certain way for various reasons.
>>>> Amazon is a bit tricky that way.
>>>
>>>
>>> I always take the reviews with a big grain of salt -
>>> - the Chevy Vega was MotorTrend Car-Of-The-Year for 1971 -
>>> .. yep I owned one ..
>> >
>> I owned one, too. It was a nice little car with one big problem. The
>> aluminum block and steel head would heat and therefore expand
>> unevenly, resulting in blown head gaskets. The good news was that
>> changing a head gasket was pretty easy. The second time I had to do
>> it took about a half hour start to finish, and I'm no mechanic. The
>> third time it happened I put in a new block with steel cylinder sleeves.
>>
>
> And thus the guy who just said:
>
> "I thought this thread was about the availability of worm drive Skil
> circular saws. I'm not getting sucked into a discussion of the merits
> of various methods for assessing the value of Amazon customer reviews."
>
> Contributes to two off topic posts! ;-)
>

Well, I'm always Just Wondering.
But you are Unquestionably Confused. :)

On Tuesday, August 15, 2017 at 9:23:03 PM UTC-4, [email protected] wrote:
> On Tue, 15 Aug 2017 21:02:48 -0400, Ed Pawlowski <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> >On 8/15/2017 8:02 PM, [email protected] wrote:
> >
> >>
> >>
> >> I always take the reviews with a big grain of salt -
> >> - the Chevy Vega was MotorTrend Car-Of-The-Year for 1971 -
> >> .. yep I owned one ..
> >
> >I drove one cross country. It was good on the trip but bunred oil after
> >that. I guess an 800 mile day is too much for it.
> >
> >
> >> As for circular saws - I have yet to learn how to use one -
> >> after about 30 years of owning 2 or 3 ..so I can't comment .
> >> ... seriously - I always struggle with this tool. not sure why.
> >> John T.
> >I know why for me. I'm left handed.
> Yiu just need a lefthand saw - - -

Lots of right-handed folks use left-blade circular saws. I'm one of them.

When a righty uses a left-blade saw, they don't have to lean over the saw
to see the cut line. Some folks think that the sawdust gets thrown back
in the user's face, but my Porter Cable 743 has a dust chute that mounts
to the top of the saw so you can point the dust at someone else. ;-)

Pic (and praise) can be found here:

http://www.contractortalk.com/f40/porter-cable-model-743-blade-left-circular-saw-128514/

I was introduced to it many years back by a right-handed journeyman framer.
He bought one for the guys in his crew (Christmas) so they would stop
borrowing his. :-)

On 8/16/2017 4:27 AM, Just Wondering wrote:
> On 8/15/2017 6:02 PM, [email protected] wrote:
>> On Tue, 15 Aug 2017 18:19:17 -0500, -MIKE- <mike@mikedrum

[snip]

>>> There's a lot more to the sorting by reviews than just the reviews.
>>> You could have a dozen widgets with the exact same reviews and they'll
>>> get sorted a certain way for various reasons.
>>> Amazon is a bit tricky that way.
>>
>>
>> I always take the reviews with a big grain of salt -
>> - the Chevy Vega was MotorTrend Car-Of-The-Year for 1971 -
>> .. yep I owned one ..
> >
> I owned one, too. It was a nice little car with one big problem. The
> aluminum block and steel head would heat and therefore expand unevenly,
> resulting in blown head gaskets. The good news was that changing a head
> gasket was pretty easy. The second time I had to do it took about a
> half hour start to finish, and I'm no mechanic. The third time it
> happened I put in a new block with steel cylinder sleeves.
>

And thus the guy who just said:

"I thought this thread was about the availability of worm drive Skil
circular saws. I'm not getting sucked into a discussion of the merits
of various methods for assessing the value of Amazon customer reviews."

Contributes to two off topic posts! ;-)

On Tuesday, August 15, 2017 at 6:55:06 PM UTC-5, [email protected] wrote:

> They still make several worm drive saws. The Sawsquatch is one of
> them. Remember, Skill is now owned by Bosch.
> They stil make the SHD77 too amd the SPT 77 and 78 models.(as well as
> the MeduSaw for concrete)

Not as of last year. Although I can't find the article, I read some time b=
ack that Bosch no longer needed (or wanted) Skil. They were sold to Chevro=
n, a Chinese company that indicated (sorry, no cite) that intends to start =
making more "professional grade" tools.

Sale info:

http://toolguyd.com/bosch-sells-skil-brand-to-chervon/

Robert

>>
>> I always take the reviews with a big grain of salt -
>> - the Chevy Vega was MotorTrend Car-Of-The-Year for 1971 -
>> .. yep I owned one ..


>
>I owned one, too. It was a nice little car with one big problem. The
>aluminum block and steel head would heat and therefore expand unevenly,
>resulting in blown head gaskets. The good news was that changing a head
>gasket was pretty easy. The second time I had to do it took about a
>half hour start to finish, and I'm no mechanic. The third time it
>happened I put in a new block with steel cylinder sleeves.


I bought mine used - just 4 years old - and it already had rust
holes - and older rust holes that had been patched !
... that and the smoke-machine of a motor.
.. yeah nice little car .. says you and MotorTrend.
John T.

On 8/15/2017 4:31 PM, DerbyDad03 wrote:
> On Tuesday, August 15, 2017 Scott Lurndal wrote:
>> notbob <[email protected]> writes:
>>> On 2017-08-15, Scott Lurndal <[email protected]> wrote:
>>>
>>>> Skil no longer makes the worm-drive saws).
>>>
>>> You may be wrong:
>>> https://www.skilsaw.com/saws#17696
>>
>> Doesn't even show up on www.skiltools.com. Confusing indeed.
>
> I get this this great big banner, alternating with a banner for
> their homeowner circular saw line. Right on the main page.
> http://i.imgur.com/LYORA7j.jpg
>
If you go on amazon.com, search for 7 1/4" circular saws, and sort on
customer reviews, the top 12 saws are all Skil, Dewalt, and Makita. No.
10 is a worm drive Skil.
https://www.amazon.com/SKILSAW-SPT77WML-01-15-Amp-Lightweight-Circular/dp/B00B7EUS46/ref=sr_1_10?s=power-hand-tools&ie=UTF8&qid=1502836676&sr=1-10&keywords=circular+saw&refinements=p_n_size_browse-bin%3A387625011

notbob <[email protected]> writes:
>On 2017-08-15, Scott Lurndal <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> Skil no longer makes the worm-drive saws).
>
>You may be wrong:
>
>https://www.skilsaw.com/saws#17696
>

Doesn't even show up on www.skiltools.com. Confusing indeed.

"[email protected]" <[email protected]> writes:
>On Tuesday, August 15, 2017 at 11:23:51 AM UTC-5, Scott Lurndal wrote:
>
>> I think that depends on the Skil model - the homeowners models (used to) suck,
>> but the worm-drive saws are de rigueur on job sites (and it appears that
>> Skil no longer makes the worm-drive saws).
>
>Actually, it is their flagship saw. For a while, they made them for Bosch as well. Don't know about now. I didn't realize they were making this many sidewinders, though.
>
>https://goo.gl/y3vdVN

Ah, I see that there is a Skil Tools (which makes the homeowner crap)
and SkilSaw (which makes the good stuff).

On 8/15/2017 8:02 PM, [email protected] wrote:

>
>
> I always take the reviews with a big grain of salt -
> - the Chevy Vega was MotorTrend Car-Of-The-Year for 1971 -
> .. yep I owned one ..

I drove one cross country. It was good on the trip but bunred oil after
that. I guess an 800 mile day is too much for it.


> As for circular saws - I have yet to learn how to use one -
> after about 30 years of owning 2 or 3 ..so I can't comment .
> ... seriously - I always struggle with this tool. not sure why.
> John T.
I know why for me. I'm left handed.

On Tuesday, August 15, 2017 at 5:46:17 AM UTC-5, Dr. Deb wrote:
.=20
> Did a bit of research and the DeWalt 575 was the first or second on every=
one's list. It should be in today and we will see if it lives up to its bi=
lling.

Not to derail the thread, but how do you like it? It is a pretty popular s=
aw on the job site as it is pretty light weight and seems to have plenty of=
power. The only gripe I ever hear is that some think it is too big. Neve=
r heard a complaint about its performance, though.

Robert

On Tuesday, August 15, 2017 at 12:00:49 PM UTC-5, Scott Lurndal wrote:
=20
> Ah, I see that there is a Skil Tools (which makes the homeowner crap)
> and SkilSaw (which makes the good stuff).

Skil is owned by a Chinese company after being sold by Bosch that apparentl=
y bought them to get rights to the worm drive saw.=20

Its confusing. When I started in the trades a few decades ago, even though=
we didn't use Skil branded tools (except the worm drive)all wood cutting c=
ircular saws were called "Skilsaws". Nothing has changed. We don't say ge=
t a drill and a "Makita" and head to the job.

Skilsaw=C2=A9 was the first, powerful, practical and reliable wood cutting =
circular saw. It was a patented, heavily protected piece of machinery (muc=
h like the old Fein oscillators or the Festool Domino) that had the worm dr=
ive market to itself. The Skil line of saws, drills, routers, was developed=
for the lighter use group and in the 60s they made some pretty good tools.

Skil makes the Skilsaw=C2=A9, and now (rumor has it) that since Skil was re=
cently sold to a Chinese company, they are redirecting their efforts to mak=
e a "professional quality" set of tools. Not sure what that means anymore,=
but I guess they are getting out of the crap tool business.

Robert

On Tuesday, August 15, 2017 at 11:23:51 AM UTC-5, Scott Lurndal wrote:

> I think that depends on the Skil model - the homeowners models (used to) suck,
> but the worm-drive saws are de rigueur on job sites (and it appears that
> Skil no longer makes the worm-drive saws).

Actually, it is their flagship saw. For a while, they made them for Bosch as well. Don't know about now. I didn't realize they were making this many sidewinders, though.

https://goo.gl/y3vdVN

Robert

On 8/15/2017 11:34 AM, [email protected] wrote:
> On Tuesday, August 15, 2017 at 11:23:51 AM UTC-5, Scott Lurndal wrote:
>
>> I think that depends on the Skil model - the homeowners models (used to) suck,
>> but the worm-drive saws are de rigueur on job sites (and it appears that
>> Skil no longer makes the worm-drive saws).
>
> Actually, it is their flagship saw. For a while, they made them for Bosch as well. Don't know about now. I didn't realize they were making this many sidewinders, though.
>
> https://goo.gl/y3vdVN
>
> Robert
>


IIRC Skil and Bosch have separated.

"[email protected]" <[email protected]> writes:
[snip]

>Skilsaw=C2=A9 was the first, powerful, practical and reliable wood cutting =
>circular saw. It was a patented, heavily protected piece of machinery (muc=
>h like the old Fein oscillators or the Festool Domino) that had the worm dr=
>ive market to itself. The Skil line of saws, drills, routers, was developed=
> for the lighter use group and in the 60s they made some pretty good tools.

Hm.. I have a worm-drive saw that's not a skilsaw (was in the
garage when I moved in). Probably 50's vintage. Needs grease,
so I've never even fired it up (came in a nice metal case). I'll
have to dig it out of the back of the shop and see if it can be
rehabilitated.

On Tue, 15 Aug 2017 18:19:17 -0500, -MIKE- <[email protected]>
wrote:

>On 8/15/17 5:40 PM, Just Wondering wrote:
>> On 8/15/2017 4:31 PM, DerbyDad03 wrote:
>>> On Tuesday, August 15, 2017 Scott Lurndal wrote:
>>>> notbob <[email protected]> writes:
>>>>> On 2017-08-15, Scott Lurndal <[email protected]> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> Skil no longer makes the worm-drive saws).
>>>>>
>>>>> You may be wrong:
>>>>> https://www.skilsaw.com/saws#17696
>>>>
>>>> Doesn't even show up on www.skiltools.com. Confusing indeed.
>>>
>>> I get this this great big banner, alternating with a banner for
>>> their homeowner circular saw line. Right on the main page.
>>> http://i.imgur.com/LYORA7j.jpg
>>>
>> If you go on amazon.com, search for 7 1/4" circular saws, and sort on
>> customer reviews, the top 12 saws are all Skil, Dewalt, and Makita. No.
>> 10 is a worm drive Skil.
>> https://www.amazon.com/SKILSAW-SPT77WML-01-15-Amp-Lightweight-Circular/dp/B00B7EUS46/ref=sr_1_10?s=power-hand-tools&ie=UTF8&qid=1502836676&sr=1-10&keywords=circular+saw&refinements=p_n_size_browse-bin%3A387625011
>>
>
>There's a lot more to the sorting by reviews than just the reviews.
>You could have a dozen widgets with the exact same reviews and they'll
>get sorted a certain way for various reasons.
>Amazon is a bit tricky that way.


I always take the reviews with a big grain of salt -
- the Chevy Vega was MotorTrend Car-Of-The-Year for 1971 -
.. yep I owned one ..
As for circular saws - I have yet to learn how to use one -
after about 30 years of owning 2 or 3 ..so I can't comment .
... seriously - I always struggle with this tool. not sure why.
John T.

On 2017-08-15, Scott Lurndal <[email protected]> wrote:

> Skil no longer makes the worm-drive saws).

You may be wrong:

https://www.skilsaw.com/saws#17696

nb

On 2017-08-15, Scott Lurndal <[email protected]> wrote:
> notbob <[email protected]> writes:
>>On 2017-08-15, Scott Lurndal <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>>> Skil no longer makes the worm-drive saws).
>>
>>You may be wrong:
>>
>>https://www.skilsaw.com/saws#17696
>>
>
> Doesn't even show up on www.skiltools.com. Confusing indeed.

Perhaps, fer you. (shrug) ;)

nb

On 2017-08-16, Bob La Londe <[email protected]> wrote:

> I still favor a Skil Worm Drive, but they are not cheap.

Compared to what?

<https://www.amazon.com/SKILSAW-SPT77WML-01-15-Amp-Lightweight-Circular/dp/B00B7EUS46/ref=dp_ob_title_hi>

*****OR*****

https://www.timberwolftools.com/mafell-mks-165ec-circular-saw

Yer money, yer choice. ;)

nb

On Wed, 16 Aug 2017 10:13:46 -0700, "Bob La Londe" <[email protected]>
wrote:

>I still favor a Skil Worm Drive, but they are not cheap.
Quality seldom is.

On Tue, 15 Aug 2017 16:23:46 GMT, [email protected] (Scott Lurndal)
wrote:

>[email protected] writes:
>>On Tue, 15 Aug 2017 09:30:39 -0400, Ed Pawlowski <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>>>On 8/15/2017 6:46 AM, Dr. Deb wrote:
>>>> I bought a Black and Decker 7 1/4" circular saw a few months ago and loved it.
>>>>
>>>> Last Friday I was breaking down some 2" Southern Yellow Pine (with the required 12' rips) and it started blowing smoke, vast quantities of smoke, out the motor vents, with the melodic sound of bearings going south.
>>>>
>>>> Did a bit of research and the DeWalt 575 was the first or second on everyone's list. It should be in today and we will see if it lives up to its billing.
>>>>
>>>
>>>B & D was the choice of professionals in the past but the last pro
>>>quality tool they made was probably about 1960. They were fine for the
>>>home handyman use. I had one for many years for light duty. Making 12'
>>>rips was not their forte.
>>>
>>>I don't know about DeWalt. They used to be a higher quality. Meantime,
>>>can you get the B&D repaired under warranty? Keep it as a spare or sell
>>>it and recoupe some of your cost.
>> Makita is still a lot better than DeWalt - so are Milwaukee and Skill
>
>I think that depends on the Skil model - the homeowners models (used to) suck,
>but the worm-drive saws are de rigueur on job sites (and it appears that
>Skil no longer makes the worm-drive saws).
They still make several worm drive saws. The Sawsquatch is one of
them. Remember, Skill is now owned by Bosch.
They stil make the SHD77 too amd the SPT 77 and 78 models.(as well as
the MeduSaw for concrete)

On Tue, 15 Aug 2017 09:30:39 -0400, Ed Pawlowski <[email protected]> wrote:

>On 8/15/2017 6:46 AM, Dr. Deb wrote:
>> I bought a Black and Decker 7 1/4" circular saw a few months ago and loved it.
>>
>> Last Friday I was breaking down some 2" Southern Yellow Pine (with the required 12' rips) and it started blowing smoke, vast quantities of smoke, out the motor vents, with the melodic sound of bearings going south.
>>
>> Did a bit of research and the DeWalt 575 was the first or second on everyone's list. It should be in today and we will see if it lives up to its billing.
>>
>
>B & D was the choice of professionals in the past but the last pro
>quality tool they made was probably about 1960. They were fine for the
>home handyman use. I had one for many years for light duty. Making 12'
>rips was not their forte.
>
>I don't know about DeWalt. They used to be a higher quality. Meantime,
>can you get the B&D repaired under warranty? Keep it as a spare or sell
>it and recoupe some of your cost.
Makita is still a lot better than DeWalt - so are Milwaukee and Skill
and Bosch.
Generally speaking, if under Warrantee they will more likely replace
than repair - many of the B&D crap today you can't even get parts for.
Wear out a brush, and the replacement part is the whole motor,
including the plastic case.

[email protected] writes:
>On Tue, 15 Aug 2017 09:30:39 -0400, Ed Pawlowski <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>On 8/15/2017 6:46 AM, Dr. Deb wrote:
>>> I bought a Black and Decker 7 1/4" circular saw a few months ago and loved it.
>>>
>>> Last Friday I was breaking down some 2" Southern Yellow Pine (with the required 12' rips) and it started blowing smoke, vast quantities of smoke, out the motor vents, with the melodic sound of bearings going south.
>>>
>>> Did a bit of research and the DeWalt 575 was the first or second on everyone's list. It should be in today and we will see if it lives up to its billing.
>>>
>>
>>B & D was the choice of professionals in the past but the last pro
>>quality tool they made was probably about 1960. They were fine for the
>>home handyman use. I had one for many years for light duty. Making 12'
>>rips was not their forte.
>>
>>I don't know about DeWalt. They used to be a higher quality. Meantime,
>>can you get the B&D repaired under warranty? Keep it as a spare or sell
>>it and recoupe some of your cost.
> Makita is still a lot better than DeWalt - so are Milwaukee and Skill

I think that depends on the Skil model - the homeowners models (used to) suck,
but the worm-drive saws are de rigueur on job sites (and it appears that
Skil no longer makes the worm-drive saws).

On 8/15/2017 6:46 AM, Dr. Deb wrote:
> I bought a Black and Decker 7 1/4" circular saw a few months ago and loved it.
>
> Last Friday I was breaking down some 2" Southern Yellow Pine (with the required 12' rips) and it started blowing smoke, vast quantities of smoke, out the motor vents, with the melodic sound of bearings going south.
>
> Did a bit of research and the DeWalt 575 was the first or second on everyone's list. It should be in today and we will see if it lives up to its billing.
>

My first question is why would you buy a B&D anything these days?

--
Jeff

>>>
>>> I always take the reviews with a big grain of salt -
>>> - the Chevy Vega was MotorTrend Car-Of-The-Year for 1971 -
>>> .. yep I owned one ..

>>
>>I drove one cross country. It was good on the trip but bunred oil after
>>that. I guess an 800 mile day is too much for it.


>After you bore them out and put in cast iron sleaves and akuminum
>postons instead of iron plated pistons in aluminum bores, they
>actually were not a BAD engine. If you could keep them from
>overheating even the aluminum wasn't bad - but keeping them cool was a
>problem
>

Do all that - then drop the engine into a car that doesn't rot away
in 3 or 4 years ..
then you might have a car-of-the-year candidate !
John T.

On 8/15/17 5:46 AM, Dr. Deb wrote:
> I bought a Black and Decker 7 1/4" circular saw a few months ago and
> loved it.
>
> Last Friday I was breaking down some 2" Southern Yellow Pine (with
> the required 12' rips) and it started blowing smoke, vast quantities
> of smoke, out the motor vents, with the melodic sound of bearings
> going south.
>
> Did a bit of research and the DeWalt 575 was the first or second on
> everyone's list. It should be in today and we will see if it lives
> up to its billing.
>

I have the 575SB and from day one, the electric blade brake is
intermittent. Sometimes it works and stops the blade and other times it
don't do a thing.

Of course, Murphy's Law dictates that it usually doesn't work when I'm
actually cutting.
YMMV.


--

-MIKE-

"Playing is not something I do at night, it's my function in life"
--Elvin Jones (1927-2004)
--
www.mikedrums.com

On 8/15/17 5:40 PM, Just Wondering wrote:
> On 8/15/2017 4:31 PM, DerbyDad03 wrote:
>> On Tuesday, August 15, 2017 Scott Lurndal wrote:
>>> notbob <[email protected]> writes:
>>>> On 2017-08-15, Scott Lurndal <[email protected]> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> Skil no longer makes the worm-drive saws).
>>>>
>>>> You may be wrong:
>>>> https://www.skilsaw.com/saws#17696
>>>
>>> Doesn't even show up on www.skiltools.com. Confusing indeed.
>>
>> I get this this great big banner, alternating with a banner for
>> their homeowner circular saw line. Right on the main page.
>> http://i.imgur.com/LYORA7j.jpg
>>
> If you go on amazon.com, search for 7 1/4" circular saws, and sort on
> customer reviews, the top 12 saws are all Skil, Dewalt, and Makita. No.
> 10 is a worm drive Skil.
> https://www.amazon.com/SKILSAW-SPT77WML-01-15-Amp-Lightweight-Circular/dp/B00B7EUS46/ref=sr_1_10?s=power-hand-tools&ie=UTF8&qid=1502836676&sr=1-10&keywords=circular+saw&refinements=p_n_size_browse-bin%3A387625011
>

There's a lot more to the sorting by reviews than just the reviews.
You could have a dozen widgets with the exact same reviews and they'll
get sorted a certain way for various reasons.
Amazon is a bit tricky that way.


--

-MIKE-

"Playing is not something I do at night, it's my function in life"
--Elvin Jones (1927-2004)
--
www.mikedrums.com

On 8/16/17 4:23 AM, Just Wondering wrote:
> On 8/15/2017 5:19 PM, -MIKE- wrote:
>> On 8/15/17 5:40 PM, Just Wondering wrote:
>>> On 8/15/2017 4:31 PM, DerbyDad03 wrote:
>>>> On Tuesday, August 15, 2017 Scott Lurndal wrote:
>>>>> notbob <[email protected]> writes:
>>>>>> On 2017-08-15, Scott Lurndal <[email protected]> wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Skil no longer makes the worm-drive saws).
>>>>>>
>>>>>> You may be wrong: https://www.skilsaw.com/saws#17696
>>>>>
>>>>> Doesn't even show up on www.skiltools.com. Confusing
>>>>> indeed.
>>>>
>>>> I get this this great big banner, alternating with a banner
>>>> for their homeowner circular saw line. Right on the main page.
>>>> http://i.imgur.com/LYORA7j.jpg
>>>>
>>> If you go on amazon.com, search for 7 1/4" circular saws, and
>>> sort on customer reviews, the top 12 saws are all Skil, Dewalt,
>>> and Makita. No. 10 is a worm drive Skil.
>>> https://www.amazon.com/SKILSAW-SPT77WML-01-15-Amp-Lightweight-Circular/dp/B00B7EUS46/ref=sr_1_10?s=power-hand-tools&ie=UTF8&qid=1502836676&sr=1-10&keywords=circular+saw&refinements=p_n_size_browse-bin%3A387625011
>>>
>>>
>>
>> There's a lot more to the sorting by reviews than just the
>> reviews. You could have a dozen widgets with the exact same reviews
>> and they'll get sorted a certain way for various reasons. Amazon is
>> a bit tricky that way.
>>
>
> I thought this thread was about the availability of worm drive Skil
> circular saws. I'm not getting sucked into a discussion of the
> merits of various methods for assessing the value of Amazon customer
> reviews.

I thought you were trying to judge the quality of Skilsaw worm drive
saws based on where they ranked on Amazon.

Among professional carpenters they have always been go-to saw and highly
regarded in the industry. I trust that reputation over Amazon reviews,
that's all I'm saying.


--

-MIKE-

"Playing is not something I do at night, it's my function in life"
--Elvin Jones (1927-2004)
--
www.mikedrums.com

I still favor a Skil Worm Drive, but they are not cheap.

On 8/16/17 2:25 PM, Just Wondering wrote:
> On 8/16/2017 8:57 AM, -MIKE- wrote:
>> On 8/16/17 4:23 AM, Just Wondering wrote:
>>> On 8/15/2017 5:19 PM, -MIKE- wrote:
>>>> On 8/15/17 5:40 PM, Just Wondering wrote:
>>>>> On 8/15/2017 4:31 PM, DerbyDad03 wrote:
>>>>>> On Tuesday, August 15, 2017 Scott Lurndal wrote:
>>>>>>> notbob <[email protected]> writes:
>>>>>>>> On 2017-08-15, Scott Lurndal <[email protected]>
>>>>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> Skil no longer makes the worm-drive saws).
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> You may be wrong: https://www.skilsaw.com/saws#17696
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Doesn't even show up on www.skiltools.com. Confusing
>>>>>>> indeed.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I get this this great big banner, alternating with a
>>>>>> banner for their homeowner circular saw line. Right on the
>>>>>> main page. http://i.imgur.com/LYORA7j.jpg
>>>>>>
>>>>> If you go on amazon.com, search for 7 1/4" circular saws,
>>>>> and sort on customer reviews, the top 12 saws are all Skil,
>>>>> Dewalt, and Makita. No. 10 is a worm drive Skil.
>>>>> https://www.amazon.com/SKILSAW-SPT77WML-01-15-Amp-Lightweight-Circular/dp/B00B7EUS46/ref=sr_1_10?s=power-hand-tools&ie=UTF8&qid=1502836676&sr=1-10&keywords=circular+saw&refinements=p_n_size_browse-bin%3A387625011
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>> There's a lot more to the sorting by reviews than just the
>>>> reviews. You could have a dozen widgets with the exact same
>>>> reviews and they'll get sorted a certain way for various
>>>> reasons. Amazon is a bit tricky that way.
>>>>
>>>
>>> I thought this thread was about the availability of worm drive
>>> Skil circular saws. I'm not getting sucked into a discussion of
>>> the merits of various methods for assessing the value of Amazon
>>> customer reviews.
>>
>> I thought you were trying to judge the quality of Skilsaw worm
>> drive saws based on where they ranked on Amazon.
>>
>> Among professional carpenters they have always been go-to saw and
>> highly regarded in the industry. I trust that reputation over
>> Amazon reviews, that's all I'm saying.
>>
>
> OK, but it sure looks to me like all you were saying was, "There's a
> lot more to the sorting by reviews than just the reviews. You could
> have a dozen widgets with the exact same reviews and they'll get
> sorted a certain way for various reasons. Amazon is a bit tricky that
> way." :)
>

Well yeah, that too. :-)
I wasn't trying to lead us off on another tangent, just making the point
that the Skilsaw worms are as good as everyone says they are and are
better than those other despite what a list of reviews might lead you to
believe.


--

-MIKE-

"Playing is not something I do at night, it's my function in life"
--Elvin Jones (1927-2004)
--
www.mikedrums.com

On Tue, 15 Aug 2017 15:42:07 -0700 (PDT), Michael
<[email protected]> wrote:

>On Tuesday, August 15, 2017 at 5:46:17 AM UTC-5, Dr. Deb wrote:
>> I bought a Black and Decker 7 1/4" circular saw a few months ago and loved it.
>>
>> Last Friday I was breaking down some 2" Southern Yellow Pine (with the required 12' rips) and it started blowing smoke, vast quantities of smoke, out the motor vents, with the melodic sound of bearings going south.
>>
>> Did a bit of research and the DeWalt 575 was the first or second on everyone's list. It should be in today and we will see if it lives up to its billing.
>
>People seem to really like that saw. I bought a Milwaukee 6390 years back when they were on sale at Sears. I just used it this afternoon. It's on the heavy side, but it's never disappointed me for power.
I've got a 1958 worm drive skill, an 8 inch Milwaukee, and a 7 1/2
1nch Rockwell. I think they are all old enough to vote and drink -
just like my truck - - -

On Tue, 15 Aug 2017 21:02:48 -0400, Ed Pawlowski <[email protected]> wrote:

>On 8/15/2017 8:02 PM, [email protected] wrote:
>
>>
>>
>> I always take the reviews with a big grain of salt -
>> - the Chevy Vega was MotorTrend Car-Of-The-Year for 1971 -
>> .. yep I owned one ..
>
>I drove one cross country. It was good on the trip but bunred oil after
>that. I guess an 800 mile day is too much for it.
After you bore them out and put in cast iron sleaves and akuminum
postons instead of iron plated pistons in aluminum bores, they
actually were not a BAD engine. If you could keep them from
overheating even the aluminum wasn't bad - but keeping them cool was a
problem

>
>
>> As for circular saws - I have yet to learn how to use one -
>> after about 30 years of owning 2 or 3 ..so I can't comment .
>> ... seriously - I always struggle with this tool. not sure why.
>> John T.
>I know why for me. I'm left handed.

On 8/16/2017 8:57 AM, -MIKE- wrote:
> On 8/16/17 4:23 AM, Just Wondering wrote:
>> On 8/15/2017 5:19 PM, -MIKE- wrote:
>>> On 8/15/17 5:40 PM, Just Wondering wrote:
>>>> On 8/15/2017 4:31 PM, DerbyDad03 wrote:
>>>>> On Tuesday, August 15, 2017 Scott Lurndal wrote:
>>>>>> notbob <[email protected]> writes:
>>>>>>> On 2017-08-15, Scott Lurndal <[email protected]> wrote:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Skil no longer makes the worm-drive saws).
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> You may be wrong: https://www.skilsaw.com/saws#17696
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Doesn't even show up on www.skiltools.com. Confusing
>>>>>> indeed.
>>>>>
>>>>> I get this this great big banner, alternating with a banner
>>>>> for their homeowner circular saw line. Right on the main page.
>>>>> http://i.imgur.com/LYORA7j.jpg
>>>>>
>>>> If you go on amazon.com, search for 7 1/4" circular saws, and
>>>> sort on customer reviews, the top 12 saws are all Skil, Dewalt,
>>>> and Makita. No. 10 is a worm drive Skil.
>>>> https://www.amazon.com/SKILSAW-SPT77WML-01-15-Amp-Lightweight-Circular/dp/B00B7EUS46/ref=sr_1_10?s=power-hand-tools&ie=UTF8&qid=1502836676&sr=1-10&keywords=circular+saw&refinements=p_n_size_browse-bin%3A387625011
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>> There's a lot more to the sorting by reviews than just the
>>> reviews. You could have a dozen widgets with the exact same reviews
>>> and they'll get sorted a certain way for various reasons. Amazon is
>>> a bit tricky that way.
>>>
>>
>> I thought this thread was about the availability of worm drive Skil
>> circular saws. I'm not getting sucked into a discussion of the
>> merits of various methods for assessing the value of Amazon customer
>> reviews.
>
> I thought you were trying to judge the quality of Skilsaw worm drive
> saws based on where they ranked on Amazon.
>
> Among professional carpenters they have always been go-to saw and highly
> regarded in the industry. I trust that reputation over Amazon reviews,
> that's all I'm saying.
>

OK, but it sure looks to me like all you were saying was, "There's a lot
more to the sorting by reviews than just the reviews. You could have a
dozen widgets with the exact same reviews and they'll get sorted a
certain way for various reasons. Amazon is a bit tricky that way." :)

On 8/15/2017 6:02 PM, [email protected] wrote:
> On Tue, 15 Aug 2017 18:19:17 -0500, -MIKE- <[email protected]>
> wrote:
>
>> On 8/15/17 5:40 PM, Just Wondering wrote:
>>> On 8/15/2017 4:31 PM, DerbyDad03 wrote:
>>>> On Tuesday, August 15, 2017 Scott Lurndal wrote:
>>>>> notbob <[email protected]> writes:
>>>>>> On 2017-08-15, Scott Lurndal <[email protected]> wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Skil no longer makes the worm-drive saws).
>>>>>>
>>>>>> You may be wrong:
>>>>>> https://www.skilsaw.com/saws#17696
>>>>>
>>>>> Doesn't even show up on www.skiltools.com. Confusing indeed.
>>>>
>>>> I get this this great big banner, alternating with a banner for
>>>> their homeowner circular saw line. Right on the main page.
>>>> http://i.imgur.com/LYORA7j.jpg
>>>>
>>> If you go on amazon.com, search for 7 1/4" circular saws, and sort on
>>> customer reviews, the top 12 saws are all Skil, Dewalt, and Makita. No.
>>> 10 is a worm drive Skil.
>>> https://www.amazon.com/SKILSAW-SPT77WML-01-15-Amp-Lightweight-Circular/dp/B00B7EUS46/ref=sr_1_10?s=power-hand-tools&ie=UTF8&qid=1502836676&sr=1-10&keywords=circular+saw&refinements=p_n_size_browse-bin%3A387625011
>>>
>>
>> There's a lot more to the sorting by reviews than just the reviews.
>> You could have a dozen widgets with the exact same reviews and they'll
>> get sorted a certain way for various reasons.
>> Amazon is a bit tricky that way.
>
>
> I always take the reviews with a big grain of salt -
> - the Chevy Vega was MotorTrend Car-Of-The-Year for 1971 -
> .. yep I owned one ..
>
I owned one, too. It was a nice little car with one big problem. The
aluminum block and steel head would heat and therefore expand unevenly,
resulting in blown head gaskets. The good news was that changing a head
gasket was pretty easy. The second time I had to do it took about a
half hour start to finish, and I'm no mechanic. The third time it
happened I put in a new block with steel cylinder sleeves.