Thread: It's Yard Sale... And Decision Time!!

So, it's that time of year! The community garage/yard sale is this weekend. The wife is in full-on "tornado mode", blowing through the house like a whirlwind. Things that haven't been used in [insert moving target here] amount of time find themselves at the eye of the storm; aka the staging area known as the living room.

One of the few things of mine that I volunteered without being told to do so was a few tools that were part of a "lot" that I got from the local auction house for pretty cheap. I mean, cleared half a table for $2-$4 cheap! Anyway......

Because of that lot, I have redundant circular saws. Having never owned a circular saw before, and these both being halfway to vintage, I could really use some help deciding which one to put out on the table for, I dunno... $20, O.B.O.?? And yes, they both work. I replaced the plugs on any of these tools that needed it, then tested all of them.

Details are in the pics below.

K-Mart saw.








Black and Decker saw.








I think they can both take a rabbit/guide thingy, but came with no such straight line cutting aide. I wonder when they were made? No obvious dates on them, that I could find.

So what do you think?

I look forward to your thoughtful responses!

Both are antiques, which means repairs in the near future (brushes or bearings). K-Mart hasn't subcontracted power tools for A LONG TIME,
so finding replacement parts for it will be a snipe hunt. Plus K-Mart was never known for their quality power tools. On the other hand, the B&D
has also seen it's better days and looks to be in need of some TLC (parts are still attainable). IMHO, let them both go and treat yourself to a
new circular saw (my fav is Porter Cable). There are some really nice cordless options out there with decent prices. If you must keep one, my
vote would be to keep the Black & Decker (with a strong recommendation to upgrade).

As for the rabbit/guide thingy, don't trust those for straight cuts. Learn to use straight edges and clamps to run your saw along if you want
truly straight cuts with a circular saw.

The K-Mart saw has a better base plate, one amp more power and a forward handle that is quite low. I doubt if you are about to start contracting so my guess is either of those will work for the occasional cut that you will be making. They are both pretty low end saws.

Originally Posted by RezDog

The K-Mart saw has a better base plate, one amp more power and a forward handle that is quite low. I doubt if you are about to start contracting so my guess is either of those will work for the occasional cut that you will be making. They are both pretty low end saws.

I like what Shaun said. Either will be fine & amazingly, some of those old saws you can still get parts for like brushes & bearings. If you don't do much woodwork then keep either one & sell one. I have one because once in a while I need one & after one was stolen from me, I had to borrow one. I found another one on the bay from one of the pawn shops that lists on there. I got it cheap & it has a carbide tooth blade on it too.

Like Shaun, I appreciate the base plate on the 1st one. Cut some boards with each. Which one do you like more?
I don't have anything except 4 similar old saws. I keep different blades on them for different uses.
They cut.
All I need them for!

Take and swap the blades between them, the one at the bottom has a carbide blade, the top one has a HSS plywood blade. Getting an HSS blade sharpened will cost some money as will a carbide blade, but the carbide will last a long time unless you cut through a nail or two... the HSS blade would be in pretty bad shape after an encounter with a nail.

Hands down, keep the 2HP if it runs fine, it has a decent base plate, just swap the blade. Don't buy a guide, they are not worth the money... if you need one, make a wooden guide you can clamp onto sheet goods. If you don't know how, ping me and I'll point you in the right direction... you *may* need help from someone with a decent tablesaw to cut one part.

Don't worry about parts.... your not going to get any, though any decent repair shop would be able to fit a pair of brushes to it, if worn out. Anything else, just get a new saw if you really need it.

Price for the old one.... around here, $20 would be too high.... But, it all depends on who's shopping and how bad they want a circular saw.

Regards

Kaptain "Shiver me splinters" Zero

Thanks for the help, fellas.

I forgot to mention that the level of use would definitely fall into the "occasional/hobbyist" category, and not contractor/commercial use.

When y'all started talking about the base plate, it jarred loose a memory! When I first assessed them, I noticed one might have had a slightly bent, or warped, base plate. I'll check them out again when I get home from work tonight.

I've watched several videos on how to DIY a rail/guide straight edge for circular saws. Too bad I don't have anything larger than a couple of about 4" quick clamps.

For what I paid, future replacement parts & such weren't really a concern. I will do what I can to keep it well maintained, but do not foresee these visiting a repair shop.

Frankly, I think they are in A+ condition, for the money lol. During testing, I was just delighted that: the motors & blades didn't turn into shrapnel, they didn't shoot sparks, didn't trip the breaker, and didn't blow out the transformer up the street lol! But then again, maybe that's because I'm a "silver linings" kind of guy .

Yeah, check those base plates out & put the carbide tipped blade on the saw you will keep. You may not have to even swap 'em.

Base plates - The Kmart has a wide aluminum base with no support ridges. The B&D has a narrow stamped
steel base with support ridges. Wide and soft will bend easily, narrow and supported will bend too, but more
force must be exerted (a higher drop). No matter how careful you are, you're going to drop a tool at some point.
The wider base will be a hinderance more often than a narrow base, years of experience has taught me that.

Forward handle - With corded tools, you'll have one hand on the trigger and one hand holding the cord (or a
speed square for short cross cuts). Rarely, if ever, will you have the luxury of having two hands on the saw.

Repairs - Both saws can be dated to the early to mid 70's and no power tool is designed to be repaired by the
owner/operator. I can share links for B&D that show most parts for this model are obsolete and cannot be
ordered. As for the Kmart, Kresge stop making power tools around 1977 and I cannot even find a parts list for
this model. If either saw needed repaired, think replacement. But remember, "you get what you pay for".

Horsepower - Labeling a circular saw with it's hp is a sales gimmick. It's like seeing "surgical steel" on a blade,
it tells you nothing. The amps and rpm's are the tell here. 10 amps at 5200 rpm vs 9 amps at 4900 rpm are
almost identical. Only when cutting dense or wet wood will these numbers come into play. The sharpness and
type of blade are major variables in this equation. If a circular saw bogs down during a cut, back off on the
pressure and let the blade do the work.

Blades - Blades are not that expensive. Even the occasional hobbyist should have a selection of blades. Not
all cuts or materials will be the same and may require using a diffent type of blade.

Usage/Quality - Professional or hobbyist and the quality of their tools? Let me put it this way, I'm not a profes-
sional Barber, but I like a good shave. I could use a Bic twin blade disposable, but I would prefer to use my
Dubl Duck or my Filarmonica.

In summation - I am a semi-retired Contractor that enjoys using his tools for the occasional project. I still recom-
mend upgrading to a better circular saw. It doesn't have to be new in the box. Bottom line, it's your call...

Originally Posted by Panama60

Both are antiques, which means repairs in the near future (brushes or bearings). K-Mart hasn't subcontracted power tools for A LONG TIME,
so finding replacement parts for it will be a snipe hunt. Plus K-Mart was never known for their quality power tools. On the other hand, the B&D
has also seen it's better days and looks to be in need of some TLC (parts are still attainable). IMHO, let them both go and treat yourself to a
new circular saw (my fav is Porter Cable). There are some really nice cordless options out there with decent prices. If you must keep one, my
vote would be to keep the Black & Decker (with a strong recommendation to upgrade).

As for the rabbit/guide thingy, don't trust those for straight cuts. Learn to use straight edges and clamps to run your saw along if you want
truly straight cuts with a circular saw.

Agreed, but I would recommend Rigid instead of porter cable, personal preference and rigid is cheaper.