re: Need a new circular saw

Thanks guys. Track saw sounds really nice but not budget is $150 tax and accessories included. Maybe what I’m looking for doesn’t exist except for a track saw and if that’s the case I guess I’ll just keep muddling through with my skill saw.

The bevel is the most important part because I made an accurate fence. Very simple. Just a piece of straight plywood with a small piece glued to one end to make a tee. The tee rests against what I’m cutting which makes the fence perpendicular, and I cut the length of the tee using the fence itself, so I just line that part up with the cut line. Now straight cuts are easy. Just line up the fence, clamp it, cut. Bingo.

But beveling is still an issue. On my right-tilt tablesaw, no matter what the bevel is, the fence distance remains accurate at the table surface. That’s not true for this skill saw. The pivot is not true, so the fence distance with bevel cuts results in different distances at the shoe. Therefore, test cuts required every time because I can’t measure it. And the bevel (and plunge) indicators are hot accurate. And there are no presets with detents.

I looked at a DeWalt saw on Amazon and the couple of reviews for beveling were not great. Something about play in the shoe resulting in wobbly cuts.

So really all I’m looking for is a saw that has a true bevel pivot with fairly accurate indicator and detent presets.

Unfortunately I think finding one will be difficult. Most people use circular saws for framing and the fine accuracy I’m looking for doesn’t show up much in online reviews.

The good news is that I finished my carpentry project successfully – two sets of French doors for side by side bedroom closets. I had to make the frames, cut the hinge mortises (using a router jig I made for my own door projects) and install jamb switches. Somehow, despite all my issues with the saw, the doors came out plumb and even and tight. So I shifted gears and moved on to plaster and paint so no more carpentry for a couple of weeks. Next carpentry project is building a wall with double pocket doors. Since this is mostly a framing project I won’t even need a new saw for that. I’ll rip the jamb and head trim at home on my tablesaw and just cut them to length onsite. It’s only a couple of pieces.