A Weather-Proof Deck

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A standard circular saw with a 7 1/2"diameter "combination" or rough-cutting blade will chop up 2 x 4s to frame a house just fine. But for decks I recommend the most powerful saw and widest blade you can handle easily. You'll be cutting up a stack of 2 x 10 frame boards that will bind up a dull blade and stop a low-power electric motor midway through the cut. A 6" or 8" square post will require at least two passes, and an inadequate blade in that thick stock will bind, burn and smoke, chatter and kick back, wobble and cant in the cut and drive you nuts. Decks are usually planked with 2 x 4s, and trimming their visible outer edges requires a neat cut; a heavier saw with more power and a wider blade will cut them clean, twice as fast, and with fewer off-center sawlines.

My Black & Decker Sawforce 300 is typical of the premium homeowner-grade saws made by all power-tool manufacturers. Its 10-amp (2 1/2 hp) power, accuracy, and cost are a cut above standard, but the added oomph and weight makes it a joy rather than a trial to use in heavy lumber—especially when I have to hold the blade horizontal to section out rotten sections of deck posts in place.

Your saw may come with a standard-quality combination blade that is okay for rough framing. I suggest spending another $20 for a carbide-tipped crosscut blade. It will last several times longer and the alternate-set teeth designed specifically to cut across—not along—wood fibers will produce clean, smooth cut ends that resist water better than the ragged cut from a cheaper or less specialized blade.

For the really tough saw jobs like cutting through old decking, nails and all, or in tight quarters where a circular saw won't fit and a little wood-handled keyhole saw would take a week, such as trimming out rotted deck-joist ends without removing the decking nailed on them (and other restoration tasks where you are often as not bent double or half standing on your head or with one foot in a mud sump or all of them together) you need a saw that is powerful but will get a blade in almost anywhere. You need a reciprocating saw—an ugly and ungainly foot-and-a-half-long, more or less cylindrical tool that holds a thin blade by one end and moves it forward and back rapidly, but with unstoppable power. The blades twist and break and make a sloppy, ragged cut. The saws are heavy and awkward to use, and they will rattle your teeth. Plus, they cost $120 and up and you won't need yours often. But believe me, when you do need it you'll discover that there is nothing that can do what a "Supersaw" can.

FASTENING

You'll want a 3-pound hammer occasionally in any carpentry work, but to sink a deck full of self-tapping deck screws you'll need a power driver. This is an electric hand drill geared down I to generate enough torque to insert self-tapping screws directly into any thickness of soft wood without having to drill pilot holes. Cordless models are most convenient and variable-speed controls are most flexible. They come in 5- to 12-amp versions; I find that the hardware store 7.5-amp and smaller models are great for household chores but underpowered for deck framing. I have used Makita drivers (U.S. made) for decades and find a 9.6-amp model a good compromise between power and weight. Batteries recharge in an hour and a pair provides plenty of power for nearly full-time work.

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