Circular Saw Safety Tips

By Bob Johnston
Published on March 26, 2009
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An example of dangerous sawing: pulling the saw (straight toward the operator) with no support under the plywood.
An example of dangerous sawing: pulling the saw (straight toward the operator) with no support under the plywood.
BOB JOHNSTON
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The first thing you do when preparing to cut a board is to make a mark for the cut. About 90 percent of the carpenters I know make a mark with a speed square and cut on the left of the line sometimes and to the right of the line other times. Who knows?The small straight mark on the right is the exact place you want the blade to cut and is the correct way to mark a board, the wing mark on the left of the small mark is the waste side.
The first thing you do when preparing to cut a board is to make a mark for the cut. About 90 percent of the carpenters I know make a mark with a speed square and cut on the left of the line sometimes and to the right of the line other times. Who knows?The small straight mark on the right is the exact place you want the blade to cut and is the correct way to mark a board, the wing mark on the left of the small mark is the waste side.
BOB JOHNSTON
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Get some Wite-Out and paint the wide prong side white (wide — white). This is the white (neutral) wire in the cord. Then you won’t have to look each time and try to figure out which way the prongs fit.
Get some Wite-Out and paint the wide prong side white (wide — white). This is the white (neutral) wire in the cord. Then you won’t have to look each time and try to figure out which way the prongs fit.
BOB JOHNSTON
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I marked on the back of my saws the depth of cut plus one-eighth inch. 1 1/2 inch is actually 1 5/8-inch depth of cut (to be sure it cuts through the thickness of the board). This saw is set for a 1/4-inch cut but the actual blade depth is 3/8 inch.
I marked on the back of my saws the depth of cut plus one-eighth inch. 1 1/2 inch is actually 1 5/8-inch depth of cut (to be sure it cuts through the thickness of the board). This saw is set for a 1/4-inch cut but the actual blade depth is 3/8 inch.
BOB JOHNSTON

<p>Last year, more than 250,000 saw-related injuries required emergency room care. The circular saw is the most dangerous, misused and abused tool in a do-it-yourselfer’s tool shed. Here’s what I have learned about safety, proper techniques and maintenance from using a saw for 50 years.</p>
<h3>Some History</h3>
<p>When portable, electric circular saws were first made, the motor was on the right, the blade on the left and the handle was above the blade. When you got to the end of a cut, the weight of the motor would naturally make the saw fall off to the right and butcher the end of the cut.</p>
<p>Then someone came up with the bright idea of putting the motor on the left and the blade on the right. This shifted the main weight of the saw and the majority of the base to the stable side of the cut. But with the blade on the right, a right-handed person has to lean over the top of the saw to see the line of the cut.</p>
<p>A few years ago, Porter-Cable came out with two models (<a href=”http://www.deltaportercable.com/Products/ProductDetail.aspx?ProductID=11003″ target=”_blank”>345 Saw Boss</a> and the <a href=”http://www.deltaportercable.com/Products/ProductDetail.aspx?ProductID=11000″ target=”_blank”>423 Mag</a>) with the blade on the left — and moved the handle so the saw is balanced. Craftsman also has a similar 5 1/2-inch saw. Now some other manufacturers are seeing the light.</p>
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