Hello,

Im after some recommendations for a decent circular saw and also what specification I should look for? It will be used initially to cut Plank floor boards so they can all be lifted in a bathroom ready for laying WBP ply. I want something decent that will last a long time but I may not use that often..

I had a quick look in B£Q they have a Makita, dewalt and JCB plus alot of cheaper ones. The JCB has the highest powered motor and they all cut to about the same depth...

Any thoughts and ideas...

Also, when cutting floorboards, do you have to get right close to the walls, because when I looked at the saws in B$Q they have a platform for the blade which will stop the saw getting right to the edge of the wall by about an inch....

Thanks

i use a cordless makita 18v lithium ion saw. ideal for ripping through ply and no leads for the customers to trip over!

I use an 18v Dewalt rip saw and never had a problem with it in 5 years.....


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there's plenty on the market just depends how much you want to spend. i use a £40 challenge one and does me fine. i don't think you'll find any circular saw that will cut up to the skirting board, you may be able to finish the cut off with a handsaw(if not on the joist) or a fein multimaster or equivelant. i use a bosch pmf 180e

Originally Posted by Stewart

I use an 18v Dewalt rip saw and never had a problem with it in 5 years.....


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you're a gadget freak stew

Originally Posted by AstonTiling

i use a cordless makita 18v lithium ion saw. ideal for ripping through ply and no leads for the customers to trip over!

I have the exact same saw and it does the job OK for me.
I cut a chipboard floor up last week with no problems at all

cool thanks.

just to confirm does it or doesnt it matter whether you get right into the internal or not. Ill be laying with 18mm wbp ply.

If it doesnt matter then should i be taping the joint??? If it does matter and you recommend getting right into the internal with a hand saw then why do I need to bother with a circular saw in the first place?

you can't cut through laid floor boards with a hand saw as you can't start it off. it will finish a cut near the wall unless you're half and half over a joist. what are you referring to regarding the tape?

thanks

what i meant is,

if I cant get right into the corner with a circular saw and therefore left maybe 1 inch or so of floor board all round the edge of the room and therefore butted my wbp ply upto that 1inch, then would the joint of the 1 inch floorboard and wbp need to be taped prior to the cement board going down..... thanks

if you cut it all the way around leaving an inch of floorboards the remaing bits of floorboards would come out easy as they'll only be going an inch under the skirtings. if you're replacing the whole floor why don't you just rip it all up board by board?

Originally Posted by Mike

if you cut it all the way around leaving an inch of floorboards the remaing bits of floorboards would come out easy as they'll only be going an inch under the skirtings. if you're replacing the whole floor why don't you just rip it all up board by board?

Depends where the joists are Mike. 9/10 you'd be right but..
in my bathroom when I took the floorboards up, there was no joist under the stud wall! I had to leave about 2" of floorboard on the perimeter wall screwed to half the joist inside the room. Pain but had I gone right up to the wall, there wouldve been no support.

The fein was a lifesaver in this instance too!

Originally Posted by davemul

Depends where the joists are Mike. 9/10 you'd be right but..
in my bathroom when I took the floorboards up, there was no joist under the stud wall! I had to leave about 2" of floorboard on the perimeter wall screwed to half the joist inside the room. Pain but had I gone right up to the wall, there wouldve been no support.

The fein was a lifesaver in this instance too!

the stud wall must have been erected after the house was built then and not a usual case scenario

I have three cirular saws that I use for three different situations.

1. Corder circualr saw, for ripping heavier materials and rough materials

2. Cordless makita 18v saw, for cutting cls, ply up to 18mm and for cutting access in floor boards etc (works perfect for floor boards)

3. Festool plunges saw for quality cuts in wetwall, laminate, wood floor, doors and worktops etc

If you just need one mainly for cutting into floor boards I would reccomend something similar to my Makita 18v as this is light, easy to carry around and up to the job. Other brands like dewalt etc would be equaly suitable in my opinion.

Hope this helps

I have the cheapest Dewalt circular saw from Screwfix, I think it was about £85 a couple of years ago, so knowing Screwfix it will be £104.99 now.

Just be a little wary of going mad with a circular saw on a bathroom floor even with the depthstop set a 16mm you could still nick a pipe, sometimes a floorboard will be notched underneath if a pipe stands pround of the top of a joist.

I've never done it myself but I see it from time to time.

Cut into a 28mm heating pipe over the louge ceiling and its game over.