Both corded and cordless circular saws are available blade-left and blade-right. Blade-left allows watching the cut line without looking around the blade guard.
Traditionally, all worm drive saws operated in a blade-left orientation. Furthermore, this orientation likely places the weight of the saw over the portion of the material the user wants to keep, making it easier to stabilize the saw during the cut.
Some manufacturers do make circular saws that are oriented for use by left-handed people. This is a result of increased demand because more people are woodworking and because of safety and comfort issues for left-handed people using a right-handed saw. The choice is still mostly personal preference.
Circular saws cut on the upward stroke, which means that they rotate in a clockwise fashion, cutting from the bottom up. This is why when you're using a circular saw, the side of the wood that will be your “good” side should be facing down.
In general, the blades on right-handed circular saws turn counterclockwise, so you'd tighten the bolt clockwise; the blades on left-handed circular saws turn clockwise, so you'd tighten the bolt counterclockwise. Hold the outer flange (rim) of the nut with a wrench to keep it from turning.
Tension in your hand
Right-handed scissors are designed so that the natural movement of the hand pushes the blades together, which results in a good clean cut. That is of course, the natural movement of the right hand. The natural movement of your left hand has the opposite effect – it forces the blades apart.
Other than scissors, other items which often prove inconvenient or difficult for left-handers include: can-openers, potato-peelers, corkscrews, kitchen knives, measuring cups, rulers, pencil sharpeners, some school desks, notebooks, chequebooks, computer mice, computer keyboards (particularly the number pad), cameras, ...
When appearance matters, make cuts with the good side facing down, as circular saws can splinter the wood on the top side. Making your cut line on masking tape can reduce splintering. Start over if you see that you've veered off from the cut line instead of trying to curve your way back on track.
Rotary saws are different then circular saws due to the rotation of the cutting blade. Often times these terms are incorrectly transposed. With a circular saw, the blade cuts from the bottom up and the user pushes the saw away. With a rotary saw, the blade cuts from the top down and the user pulls the saw.
Generally, push stroke saws are designed for cutting through tougher materials. This is because it's easier to exert pressure on the saw when pushing it rather than pulling it. Examples of push stroke saws: Hand saws for wood.
Sidewinder or inline saws are the most common and traditional circular saws. The motor is located along the same axis as the blade. A shaft runs directly from the motor to drive the blade. Sidewinder saws are more compact and lightweight than worm drive saws.
We find a sizeable gender difference in competitiveness: 38.3 % of men and 24.0 % of women chose to compete; p < 0.001, Fisher's exact test. Lefties are more likely to compete than righties, both among men (54.9 % vs. 36.6 %; p = 0.015; Fisher's exact test) and among women (42.3 % vs.
The horn—the formal name of the instrument sometimes known as the French horn—is unique among standard brass instruments in that its valves are played by the left hand.
Left-handed hitters can have a particularly hard time with lefty pitchers throwing sidearm. The batter has a trickier time tracking the ball out of the pitcher's hand when he throws sidearm, delaying the time the batter has to respond to the pitch.
“Bunts toward third base cause problems for left-handed catchers,” he said. “In scampering to grab the ball, transferring it to their left hand and throwing it to either first or second base, their bodies get closed and clumsy. Throws for right-handers are far more open and natural.”
You will also see scissors that are sold as ambidextrous, with symmetric handles that make no distinction between the handles of the thumb and finger handles. With these scissors, there is a very strong pivot and the blades don't have any lateral give.
Scissors, tweezers, bottle openers — most kitchen equipment and even basic household tools are designed keeping right-handed people in mind. It is difficult to find a pair of scissors that works for lefties, and doesn't hurt their fingers. Computer keyboards and mouses are also right-friendly.
In our experience, it's usually blade-left saws where people get mixed up because they look better with the nice-looking side of the blade visible. But regardless of how it looks, it's all about making sure those teeth cut from the bottom up. So there you have it—keep those circular saw blade teeth pointing up.
For most construction work, a 24-tooth general use blade is sufficient. That blade is very aggressive and will help you rip and cross-cut lumber and sheet goods quickly and with a high degree of accuracy. With a 24-tooth demo blade, you're getting work done quickly, but you won't get a near-finished edge.
A properly maintained cold saw blade should last a long time, even with extensive use. Circular cold saw blades can endure as many as 800 to 1,000 cuts before needing to be sharpened, and they can be sharpened up to 30 or 40 times during the lifespan of the blade.