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Hello!
I am a relative beginner, and I've just started working with a brand new circular saw (Craftsman, V20, 6 1/2" circular saw).
At first it was doing just fine while I was cutting some 2x4s, but after 3 cuts the wood started smoking and the halfway thru that 4th cut it would not go any farther thru the piece of wood at all. I took a break for the day thinking I had just put too much stress on it or something, but it wouldn't continue the cut the next day either. Then I thought maybe I had gotten the wrong battery and it wasn't getting enough power, but I checked and that wasn't it. Then I thought maybe I had the wrong type of blade for wood, but that doesn't seem to be the case either. Besides some blurring of the text on the outside of the blade, it doesn't seem to be damaged. There isn't a wobble on the blade either, so it shouldn't be the tool itself.
I have double and triple checked everything I can think of at this point, and I cannot figure it out. The tool, battery, charger, and blade are all brand new. Does anyone have any ideas?
Thanks in advance!
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03-10-2021, 07:33 PM
(This post was last modified: 03-10-2021, 07:35 PM by lift mechanic.)
It is possibly blade pinch. Start the cut and go until you can see the cut behind the saw. Stick a wood wedge, shim shingle or a flat screw driver in the cut. this will relieve the blade pinch. It could be something else but this is pretty common. I keep a shim shingle on my table saw fence to use if I see the kerf closing up as I cut.
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(03-10-2021, 06:22 PM)katlorine Wrote: Hello!
I am a relative beginner, and I've just started working with a brand new circular saw (Craftsman, V20, 6 1/2" circular saw).
At first it was doing just fine while I was cutting some 2x4s, but after 3 cuts the wood started smoking and the halfway thru that 4th cut it would not go any farther thru the piece of wood at all. I took a break for the day thinking I had just put too much stress on it or something, but it wouldn't continue the cut the next day either. Then I thought maybe I had gotten the wrong battery and it wasn't getting enough power, but I checked and that wasn't it. Then I thought maybe I had the wrong type of blade for wood, but that doesn't seem to be the case either. Besides some blurring of the text on the outside of the blade, it doesn't seem to be damaged. There isn't a wobble on the blade either, so it shouldn't be the tool itself.
I have double and triple checked everything I can think of at this point, and I cannot figure it out. The tool, battery, charger, and blade are all brand new. Does anyone have any ideas?
Thanks in advance! No offense (really) but I'll ask just to get it out there. Is the blade mounted in the correct orientation?
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Aram, always learning
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(03-10-2021, 08:56 PM)Aram Wrote: No offense (really) but I'll ask just to get it out there. Is the blade mounted in the correct orientation?
Good point,also sounds like the blade needs sharpening.New blades are not sharp,so get the blade sharpened.
Mel
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(03-11-2021, 12:34 AM)chips ahoy Wrote: Good point,also sounds like the blade needs sharpening.New blades are not sharp,so get the blade sharpened.
Mel
?? Even the crappiest throw-away circular saw blades are sharp enough to cut dimensional lumber.
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The wood is too wet / has too much moisture content. The blade heats things up, then the wood expands, closing in on the saw. Either let the wood dry out more (could take several months) or as lift-mechanic suggested, put a wedge in the gap behind the saw to prevent it. Keep in mind that when wood is wet, there will still be shrinkage, warping, twisting, or all the above as the wood dries. If this is a project that requires nice, square joints, I highly recommend waiting until the wood has dried to a moisture content around 8%. You can find moisture meters online at places like Woodcraft, Lee Valley, and even Amazon.
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Is this an all steel blade or a carbide tipped? The carbide tipped blades cut a wider slot than the steel portion of the blade and is less likely to bind.
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(03-10-2021, 07:33 PM)lift mechanic Wrote: It is possibly blade pinch. Start the cut and go until you can see the cut behind the saw. Stick a wood wedge, shim shingle or a flat screw driver in the cut. this will relieve the blade pinch. It could be something else but this is pretty common. I keep a shim shingle on my table saw fence to use if I see the kerf closing up as I cut.
Interesting! I would have never thought of that, I will see if I can do something like that.
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(03-10-2021, 08:56 PM)Aram Wrote: No offense (really) but I'll ask just to get it out there. Is the blade mounted in the correct orientation?
Yes definitely, I was paranoid about that when putting it on. I definitely understand the need to check though, I've done customer service before
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(03-11-2021, 08:19 AM)AHill Wrote: The wood is too wet / has too much moisture content. The blade heats things up, then the wood expands, closing in on the saw. Either let the wood dry out more (could take several months) or as lift-mechanic suggested, put a wedge in the gap behind the saw to prevent it. Keep in mind that when wood is wet, there will still be shrinkage, warping, twisting, or all the above as the wood dries. If this is a project that requires nice, square joints, I highly recommend waiting until the wood has dried to a moisture content around 8%. You can find moisture meters online at places like Woodcraft, Lee Valley, and even Amazon.
Oh! Would this apply to weather treated wood? I am building an archery backdrop for my fiancee, so I made sure to get wood that could hold up outdoors. I didn't know you would sometimes need to wait that long between buying materials and using them, is that common?
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