Choosing a circular saw for cutting through floorboards

[Derek M]

I'm going to replace the 18mm floorboards in my flat with 18mm plywood sheets, and I only really need a mini circular saw to cut through the floorboards, but there's a deal on at the moment for the Worx WX437 XL 800W Compact Circular Saw (42.5mm max cutting depth) with three blades for £59.99, or I could get the Worx WX531 18V (same power as a 500W corded, 41mm max cutting depth) with three blades, 2Ah battery, charger and case for £99.99.

Are these both good quality tools?

Although I only need to cut 18mm deep for this job, it might come in handy being able to cut deeper for other jobs in future (not that I have any particular jobs in mind). Would it be any easier or safer cutting the floorboards with a mini circular saw? If not, I can't see any reason to get one of those rather than the bigger saws.

I probably don't need a cordless one. I can switch off the power to everywhere but the kitchen (I won't be replacing the floorboards in that room) and run an extension lead from there to avoid any risk of electrocution if I accidentally cut through a cable under the floorboards (which shouldn't happen anyway if I set it to the correct depth). However, I was wondering if people with experience doing this have found it's a lot easier doing it with a cordless tool, without any cables to get in the way, or whether the battery runs out too quickly and just makes the job harder?

I have several Einhell cordless tools (drill, impact driver, multitool) and a couple of batteries for those, so if I got the Worx cordless it would be a bit annoying having to use another charger for that and not being able to use the Einhell batteries, but the Einhell TE-CS 18/89 Li 18v Mini Cordless Circular Saw 89mm would cost me about £100, without any batteries, spare blades or case, so it doesn't really make sense to buy that (the bare Einhell TE-CS 18/150 cordless 150mm (max depth 48mm) is a bit cheaper at £85, but still a poor deal compared to the Worx cordless package for £100.)

 

[Derek M]

Summarising the main points I've read in the Amazon reviews:

Einhell TE-CS 18/89 cordless - low powered even with 4Ah battery so the rotation speed is slow and it cuts jagged and judders in your hand, difficult to hold, needs two hands and sticks a lot, design makes its awkward and uncomfortable to hold, a bit heavy even with 2Ah battery, quite noisy, spring on the finger guard is really heavy and takes quite a bit of force to lift it, buttons are awkward as when you press the safety it releases the plunge lock

Einhell TE-CS 18/150 cordless - Decently powerful but 4Ah battery recommended as the 2Ah doesn't last long, easily cut through 38mm solid oak worktop offcuts, depth adjustment a bit sketchy stiff to move and not very precise, index markings for setting the blade square to the baseplate are not very accurate, dust extraction works well, not keen on plastic knobs and levers for the blade guard, no riving knife on the saw for when it jams.

Worx WX437 XL 800W corded - The protective cover over the blade causes a bit of resistance which resulted in the cut going significantly out of level but can be solved by using other hand to hold back the knob on the blade cover to fully open it before/whilst cutting, cutting through 20cm wood and after 400cm it's cutting off line, (another review says easy to use one-handed and cuts were nice and straight without needing to use the supplied guide), light and comfortable to use, quiet motor, laser is useless as it's too wide so you can't see your guide line.

Worx WX531 cordless - Light and easy to use, struggles to cut 1" timber and lining up is very hit and miss and not very comfortable to handle needs a handle at the front to help steady and guide the cut, best for cutting sheet wood rather than planks due to blade size, safety button doesn't always stop the motor when released, blade stops very quickly when switching off, stopped working after 2 weeks, blade is covered up virtually all the time - even while in use - and two levers are required to get it spinning, tricky to operate as one hand operates the two triggers to start the saw but you also need to use the other hand to press in a section and at the same time pull up a hook to release the guard hiding the blade which allows the workpiece to be cut, using diamond tipped blade it cuts through mortar and brick easily (max depth of 27mm) and feels a lot safer than using an angle grinder.

Of these four, I think I'd only choose the Einhell TE-CS 18/150 cordless (which sounds OK apart from the lack of riving knife, and I already have two 2Ah batteries for it, whilst a 4Ah with extra charger is £33 at the moment), or the Worx WX437 XL 800W corded, but if the design is the same as the WX531 it will have the same issues with being tricky to operate, and the Einhell looks and sounds more comfortable to hold and easier to use.

Of course I don't have to get any of these models, so if there's something better for my purposes please let me know.

 

[big-all]

ok my thoughts
what exactly are you removing and what exactly are you fitting and why
is it floor boards or sheet say chipboard ??
is your ply flooring grade and interlocking ??
you only normally cut in situ to give access or a straight line on a joist for joining

otherwise its rip it up and cut new to fit at bench level

 

[foxhole]

You need a pry bar to remove boards, saw only required at perimeter if board run under wall in which case you need a multi tool to cut flush not circular saw.

 

[Wayners]

I'd but mains one.
Watch out for pipes. Seen a few hit with saw

 

[Koolpc]

No idea why you need to cut them if you are replacing them? As above, just pry them up...

 

[Wayners]

I have a circular saw and rarely use it. Unless you have batteries already its not worth buying a cordless saw. Also they tend to struggle on battery power unless you buy a good one.
I think it will make job easier with a £35 240v saw and will last a lifetime.

 

[Derek M]

ok my thoughts
what exactly are you removing and what exactly are you fitting and why
is it floor boards or sheet say chipboard ??
is your ply flooring grade and interlocking ??
you only normally cut in situ to give access or a straight line on a joist for joining

otherwise its rip it up and cut new to fit at bench level

I'm removing the existing 18mm T&G floorboards and replacing them with 18mm plywood sheets (non-interlocking) for a couple of reasons.

Firstly, I'm going to soundproof the bedroom and living room and replacing the flooring is part of that.

Secondly, at the moment there's a single electric circuit which powers the sockets in the hall, the bedroom and the living room, and I need to add sockets in the bedroom and living room for aircon units, plus an external socket on the balcony outside the bedroom for the external fan unit, so I'm going to run a separate circuit from the fuse box for the hall+bedroom+balcony, and then have the living room on its own circuit. The fuse box is in the kitchen, just the other side of the hallway wall near the front door, so the electrician will need to get under the floor to run the new cables, and by replacing the floorboards with plywood sheets it will make it easy for me to remove them temporarily when the electrician comes.

The floorboards in the hall aren't in great condition and they're very squeaky, so replacing them with plywood will fix that and give me some practice for when I do the bedroom and living room, and I'll take the opportunity to fit rockwool between the joists in the hall to help minimise any noise transmission to the flat below. I might also fit some joist acoustic sleeves like this whilst I'm at it. https://clearsoundacoustics.co.uk/products/karma-joisthood

I mainly need the circular saw to cut the T&G between the floorboards so that I can lift them easily. I was thinking that someone might want to come and collect them if I can avoid cutting them lengthways, so I wanted to lift them with as little damage as possible.

I'll probably get the plywood sheets cut to size in store, but I may need to trim the edges a bit at home.

 

[Derek M]

You need a pry bar to remove boards, saw only required at perimeter if board run under wall in which case you need a multi tool to cut flush not circular saw.

I think I need a saw to cut the T&G. I lifted a couple of boards once before and I used my multitool to cut the T&G with those, but I wouldn't want to do a whole room with it and it's risky as there's no depth stop to prevent me cutting through cables or pipes underneath.

 

[Derek M]

No idea why you need to cut them if you are replacing them? As above, just pry them up...

It's the T&G between the boards that I need to cut.

 

[Derek M]

I have a circular saw and rarely use it. Unless you have batteries already its not worth buying a cordless saw. Also they tend to struggle on battery power unless you buy a good one.
I think it will make job easier with a £35 240v saw and will last a lifetime.

I haven't seen any that cheap, and I should probably get one with a riving knife to prevent the wood binding and causing the saw to kickback, which eliminates the cheapest models.

Using a circular saw on the floor is more dangerous than using it to cut wood on a bench, as you're kneeling down and can't jump back if it does kickback, although I guess binding is unlikely if I'm just cutting the T&G. Even so, if I'm going to buy one I might as well buy something that I can use for other jobs and is as safe as possible.

 

[Koolpc]

Multi tool would be a good one to use

 

[foxhole]

It's the T&G between the boards that I need to cut.

Once you have one board up there is zero need to cut any more , just pry up .

 

[Derek M]

Once you have one board up there is zero need to cut any more , just pry up .

Wouldn't it reduce the damage to the boards though if I cut the T&G before prying them up?

I want to minimise the damage as I think someone will be more likely to want to collect them for free if they're intact. I can chop them up to fit in the car and take them down the tip though if no-one wants them.

 

[Derek M]

Multi tool would be a good one to use

I don't think a multi tool is particularly good for cutting floorboards in situ. It's safer in the sense that it won't kickback, but more dangerous insofar as there's no depth stop so it might cut through an electric cable or pipe under the boards.

It would also be more tiring to use if I'm cutting a lot of boards, as a circular saw rests on the floor and glides along, whereas with the multi tool you have to carry the weight of it and try not to let it go too deep.