Circular saw types?

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Some circular saws have a feature you can put the saw flat on a sheet of wood, then spin it up and lower the blade into the wood. Others seem to have a fixed blade so you have to start cutting from an edge.

What is this feature called and is it still a circular saw, or a whole other tool? I'm keen on the DeWalt XR range do they make one?

Ideally adjustable depth and angle even better but this is for home/DIY use and cost is a factor.

Ta.
 
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Cheers I'll look them up. I don't really want loads of tools... Can one of these double as a regular circular saw?
 
yes a plunge track saw dosn't need a track and can cut within around 10mm off from say the bottom off a door in situ for new carpet or flooring or trimming fitted skirting to slip laminate underneath
 
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a plunge track saw dosn't need a track

I've tried my ts 55 of the track a few times and wouldn't recommend it.
They are designed for track use.
Mafell and Festool have different offerings that can plunge and still operate as regular circular saws for edge starting for example. They work equally well on or off the track.
 
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I've tried my ts 55 of the track a few times and wouldn't recommend it.
They are designed for track use.
Mafell and Festool have different offerings that can plunge and still operate as a regular circular saws for edge starting for example. They work equally well on or off the track.
Any idea what they're called? I'm sure my builder has something like that but he's disappeared for the holidays. Almost like a regular saw but with the bottom plate on a hinge.
 
Mafell k85 and festool hk85.
 
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Haha, you're eyes are gonna water, they are excellent though.
 
I've tried my ts 55 of the track a few times and wouldn't recommend it.
They are designed for track use.
I agree wholeheartedly with that. I'm a regular user of these saws and from long experience I have to say that any plunge saw with a return spring like the Festools, Bosch, Mafell, Makita and deWalt track saw offerings (as well as lower cost offerings of the ilk from Titan, Erbauer, Scheppach, Triton, Parkside, etc) are unsuitable for use as conventional saws because you cannot see the blade (and therefore where the blade hits the cut line - essential on scribing jobs) and they also require two hands to control them once they have plunged into the cut and constantly push back at you, trying to "unplunge" as it were

As said there are other saws which plunge into a cut, but stay plunged until the end of the cut where you need to turn them off and let the motor spin down before removing the saw from the track, but AFAIK DW don't make one.

So far as it goes if you don't need to make plunge cuts in the middle of panels (e.g. for sink cut-outs in work tops, acess cut-outs in floors or glazed panel cut-outs in doors, etc) then a conventional saw which is designed for use with rails (where the rail has to overhang the work by the length of the saw base at each end of the cut might be the way to go - cheaper than the plungers, too

Mafell k85 and festool hk85.
Haha, you're eyes are gonna water, they are excellent though.
Yes, £1k plus with the tracks - and maybe another £500 or so for the vacuum (and rail saws really need a vacuum attached)
 
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yes should have made it clear for using side on to the floor for a skirting or a door you dont have to use the track as the floor is your guide
 
A dedicated door saw will cost as much as a Fetool plunge saw.

The advantage is that toy don't have to remove the door. I have however seen floor fitters use then on doors with rise and butt heinges whilst the door was open. After cut, when shut the door gap was 6mm on one side and 35mm on the other side..
 
Whilst we've all been talking about the professional alternatives, surely the OP is a DIYer? That means there a lot of cheaper alternatives out there, such as the Parkside plunge saw, which should suffice for many non-professional users. Add the price of one of those to a small conventional corded rip saw and it still doesn't add up to the price of a Makita SP6000 and tracks (probably the cheapest of the pro plunge saws)
 
Don't all circular saws have variable height adjustment, to err .... lay the saw on a flat sheet of wood and then spin it up ... aka plunge? o_O
 
on some saws the riving knife will stop a plunge with a blade only making a perhaps 3mm deep trench till the riving knife grounds on the uncut timber behind the blade
you then have to move the saw forward on the nose only until after several inches till the knife breaks through
also plunge saws can cut around 10-12mm as a minimum from a surface ideal for cutting doors and skirting in situ for laminate or carpet where as a normal saw is perhaps 30mm
 
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Don't all circular saws have variable height adjustment, to err .... lay the saw on a flat sheet of wood and then spin it up ... aka plunge? o_O
:LOL::LOL::LOL::rolleyes: We all know that you've never used a real plunge saw, and that you just can't bring bring yourself to spend money on one and so how can you really understand the advantages for certain types of work, Woody?..........

While you are faffing around trying to do a plunge cut on a standard circular saw, being careful not to have it kick back during the plunge (and make a lunge for your crown jewels), trying desperately to avoid the thing giving you a rough start to the plunge because it's moved a little bit, trying to cut a dead straight line then tidying up with a block plane and sander at the end - the guy with the plunging rail saw has made his near perfect cut which is dead straight and requires no clean-up.... and got it installed, too. Horses for courses, though, I wouldn't try cutting a scarf joint in a rafter with a plunge saw
 
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