Which saw?

[speccy]

Ok had enough of my old corded Dewalt skill saw.

Looking at a cordless saw and i want it to be useable with a rail too.

Was looking at the Makita DHS680Z which looks like you can buy the makita adapter and then use it with their rails.

Thoughts appreciated here! Is there a hybrid a better Dewalt option or?

 

[sxturbo]

There is DeWalt version but it's expensive by time you've added batteries and charger to it

https://www.buyaparcel.com/dewalt-d...KJR2OQ0_n3u8vRT1RCVhDnzz119RMiTMaAokPEALw_wcB

 

[speccy]

There is DeWalt version but it's expensive by time you've added batteries and charger to it

https://www.buyaparcel.com/dewalt-d...KJR2OQ0_n3u8vRT1RCVhDnzz119RMiTMaAokPEALw_wcB

Thankyou for your time and response.

Mmm indeed just thought im being a numpty all my stuff is Makita on 18v so, yes. It was more if there was a hybrid or other doesn't seem to be the case.
Small xmas pressie for me going to grab the 1.5m rail and adapter.
Thing is my wife was quoted 700quid to make a 3 sided cabinet with shelves from 18mm ply (300mm wide!) yes i reckoned it would take him about 2hrs max to make. So i thought fckit ill make it myself and still have changed from that amount and have a new saw. Sorted.

700quid what a ****. (he wanted 380 for material 2 sheets of MDF and some screws)

 

[Deleted member 174758]

The DHS660 is a better bet for use on guide rails, partly because it has a better quality guide rail adaptor (metal as opposed to the plastic one the DHS680 has which is prone to warping, or arrives conveniently pre-warped - had two of them like that before I gave up). I also think thet a right blade like the DHS660 will be easier to use on rails than a "lefty" like the DHS680

Frankly I think you'd be better off saving the money (on the guide rail and adaptor) and making yourself a saw guide from MDF and softwood instead, at least for a one-off. This is the sort of thing I'm talking about:

There are fancier ones, like this one

but a basic guide will do good service (used one myself for years). The other thing you'll need is some form of cutting table to break your material down on top of. This is a rather nifty idea which folds away:

although I'd probably make mine a bit smaller. On site I generally make-up a table which is 7 x 3ft (2100 x 900mm) because that is big enough to support an 8 x 4ft sheet - and I'd go for 2 x 2 CLS rather than ripping down 4 x 2s for my timber. My cutting tables are also a bit simpler - they are just screwed together without any fancy pivoting joints, but they donm't need to get stored as they go into the skip at the job's end (nearly 2 years for the last one). Make sure that you sink any screws, etc about 10mm below the top surface so that you won't wreck a blade on them. You could equally get away with three of four straight 3 x 2 CLS pieces laid across two trestles for a one-off job, but that said it's a nifty idea which I may copy (and modify a bit) for home myself

BTW there's nothing wrong with the DHS680 - I use one regularly as my "go to" saw and it's a really good little saw which I wouldn't do without.

Another little recommend - if you need blades for the DHS680, switch to DW Extreme blades - in my experience they are better than the Mak blades (more durable, less likely to loose teeth if you hit metal, cut smoother, etc). SFX do a set of three blades for about £40 (2 x 24t, 1 x 40t), but for MDF you only need the 40t blade (DT10301-QZ) and there are people on eBay selling them for around £13 or so if you look around

 

[blup]

Very happy with the dhs680, corded type performance when ripping 2x treated timber, plus, as a diyer, the convenience and safety of no cord.

The screwfix blades are very good value atm, but the makita comes complete with blade.

DeWalt Extreme Circular Saw Blade 165 x 20mm 24 / 40T 3 Pack | Circular Saw Blades | Screwfix.com

Blup

 

[Deleted member 174758]

Wow @blup they've repriced the blades downwards by £10 since last night. Thanks for the heads up!

 

[albaPhenom]

I just bought this the other week there and I've been absolutely loving it so far... I like the blade being to the right and the metal base.

Makita DHS660Z 18V Li-Ion LXT Brushless 165mm Circular Saw - Batteries and Charger Not Included

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B072BVWNBL/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I already had batteries so it was a bare unit only making it a fairly good value purchase at £158.95

 

[albaPhenom]

The DHS660 is a better bet for use on guide rails, partly because it has a better quality guide rail adaptor (metal as opposed to the plastic one the DHS680 has which is prone to warping, or arrives conveniently pre-warped - had two of them like that before I gave up). I also think thet a right blade like the DHS660 will be easier to use on rails than a "lefty" like the DHS680

Frankly I think you'd be better off saving the money (on the guide rail and adaptor) and making yourself a saw guide from MDF and softwood instead, at least for a one-off. This is the sort of thing I'm talking about:

There are fancier ones, like this one

but a basic guide will do good service (used one myself for years). The other thing you'll need is some form of cutting table to break your material down on top of. This is a rather nifty idea which folds away:

although I'd probably make mine a bit smaller. On site I generally make-up a table which is 7 x 3ft (2100 x 900mm) because that is big enough to support an 8 x 4ft sheet - and I'd go for 2 x 2 CLS rather than ripping down 4 x 2s for my timber. My cutting tables are also a bit simpler - they are just screwed together without any fancy pivoting joints, but they donm't need to get stored as they go into the skip at the job's end (nearly 2 years for the last one). Make sure that you sink any screws, etc about 10mm below the top surface so that you won't wreck a blade on them. You could equally get away with three of four straight 3 x 2 CLS pieces laid across two trestles for a one-off job, but that said it's a nifty idea which I may copy (and modify a bit) for home myself

BTW there's nothing wrong with the DHS680 - I use one regularly as my "go to" saw and it's a really good little saw which I wouldn't do without.

Another little recommend - if you need blades for the DHS680, switch to DW Extreme blades - in my experience they are better than the Mak blades (more durable, less likely to loose teeth if you hit metal, cut smoother, etc). SFX do a set of three blades for about £40 (2 x 24t, 1 x 40t), but for MDF you only need the 40t blade (DT10301-QZ) and there are people on eBay selling them for around £13 or so if you look around

Any recommendations on a suitable guide rail for the DHS660?

 

[Deleted member 174758]

Makita? TBH the Evolution rails work with the Makita saws as well - not quite as well finished as the Mak rails, and you can't use them together (unlike the Festool and Makita rails I use for my plunge saws), but they are a lot cheaper. I bought a pair of Evo 1.4m rails and a pair of 700mm ones last year when we were installing a load of cement fibre board which needed cutting to fit (I was concerned about wrecking my rails on the cement fibre board) and they worked just fine with my Bosch GKT55CE

 

[opps]

For what it is worth, you can buy unofficial (3D printed) adaptors for Makita and Dewalt that will let you use batteries from the other company.

 

[opps]

I just bought this the other week there and I've been absolutely loving it so far... I like the blade being to the right and the metal base.

Makita DHS660Z 18V Li-Ion LXT Brushless 165mm Circular Saw - Batteries and Charger Not Included

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B072BVWNBL/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I already had batteries so it was a bare unit only making it a fairly good value purchase at £158.95

Erm... the blades are normally on the right hand side. I am only aware of them being on the left with the very small blade saws.

 

[albaPhenom]

Erm... the blades are normally on the right hand side. I am only aware of them being on the left with the very small blade saws.

The usual choice with the Makita at this size and price point is between the....

DHS660 (right hand side blade)

and the DHS680 (left hand side blade)

The other main difference between these two saws are the metal plate and plastic plate as opposed to metal.

 

[albaPhenom]

Makita? TBH the Evolution rails work with the Makita saws as well - not quite as well finished as the Mak rails, and you can't use them together (unlike the Festool and Makita rails I use for my plunge saws), but they are a lot cheaper. I bought a pair of Evo 1.4m rails and a pair of 700mm ones last year when we were installing a load of cement fibre board which needed cutting to fit (I was concerned about wrecking my rails on the cement fibre board) and they worked just fine with my Bosch GKT55CE

I knew there was an adapter for the DHZ680 which slots into the two rectangular holes on the base plate

but I didn't realise the DHS660 would work with standard Makita guide rail?

Is there any need for an adapter with the saw or does it just plonk on quite the thing?


Edit: Never mind, found the adapter that's required

https://www.powertoolworld.co.uk/ma...zAGtX9BQX7qPYPzAFYP56Rc1Kgo1ew0xoCVnkQAvD_BwE

Not cheap at £45, when you factor in the cost of the saw and rail in comes in at £241 for the full set, which is still a damn sight cheaper than something like DSP600 Plunge Saw and Track.

 

[opps]

The usual choice with the Makita at this size and price point is between the....

DHS660 (right hand side blade)

and the DHS680 (left hand side blade)

The other main difference between these two saws are the metal plate and plastic plate as opposed to metal.

Fair play, I thought the left hands were limited to the >4" saws.

 

[Deleted member 174758]

Erm... the blades are normally on the right hand side. I am only aware of them being on the left with the very small blade saws.

Whilst that is true for corded saws, TBH it isn't really the case for cordless saws. The DHS680 I use (165mm, below) is a left hander and is very popular in the trade - being a left hander it is easier to set-up and use with a speed square for cutting joists, studs, etc to length (you clamp the speed square to the timber with your left hand) - the left hand blade also makes it easier to see the cut line when you are working to something like a chalk line (not all cuts are done with a plunge saw). Being right handed a "lefty" does seem a lot less convenient for ripping down timber, thoughh, but as crosscuts probably outnumber rip cuts 50:1 in framing and general carpentry work, I'll live with it. I did find that left hand blades are a lot less convenient when I tried using a guide rail, possibly because I couldn't use my spare hand to hold the guide rail down when needed.

The framing saw I have for roofing, the Makita DRS780 (184mm) is also a left hander:

Bit late with the answer 'coz I decided to pull out my saws (just to show I really have them?)