Tiny House build - circular saw advice for newbie - TS55 or HK55 or..

[pixelated]

The Festool US training center just did a video going into the in’s and out’s of the HK saw, with a bit of comparison with the TS saw;=PLpBJfh9Law-BeGyB5-IGNTLwt3-7-8IUy&index=13&t=0s

They are much nicer to work with than any saw you can get at a home center, but that comes at a fairly substantial price. If affordability is a primary issue, then there are less expensive paths to get to pretty much the same place.

I love my HK, it’s a pleasure to use, very accurate and very capable. But I do still have my cordless “yellow” saw that works quite well for times I don’t need the HK’s accuracy or when I don’t want to deal with a cord.

For safety I’d rank the HK far above any of the  common saws, because of the riving knife in the blade guard, and the placement of controls.

 

[Sourwould]

You really don't need one of these fancy saws for house framing.

I've worked with a lot of greenhorns on construction sites. Most have never used a skilsaw and most are afraid of them. By the end of the first day, they're usually banging out straight crosscuts 2x4's. It takes them a little longer to get rip cuts in sheathing, which is fine because they don't need to be that straight! I've never seen a skilsaw kick back. I've seen them stall out getting pinched in rip cuts, but not kick back. I've had more kick back from track saws. Saftey starts as a mindset. More often than not, accidents are caused by carelessness, cavalier machismo, dull blades and damaged rigged together tools. A bare bones $100 skilsaw with a cord is the most versatile saw.

 

[Peter_C]

Knowing you are in the USA, and possibly switching countries helps a lot. Batteries don't care what country you are in, and chargers are not that expensive. Just another thought, although you might not want to pack everything back to Europe.

Festool has two types of battery powered tracksaws with one being the HKC with a non retractable blade, and the TSC55 which retracts the blade. The HKC is the saw for framing and rough carpentry. Although it will work on a longer rail it is really the framing saw. The TS series saws are the fine carpentry saws. Both cut wood!

Dewalt and Makita also have cordless tracksaws. Milwaukee does not have a tracksaw yet. Bosch is about to release a new battery tracksaw that uses the superior Mafell rails for a whole lot of money. (The Bosch rails connect together without a straight edge and the edge strip is captured so no double stick tape to fail.) I have all Festool myself and it works excellently as a system. Makita rails are known to have issues, so it is wise to check them for straightness.

On the rail length, you can attach two 55" (1400mm) rails together. To rip an 8 foot sheet down you will need two rails. With a circular saw you can use something like a piece of steel box tubing, or an extrusion like a level. (I own a long rail, but have two 55" rails that can be connected together. A level is what I use to make sure the rails are straight.)

If you are buying cordless battery powered tools always buy "brushless" if possible. The power difference is huge, and longevity of the tool is better. Makita, Milwaukee, Dewalt are what I call the big three, but people like to throw Bosch in the mix too. An impact gun is invaluable around a house. Drills just don't drive larger framing sized screws as well. Sometimes it is cheaper to buy a kit to get the batteries and charger. Other times it is cheaper to buy a bare tool that includes an extra battery, then buy the charger from Ebay. Home Depot often has decent deals on kits as do most of the bigger hardware stores. I bought a Makita saw for the 4 batteries, and still haven't used the saw.

Circular saws have a lot of options. Left and right hand blade. Being mostly right handed I prefer a left hand blade for circular saws. I have both left and right blades and use them both for different jobs. There are 6 1/2" blades and 7 1/4" blades. My preference is for the smaller 6 1/2" saw as it is easier to wield and throw around. There are times a 7 1/4" saw is required, but not for building a simple shed/tiny house. Cordless is probably for the best since you already have batteries. Hmmm...Ryobi what Ah are the batteries? Well if you have Dewalt batteries the tools tend to be a little bit better quality. Which batteries do you have and what is the Ah of them? Preferably over 4.0Ah.https://www.dewalt.com/products/pow...%3b%3bCordless-s-%3b%3bCordless-s-|&pageNum=1

Not sure if you know about Restore? It is a second hand store (Lots of stuff is brand new) that is part of Habitat For Humanity. They are a non profit that builds homes for people in need. Anyhow the stores have doors, windows, and other building materials that tend to be very reasonably priced. They are not in every city though.https://www.habitat.org/restores

Seriously watch a few "shed building" videos. There are far more tools needed, but most are pretty minor things like chalk lines, etc. You will consistently see folks using nail guns, screwing things with impacts, hammering nails in the old fashioned way, and about everything in between. Universally you will see a circular saw used in every build. An HKC is perfect for shed building, but by no means required. The HKC also doesn't come with batteries nor the short FSK rail, so cheap it is not.https://www.festoolusa.com/products...saws/201359---hkc-55-li-eb-basic-usa#Overview

Chainsaws are super dangerous. Left leg and left hand are the most common injuries. Circular saws are no where even close. Say if you wanted to cut a 2x4 you clamp it down onto a couple of saw horses, which leaves both hands free to work the speed square, and the circular saw. Of course as you know most folks just stand on the 2x4, or hand hold it while cutting. If this is a two person project, one person could hold the 2x4 down while the second person cuts it.https://www.homedepot.com/p/Husky-28-in-Folding-Sawhorse-2-Pack-206138/305264222

These are okay for cross cuts up to 50".https://www.harborfreight.com/50-inch-clamp-and-cut-edge-guide-66581.html

Speed square use, one of hundreds on youtube.

Edit: This guy has a few videos on building sheds that seem pretty easy to understand. There are so many different ways to build a shed. You can find plans online. I would assume this is more of a play house? Not something with a bathroom, electricity, and...?=813s

 

[demographic]

I'm  a full time UK based site carpenter.
For years I had the old style circular saws, generally made by Hitachi and using a cord.
Then I bought a TS55, a few rails and thought it wasn't going to get much batter than that..few years later I got a HKC and nowadays I hardly ever pull my TS555 out of my van toolsafe.
I cut framing, sheet materials, solid oak beams (upto 100mm thick just with the saw and cutting from both sides to get the depth or if its bigger than 100mm I do both sides and finish it off with a handsaw.
The FSK 420 rail does most cuts (well upto 420mm across)  and I also have the old style FS 1400 rails for sheet materials.

Sometimes the blade nips up slightly in the cut but thats usually when I've not got the workpiece supoorted properly.

For me the HKC has been my most used saw for the last few years.

I'm no mindless Festool fanboi and have tools by many other manufacturers, its a mix but for me its been transformational.
I've not bothered with their drills, the routers or especially the Kapex but that HKC is a keeper.

 

[chris s]

I have a 6 1/2" Milwaukee M18 that has become my goto saw. It is light and has plenty of power. I have used it from ripping down sheets of plywood  to cutting pressure treated deck lumber. As for a track I use a piece of 1 by clamped down. ( not really a track but works)  All said it is easy on the pocketbook also.

 

[Cypren]

I don't think you can really go wrong with any of the major brands: Milwaukee, DeWalt, Makita, Bosch; all make great corded and battery-powered circular saws, and for very reasonable prices.

It's true that Festool tools do hold their value better than the others, but consider that in absolute terms, the small amount of value they do lose after a couple of years is probably going to be between 50-80% of the full retail price of a more mainstream tool. It's only a low percentage because Festool tools are so expensive by comparison.

If you have the money to burn, and you want a premium tool, it's hard to go wrong with any of the Festool saws. But it is worth keeping in mind -- as someone who doesn't intend to use it very heavily -- that getting one is a bit like buying a Rolls-Royce to use for occasional trips to the grocery store.