A chop saw is a must-have for both novice and professional woodworkers. The circular blade is perfect for cutting mass amounts of two-by-fours or trim for windows, doors, and other projects. With our team of experts, we know just what to look for to meet your needs.
Find the best chop saws on the market today.
This chop saw by Dewalt features an unbeatable stainless steel design built tough to handle your endless workload, yet light enough to be transported to and from the work site with ease.
We loved how easy Dewalt was to pick up and move around. We were even more surprised to find that the DW713 remained durable and well supported with nicely tall sliding fences for built-in stability. Don’t even get us started on how accurate the cuts were. Right out of the box it was pure quality, even when switching angles.
There was only one thing that concerned us about this seemingly perfect tool. When trying to replace the blade, it seems the instructions are a bit off as the whole guard assembly needs to be removed for replacement.
Achieve superior accuracy with each cut as this Hitachi’s aggressive design helps you reach the professional results you’re after. Never miss your mark when you choose this powerful chop saw.
An absolute gem, we didn’t see much need for bells and whistles. However, this Hitachi makes up for simplicity with pure quality and design. The laser is a lifesaver for a super spot on cut. We were also pleased with how compact the Hitachi was, as it took up little space and was light enough to be easily handled.
A slight disappointment was the instruction booklet, which wasn’t very clear on how to put everything together. However, that is only inconvenient at worst and doesn’t interfere with operation.
The slicing never has to stop with this portable blade, built from sturdy materials with built-in safety features for worry-free cutting and removal.
What we liked most about the Porter-Cable was the incredibly easy setup. It is perfect if you are looking for a chop saw for a good price that can still stand up to a tough workload. It definitely has some power as well and had no problems cutting through iron, steel, and some other metals surprisingly well.
Some slight issues we found were that the spark deflector could have worked a little better and the blade shield can become loose, though it can be easily tightened.
Whether it’s wood, metal, PVC, or other materials you’re cutting, a chop saw is an absolute necessity. Not to be confused with a miter saw that can rotate and cut at an angle, a chop saw is often used by professionals to quickly make straight cuts in most raw materials.
These two saws are often confused with one another and while they do have a ton of similarities, there are important things that distinguish them from each other as well. Here are some of them.
In general, chop saws are bigger than miter saws. Standard chop saws often use blades that are no smaller than fourteen inches, while miter saw blades range from eight to twelve inches. Because of this, chop saws are often more powerful than miter saws.
Both chop saws and miter saws are used to cut raw materials like glass, tile, PVC, and more. However, chop saws are used to cut straight, while miter saws are mostly used to create angled cuts. A chop saw is considered more of a power tool, while the miter saw is more often used as a finessing tool.
It’s not uncommon for builders, professional or not, to use different tools and equipment for the different materials they’re using for their projects. Chop saws, for example, are often used to cut larger pieces of materials like metal sheets, PVC pipes, concrete slabs, wood slabs, and more. Miter saws, on the other hand, are often reserved for creating detailed cuts on smaller areas like trim and molding.
Choosing the best chop saw can be challenging. They’re not exactly cheap, so you’ll want to get something that you won’t regret spending your money on. Here are some things that you need to consider when buying a chop saw:
Blade Type – Different materials call for different kinds of blade. Most chop saws will either have a diamond abrasive blade or a carbide-tipped blade. Carbide-tipped blades are used mostly for harder materials like stainless steel and other metals. Diamond abrasive blades are more suitable for softer materials like soft alloy metal.
Cutting Parameters – If you intend to use your chop saw for minor DIY projects around your home, a lightweight one with a cutting parameter of at least 40mm would be the most ideal choice. For heavier projects, you can opt to get one with a cutting parameter that ranges anywhere from 50mm to 65mm cutting parameter instead.
Base Elevation – Your chop saw should be comfortable and easy to use and one of the things that can affect that is the elevation of your saw’s base. A good chop saw should have a base that’s tall enough so that the blade doesn’t touch the ground when it’s pressed down while cutting materials.
Motor Strength – Even the sharpest blade would be useless if your chop saw’s motor is weak. Your chop saw’s power depends largely on its motor’s strength so this is vital to watch out for that when choosing your chop saw.
Brand – Branded products are usually pricier compared to their nameless or generic counterparts. Buying from a good and reputable brand, however, assures you that you’ll get the most value when it comes to quality, durability, and after sales support. Branded products usually have warranties on them so you don’t have to worry about your money goes to waste when the product doesn’t live up to its claim or malfunctions due to a manufacturing error.
It’s important to keep safe when using machines such as the chop saw to keep yourself from any kind of injury.
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