TekPicks

Last year I had a deck added onto my house but opted not to have the contractor add stairs, thinking they were not necessary. I was wrong. So this weekend, I put my DIY skill to use adding two steps on. Around the house I do not do much woodwork, so the only saw I have is an old and cheap Craftsman circular saw that I have had for years. For the size projects I generally tackle it has been fine, unfortunately not so this time out.

I needed to cut a few 45 degree angle where the stairs wrapped around a post and continued to the other side of the deck. For some reason, my Craftsman just did not want to behave. The blade kept flexing, distorting the cut no matter what I tried. Finally I had to go borrow my buddy’s saw to finish. Which lead to this research project, finding an affordable unit that did not compromise on features or performance.

And the winner is…The new Skil HD 5687. It combines properties of both worm-drive and sidewinder saws. It uses a sidewinder motor and housing to keep the weight to a very manageable 10.8 pounds plus the profile and handle style or a worm-drive model, all for less the $90. Sure is it not as sexy as say the Bosch 1677MD , but it has all the power for 60% of the cost.

Link: Skil HD5687-01 20 Amp 7-1/4-Inch Circular Saw Kit