OT: Crappy design

Hmm, something is wrong there.

The reason for the blade and pulling being backwards are for obvious reasons how ever, the discharge should have a reflector plate to push the scrap off to the side and not right at you. At least that is how the one at work operates when I watch them cutting into the concrete.

That would be nice. But I'm still puzzled. I understand why one must pull such a saw due to its direction of rotation. But wouldn't it have been simpler to spin it the other way around, make the operator push the saw and make the whole face full of goop problem go away?

I've pushed skill saws (including a 16" wood blade) through all sorts of material without a problem.

This one?

If you pulled on the concrete saw, but direction of rotation was the other way, the saw would tend to climb out of the kerf. Instead of the leading edge of the cut being almost horizontal, if the direction were reversed, the leading edge of the cut would be almost vertical. You would also need considerably more downward pressure to keep the saw from chattering. You might be able to get away with it using Makita's electric concrete saw, but you would have a hell of a time controlling the gasoline powered version. Lastly, although the direction of the ejecta would be away from you, most of it would end up getting pounded back into the kerf.

I think one issue is that they don't want the blade to walk toward the operator. If it walks away - he loses the grip and it shuts off.

Doesn't matter where the operator stands - if you're in the line of the cutting radius you're in the line of the flying crap.

RL

Probably so that if it gets away from you, you're not the target.

I've seen people wet-saw concrete, and they didn't have any of these problems - maybe you should ask the rental place how the pros do it.

Maybe some sort of "fender"? [sentence fragment noted by grammar police]

Good Luck! Rich

I'm sure it would be simpler, but the liabilities would be astronomical.

Dead or maimed customers don't make for much repeat business.

Yeah - I've even seen a guy in the shop here cut 1" aluminum plate with one, with the same blade you'd use on wood. But you're off to the side if it grabs, and a skil-saw will probably stall before it jumps at you.

Cheers! Rich

Why? All other handheld circular saws spin the other way. What's majic about concrete saws?

If you can't hang on to a wimpy 14" saw you need a different profession (or hobby), like hefting SMT components or something.

'The pros' own (or rent) a very expensive walk behind cutter. Too much for a simple job like this.

Ours at work has an optional catch bag to attach to that shoot.. this bag connects to a vacuums. If you don't have this, a deflector plate is put on it.

Also, it has to do with how the concrete is cut. it's actually not cut, it gets chopped by the blade. You want only the free lifting of the saw to be behind the blade, not a person pushing down on it. As the saw is pulled, it digs it self in. you're suppose to pull at the rate of what it takes for the saw to make it's depth.

If the blade is spinning "overhand", i.e, throwing the crud at you, and it gets away from you, it goes away from you. If it's spinning "underhand", where it throws the crud away from you, and it grabs, it comes right at you.

Thanks, Rich

Yes. The second case is how all handheld circular saws work (except for this one). You are supposed to hold on to the saw while using it and not let it run anywhere it wants.