In article om,
wrote:

As an intermediate woodworker/DIY'r, I am surprised to be having
trouble with my new circular saw. I am attempting to cut through 1''
stair noses, but my brand new Skill 7 1/4'' saw can barely cut through
the wood and smokes excessivly. I finally used a jig saw to finish the
cut and noticed that the wood was black from burning.

Any thoughts? I've never experienced this with my 18v Ryobi cordless
saw, and I use it pretty hard. This saw even smoked while cutting a
1'' bamboo stair tread, which the Ryobi cut effortlessly.

Take it back. At best you get a new saw, at worst someone can look at
it at figure out what the problem is.