On Tue, 24 Nov 2009 00:27:31 -0800, the infamous "LGLA"
scrawled the following:

Greetings all, it's been a few years since I have been
here, I hope I can become welcome back.

Welcome back. Lots of old faces here this month, huh?


I have been searching the 'net for about 1-1/2 weeks
trying to gather info on every circular saw that I
can find. I need the standard 7-1/4" sidewinder, I
have seen some old posts from the 90's and a few
years ago from this group but I fing it very hard to
find ratings of torque and horsepower. The
Milwaukees have 3-1/4hp, the yellow Dewalts have
2200 'max watts out' or less (as I have learned about),
that meaning just under 3hp... the latest standard 14-
15 amp motors with high RPMs of anywhere from 5000
to 6200 (that one is the left blade bosch cs5). I do not
want a left blader.

I have used some in store opportunity to plug in some
6 or 7 saws to hear the noise levels (as I live in an
apt-plex with outside doors. There are babies every-
where that sleep all hours of the day and night, and
I have a fenced-in patio I can work on with saw horses).

There's NFW you'll ever keep from waking babies within a block of a
skil saw "going off" Alex.


I listened to a Makita 5007, dewalt dw368, a 14 amp -
2.5hp Skil with a red handle (sells for 69.99) OSH
own make, of the same specs as the Skil (Orchard
Supply Hardware akin with Sears) and sells current sale
for 34.99. No doubt out of the same factory as the
Craftsmans.

All the saws I tried were very loud except one, the
following, was acceptably the quietest.

I cannot remember all the names but I did try only one
at Home Depot which was the Ridgid r3202, which I
mostly have my eye on because it is of highest current
specs, and lots of magnesium, upper and lower blade
guards and the shoe base as well. 15 amps and 5800rpm,
but I do not know it's HP or torque ratings, does anyone
own one of these?

I would like to effectively cut through 2" hardwoods
with a finer blade, no table saw locally capable, so
that's why I am curious about horse power and torque.
Or does it matter all that much, with circular saws?

If you want quiet, can you use a bandsaw? They're 8x quieter, at
minimum. A good handsaw is a whole lot quieter, too. Battery powered
circular saws are a whole lot quieter, too, but they eat batteries for
lunch. You're lucky to get half a dozen tubafores cut with one
battery.

If it's just 2x you're cutting, check out the little 6-1/2-inchers, as
well.

Maybe this'll help:
http://www.osh.govt.nz/order/catalog...rcsawnoise.pdf
The chop saw cabinet might be of special interest to you.

--
It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare;
it is because we do not dare that they are difficult.
-- Seneca