It's funny, really. A right handed person should, you would think, have
the blade on the left side of the tool so your eye can see the cut while
holding the tool with your right hand. However, they are mostly found
on the right side, so when using the saw in your right hand, you have to
lean over the motor and guard to look at the cut. A few years ago I was
given a DeWalt 18 volt unit with the blade on the left side. DeWalt
lists this arrangement as a "feature!" It was very awkward for me
(right handed) at first. I now can go back and forth between the 2 with
no problems. So, using this theory, the majority of saws are designed
for the 17% (left handed people). Weird!

PaPaPeng wrote:
On Wed, 24 Nov 2004 22:28:07 -0800, "Magnusfarce"
wrote:


It's time to replace my old circular saw and I see that there are saws with
blades on both sides. The saws with blades on one side appear to be for
framing, and the others, I guess, are for general work. The old Porter
Cable I inherited has the blade on the right side, and this is what I'm used
to. Thinking about typical uses, I see advantages and disadvantages for
each. Can someone tell me more about the differences? BTW, I'm right
handed.



We call them male and female sawblades here. One is good for cutting
tenons and the other for grooves, I forget which since they are more a
hassle than they are worth.. You have to store the sawblades in
separate boxes or else they tend to grab onto each other and its darn
difficult to pull those sharp teeth apart. But then with a bit of
luck you get a lot of little sawlets good for the Dremel saw
attachment.