Bill Fitzmaurice wrote: ↑Wed Dec 17, 2025 12:34 pm
I'll put it this way. I have two corded circular saws. I haven't used either for at least 12 years. They just collect dust, along with all my other corded hand tools.
I only use my 5 1/2" battery-operated circular saw for cutting down sheet goods. All the real work is on the table saw. But, I do still have my corded big-boy Craftsman for anything that needs some real muscle. But, it hasn't been out in a long time.
The router, jigsaw, and hammer drill are all corded. All the regular drills and small impact driver are battery. Everything has a place and a job.
"A system with a few knobs set up by someone who knows what they are doing is always better than one with a lot of knobs set up by someone who doesn't."
I've got to think that your 5.5" isn't all that powerful. My 5.5" 18v Porter Cable that I got 25 years ago was pretty anemic. My 20v DeWalt 7.25" is pretty rubust.
I built the THT back in the day with just a circular saw and a homemade sled before affordable aluminum extruded guide tracks were the norm.
BTY, inflation is a biotch. Saw your thread about getting started with wood prices, and found the receipts from 2021 when I sourced for this build…
Receipt.jpeg
Price for that same 5x5 is double per sheet. Fortunately I got in Contact with a reseller that has sheets for $27! I'm figuring out how to cut it up so it'll fit in my suv..
Bill Fitzmaurice wrote: ↑Wed Dec 17, 2025 4:50 pm
I've got to think that your 5.5" isn't all that powerful. My 5.5" 18v Porter Cable that I got 25 years ago was pretty anemic. My 20v DeWalt 7.25" is pretty rubust.
It's 18V and works fine for cutting down sheets of 1/2". But, I have plenty of spare batteries.
I wouldn't want to be doing it all day, that's for sure.
"A system with a few knobs set up by someone who knows what they are doing is always better than one with a lot of knobs set up by someone who doesn't."
Price for that same 5x5 is double per sheet. Fortunately I got in Contact with a reseller that has sheets for $27! I'm figuring out how to cut it up so it'll fit in my suv..
You need to really make sure that it's real Baltic birch and not the Chinese stuff. That's the price that I was paying for 5x5s 10 years ago.
Hope it's the real thing - that'd be a great find.
Several years ago there was an estate sale that my wife told me about. The guy had been a woodworker and there was probably a dozen sheets of 1/2" BB.....I wanted so bad to buy it, but just didn't have any place to store it.
"A system with a few knobs set up by someone who knows what they are doing is always better than one with a lot of knobs set up by someone who doesn't."
Price for that same 5x5 is double per sheet. Fortunately I got in Contact with a reseller that has sheets for $27! I'm figuring out how to cut it up so it'll fit in my suv..
You need to really make sure that it's real Baltic birch and not the Chinese stuff. That's the price that I was paying for 5x5s 10 years ago.
Hope it's the real thing - that'd be a great find.
Several years ago there was an estate sale that my wife told me about. The guy had been a woodworker and there was probably a dozen sheets of 1/2" BB.....I wanted so bad to buy it, but just didn't have any place to store it.
Yup looks to be the real deal. I've never seen plywood so pretty before!
