Good practice for using a circular saw

circular-sawcuttingsaw

I am a novice DIYer and recently purchased a Makita circular saw (7 1/4"). The manual says that I should always put my two hands over the saw and that it is not safe to hold the saw with one hand while holding a lumber or plywood with the other. But, when I check most of tutorials or videos on Youtube, I often find that the saw is held with one hand while the other hand is grabbing the object. Is holding a circular saw with one hand a unsafe practice? Or, is the manual just over-concerning?

Thanks,

Best Answer

Holding the saw with one hand is an advanced, and unsafe technique. You'll often find that folks in the construction industry (especially those on YouTube), do not follow proper safety precautions.

Holding the saw with two hands will reduce the chances of the saw kicking uncontrollably, if the saw happens to bind or hit a foreign object. It also insures that both hands are in a safe place while cutting.