Buying tools

Some time ago I bought a chop saw.   That is, a circular saw designed for cutting planks of wood, that works by lowering the spinning blade on to the wood.   I have forgotten the project I bought it for, but I know it was something I was doing with material I had to hand, and therefore "on the cheap".   I needed the saw for it, and bought the cheapest chop saw I could find.

I did a second project using the old saw, where I had to cut through planks that were wider than it could cope with.   It's possible, you just turn the plank over and cut the rest of the way.   But it's impossible to do it perfectly since there's always a little difference in the placing of the cut on the two sides, so there's a little 'jog' in the sawn end as a result.

Yesterday I bought a second-hand, sliding chop saw to replace it.   On this new one, the blade, as well as being lowered, can also be made to slide across the width of the plank, and so it is more useful since it can cut wider planks.   I will sell the old one, since it's still in fine working condition.

I have found that, when doing a project, it is tempting to "make do" with the existing tool set even if it's not ideal.   I already had a chop saw, and I could get a reasonable but not perfect job by turning the wood over.   So it's difficult to justify buying a new, better one.   The conclusion I come to is that it's always worth buying the best possible tool consistent with the law of diminishing returns, and not a cheap one that just does the current job (unless perhaps, you sell it straight after).

Here's a pic of the new saw.