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A circular saw can do everything that a track saw can do + quite a bit more. It's a much more versatile tool.

The only real advantage that a plunge saw has over a circular saw is dust extraction.

Disagree with this, from my experience. The track saw is faster to set up, more accurate, and safer to use. What are the advantages of a circular saw, as you see it?

My many years working as a professional carpenter and joiner has taught me that:

A plunge saw can only be used accurately and easily on a track. They are sold as being able to be used off the track but this isn't really the case as in order to cut a straight line freehand you need to be able to see the blade.

A track saw and a circular saw are the same speed to set up as almost all decent circular saws will run on tracks.

Circular saws will plunge cut and do it to a set depth if you know how.

I can actually rip a 5m long beam about 10 times quicker with my circular saw (even one of my little ones that won't make the cut in one pass) Vs a circular saw because I'm able to accurately follow a pinged chalk or ink line and I don't have to spend aaaaaaaaaaages lining the tracks up with the cut accurately to avoid a wobbly cut.

Circular saws can crosscut on timber that is less than 1' wide. Plunge saws can't easily as the tracks aren't stable enough even clamped.

Circular saws can drop cut thus allowing me to quickly and easily cut tenons when I'm making an oak frame. Not possible for a plunge saw as again you cannot see the blade when cutting.

When set up with dust extraction a circular saw is ~70% efficient. A plunge saw is ~95% efficient which is why chippies started using them as it meant you no longer needed to set up an outdoor cutting area when working in someone's house. The saws themselves were originally designed to break down sheet goods as getting a sheet of ply/MDF/MFC through a table saw is dangerous.

Just to repeat my earlier point a circular saw can do everything a plunge saw can do and more as it is a more versatile tool.

EDIT I can give you more examples if you like

Dust extraction is a good point. Safety, accuracy and speed too. I was only asking because it seems to default to "get a track saw" when someone asks for circular saw recommendations. I can see why both would make sense for a pro, but a circular saw (ideally, that takes an adapter for rails) always seemed more useful for DIY.

seemed more useful for DIY

I've been trying to make this point on this thread for a while. Plunge saws are great in many ways but I advise lads starting out to always buy a circular saw first and I'd say the same to any DIYer.

I bought a Dewalt circular saw earlier this year for DIY, I wish I'd bought one years ago now.

Your point is a fair one. I started with a circular saw and went to track saw when it didn't give me the repeatability I wanted. It seems like you've come out the far side of that, but I wouldn't say your ability to eyeball and freehand a straight line faster than setting up a rail assisted cut is universally applicable.

The thrill of a battery powered circular saw is definitely something though.

is it straight forward to swap this bathroom socket for one you can actually use..?

ive never even seen one of these wall plugs before

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What's the problem with using that? Just plug it into the two right hand holes and you get 230v. You don't need a magic 3 pin plug

doesnt seem to go in like that, as if its not deep enough

Strange. It should be easy to swap but you might find the back box has slightly different screw locations or threads and then you need to change that and then the tiles get in the way and then it becomes a big job...

£20 for a new socket, depends how comfortable you are with swapping electrical accessories. If in doubt get an elechicken.

it didn't give me the repeatability I wanted

As I've already said decent circular saws can run on tracks in exactly the same way as a track saw can so are just as repeatable as a track saw.

Both rely on the user measuring accurately something that in my experience a surprisingly large number of people manage to not do repeatedly and something that is time consuming enough to be unacceptable in a production setting. This is what guys like Peter Millard use a MFT (and also what Festool developed it for) and everyone else uses a table saw for - repeatability.

I wouldn't say your ability to eyeball and freehand a straight line faster than setting up a rail assisted cut is universally applicable.

I wouldn't employ anyone who called themselves a chippy if they were not able to cut a straight line with a skilsaw. It's a pretty basic skill that should be mastered in the first year of an apprenticeship and therefore well within the grasp of any keen DIYer.

A speed/rafter square makes a circular saw even more useful.

Yep, makes cutting framing timber/etc to length very easy.

So much so that some of the spendier tool companies now offer a circular saw with built in speed square:

https://youtu.be/O8akXba0a98

But at ~ £1400 for the battery version + 2 batteries it is a bit eye watering.

Yeah, that's a bit nice/pricey.

Any tips on good blades for circular saw, use mine for chunky work, ripping down big sheets, but also for taking pallets apart for the fire.
Something with decent longevity over accuracy.

Never used to worry about dust much, but now getting older and have a 2 month strong covid cough, i worry about it more lol. Found a super long bendy but not space saving (they shorten when they clog up and pull tool out of where you want it) hose for my old sebo (commercial upright vacuum, total boss, sucks up entire room full of plaster and building debris with it clogging), and wow, so much easier on the lungs, but also less to clean up.

I use Freud blades but they are expensive and do last a while (unless you lose teeth by hitting nails etc).

In terms of bang for your buck and longevity these are hard to beat; almost as good as the Freud blades, last a good while, and stand up well to abuse.

I want to put some new tiling in between the upstand and wall mounted units. Should I do the tiling after the worktop is installed? There are currently tiles on one half the wall (l shaped) but I plan to rip those off and then vaguely tidy up behind, ready for new tiles. But am unsure what kind of wall finish the upturns (being handled by the stone fitters) require. I suppose 'ask them' makes sense but if it can wait a month to start tiling my finances would thank me.

Yes I would wait personally

But I should rip the current ones off and tidy as best I can behind it? (Just so the worktop on one end of the return isn't a centimetre out compared to the other?)

Yeah take the old ones off first, you'll probs rip the wall to bits as thats what has happened every time I have took tiles off, least it gives you time to get it skimmed or touched up if it does.

👌

A trashed wall is always something to look forward to.

Finally removed this weirdo faux loft conversion made of hardboard

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Replacing it with something equally half arsed

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