SKILSAW SPT67FMD-01 15 Amp 7-1/4 In. Sidewinder Circular Saw for Fiber Cement

Saw with vacuum captures most of the dust, and is required by OSHA in CA, way better than the adapters that are sold that clamp on existing saw that do not allow the saw to make miter cuts…saw takes a minute to adjust using with the blade on opposite side ,but a must when cutting fiber cement trim and siding

This saw is great - easily connects to a wet/dry vacuum and now only minimal sawdust after cuts

Apparently the guys giving this thing 5 stars are using a different version. I connected it to my Fein Turbo II and did one test cut on a one inch Hardie trim board. It made a big cloud of dust. I inspected the saw to see what is going on. It is a simple design defect. With the vacuum pickup at the back of the saw, when the blade guard is retracted during a cut, it blocks the path of the dust to the vacuum port. The dust comes out from under the guard to the side of the saw in a big cloud. Yes, possibly some portion of the dust got picked up by the vacuum but there is too much of a cloud to pass the grin test of an OSHA inspector. Also, for a saw claiming to be made with lightweight magnesium components, it is disappointingly heavy. I think you are better off to buy a cheaper saw, considering it to be sacrificial after the job is done, get yourself a good respirator, and set up your cutting area where the wind will take the dust away from you and the rest of your crew.I'm also not happy losing two hours of a workday, trying to use the saw and then having to return it.

I only have a few things to say about this skilsaw and they are all good, first at all, i bought it and use it with a "shop vac" even i had a bag for dust on it the vac seemed to get clogged or loost suction within a day, so i bought a dedicated dust extractor , a Fein turbo 1 to be exact, and ohh boy , they are a great couple, i really dont need to use a bulky respirator, just a dust mask , if you buy this saw be sure to have a dust extractor, it will make a huge difference, the blade included makes really nice cuts on the hardie board and durock, i love this setup, no more worries about that silica dust.

Saw is good solid and comfortable to use. The motor is smooth and it cuts straight. The dust collection is poor. I have it hooked up to our festool ac, the big one we use to sand drywall. It’s not collecting much more than 1/2 of the dust from cutting Hardi vertical panels. We decided it was a waste of time and just mask up, disappointed in that but it still leaves a far better edge than nippers and the blades last a good while.

Saw works very well for dust extraction. I used a 5 gallon self made dust collector and the rigid vacuum. Add in an ivac outlet and the system works amazing. My only compliant the saw blade is on the wrong side !! We can’t Skil saw make a worm drive dust extractor Saw. But once I got use to the right side blade I made it work. I installed about 950 sqft of Hardi trim and siding all with this saw. Many cuts including ripping 5/4 X 6 x 12’ boards. So overall I’d buy this tool again any day.

We hook ours up to a filtered and bagged shop vac when cutting cement board siding. It reduces the cement dust significantly. We have a hose extention because the hose on the saw isn't long enough for us right out of the box. Life is better because of this saw and all of life's other conveniences.

I am a general contractor and hate the dust that fiber cement siding creates. I use this with a Fien vac and the combo works great. Very little dust. I still advise wearing a dust mask but you really wont need it with this set up. The blade that’s came with the saw was not great. It was almost like one tooth was out of alignment. I replaced with a diablo hardie siding blade and it works better. I am very glad i bought this product.