If you’re new to using a circular saw, you might happen to see a little piece of metal machined like a hook, attached to the circular saw. This machined metal-shaped hook gets attached to the circular saw’s external structure. If you happen to see this hook, you might be asking about its function. Well, its function is quite pragmatic. It lets you hang effectively and safely your circular saw to a nearby structure.
While others might frown at the idea of attaching a rafter hook to their circular saw because they consider it distracting and detracting from the overall design of the circular saw, having a rafter hook, however, comes with benefits. Besides, its function can lighten up your work, especially when working on an elevated platform or at heights.
Do All Circular Saws Come with a Rafter Hook?
Some circular saws come already equipped with a rafter hook. Yet, many circular saws do not have this feature. If ever your circular saw doesn’t come with this feature, you don’t need to buy a new circular saw that has this feature. You only need to upgrade your circular saw.
As you read on, you will learn about how you can equip your circular saw with a rafter hook. Of course, the rafter hook might appear as a luxury appendage to the circular saw. Yet, in actuality, it is necessary to facilitate your use of your circular saw.
Is a Rafter Hook a Necessity?
A necessity is something that you can’t do without. If you would look at the rafter hook, you might think that it is not a necessity. It is not indeed a necessity in the strictest sense of the word. Yet, it can indeed facilitate your use of the circular saw. Besides, you can still use your circular saw even without the rafter hook.
But a rafter hook can increase the level of convenience of using your circular saw. For example, when working alone on a ladder, you don’t need to go up and down the ladder to grab your circular saw. You can simply use the rafter hook to secure your circular saw.
Besides, if you often use your circular saw at heights, the rafter hook will be handy. Again, it provides an additional layer of safety, especially if you are working on a scaffold or roof.
The rafter hook will help secure your circular saw, especially if you’re taken up with your safety while working at heights. Moreover, you won’t need to worry about accidentally dropping your circular saw with it.
Is There a Universal Rafter Hook for Circular Saws?
If you think you can find a universal rafter hook for a circular saw, you might get frustrated because there is none. You might ask about the reason why there is none. Well, the reason is that circular saws come in various designs and types. Besides, different circular saw types and models have varying structural designs and assemblies.
You will find, for example, worm drives, sidewinders, and hypoid circular saws that differ from each other. Thus, you will never find a universal rafter hook that could fit into these different and varying designs and types of circular saws.
Of course, you can have a rafter hook customized for your circular saw type. It is a viable way to equip your circular saw with a rafter hook. Yet, if you have different types of circular saws, you can never buy a single rafter hook that could fit into your different types of circular saws.
Installing a rafter hook will not take much time. It will only take less than five minutes if you’ve got the right rafter hook for your circular saw. You only need to select a solid section on your circular saw which is not adjacent to the gearbox and motor housing.
Once you’ve selected a section, you can drill two tiny holes and fasten the rafter hook using the screws or fasteners in the kit. Additionally, the rafter hook weighs around seven ounces.
Conclusion
The rafter hook raises the level of convenience of using the circular saw a notch higher. It also lessens the movement of the circular saw, primarily if you often work at heights. Moreover, as mentioned above, using a rafter hook adds another safety feature to your circular saw that you would surely appreciate. Hence, most tradesmen appreciate the value afforded by the rafter hook.
A toolbelt hook, like the rafter hook, frees up your hand and helps you organize your tools and avoid accidental fall of your devices. You can use a rafter hook to hang your circular saw while attending to something. Such an added feature to your circular saw can surely make your work easy. So, if your circular saw lacks a rafter hook by now, it will be best to equip it with one.