Are you looking to use an inverter to run a circular saw?
It’s very common to run tools using an inverter when you don’t have access to mains electricity.
Perhaps you are building a new structure that doesn’t have electricity yet or you need to run your power saw via your vehicle battery.
Whatever you need to do, once you have the correct size inverter you’ll be able to make those precision cuts anywhere, anytime.
Take the time to read this article to understand the different factors such as the power of your saw, inverter wattage, and top tips for safe working.
How Much Power Does a Circular Saw Use?
The average circular saw uses 1200 – 1500 watts.
These are high powered tools that use a lot of power and energy.
Most circular saws on the market use between 1000 – 1500 watts of power to run. Adding to this, the power consumption doubles during startup so a 1200W circular saw has a peak of 2400W when first switched on.
You can find the wattage of your circular saw by checking the technical information, using a wattmeter, or with a wattage calculator.
Once you know this, you can then choose the right size inverter for your circular saw.
Size and Type of Inverter for Circular Saw
You will need an inverter with at least 2000W output for a circular saw.
You should pick an inverter with an output wattage of 20% more than your circular saw.
This is because inverters are not 100% efficient as they lose energy during the conversion of DC to AC, plus need electricity to run internal systems.
So you should multiply your circular saw wattage by 1.2 for your minimum inverter size.
For a 1200 watt circular saw, 1200 x 1.2 = 1440 watt inverter (nearest size to this would be a 1500 watt inverter)
At a minimum to run a circular saw, you’ll need a 1500 watt inverter. Usually, inverters are able to deliver double peak power for a few seconds. This means with a 1500 watt inverter you get 3000 watt peak power to cope with a surge when starting your saw.
In my opinion, it’s always wise to go bigger when it comes to inverters to give yourself ample power. A 2000 watt inverter would be much better for a circular saw.
Do You Need Pure Sine Wave?
One final thing to know is that your power tools need a pure sine wave inverter to run properly. This is because the motor needs a smooth flow of electricity like you get from the mains.
There are two types of inverters – pure sine wave and modified sine wave. Modified sine wave inverters are not good for power tools as they deliver sharp steps in voltage and hot running temperatures. Always pick a pure sine wave inverter for a circular saw.
How Long Will an Inverter Run a Circular Saw?
The length of time that your inverter can power a circular saw depends on the size of your battery.
If you are using your inverter via your vehicle starter battery, it will keep operating as long as you have the engine running.
The average circular saw uses 1200 watts an hour (Wh) or 100 amps an hour (Ah) from a 12V battery.
Deep cycle battery capacities are measured in amp-hours (Ah). For example, you can get 100Ah, 150Ah, and 200Ah batteries, and so on. So with a 100Ah battery, you would be able to run a circular saw for a maximum of 1 hour.
Remember, you won’t run a circular saw constantly, you’re more likely to use it for a few seconds or minutes at a time. For example, if you use a circular saw for 15 minutes it would use around 25Amps.
Tips to Use a Circular Saw with a Power Inverter
Using a circular saw with an inverter is very similar to using it with mains power.
That being said, there are a few things to keep an eye on. And in my experience, you can do a few things to get more from your equipment. Here are my top tips:
1. Choose a bigger inverter
If you’re not agonizing over the size of your inverter then always pick the bigger one. As they say, bigger is better. You won’t be happy if you don’t quite have enough power for your saw. Plus, if you have more capacity you can run extra appliances or charge devices up at the same time.
That’s why I’d always choose a 2000 watt inverter or more for power tools.
2. Pure sine wave
I mentioned this above but it is so crucial I wanted to say it again. You need a pure sine wave inverter with circular saws. The AC motors to spin your blade need a clean smooth source of power. Pure sine wave replicates the type of electricity you get from the mains.
3. Maintain your saw
For the most efficient experience, keep your saw well maintained. This will help to reduce the amount of energy you need to complete a job which is important if you use battery power.
- Clean the blade to remove any debris
- Keep lubricated to reduce friction
- Replace dull blade with new sharp blade
4. Ensure ventilation
You should always carry out your work in a well-ventilated area. Both the inverter and circular saw require decent ventilation to allow their cooling systems to work. Without airflow, this equipment will start to overheat and shut down.
In addition, don’t use your saw too close to your inverter as you want so avoid sawdust being sucked into the cooling fans.
5. Monitor voltage and wattage
It’s best practice to monitor the power consumption of your equipment. Many inverters include digital screens where you can check input and output voltage, along with output wattage. Keeping an eye on this will help you to know when you have used too much energy or if your inverter can cope with your circular saw.
6. Don’t work in rain
Power inverters are not waterproof. This means you should keep them well away from rain or other water sources. Don’t try to work in the rain, it won’t be good for your saw either!
7. Consider Cordless
The brilliance of modern technology means you can now get battery-powered circular saws. That means they don’t need to be plugged in to use them. You can simply charge up the battery and get going.
The results of this mean you might not even need an inverter if you can recharge at home before using your saw elsewhere. Or you will find that batteries require much less power to recharge so you could use a smaller inverter for charging.
Final Words on Inverter for Circular Saw
By now you should be in a much better position to know what size inverter you need to run a circular saw.
The average circular saw uses between 1200 – 1500 watts so I’d look for a 2000 watt inverter or bigger.
The other important thing is to use a pure sine wave inverter as power tools need a smooth flow of electricity to operate properly.
Thanks for reading and happy sawin’.
