Patent ID: 6918331

Claim:
A cutting tool, comprising: a saw blade, a blade case comprising a blade cover adapted to substantially cover at least one lateral side of the saw blade and a light disposed within the blade case, wherein the light is displaced from the saw blade in a lateral direction that is substantially perpendicular to a face of the saw blade, the light is substantially aligned with a cutting line of a workpiece that will be cut by the saw blade during a cutting operation, and wherein the blade cover includes an inner wall and the light is mounted to a part of the inner wall that opposes to the saw blade in the lateral direction, and wherein the cutting tool is a portable circular saw, the saw blade is a circular saw blade and the light is laterally displaced from the circular saw blade along the rotational axis of the circular saw blade, wherein the lighting direction is substantially parallel to the saw blade, the cutting tool further comprising: a base adapted to contact the workpiece during the cutting operation, a mounting device constructed to receive the light, a saw unit arranged and constructed to vertically pivot relative to the base, wherein the blade case is a portion of the saw unit, the blade case comprises a side portion that laterally opposes the circular saw blade and the light and the mounting device are disposed within the side portion, a handle coupled to the saw unit, a cover member disposed to substantially protect the light from the saw blade, wherein a gap is maintained to permit light to be directed to the portion of the workpiece that will be cut, a power supply circuit adapted to supply power to a motor and to the light, wherein elements of the power supply circuit are arranged to horizontally balance the cutting tool when the base extends substantially in a horizontal direction and the cutting tool is held by the handle, wherein the power supply circuit comprises a transformer that is disposed substantially in a vertical plane that extends through the handle and a socket and an electrical line extending from the socket, the socket being coupled to the mounting device, wherein the socket and a portion of the electrical line are disposed within a space defined within the cover member, a power switch mounted on the handle and operable to start the motor and a lighting switch mounted on the handle and being positioned adjacent to the power switch, the lighting switch being operable to turn on the light.