A power saw is a portable mechanical machine used for both industrial and DIY projects. It is the type of power tool that comprises sturdy blades, chains, wire, set of teeth, etc. It is basically used for the work piece in large cuts. It can cut wood, plastic, metals, concrete and other materials like tiles and bricks. It can make curvilinear and straight cuts. There are 3 varieties of blades that come with the power saw - rotating blades, reciprocating blades and circulating blades. There are both versatile and specialized power saws in the market. Let’s check out their types to identify which one is suitable for your project.
Types and Uses of Power Saws:
Circular Saw - It has a tooth or abrasive disc to chop the material. It can be used on various materials like plastic, wood, metal, etc. It is majorly used in sawmills. It is commonly powered by electricity. It is preferred for making fast, long and straight cuts. There are various types of circular saws like-
- Abrasive type: It has an abrasive disc that is circulated in rotating motion for grinding purposes.
- Concrete type: It is used for cutting concrete, bricks, and tiles. It comes in different shapes, sizes, and styles.
- Cord wood type: It has a round metal disc with sharp cutting edges. It consists of frames, blade, mandrel, cradle and power source.
- Cold type for metal: It is used for cutting metal materials. It is made up of high-speed steel material. It has 3 blade types namely solid tooth, segmented tooth, carbide inserted tooth.
Jig Saw - It is made up of an electric motor and reciprocating saw blade. It comes with a sole plate that is known for the beveling function of cutting the angles up to 45 degrees to make miter joints. It can cut various materials in different cutting shapes. It comes in 2 types - corded and cordless jigsaw. It can cut in different ways such as curved lines, straight cuts, plunge cuts, and bevel cuts. A jigsaw is an ideal option for cutting curves and complex shapes in wood. It is also known for making short crosscuts on board.
Reciprocating Saw - It is the form of a powered machine used for cutting the work-piece by applying push and pull motion of the blade. It has larger blades and resembles a jigsaw construction. It is commonly used in construction, remodeling and demolishing work. It has a variable speed motor. It can cut through lumber even if it is embedded with the nails. The saw can also cut all forms of metals like steel, aluminum, copper and cast iron. It is necessary to have the right saw attachment to achieve the proper finish cut. It is mainly preferred by window fitters, construction workers, emergency rescue services.
Table Saw - It is also known as a bench saw These saws need a large working space area and are generally coupled with the circular blade. They are preferred for making the most accurate cuts. It is the form of a woodworking tool that has a circular saw blade mounted on an arbor. The device runs on an electric motor. The depth of the cuts can be adjusted by moving the blade up and down. The angle of the cut is controlled by adjusting the angle of the blade. There are different types of table saws like compact, bench-top, job-site, hybrid, cabinet, and sliding saws. It is used for cutting wood, sheet plastic, aluminum, brass, etc. Kickback, dust extractor, magnetic feather board, and automatic braking are some of the safety accessories that come with the table saw to prevent fatalities.
Mitre Saw - It is also known as a power mitre box that makes accurate crosscuts and mitres in a work piece. It is done by pulling the large mounted circular blade down on the board in a quick motion. It is commonly used for cutting, molding and trimming at the selected angles. Generally, the saw is small, portable and has the blade size ranging from 8 to 12 inches. There are different types of mitre saws like-
- Compound mitre saw: It can rotate the blade and head at various angles. It can also make complex cuts in the wood and mostly used in trim work of homes.
- Dual compound mitre saw: It allows the head to rotate when angled on both left and right sides. It is majorly used in decorative trim work.
- Sliding compound mitre saw: It moves the saw head back and forth on the sliding rail. It can also lock the rails for performing straight pull down cuts.
- Laser mitre saws: It has a laser guide for more precise cutting. It has an LED light for better illumination in the work area.
Band Saw - It has long and sharp blades made up of a continuous band of toothed metal between the wheels to cut the material. It is majorly used in woodworking, metalworking, lumbering, etc. It is used for cutting curves and slice through tough materials with fewer efforts. It is comparatively easy to operate. Usually, it comes with the blade guide system. It also consists of LED light for better visibility in darkness. It has several types like-
- Residential and light industry: The saws are used for cutting plastic, metal, etc in workshops, basements and garages.
- Meat cutting: It is used for cutting meat and is made up of stainless steel. The blades have fine teeth with sharp tips and edges.
- Timber cutting: It is used for ripping the timber. It can cover larger diameter timber. Due to their smaller cut size, there is a lesser wastage rate.
Tile Saw - It is also known as masonry saw. It is used for making cuts through ceramic tiles, glass tiles, granite, stones, marbles, porcelain, and clay tiles. It can cut the tiles in the required size and shape. They are designed to use the device with the water as a coolant for the diamond blade. The saw has an adjustable fence for angled and square cuts. The fence stops for multiple cuts of the exact same size. Based on the type of cut there are wet tile saws and dry cutting saws. The benefit of using wet tile saw is there will be no occurrence of blade & work piece over-heating and thus can generate a clean cut.
Chain Saw - It is the portable and mechanical tool that cuts with the set of teeth attached to the rotating chain that runs in an alignment. It operates on gas, electricity or rechargeable batteries. Chain saws are usually used for activities like trees felling, limbing, bucking, pruning, cutting firebreaks, cutting concrete during construction development and cutting ice in cold countries. It has various safety accessories like chain brake, chain catcher, rear handle guard and aligned chain to avoid unwanted accidents.
Depending upon the various parameters like types of blades and blade cuts, thickness & number & pattern of the teeth over the blade, the material used in saw construction, different size & shapes, type of application, etc. users need to analyze and choose the most appropriate saw for their business requirement. The above-listed options are some of the power saws types that we found to be important in regular terms. In case you find any type that we have missed and need to get added in the list mentioned above then kindly share it in the comment section below.