Humans have used saws for many years. From cutting and shaping timeless sculptures of the past to shaping the wooden tables we use every day, they have shaped our lives in more ways than one. Saws have evolved through the years to do more useful and complicated trims and cuts. Today, we have unique designs made from different types of material, not just wood, and which serve various purposes. Below is a list of the different types of saws and their uses.
1. Hack Saws
This is one of the most common saws. They are light in weight and very versatile to use. They can be used to cut wood, plastics and metals by using specific cutting blades for those materials. They are best used when cutting pipes and tubes. Their tooth count range from 18 to 32 per inch and are quite effective when cutting through wood and pipes.
2. Coping Saws
This saw is commonly used by artists. It has a small thin blade, which is tensioned in a C-shaped frame. Coping saws are used to cut several materials that require small intricate and precise cuts. One of the most useful features of the coping saws is their ability to remove the blade to cut into drilled holes.
3. Bow Saws
This saw is mainly for outdoor use. It comprises a long blade with many crosscut teeth. They are used primarily to cut through wood and logs. The resulting cuts are rough, which is mainly useful when cutting rough shapes from trees or logs to later shape into intricate designs depending on the appliance being made. Bow saws are commonly applied to domestic and professional use and are a standard tool to find in someone’s toolset.
4. Crosscut Saws
Traditional crosscut saws had two handles and were mainly used by two people cutting across a log or timber. The crosscut saw features large bevelled teeth on a thick blade for cutting hard pieces of wood and timber into smaller manageable pieces for further fine-tuning depending on what you are planning to build. There is also the more widely available one-man crosscut saw, which is also used for the same purpose as the two-man crosscut saw, and for trimming branches. It is a practical addition to your camping toolset.
5. Chain Saws
Chain saws use a linked chain attached to a motor, which has many specially designed teeth. The chain saw is a handheld device used to cut into something large and stationary to reduce the human effort required to do the same amount of work. They are mostly used in lumbering and cutting large pieces of wood. It is important to note that it is illegal to practice lumbering in some areas, so the distinct sound of a chain saw might bring in some unwanted attention.
6. Band Saws
There are two types of band saws; large stationary and small portable ones. The tall stationary band saws are mainly composed of large pulleys, which are located above and below the cutting table. They move a continuous band of teeth through the material being cut. They are mainly used when cutting intricate curves into the wood as well as pipes and PVCs.
The smaller portable version can be used to do most of the jobs done by a stationary band saw, but with the advantage of moving it to various job sites. Due to its size, these handy tools require some extra effort to make straight cuts using this saw. It is mainly used by plumbers and metal workers.
7. Jigsaws
Jigsaws are small handheld tools that are mainly used to make curved cuts and other lines except straight ones. It features a fine-toothed blade that creates an up and down motion at different speeds depending on the material being cut into. There are various types of jigsaws in the market. Some are corded and need to be plugged into a power source, while others have an inbuilt power source, making them wholly cordless and more comfortable to operate without tangling cables.
8. Table Saws
Table saws are ideal for a wood workshop. They consist of a high-speed motor that is mounted underneath a flat table. The depth of cuts made into the wood can be adjusted by either raising or lowering the blade for deeper and shallower cuts, respectively. They can be essential when making identically sized pieces, making the entire task a lot easier than using other types of power saws. They can also be used in metal and masonry works depending on the specific blades and the user manual.
Saws have been around for a long time. From basic crude tools, they have evolved into the complex and intricate designs you see today. As innovate new designs respond to demands for more sophisticated structures and furniture, we will see more powerful and complex saws in the future.
