Hand saws

Coping saw for cutting wood patterns Crosscut saw for making cuts perpendicular to the grain Fret saw for cutting intricate wood patterns Hacksaw fine-toothed tempered blade under tension for cutting metal, bone, and other hard materials. Pad saw, keyhole saw, jab saw narrow bladed saw. Plywood saw fine-toothed blade to reduce tearing of plywood Rip saw for cutting along the grain Two-man saw for cutting large logs or trees Veneer saw two edged saw with fine teeth used to cut veneer

Miter saw used to make accurate crosscuts and miters in a workpiece

Tenon saw also called a Dovetail saw or sash saw is used in woodworking for precise work

Mechanically powered saws

Circular saw, used in industrial sawing of log and beams, typically found in sawmills also name given to smaller hand-held saws
Table saw, circular blade rising through a slot in a table. A smaller direct-drive versions can be set on a workbench is called workbench saw. If set on steel legs it is called a Contractor's Saw. A heavier version, which is more precise and more powerful and driven by multiple belts with an enclosed base stand is called a Cabinet saw. A new version, called a hybrid saw, has the lighter weight mechanism of a Contractor saw but with an enclosed base like the Cabinet saw.

Radial arm saw is a versatile machine used mainly for cross-cutting. The blade is pulled on a guide arm through a piece of wood held stationary on the saw's table Rotary saw is used to make accurate cuts without the need for a pilot hole in wallboard, plywood, and other thin materials. It can be called a spiral cut saw or a "RotoZip". Electric miter saw, (also called chop saw, cut-off saw or power miter box) is used for making accurate cross cuts and miter cuts. The basic model has its circular blade fixed at a 90 angle to the vertical, a compound miter saw's blade can be adjusted to other angles. A sliding compound miter saw has a blade which can be pulled through the work similar to the action of a radial arm saw, which gives a greater capacity for cutting wider workpieces.

Concrete saw, usually powered by an internal combustion engine and used with a Diamond Blade to cut concrete or asphalt pavement. Abrasive saw, which uses an abrasive disc for cutting rather than a toothed blade. Abrasive saws are used for cutting very hard materials, such as metal. Pendulum saw or Swing saw, the saw is hung on a swinging arm. Often used for rough cross cutting wood in a sawmill. Also for cutting ice out of a frozen river. Jigsaw or saber saw (US) has a narrow blade for cutting irregular shapes. The term jigsaw was also commonly used for what is now called a scroll saw.

Reciprocating saw or sabre saw (UK and Australia) use an action similar to a jigsaw. They are larger, more powerful and use a longer stroke with the blade parallel to the barrel. It is useful for demolition work or for cutting pipe, and is sometimes powered by compressed air.

Scroll saw is a saw for making intricate curved cuts (scrolls). Dragsaw is used for bucking logs before the advent of the chainsaw. Sternal saw is used in surgery to open a patient's sternum.

Continuous band blades

Band saw, with motor-driven continuous band Chainsaw, motor-driven, for felling trees

Types of blades
Blade teeth are of two general types: Tool steel or carbide. Carbide is harder and holds a sharp edge much longer. Band saw blade A long band with teeth on one side welded into a circle. Less waste than circular saws due to blade being thinner. More heat disapation because there is more blade to do the cutting. Usually run at a slower speed than circular saw. Crosscut In woodworking, a cut made at (or near) a right angle to the direction of the wood grain of the workpiece. A crosscut saw is used to make this type of cut. Rip cut In woodworking, a cut made parallel to the direction of the grain of the workpiece. A rip saw is used to make this type of cut. Plytooth A circular saw blade with many small teeth designed for cutting plywood with minimal splintering. Dado blade A special type of circular saw blade used for making wide grooved cuts in wood so the edge of another piece of wood will fit into the groove to make a joint. Dado blades can make different width grooves by addition or removal of chipper blades of various widths between the outer dado blades. This first type is called a stacked dado blade. There is another type of dado blade capable of cutting variable width grooves. An adjustable dado utilizes a movable locking cam mechanism which causes the blade to wobble sideways more or less. This allows continuously variable groove width from the lower to upper design limits of the dado. Strob Saw Blade A circular saw blade with special rakers/cutters to easily saw through green or uncured wood which would otherwise jam the saw blade.

Materials used for saws

There are several materials used in saws, with each of its own specifications.

Brass Mostly used in back saws because of its low price, its flow characteristics that make the material relatively easy to cast, and unlike other types of saw, the forces that take place in back saws are relatively low because of the pulling motion used. Steel Used in almost every existing kind of saw. Because steel is cheap, easy to shape, and very strong, it has the right properties for most kind of saws. Diamond Fixed onto the saw blade's base to form diamond saw blades. As diamond is a superhard material, diamond saw blades can be used to cut hard and brittle, or abrasive materials, for example, stone, concrete, asphalt, bricks, ceramics, glass, semiconductor and gem stone. There are many methods to fix the diamonds onto the blades' base and there are various diamond saw blades, which are used in a variety of fields.[8] High speed steel (HSS) The whole saw blade is made of High Speed Steel (HSS). HSS saw blades are mainly used to cut steel, copper, aluminum and other metal materials. If high-strength steels (e.g., stainless steel) are to be cut, the blades made of cobalt HSS (e.g. M35, M42) should be used.[8] Tungsten carbide Normally, there are two ways to use tungsten carbide to make saw blades:[8] 1. Carbide tipped saw blades: The saw blade's teeth are tipped (via welding) with small pieces of sharp tungsten carbide block. This type of blade is also called TCT (Tungsten Carbide Tipped) saw blade. Carbide tipped saw blades are widely used to cut wood, plywood, laminated board, plastic, grass, aluminum and some other metals. 2. Solid carbide saw blades: The whole saw blade is made of tungsten carbide. Comparing with HSS saw blades, solid carbide saw blades have higher hardness under high temperatures, and are more durable, but they also have a lower toughness.

Uses of Saw Blades

Saws are most commonly used for cutting hard materials. They are used extensively in forestry, construction, demolition, medicine, and hunting. Musical saws are used as instruments to make music. Chainsaw carving is a flourishing modern art form. Special saws have been developed for this purpose. The production of Lumber, lengths of squared wood for use in construction, begins with the felling of trees and the transportation of the logs to a sawmill.

Plainsawing: Lumber for structural uses is typically plainsawn (also called flatsawn), a method of dividing the log that produces the maximum yield of useful pieces and therefore the greatest economy. Quarter sawing: This sawing method produce edge-grain or vertical gain lumber, in which annual growth rings run more consistently perpendicular to the pieces' wider faces