Types of Electric Saws + Guide to 7 Most Common Ones

A saw is any type of manual or powered tool that is used to cut wood, metal, or plastic. Saws are one of the oldest invented tools in history. They have been used for thousands of years.

Saws are mainly used in woodworking and carpentry, but they are also used in other trades such as plumbing, electrical, and construction. There are two main types of saws.

There are hand saws and there are power saws (electric saws). There are also types of saws that are powered by gasoline. In the next sections, we will go through all the different types of power saws. There are more types of power saws than the ones we will mention in this article. We will talk about these types of saws because they are the most popular.

Types of Power Saw (Electric Saw)

There are many different types of electric saws with different applications and technical specifications. There are fundamental differences between all of these different types of saws. All these different types of saws use two distinct mechanisms. They either use a push and pull mechanism or they use rotary motion.

Circular Saw

Circular saws are some of the most popular types of powered saws. These saws consist of a circular saw blade which is, surprise surprise, circle-shaped.

They way that circular saws work is that the rotary motion of the motor spins the circular saw blade around an arbor. This mechanism is also used in other electric saw types such as miter saws, chop saws, and table saws.

The main advantage of circular saws is the fact that they are handheld and portable. These tools can be used for different materials such as wood, stone, metal, or masonry. The main application of circular saws is using them on wooden boards to cut in straight lines.

Circular saws are perfect for cutting straight lines. Circualr saws are mainly used by people in construction to cut straight into long planks of wood. Circular saws should be held with care. They are dangerous tools!

Reciprocating Saw

These saws are one of the power saw types that are ideal for construction and demolition jobs. In these saws, the blade moves in a reciprocating, “push-and-pull” motion to produce the cutting action. Reciprocating saws are portable tools, but one of the caveats of using this tool is that you have to be careful not to bend the blade.

Another caveat of reciprocating saws is that they are not precise tools and they can be used only for rough cuts. Reciprocating saws are powerful and they can be used to do rough cuts which is what makes them ideal for demolition jobs.

These electric saw types are also used for cutting pipes. After cutting pipes with reciprocating saws you should take the pipes and sand their edges. These saws are also types of saws electric technicians use to demolish old infrastructure.

Jigsaw

Jigsaws are one of the most unique power saw types. The inventor of modern jigsaws developed these tools by replacing the blade of his wife’s sewing machine with a saw blade. That’s how modern electric jigsaws were invented.

These tools use reciprocating blades in a vertical way and they allow for precise cutting of different shapes. Cutting curved and irregular shapes is their strong suit. The blade of jigsaws moves up and down vertically and these saws are similar to reciprocating saws in terms of their sawing mechanism.

Chainsaw

Chainsaws are some of the most iconic types of saws because of how recognizable their shape and their sound are. These saws are also used a lot in pop culture, in movies, and in TV series. Therefore, they are the most recognizable types of saws. The “blade” of chainsaws consists of a bunch of teeth attached to a chain.

Chainsaws are mainly used for felling trees, cutting large lumber and logs, and pruning hedges or shrubs. In the recent years, chainsaws have become popular for ice-sculpting. Chainsaws are powered in different ways. These are one of the few saw types powered by gasoline as well as electric power. There are corded and cordless electric chainsaws.

Miter saw

Miter saws along with table saws are some of the most used types of power saws types in woodworking workshops. These tools are accurate saws that allow exceptionally precise cuts like crosscuts and miter cuts.

Miter cuts are usually 45-degree vertical cuts that are usually done to join two pieces of cut wood. There are many different types of miter saws. Compound miter saws are one of the most popular types of miter saws.

Compound miter saws provide the user with the ability to change the angle of the saw blade to make bevel cuts. An important aspect of miter saws is repeatability of cuts. You can set up the miter saw and set it to your desired angle and get the same result every time. Sliding miter saws are another type of miter saw. A sliding miter saw is a miter saw with increased range.

Table Saw

Among Different Types of Power Saws, table saws are a legend! They are fast and versatile tools that enable the users to make cross-cut, angled, long or bevel cuts or cut grooves on the wood with utmost accuracy, all thanks to a circular blade with multiple sharp teeth that spins at high speeds. Table saws are also extremely dangerous. More on that later!

Table saws owe their versatility to their adjustable cutting depth, miter gauge, rip fence and various accessories such as sliding tables.

As saws that make the most precise cuts in their class, table saws are remarkably popular among professional users and contractors. This popularity is growing fast in the field of woodworking to the extent that their market value is expected to reach USD 988.36 Million by 2028!

Having said it all, anyone familiar with Different Types of Power Saws knows that table saws are not to mess with! Their blades are notoriously sharp and fast-spinning and serious accidents are easy to occur.

Cut-off saw (Chop saw)

Cut-off saws are another name on the long and diverse list of electric saws types. They are simple tools used to make basic cross-cuts in metal.

Chop saws are a popular choice in various industries such as construction, manufacturing and plumbing and different fields like blacksmithing.

When choosing a cut-off saw for your tool arsenal you need to look for something with a durable disc, a high RPM for a highly efficient cutting operation and an effective safety guard, all of which you can find in Ronix collections at the most affordable price tags.

How to Pick the Right Tool for your Work among Different Types of Power Saws?

Now that we have gone through all these different types of electric saws, the question comes to mind. Which type of power saw should you choose for your work?

Well it all depends on the type of work your want to do. These are some general guidelines that can help you pick the right electric type of power saw. It all depends on several factors. The most important factor in choosing a type of power saw for your work is portability. If you want to use a portable saw, that you can take anywhere, then something like a circular saw is your best choice.

The other important factor is precision. Compound miter saws and table saws are the most accurate types of power saw. Jigsaws are also extremely precise tools for cutting really intricate patterns on wood.

• If you want long cuts, you should use a table saw.
• If you want precise angled cuts, you should use miter saws.
• If you want straight cuts but you want a portable saw, you should use a circular saw.
• If you want to cut pieces of metal or pipe, you should use a cut-off saw (chop saw)
• To cut lumber, or prune bushes, you should use a chain saw
• If you want to do demolition jobs, you should use reciprocating saws

Now that we have talked about different types of electric saws and their uses, you should be able to find the right tool for your jobs!

FAQ❓

How many types of power saws are there?

There are seven popular types of power saws. These types include circular saws, reciprocating saws, jigsaws, chain saws, miter saws, table saws, and cut-off saws.

What is the best type of electric saw?

It all depends on your application. There are a bunch of factors such as portability, precision, whether you want to do straight cuts or if you want to cut into patterns.