Circular saws are the a must have bread and butter of the woodworking planet. Economical, portable, and in a position to make something from extended rip cuts to rapid-and-filthy miters and bevels, no carpenter at any time needs to be caught with out one particular.
But whilst we all concur circular saws are awesome, there’s more discussion when it arrives to the different subcategories. Some crafters are worm-drive partisans, although other folks back sidewinders. Some refuse to use blades that are not made of carbide, and some don’t think blades must even have teeth.
Nevertheless other folks don’t know there are distinct types of circular saws at all. To help them out, and to assist you select what variety of round saw you require for your desire undertaking, we have place collectively a listing of the 9 types of round observed you require to know.
The 9 Types of Circular Saws:
1. Sidewinder Circular Saws
Sidewinders are also known as in-line circular saws, and what most people probably believe of when they picture a round noticed. To keep these saws modest and moveable, the motor is mounted to the left of the blade, straight turning the shaft that turns it close to.
Without having many moving components, sidewinder saws make successful use of energy, allowing the blade to switch rapidly. They almost often use corded electrical energy or a lithium-ion battery as their electrical power resource.
Use it for: Rip cuts, plywood, delicate lumber, vertical cuts, overhead cuts
- Portable
- Fast blade
- Don’t need oil
- Rip fence not included
- Less power
2. Worm Drive Circular Saws
The typical option to sidewinder saws, worm drives have a motor mounted guiding the blade, related to it by gears. This benefits in significantly less velocity, but much more torque. Worm push partisans like them for their elevated electrical power and toughness, and for the enhanced sightlines that result from a thinner, further noticed.
Use it for: More time cross and miter cuts, plunge cuts
- Increased torque
- Better sightlines
- Heavy
- Slower
- Need oil
3. Hypoid Circular Saws
Hypoids are the darkish horse in the contest amongst sidewinders and worm drives. Related to worm drives, they have a motor mounted behind the blade. What sets them apart from a worm generate observed is almost completely mechanical — hypoid saws transmit power to the blade utilizing beveled gears that do not intersect.
In exercise, the major big difference is that the engines on hypoid saws are enclosed and really don't require to be oiled. The beveled gears also make them quieter than worm push saws, although the electricity is about the very same.
Use it for: Reducing tough or soaked lumber
- Powerful cuts
- Quiet
- Doesn’t need oil
- Heavy
- Motor wears out sooner than other saws
4. Abrasive Circular Saws
Abrasive saws are utilised for reducing resources that are more challenging than wooden (which is most of them). Considering that teeth bounce off most tougher substances, abrasive saws — also named chop saws — do away with enamel totally, opting instead for a flat blade that resembles a pizza cutter.
Abrasive saws can be handheld, or mounted to a table or radial arm. They are powerful at slicing tile, pipe, concrete, and asphalt. Blades tend to be produced of diamond or cubic boron nitride.
Use it for: Any workpiece tougher than wooden
- Lots of control
- Used for materials other than wood
- Generates extreme heat
5. Biscuit Joiners
Biscuit joiners use a circular noticed as a single part of a intricate system to sign up for two workpieces with each other without having any visible nail holes. The saw blade cuts a slit in every single board, and a 3rd piece of wooden referred to as a “biscuit” is glued inside each of them. With sufficient woodworking talent, this could probably be done with out a specialty device, but it is still great to have.
Use it for: Bonding items of wooden collectively without visible holes
- Attaches two pieces of wood cleanly
- Only good for one purpose
6. Miter Saws
Miter saws are simpler to use and safer than moveable round saws, however they are likely to be far more costly. They are capable of making crosscuts, miter cuts, bevel cuts, or compound cuts in record time.
Use it for: Swiftly chopping tons of lumber to measurement
- Easy to use
- Four types of cuts
- Safe
- Expensive
7. Concrete Circular Saws / Grinders
Concrete saws, also acknowledged as slab saws, are an option to toothless abrasive saws for reducing via hard, higher-resistance resources like concrete and steel. As an alternative of forgoing enamel fully, concrete saws use a specific arrangement of teeth manufactured out of industrial diamond or some thing almost as tough.
They’re in a position to cut although clearing away dust and debris, but the blade swiftly will get really hot. Make sure to frequently apply coolant, and just take recurrent breaks. The concrete will nevertheless be there when you get back.
Use it for: Reducing concrete and masonry
- Cuts hard materials
- Runs on a variety of fuel
- Expensive
- Overheats easily
- Heavy
8. Table Saws
Desk saws make crosscutting and ripping boards considerably easier for the beginner than handheld sidewinder or worm-drive saws, but since they are rooted in place, they sacrifice a good deal of flexibility. Bevel cuts are also considerably much more of a soreness.
Use it for: Crosscuts and rips in all hardnesses of wood
- Easy to use
- Efficient
- Large table
- Makes rips and crosscuts