Woodworking saws are used to cut pieces of wood into various shapes and sizes. Just about all saws feature some sort of blade with sharp teeth, though the size and shape of this blade can vary significantly. Different types of woodworking saws are designed to accomplish very different tasks; some of the most common types include circular saws, mitre saws, table saws, jig saws, scroll saws, and many more. Some types of these tools are powered, meaning a motor is attached to the unit to control the movement of the blade.
A mitre saw is a type of cutting tool that is used in connection with a mitre box, which is essentially a guide for the blade. These types of woodworking saws can be power tools or hand tools; the hand tool version is a simple, lightweight cutting tool that slides into pre-cut slots on a guide or jig. The piece of wood to be cut is positioned in one of the many guides so the user can make an angled cut, straight cut, or other type of cut depending on the material’s position within the guide. A powered mitre saw will feature a round, rotating blade that is mounted on a pivoting arm; the arm chops downward to cut the piece of wood secured in the guide.
Circular saws are perhaps the most commonly used woodworking saws among carpenters. These extremely useful tools use a quickly rotating round blade to make a cut. They are operated by holding down a finger trigger mounted on the handle; as the blade cuts, the operator will move the unit along the length of a board or piece of wood to make a quick, straight cut. Sometimes these woodworking saws are battery-powered for greater versatility, though units that must be plugged in tend to have more consistent speed and cutting ability.
Table saws are much larger woodworking saws used for cutting long lengths of wood or heavier pieces that cannot necessarily be supported by hand. The wood is moved in this case rather than the blade, which is fixed to a motor mounted beneath the surface of the table. The top part of the rotating blade sticks up from the center of the table, usually lined up with a guide to help the user move the wood more accurately over the blade. The height of the blade can be adjusted to allow the user to create different cut depths.