Table of Contents
The circular saw is one of the most useful and versatile types of saws for cutting through a variety of different materials. These tools tend to be pretty lightweight and offer fast-cutting performance.
Circular saws are very popular among DIY enthusiasts and professionals because they can cut large pieces of wood, plastic, metal, concrete, and even materials such as tiles and bricks. It’s an ideal saw for your toolkit as it boasts excellent sawing capacity and high precision.
A circular saw is equipped with a circular blade with sharp metal teeth that spins in order to cut through objects smoothly. It also contains a trigger switch on the handle and a guard for safety.
What Are Circular Saws Used For?
A circular saw is a convenient tool for performing practically all of the jobs requiring sawing equipment. Depending on your requirements, it can take care of small operations to large construction site applications.
- A circular saw is an excellent choice for powering through any woodworking or carpentry project. It can cut through large timber blocks very easily.
- You can use a circular saw to cut down tree logs to make firewood out of it.
- When it comes to cutting metal, a circular saw can cut through metal objects very accurately, thanks to its sharp teeth and low RPM.
- A circular saw can make different cuts, including straight cuts, crosscuts, and even angled cuts. However, if you want a smooth and precise cut, then a circular saw with a high number of teeth per inch will be perfect.
8 Types Of Circular Saws
While we can all agree that circular saws are terrific, there is a lot to discuss when it comes to its numerous subcategories. With so many different circular saws available, it can be difficult to choose one that can best suit your needs. Here are some of the types of circular saws:
Sidewinder Circular Saws
A sidewinder circular saw is also known as an in-line circular saw. They are either powered by electricity or include a lithium-ion battery as their power source. The motor of a sidewinder circular saw is mounted on one side, which is parallel to the blade, making them compact and portable. Since it’s a closed-off motor, you don’t need to oil these saws.
This is a very popular saw among carpenters and woodworkers. Due to its being lightweight, the sidewinder circular saw is perfect for overhead cutting. Plus, you can use this saw when you’re on the go. Sidewinder circular saws provide excellent stability and are ideal for making fast and accurate cuts.
Worm Drive Circular Saws
Worm drive circular saws are one of the most common types of circular saws. They are equipped with a blade that’s typically longer than the average circular saw. Unlike sidewinder circular saws, the motor of a worm drive circular saw is mounted at the back of the blade with a series of gears. The worm drive circular saw offers high torque but limited speed.
This circular saw is pretty robust, durable, and has a long life span. It can power through thick and heavy materials with great efficiency. The worm drive circular saw is great for making plunge cuts, long crosscuts, and miter cuts, especially when dealing with wide boards or timber. However, this saw is a bit heavy and needs occasional maintenance and oiling.
Abrasive Circular Saws
When it comes to handling tough metals, abrasive circular saws are everyone’s first choice. The blade of this circular is what makes them unique. It includes a friction disc and the edge of the disc is smooth. Hence, the blade doesn’t chew through the object while cutting. These abrasive circular saws are perfect for cutting through tough materials. Most high-quality abrasive saws feature blade edges made of carbon nitride or diamond, which gives them excellent longevity.
Metal Cutting Circular Saw
Metal-cutting circular saws are powerful even though they are pretty compact. Since metal is more rigid than wood, metal cutting saws are more suitable to cut through tough materials like metals. Moreover, these circular saws are made in a heat-efficient way that offers users better protection from metal friction and sparks. Since the purpose of this circular saw is to cut through metals, they usually cut at less speed, as low RPM means less friction.
Hypoid Circular saw
The motor of the hypoid circular saw is mounted on the back of the blade, so it is quite similar to a worm drive circular saw. The motor doesn’t need any frequent oiling as it’s completely sealed. However, the gear alignment and transmission are different from a worm drive circular saw. These gears are at a 90-degree angle to the axis and have a slightly offset spiral and meshing gear.
Thanks to this combination, this hypoid circular saw can deliver better torque and offers efficient cutting. The primary use of a hypoid circular saw is for cutting very hard, thick, and wet lumber. Although the hypoid circular saw is quite powerful, the motor can wear out quickly due to heavy workloads.
Biscuit Joiners
If you want to join two pieces of wood or lumber without leaving any nail holes or evident marks, then the biscuit joiner is exactly what you need. This circular saw has a very unique function but it’s not versatile at all. Thus, if your projects require cabinetmaking or joinery, then purchasing biscuit joiners would be the smart decision.
Flip-over Circular Saws
Flip-over circular saws are a combination of a table saw and a miter saw. This circular saw is capable of making incredible crosscuts at precise angles like a miter saw and can handle all the tasks that a table saw can. The blade of this saw is mounted making it more convenient and easy to use. They are excellent at making mitered joints as well as precise crosscutting. From general carpentry projects to any DIY tasks, flip-over circular saws can handle it all. However, these saws are not very compact and can take up a lot of space.
Concrete Circular Saws
Concrete saws are extremely large, heavy, and powerful circular saws that use extremely hard carbide blades or diamond blades. As the name suggests, concrete circular saws or slab saws are great for taking care of extremely difficult and tough materials like concrete, tile, brick, asphalt, etc. There is a wide range of motors used in operating these saws. It can be pressurized, electric, hydraulic, or gasoline.
Final Verdict
When the time comes to buy your next circular saw, we hope you’ll now have a better idea of which one to get. Since there are so many different types of circular saws available, you should pick one that best suits the scope of your work.
Leave a Comment