Which Power Saw Do I Need?
As you decide on a power saw, think about the electric saw types available — corded and cordless. Saw uses and features vary, but for many saws, you’ll be able to choose between one that connects to a household outlet or uses a rechargeable battery. A corded model gives you virtually unlimited runtime, but you’ll need to invest in a suitable extension cord to get the most use out of one of these saws. Cordless saws offer the ultimate in portability without the worry of a cord getting in the way of your work. If you have a large job, however, you may need a couple of fully charged batteries to keep working.
You’ll also want to start thinking about everything you need to cut with a power saw, not just for this project but for future work. If you plan to do a lot of do-it-yourself work, you’ll want a saw that can use blades that cut a variety of materials, such as wood, laminate flooring, bricks, pavers, drywall, etc. Also consider the availability of the different blades and how easy they will be to change.
How Saw Blades and Saw Teeth Work
While the saw motor provides cutting power, the saw blade actually does the cutting. Whether you simply need a wood-cutting saw or you need a saw that can cut metal, understanding how the blade and teeth work will help you choose the right saw and blade for your project. Two key components of most power saw blades are the teeth and the gullets.
Saw teeth cut the work piece.
- Large teeth cut quickly and aggressively. They make a saw the perfect tool to cut wood for building projects and demolition work.
- A blade with many small teeth won’t cut as quickly but will give a cleaner cut and works better on more delicate materials like plastic or laminate.
- The width of the teeth determine the kerf — the thickness of the cut the blade makes. A thin-kerf blade won’t remove as much material as it cuts but can make cutting easier. Knowing the kerf of a blade helps you make accurate cuts.
Gullets are the gaps between the saw teeth. They allow removal of wood chips and other material.
- Deeper gullets mean a blade removes more material, has larger teeth and cuts more quickly.
- Shallow gullets correspond to smaller teeth that create a clean, smooth cut.
Some power saw blades that cut masonry and metal don’t have teeth and gullets. Instead, they cut with abrasive material on the blade surface.
Types of Saws
You can find power saw types that can cut through just about any material you’ll encounter in a DIY project. While you can do a lot of work with different types of hand saws, a power saw makes the work easier and lets you finish a job quicker. Plus, power saws make it easy to change blades for different materials and often have features than can improve your accuracy. Below we’ll describe the most common types of saws for DIY work.
There are four common types of cuts:
- A crosscut is a cut across the woodgrain.
- A rip cut is a cut along the woodgrain.
- A miter cut is a cut that’s at an angle to the edge of a board.
- A bevel cut is a cut that’s at an angle to the face of a board.
Watch What’s That Cut Called? and learn how to make a variety of cuts.
Circular Saw
If you just have one power saw for home improvement work, a circular saw is a good choice as an all-around wood-cutting saw. A circular saw is small, portable and highly versatile.
As long as you have a suitable blade, circular saw uses can include:
- Making quick crosscuts and rip cuts
- Cutting wood or composite deck boards
- Trimming fence posts
- Cutting pavers
- Cutting retaining wall block
- Cutting PVC (polyvinyl chloride) pipe
Circular saw accessories such as jigs, clamps and saw horses can make cutting with a circular saw quicker and safer and can create more professional results.
See our guide to circular saws and blades to learn about saw features and to match the right blades to your work. Before you start cutting, take a look at How to Use a Circular Saw for tips on safely making clean, straight cuts.
Miter Saw
A miter saw can make the same crosscuts a circular saw can, but its key feature is an ability to quickly make miter and, with compound miter saws, beveled cuts. A gauge on the saw table lets you adjust the cutting head to make precise cuts at a variety of angles. Single compound miter saws let you tilt the saw blade in a single direction to make precise bevel cuts. Dual compound miter saws have blades that tilt in both directions, letting you make matching bevel cuts quickly and easily. A sliding feature on some saws allows for fast, repetitive cuts. You’ll need to mount a miter saw to a miter saw stand or other work surface, but what you lose in portability, you gain in cutting flexibility and accuracy.
Typical miter saw uses include:
- Making quick, precise crosscuts, miter cuts and bevel cuts
- Cutting molding
- Cutting door and window trim
- Cutting flooring
- Cutting parts for picture frames
- Quickly making multiple cuts to the same length or angle
Our miter saw guide will give you tips on miter saw features and help you find the right saw for your work.
Table Saw
Table saws can quickly cut boards to the right length or width. An adjustable guide on the saw table, known as the fence, simplifies repetitive, accurate cuts with multiple pieces of lumber. Another guide known as a miter gauge lets you make angled cuts while a bevel adjustment lets you tilt the saw blade for bevel cuts.
Typical table saw uses include:
- Making accurate crosscuts and rip cuts
- Making small miter cuts and bevel cuts
- Cutting sheet materials such as plywood or MDF (medium-density fiberboard)
- Trimming flooring to width or length
Like other types of saws, different blades work with different materials, so make sure you match the blade to your project. Portable table saws and saws with wheeled stands allow you to take the table saw to your project site. If you regularly use a table saw, an extension stand or adjustable saw horse is a good accessory to have. This type of add-on lets you work with materials that don’t fit on the built-in table.
Read our Table Saw Buying Guide to see the basics of how a table saw operates and learn about available features and accessories.
Jigsaw
Jigsaws are versatile tools that use a thin, narrow saw blade in an up-and-down action, allowing you to make curved cuts. Like some other types of power saws, you can adjust a jigsaw to make bevel cuts. It’s a good idea to have a set of clamps to keep your work piece steady as you cut. Depending on the jigsaw blade, these saws can cut through materials such as wood, metal and drywall.
Since the small blade and compact body of the saw give you excellent maneuverability, common jigsaw uses include:
- Cutting circles, curves and complex shapes
- Cutting along a stenciled pattern to create detailed designs on a work piece
- Making small crosscuts and bevel cuts
See our jigsaw how-to for tips on setting up and cutting with a jigsaw, as well as step-by-step instructions for building a jig to cut perfect circles in various sizes.
Reciprocating Saw
Reciprocating saws, sometimes simply called recip saws, use a back-and-forth blade action that lets you quickly cut through a wide variety of materials. While they don’t cut as cleanly as some other saws, the aggressive teeth on the blades and the reciprocating motion of the saw can cut tough materials very quickly. A pivoting shoe — the base plate on the saw — steadies the saw and lets you cut at different angles.
Reciprocating saw uses include:
- Heavy-duty demolition and remodeling projects
- Cutting out a new window in a wall
- Cutting through studs, nails and pipe
- Cutting drywall for switches and receptacles
- Making flush cuts against a floor or in tight corners
While these saws cut lots of different materials, you need the right blade. Take a look at our guide to reciprocating saw blades and match a blade to your project. Make the saw even more versatile with scraping, grout removal and brush attachments.
Band Saw
Band saws have a flexible, continuous blade — the band — that runs around two wheels. There are stationary band saws and portable, handheld band saws.
Stationary band saw uses include:
- Woodworking projects
- Cutting tenons — projections that fit into mortises — for mortise-and-tenon joints
- Making curved cuts
- Resawing, or rip-cutting lumber down its face to create thinner boards or veneers
Portable band saw uses include professional and commercial work that requires clean cuts in metal and pipe.
Other Types of Saws
While many of the saws above are common in a variety of DIY work and woodworking projects, some power saw types are more specialized.
Tile Saw
A tile saw is typically a small table saw designed to cut different types of tile. Often these are wet saws, using water to contain dust that cutting tile generates.
Concrete Saw
A concrete saw is a pro-level saw that can cut through concrete and other types of masonry. Concrete saws often either use water to control the concrete dust or have a port that connects to a dust collector.
Scroll Saw
A scroll saw is good for detailed work and for cutting small work pieces. This stationary or benchtop saw lets you cut curves and complex designs in materials like wood, plastic and soft metal.
Chop Saw
Similar in appearance to a miter saw, a chop saw is a pro-grade saw that often uses a large, abrasive disc rather than a toothed blade. The blade tilts up and down to cut through wood, metal and masonry work pieces.
Panel Saw
Typically reserved for the professional or commercial workshop, a panel saw cuts large sheet goods like plywood, MDF, etc. The work piece sits upright in the frame, and the saw blade moves down or across the frame to cut.
Which Types of Saws Cut Which Material?
Most power saws can cut many different materials as long as you install the right saw blade. For example, as long as you match the blade to the material, you can use a circular saw to cut most types of wood and composite material, as well as some masonry products, such as brick and concrete pavers. However, some saws are better suited to certain materials.
Check the saw and saw blade information to ensure they’re suited for your cutting project.
Wood: The best wood saw type depends on the type of cut you need. Circular saws and reciprocating saws are best for quick, short cuts. Table saws are best for cutting sheet goods like plywood and MDF and are great for accurate crosscuts and miter cuts. Compound miter saws excel at precise miter and bevel cuts. Jigsaws are best for cutting curves.
Composite Boards: As with wood boards, circular saws, miter saws and table saws can each work well for cutting composite materials, such as decking boards, depending on the type of cut you need.
Metal: Chop saws, scroll saws and portable band saws are heavy-duty, professional-grade saws designed to handle metal cutting. A jigsaw with a metal-cutting blade can make some curved cuts in thin metals. And a reciprocating saw can cut through nails in a demolition project and some types of metal pipe.
Masonry: Chop saws and concrete saws are best for jobs that require you to cut a lot of masonry products. You can make a few quick cuts in pavers and bricks with some types of circular saws as long as you clamp the material securely. See our guide to cutting pavers for instructions and tips on avoiding damage from dust and overheating.
Plastic: Circular saws, reciprocating saws, miter saws, table saws and jigsaws can all cut different types of flat plastic and vinyl work pieces provided you’re using a blade designed for the application — typically one with a high tooth count. Circular saws, reciprocating saws and jigsaws can also handle PVC pipe, provided you properly secure the pipe.
Power Saw Safety Tips
Keep safety top of mind when operating any type of saw and follow the manufacturer’s use and safety instructions. Here are some key points to keep in mind:
- Inspect the saw and blade before cutting. Don’t use a damaged saw or blade.
- Use a saw and blade only in the locations and for the purposes specified by the manufacturers.
- Wear the right safety gear — eye protection, a respirator, hearing protection — including any equipment specified in the manual.
- Use the right saw blade for the work you’re doing and the material you’re cutting.
- Make sure your work piece is supported properly to reduce the risk of the saw binding and kicking back toward you.
- Be aware of power cables, duct work, gas lines and plumbing that may be behind walls or under floors. Watch What’s Inside My Wall? for an idea of what to be aware of.
- Corded saws require the proper extension cord — the right gauge and length for the tool and one rated for exterior use if you’ll be using it outdoors. See our article on power cord safety tips.
- When using a corded saw, always be aware of the cord location so you don’t cut through it.
- When using a cordless saw, pay attention to the instructions for safely charging and maintaining the battery.
- Disconnect the saw from power before installing a blade or accessory and before making any adjustments or repairs.
Power Saw Features
There are several features you can find across different types of saws that make the saw more efficient or make the work easier:
- LED lights and laser guides help you align the saw blade for more accurate cuts.
- Saws with depth adjustments let you customize the depth of your cut.
- Pay attention to the maximum cutting depth of a saw to ensure you can cut through the material for your project.
- Saws with dust extraction features let you connect to a shop vacuum or a dust collection device to minimize airborne dust. An adapter may be necessary.
- Keyless blade change capabilities simplify the process of swapping out blades.
- Variable- or multi-speed saws help match the cutting speed to the material.
- Brushless motors on cordless power saws are lighter, use battery power more efficiently and can provide more power.
- Cordless saws that can share batteries with other tools and equipment make it easier to keep working.
In addition to the features above, the design of a particular saw gives it features that make it better for some uses than others:
- The size and design of a circular saw makes it perfect for quick crosscuts, but if accuracy is important, you’ll typically need a guide to keep the blade steady.
- The ability to pivot and tilt the blade on a compound miter saw is perfectly suited for miter cuts and bevel cuts, making it quick and easy to cut and fit molding quickly. However, it’s not the best tool to make long cuts.
- The table on a table saw makes it good for accurately cutting large sheets of material such as plywood. However, a table saw takes up more space than other saw types and unless it’s designed to be portable, you won’t be able to use it at a project site.
- The thin, narrow blade of a jigsaw lets it cut curves and other complex shapes but a jigsaw isn’t designed for heavy-duty cutting or thick work pieces. Long cuts will be difficult and a jigsaw won’t cut as quickly as other saw types.
- A reciprocating saw is the right tool for heavy-duty cutting when speed is more important than accuracy or a clean cut. You can also easily use it to cut vertically or horizontally. However, it’s not designed to make long cuts or to cut delicate material.
- A band saw can make curved cuts and has the ability to cut veneers to use in your projects, a great feature for woodworkers. However, this saw isn’t the best for making accurate straight cuts and replacing a band saw blade is more complicated than replacing blades on other saw types.
Choosing the Right Types of Saws
Most types of power saws are highly versatile, allowing you to use them for multiple projects. However, no one power saw type is perfect for every kind of work. Each is suited to certain types of work, whether you just need a basic power tool to cut wood or you need a heavy-duty saw to cut concrete.
Think about the work you need to do now and the work you’d like to do in the future. Use the information above to match a saw to the work. If you plan on doing lots of DIY work or lots of building and demolition, its best to have a variety of saws and a variety of saw blades. Having the right tools and equipment doesn’t just make the work easier and more efficient, it makes the work safer as well.
FAQs on Different Types of Saws
Use the answers to these common questions about saws to help you find the best power saw for your work.
Which Types of Saws Can Easily Make 90-Degree Cuts and Other Standard-Angle Cuts?
Miter saws and table saws both make it easy to quickly make 90-degree cuts as well as angled cuts. If you have a guide and secure the work pieces properly, you can also use a circular saw to make 90-degree cuts and cuts of different angles.
What Kind of Saw Do I Need for Wood Crafts?
A jigsaw is a good saw for many wood crafts. It’s compact size and the ability to cut curves, circles and intricate designs is a combination you won’t find in many other DIY-level tools. For larger woodworking projects, you’ll also want to consider a table saw, scroll saw and a miter saw.
Which Power Saw Is Most Versatile?
A circular saw is the most versatile type of power saw. It’s relatively small, allowing you to easily carry it to your project site and can use different blades that allow you to quickly cut a variety of materials, from dimensional lumber to composite wood and from decking boards to paver stones. Circular saws also typically have features like depth adjustment and bevel adjustment that make them capable of making lots of different types of cuts.
How Can I Extend Blade Life?
The best way to extend blade life is to use the right blade and the right saw for the material you’re cutting. Cutting the wrong material will quickly dull a saw blade. You can also affect blade life with your technique — as you cut, let the saw and the blade do the work. Don’t force the cut. The blade material is a factor in blade life as well. For example, blades with carbide-tipped teeth tend to last longer than steel-toothed blades.