How to use a circular saw

A circular saw is a power tool that may come with a power cable (cord), or it may be cordless, and using a circular saw means attention to safety must be paid.

 Types and uses for circular saw blades.

The circular saw blade range in composition, number of teeth (cutting bits or surfaces), the amount of set (the width of the kerf removed by the blade), and the blade quality.

• One of these circular saws will probably have a plain HSS (high speed steel) saw blade in it when it is bought new.
• TCT (tungsten carbide tipped) blades are much more durable, especially in tough hardwoods. Also plywood and composite boards are hard on blades so TCT blades are needed on them.
  • Blades with fewer teeth (say 28) and with less rake to the face of the teeth, are designed for ripping along the length of timber, with the grain. They typically give a quick rough cut. They are cheap to buy and cheap to sharpen, since they have less teeth.
  • Blades with more teeth (say 40) are designed for crosscut type work. They give a lot neater cut in most circumstances.
• Abrasive blades are made from carborundum or other abrasive materials bonded together in a resin or other synthetic binding material, and are used for cutting concrete or metal. They tend to wear away rather quickly, but for small projects, they are inexpensive and make fast cuts.
• Diamond rim blades. These blades are made of special alloy metals with industrial diamonds embedded in the rim (around the outside diameter of the blade), and are for cutting hard concrete, cement composite materials, and masonry products like block or brick.
• Special tempered allow blades. These blades have tempered carbon steel teeth, which are very fine (small, and closely spaced) for cutting sheet metal like galvanised roofing metal, or aluminum, copper, or brass tubing.
• Dado blades. These are blades which can actually be adjusted to cut different widthkerfs (the width of the material removed in the blade path). These blades make it much faster and easier for cutting dados and rabbetts, used for joining lumber.
• Trim and panelling blades. These blades have fine teeth for making smooth, accurate cuts on finished materials like mouldings and panelling.