The main cutting tools used in DIY, especially for woodwork, are saws. There are four main types of wood saw: rip saws for cutting along the grain of the wood; cross-cut saws for cutting across the grain; panel saws for general sawing and for use on man-made boards; and those saws used for cutting curves and special shapes. There are also special saws for metal work, and two main types of power saw. A saw is sold in a point size - this is the number of saw teeth, plus one, per 25mm (1in). So a 10-point saw has nine teeth every 25mm (1in). Small, close-set teeth provide a finer but slower cut than larger teeth. A trimming knife and a pair of scissors are the other useful cutting tools.
1. Pad saw blade in trimming knife, 2. Panel saw, 3. Rip saw, 4. Finetoothed panel saw, 5. Portable circular power saw, 6. Powered jigsaw, 7. Tenon saw, 8. Trimming knife, 9. Fret saw, 10. Scissors, 11. Hacksaw, 12. Coping saw, 13. Junior hacksaw.
Saws for straight cuts
Panel saw, Designed for cutting panels of manmade board such as chipboard and ply as well as planks. This is an all-round hand saw which will cut both with and across the grain, although more slowly than the specially designed larger toothed saws below.
Rip saw, Designed for cutting along the grain of the timber.
Cross-cut saw, Designed to cut across the grain of timber.
Tenon saw, Used for making most woodworking joints (as well as cutting tenons) and for cutting accurate angles like mitres, in conjunction with a mitre box.
Rip saw, Designed for cutting along the grain of the timber.
Cross-cut saw, Designed to cut across the grain of timber.
Tenon saw, Used for making most woodworking joints (as well as cutting tenons) and for cutting accurate angles like mitres, in conjunction with a mitre box.
Special purpose saws
Narrow blades can be removed and replaced as soon as they lose their sharpness.
Coping saw, Designed to cut in any deirection on the forward stroke.
Fret saw, ideal for cutting very tight curves in thin woods like plywood, plus other materials such as plastic and glass fibre.
Keyhole or pad saw, Use for cutting a keyhole or making an enclosed cut in a large panel where the handle would render a coping saw inoperable.
Hacksaw, Basic saw for cutting metal and plastic.
Junior hacksaw, Useful in confined spaces because it is smaller than the regular hacksaw.
Circular saw, This is ideal for straight cutting of timber, manmade boards including laminated boards and plastic, metal, masonry and ceramic tiles but is not suitable for cutting tight curves. Safety Point: fit upper and lower blade guards before using a circular saw.
Jigsaw, This is the power saw for cutting curves and enclosed cut-out shapes to fit a built-in hob or sink for instance. Different blades to suit different materials are also available.
Trimming and marking knife, Used for scoring lines and for trimming vinyl, carpet, polystyrene etc.
Coping saw, Designed to cut in any deirection on the forward stroke.
Fret saw, ideal for cutting very tight curves in thin woods like plywood, plus other materials such as plastic and glass fibre.
Keyhole or pad saw, Use for cutting a keyhole or making an enclosed cut in a large panel where the handle would render a coping saw inoperable.
Hacksaw, Basic saw for cutting metal and plastic.
Junior hacksaw, Useful in confined spaces because it is smaller than the regular hacksaw.
Circular saw, This is ideal for straight cutting of timber, manmade boards including laminated boards and plastic, metal, masonry and ceramic tiles but is not suitable for cutting tight curves. Safety Point: fit upper and lower blade guards before using a circular saw.
Jigsaw, This is the power saw for cutting curves and enclosed cut-out shapes to fit a built-in hob or sink for instance. Different blades to suit different materials are also available.
Trimming and marking knife, Used for scoring lines and for trimming vinyl, carpet, polystyrene etc.
For measuring angles
Try square, Used for marking square ends on a length of wood, for marking other right angles and for checking their accuracy, a try square has a steel blade and a wood, steel of plastic stock and both internal and external adges form a 90° angle. They come in sizes from 150mm (6in) to 300mm (12in).
Combination square, This can be used for measuring and checking right angles and 45° mitres; it can also check the depth of mortises.
Mitre block, Used for making mitres across small pieces of wood, a mitre block is L-shaped and has two slots, one at 45° and one at 90°. The wood is placed in the L and one of the slots is used to guide the saw.
Marking knife, A special marking knife with an angled steel blade is more accurate then a pencil.
Marking gauge, Use to mark lines parallel to the edge or end of timber or board, a marking gauge has a steel point close to the end of the stem and s sliding stock that can be locked with a screw on the side at the required distance from the point.
Mortise gauge, This has two pins, one of which can be moved up and down then set to the required spacing for marking mortises and tenons.
Combination gauge, This combines both the above operations.
Combination square, This can be used for measuring and checking right angles and 45° mitres; it can also check the depth of mortises.
Mitre block, Used for making mitres across small pieces of wood, a mitre block is L-shaped and has two slots, one at 45° and one at 90°. The wood is placed in the L and one of the slots is used to guide the saw.
Marking knife, A special marking knife with an angled steel blade is more accurate then a pencil.
Marking gauge, Use to mark lines parallel to the edge or end of timber or board, a marking gauge has a steel point close to the end of the stem and s sliding stock that can be locked with a screw on the side at the required distance from the point.
Mortise gauge, This has two pins, one of which can be moved up and down then set to the required spacing for marking mortises and tenons.
Combination gauge, This combines both the above operations.
Levelling tools
Spirit level, Used to check that a surface is level, the longer the spirit level the more accurate is will be over a distance. Lengths range from 75mm (3in) to 2m (6ft 6in).Plumb bob, A tool used for accurate alignment of verticals, this consists of a brass or steel weight which is attached to a line and hung from a pin or nail.
MAKING STRAIGHT CUTS
1. Draw the saw towards you ata shallow angle to start a cut. Use your thumb as guide.
2. When nearing the end on a long cut wedge the cut open with scrap timber and support the wood.
3. When ending a cut across the grain support the overhanging end to avoid splitting the wood.
CUTTING CURVES
1. Saw with the teeth downwards, only angling it to avoid obstructions such as an edge or corner.
2. Finish by cutting with the blade facing upwards. Check at each point hat the blade is not twisted.
MAKING HOLES
Thread the blade through pre-drilled hole with teeth facing downwards.
Cut on the download stroke.
Cut on the download stroke.
Drill holes to thread the pad saw through, then apply pressure and cut on the backward stroke.
USING A CIRCULAR SAW
USING A JIGSAW
A rip guide helps you to cut at a fixed distance from the edge of the timber.
Drill a hole at each corner of a cut-out for a smoother finish than the saw will achieve.
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