What are the different types of hand saw?

Saws for cutting wood (with fixed blades)

Hand saws for wood

Material:

There are hand saws available for sawing hardwood, softwood, chipboard, plywood and MDF.

Shop for Handsaws

Type of cut: 

Straight cuts. The type of finish will depend on the Teeth Per Inch (TPI).

Application:

Most commonly used for general woodworking applications (i.e. cutting boards or planks to size)

Tenon and dovetail saws

Material:

Hard and softwood

Shop for Tenon Saws

Shop for Dovetail Saws

Type of cut:

Straight, precise cuts leaving a neat finish.

Application:

Delicate applications such as joint-making

Pruning saws

Material:

Thin tree branches and shrubs, dry or wet.

Type of cut:

Fast aggressive cutting leaving a rough finish.

Shop for Pruning Saws

Japanese/Pull saws

Material:

Hard and softwood

Shop for Pull Saws & Blades

Type of cut:

Straight, accurate cuts. Has a much thinner blade as it cuts on the pull stroke.

Two person saws

Material:

Felling trees or cutting large trunks to size

Type of cut:

Fast aggressive cutting that leaves a rough finish.

Saws for cutting wood (with removable blades)

Hand mitre saws

Material:

Hard and softwood

Shop for Compound Mitre Saws

Type of cut:

Precise angled cuts with a very neat finish.

Application:

Used when an exact angle (45° for example) is required. Commonly used for joint-making.

Coping and fret saws

Material:

There are blades available which can cut through hard and soft wood, plastic, ceramic and non-ferrous metals.

Shop for Coping Saws

Type of cut:

Curved cuts and intricate shapes with a very neat finish.

Application:

Cutting wooden moulding or scrollwork. Should not be used in material over 25cm thick.

Bow saws

Material:

Sawing tree branches and cutting logs to size. There are blades available for both wet and dry wood.

Type of cut:

Fast aggressive cutting with a rough finish.

Shop for Bowsaws

Speciality saws (with fixed blades)

PVC and plastic-cutting saws

Material:

Plastic

Shop for Plastic and insulation Saws

Type of cut:

Straight cuts in plastic leaving a neat finish

Application:

Commonly used for cutting metal and plastic piping.

Floorboard saws

Material:

There are different blades available for solid, laminate and veneer flooring.

Type of cut:

Most blades will produce a neat finish.

Insulation saws

Material:

Mineral wool, glass wool, EPS (expanded polystyrene), XPS (extruded polystyrene), stone wool and rock wool.

Shop for Plastic and insulation Saws

Type of cut:

Straight cuts with a relatively neat finish.

Application:

Cutting sheets of insulation to size.

Masonry saws

Material:

There are blades available for brick, concrete and stone.

Shop for Masonry Saws

Type of cut:

Most masonry saws will produce a fairly rough finish.

Application:

Cutting masonry blocks to size

Drywall saws

Material:

Drywall / plasterboard.

Shop for Drywall and Plasterboard Saws

Type of cut:

Short straight or curved cuts leaving a relatively rough finish.

Application:

Often used for cutting out small holes for socket boxes.

Speciality saws (with removable blades)

Hacksaws

Material:

Metal and plastic.

Shop for Hacksaws

Type of cut:

Relatively neat finish.

Application:

Commonly used for cutting metal and plastic piping.

Junior hacksaws

Material:

Metal and plastic.

Shop for Junior Hacksaws

Type of cut:

Straight and curved cuts in plastic and metal.

Application:

Used when a very neat finish is needed, or for delicate applications where a regular hacksaw is too cumbersome.

Traditional or double-sided veneer saws

Material:

Sheets of wood veneer.

Type of cut:

Clean cuts with a neat finish.

Application

Cutting veneer sheets to size to be mounted on a backing board.

Saws for general purpose cutting

General purpose saws

Material:

Wood, plastic and soft metal.

Type of cut:

Relatively rough finish.

Application:

General purpose cutting in wood as well as the odd job cutting into plastic and metal.

Compass saws

Material:

Wood, plastic and soft metal.

Shop for Drywall and Plasterboard Saws

Type of cut:

Straight and curved cuts similar to a coping or fret saw but with a rougher finish.

A compass saw is often used for restricted access applications where a coping saw or fret saw cannot fit.