What is a plastic saw?

29th February 2020


	What is a plastic saw?


	Shop for Plastic Saws


			Not a saw made out of plastic – a plastic saw is designed specifically for cutting through plastic.

			This type of saw is not very common, and may be hard to find in your local builder’s merchant.

			This is mainly because users wanting to cut plastic will usually just reach for a hacksaw or general purpose hand saw. However, a plastic saw is ideal for cutting plastic thicker than 25mm, an application which may be unsuitable for the hacksaw’s thin blade.

			There are a few saws available which are specifically for cutting plastic. These saws are often used by workers in the UPVC industry


			Characteristics
			Teeth Per Inch (TPI) Most plastic-cutting saws have between 10 and 14 teeth per inch. The teeth are very small and sharp, which means that the saw is capable of producing a very neat cut, with minimal damage to the surface of the material.

			Cutting stroke Most plastic saws are designed to cut on the push and the pull stroke. For more information, see our section: Push stroke saws vs. pull stroke saws.

			Set On most modern saws the teeth are ‘set’ (bent out away from the blade). You can see this if you turn the saw over and look straight down the blade. However, on some plastic-cutting saws, the teeth are not set. Manufacturers claim that this reduces ‘burring’ which often occurs when sawing plastic. Burring happens when the saw’s teeth snag on the plastic and pull fibres loose. Although these can be sanded down, a saw that is not set is less likely to snag the fibres in the first place.

			Handle Plastic-cutting saws usually have what’s known as a ‘closed pistol grip handle’. This type of handle is often found on saws with larger or longer blades which are designed for faster or more aggressive cutting. The large handle supports the blade, and because it’s closed, the user’s hand is less likely to slip out when sawing quickly. As well as this, the design of the handle makes it easier for the user to apply force from behind, so it’s ideal for working with tougher materials.