There’s a multitude of power saws on the market, and choosing the right one to add to your toolbox can be a bit of a minefield. Compared to using a hand saw, a power saw is far superior in terms of speed, accuracy and ease of use - but only if you purchase the right one for the job at hand. In this extensive guide we’ll go through some of the most popular types of saws on the market and explain the differences between them.

 

As with many power tools, you’ll find several variations of power saw, all designed for slightly different applications. There’s plenty of overlap between what each type of saw can do, so before you make your investment, you’ll need to know the sort of jobs you want to tackle around the home and garden. As with anything, the more ambitious your DIY projects, the more variants of power saw you’ll end up needing.

 

What We'll Cover in this Piece;

 

• Types of Cut
• Types of Power Saw
• Corded or Cordless
• Brushed or Brushless

 

Material and Type of Cut

 

We’ve put together this quick selection of tables to help you choose the right type of saw for the specific cut you want to perform. The tables feature four of the most popular power tools on the market; jigsaws, reciprocating saws, circular saws and mitre saws. We’ve rated each tool in each category depending on how suitable it is for the cut in question. There are 4 separate tables to compare each of the most commonly used materials.

 

 

Wood/ MDF & Plywood

 

Cut	Jigsaw	Reciprocating	Circular	Mitre
Straight Line	Good	Fair	Excellent	Fair
Shape	Excellent	Good	Not Possible	Not Possible
Cross Cut	Fair	Fair	Good	Excellent
Bevel Cut	Some Jigsaws	Poor	Some Circulars	Excellent

 

 

Metals

 

Cut	Jigsaw	Reciprocating	Circular	Mitre
Straight Line	Good	Good	Not Possible	Poor
Shape	Good	Good	Not Possible	Not Possible
Piping	Fair	Fair	Not Possible	Some Mitres

 

 

Plastics

 

Cuts	Jigsaw	Reciprocating	Circular	Mitre
Straight Line	Good	Excellent	Fair	Poor
Shape	Good	Good	Not Possible	Not Possible
Piping	Good	Fair	Poor	Poor

 

 

Aluminium

 

Cuts	Jigsaw	Reciprocating	Circular	Mitre
Straight Line	Good	Good	Not Recommended	Not Recommended
Shape	Good	Fair	Not Possible	Not Possible
Pipe	Good	Good	Not Recommended	Not Recommended

Types of Power Saw

 

Circular Saw

 

For professional quality straight cuts in wood, you can’t have a better tool in your box than the trusty circular saw. You can use your circular saw free hand, with a parallel fence or mounted in a saw table. The larger the blade of your circular saw, the thicker materials you’ll be able to handle and the more versatile your saw will be. Almost all circular saws have an adjustable cutting depth, so once you’re set up, you can cut similar pieces of wood again and again.

 

Jobs you might use a circular saw for:

 

• Cutting across large pieces of wood and sheet materials
• MDF doors, shelves, laminate flooring, worktops and decking
• Making slots, grooves or shallow cuts

 

Milwaukee HD18CS-0 18V Circular Saw

 

 

An easy-to-read aircraft aluminium shoe provides a light weight durable shoe and greater accuracy in rip cuts.The blade is protected from drops with the magnesium upper and lower guards. Superior comfort and balance for easy and controlled cuts is achieved with the soft-grip ergonomic handle.

 

 

Makita DHS680Z 18V Brushless Circular Saw 165mm 

 

 

 

Milwaukee M18CCS55-0 18V 165mm Fuel Circular Saw & Free Blade

 

 

Safety is integrated into the machine with an integrated dust blower which keeps the cut line clear and hang hooks for safe storage of the tool. The saw uses a powerstate™ motor which gives the user up to 2x more cuts per charge and 3x longer motor life.

 

 

Ryobi ONE+ RWSL1801M 18V 150mm Cordless Circular Saw 

 

 

 

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Jigsaw

 

When it comes to making tricky, intricate and artistic cuts you can’t do better than a jigsaw. With the thinnest blades of all the saws featured in this guide, a jigsaw can accurately follow curved cut lines. Jigsaw blades can even fit through a drill hole, meaning you don’t need to start at the edge of a project like you do with a circular saw. Although you can make a long, straight cut, this isn’t the ideal tool for the job unless you use a fence as a guide. If you’re going to be making straighter cuts we’d suggest choosing a slower cutting speed and a wider blade to prevent the tool from binding. More advanced jigsaws will have an orbital cutting action for quick rough cuts. Many saws have a pivoting base for making cuts at an angle, which can be useful for making joints.

 

Jobs you might use a jigsaw for:

 

• Awkward shapes in sheet materials and tiles
• Cutting shelves, worktops, skirting boards, laminate flooring
• Making your own jigsaw puzzle and wooden toys

 

Ryobi ONE+ R18JS-0 18V Cordless Jigsaw with Flush Cut & LED Light

 

 

 

Makita DJV182Z 18V Brushless Jigsaw

 

 

 

Reciprocating Saw

 

Also known as a sabre saw, reciprocating power saws are designed for heavier duty tasks than jigsaws and utilize an oscillating cutting action for more aggressive cutting. You use a reciprocating saw with both hands, meaning it’s far easier to cut overhead or vertically than with most other power saws. The oscillating action means that the blade moves back and forth as well as up and down, resulting in super quick cuts, even in tougher materials. This extra speed does come at the expense of the finish, making reciprocating power saws popular for demolition work and making pre-cuts.  

 

Jobs you might use a reciprocating saw for:

 

• Demolition work, removing old windows, bathroom renovations
• Fence posts, decking boards, stud partitioning
• Wood embedded with nails

 

Milwaukee M18CSX-0 18V Fuel 0-300spm, 28mm Recip / Sawzall

 

 

 

Ryobi ONE+ RRS1801M 18V, 22mm Cordless Reciprocating Saw 

 

 

 

Milwaukee M18FHZ-0X M18 18v 22mm Fuel Hackzall 

 

 

 

Mitre Saw

 

A mitre saw is a bit like a circular saw on a large pivoting head, which is pulled down onto the work piece via a spring loaded hinge. The base plate has a fence that can be adjusted and set at a specific angle so you can deliver straight cuts through wood at any angle. With a compound mitre saw you have the added bonus of being able to do a bevel cut, meaning the pivoting head can be angled too. This therefore means you can do more complicated skirting joints, boxing in and MDF work. Other features you may or may not find useful are things like a laser guide and dust extraction. Neither feature is essential, but these features do improve cut line visibility and therefore the quality of your cuts.

 

Jobs you might use a mitre saw for:

 

• Angled cuts when laying floor, perfect for tiles, laminate wood floors ect
•  Repeatable Cuts, put a stop on one end of the work surface and butt your work piece against that stop, this will allow you to make cuts at the exact same length
• complicated skirting joints

 

Milwaukee MS216SB 216mm 110V Slide Mitre Saw

 

 

 

Ryobi EMS254L 2000W 254mm Compact Sliding Mitre Saw

 

 

 

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Corded or Cordless Power Saws

 

Now you’ve managed to choose between the different types of power saw, your next big decision is whether you want a mains powered tool or a battery powered tool. It was once the case that if you wanted a powerful tool, you needed a corded saw, but with a new generation of lithium-ion powered battery tools, you have a bit more to choose from.

 

 

Being free from electrical outlets will give you far more options for where you can carry out a project than a corded alternative. If you want to be able to carry out a job in your home, attic, shed or the bottom of your garden with an equal amount of ease, a cordless option might be right for you.

 

 

Initial start up costs with battery tools can put people off from investing in a cordless alternative. A new tool, plus a couple of batteries and a charger will normally cost more than a simple plug-in-and-go style power saw. In addition this extra cost can be offset by the fact many power tools have interchangeable battery systems.

 

Brushed or Brushless

 

Both brushless and brushed electric motors have magnets that are responsible for the rotary motion of the motor shaft. In theory if you were to try to push a N magnet up against a S magnet, a force is created that pushes the magnets away from each other. This is the driving principle behind electric motors.

 

Brushed

 

The traditional brushed motor has four basic parts: carbon brushes, a ring of magnets, an armature, and a commutator. The magnets and brushes are stationary, while the armature and commutator rotate together on the motor shaft within the magnets. A charge travels from the battery, when the motor is energised, through the brushes, which are spring-loaded to maintain physical contact with the communicator. The commutator then passes the charge on to the armature, which is made up of copper windings, which is then magnetised by the charge and pushes against the stationary ring of magnets that surround it. Thus forcing the armature assembly to spin. This spin then doesn't stop until the charge from the battery stops. A brushed motor will always run as fast as it can while in use.

 

Milwaukee M18BSX-501B 18v Heavy Duty Recip / Sawzall, 5Ah Battery, Charger & Bag

 

 

 

Brushless

 

A brushless motor, however loses the brushes and the commutator. The the magnets and windings locations are reversed: with the magnets on the conventional motor shaft and the copper windings of the armature are fixed and surround the shaft. Instead of brushes and a commutator, a small circuit board coordinates the energy delivery to the windings. Because the electronics communicate directly with the stationary windings, the tool adjusts according to the task. For example, if you're using a brushless drill to drive screws into Styrofoam, it more readily senses the lack of resistance and begins to pull only what little charge it needs from the battery. If the tool then starts putting 3-inch screws into mahogany, it will adjust accordingly and draw more current.

 

Milwaukee M18CSX-501 18V Recip/Sawzall, 5.0Ah Battery and Rapid Fast Charger Bundle

 

 

 

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