A circular saw is one of the commonly used electric saws available on the market today. A circular saw is designed to be hand-held and used, therefore, there are different types of circular saws today. Each type of circular saw is designed to serve the primary function of cutting materials, especially wood, plastic, or metal. However, there would be a difference in the overall design of the saw, some could be made with lightweight material, some with heavy material for durability and stability.
Types of Circular Saw and Uses
The diversity of the types of circular saws makes it confusing for customers to select and purchase a suitable one. If you read this article carefully, you could acquire the knowledge to select and purchase a suitable type of circular saw for yourself. Here are all the different types of circular saws available on the market and their uses.
1. Corded Circular Saws
Well, do not be surprised, to be frank, a corded circular saw is commonly not considered as the main type of circular saw. But, since circular saws are available in both corded and cordless type, this type of circular saw is important. As the name itself suggests, a corded saw is designed in such a way that it comes powerful motor that has to be powered from a wall power output. When compared to a cordless circular saw, a corded circular saw is comparatively very powerful as it could draw the power it requires from the wall source. This is one of the reasons why there is always a larger demand for corded circular saw than a cordless circular saw.
2. Cordless Circular Saw
To be frank, cordless circular saws are designed to be portable and easy to use. This is true, and cordless saws are one of the advanced saw that you could get today. But, when compared to corded circular saws, the cutting power of the cordless circular saw is low. Do not assume the power to be poor, remember, the cutting power is low, not poor. A cordless circular saw is best recommended for people who do not have access to a power socket nearby. PS: As of now, the efficiency of the cordless tool is suitable for low-duty works, but, who knows, in the future, more powerful batteries and the lightweight cordless device could be introduced.
3. Mini And Compact Circular Saw
We have seen this circular saw in use more than any other circular saws. As already mentioned in the introduction, a circular saw is designed to be hand-held and if you are looking for such a saw. Then a mini or compact circular saw is exactly what you need. This type of circular saw comes designed to be held in hand and used. One of the biggest benefits of this type of circular saw is that it is best for amateur carpenters as it is lightweight, portable, and powerful at the same time. Unlike other types of circular saws, the user could decide the cutting pattern. Apart from this, since a circular saw is lightweight, the user could handle it with ease for a very long time.
4. Worm Drive Circular Saw
A worm drive circular saw is different from other circular saws as they have a different motor mounting and arrangement of gears. This type of circular saw is longer as the motor is mounted at the back of the saw. One of the notable things about this circular saw is that the blade that comes incorporated into it is slimmer and longer than an average saw. Apart from all the above-mentioned, a worm drive circular saw could deliver more torque as they come with a special gear arrangement. However, this extra torque comes at the cost of a slower speed, but this is a reasonable trade-off. A worm drive circular saw is designed for cutting wider lumber and it is one of the durable circular saws today.
5. Sidewinder Circular Saw
As the name itself suggests, a sidewinder circular saw is designed in such a way that the motor is mounted parallel to the cutting blade. Most commonly, it would be mounted on the left of the blade. When compared to other electric saws, a sidewinder is designed to be compact and user friendly. One of the best things about a sidewinder is that it does not demand frequent external lubricating. The main reason is that the motor in this product is closed-off and designed to work without any lubricating. While a sidewinder has its motor incorporated on the left side, it has a disadvantage too, it obstructs the work surface view. If the user does not experience, using this type of circular saw could be difficult.
6. Hypoid Circular Saw
A hypoid circular saw is commonly mistaken as a worm drive circular saw. Such mistakes happen due to the similarity of the motor mounting in this type of saw. Yes, as worm drive circular saw, a hypoid circular saw also comes with its motor mounted on the back of the blade and not on the sides. However, the gear alignment and transmission are entirely different from a worm drive circular saw. As the name itself suggests, a hypoid circular saw comes incorporated with hypoid gears, this type of gear has a combination of a slightly offset spiral and mesh gear that is mounted at a 90-degree angle to the axis. This combination enhances the contact between the cutting material and the blade. One of the biggest advantages of using a hypoid circular saw is that it offers more torque and cutting power than worm drive saws and other saws of this type.
7. Abrasive Circular Saw
An abrasive circular saw comes incorporated with abrasive cutting blades and this is what makes an abrasive circular saw different from other electric saws. Unlike other electric saws, the abrasive cutting blades incorporated could cut through hard-to-cut materials with ease. Apart from this, if the user could mount a cubic boron nitride or diamond, the cutting efficiency could be enhanced exponentially more. One of the notable things about this circular saw is that it could be used to cut any hard material and the saw comes with an inbuilt jig and spring-loaded head on which motor and blades are mounted. The user could load the material on the jog and then switch on the saw and press the head on the material to cut it.
8. Carbide Circular Saws
As the name itself suggests, a carbide circular saw comes incorporated with carbide blades. If you are not an expert then, you would not the importance of carbide blades. Carbide blades are so strong that it could cut through metals with ease. However, you should know that purchasing this saw for cutting wood is an overkill. Purchase this type of circular saw only if you need to cut dense wood or metal frequently. Another important benefit of using a carbide circular saw is that it does not heat the material while cutting.
9. Concrete Circular Saw
This type of circular saw is commonly known as slab saw. You might have already guessed the primary function of a concrete circular saw from the name itself. Unlike other circular saws, this one is comparatively very powerful. Commonly, the concrete circular saw comes with an option that enables the user to switch the blades based on the cutting requirement. The uses of a concrete circular saw are diverse; however, it is not compatible with light-duty. One of the main reasons is that the cutting blades in this electric saw rotate very fast and it could create a high amount of heat while cutting. If the speed and heat created are high, then a thin material could be damaged.
10. Flip-Over Circular Saw
This type of circular saw comes designed in such a way that it offers features of both tables saw and miter saw. The hybrid design of saw makes it extremely useful, it could cut, wood, metal, and plastic with ease. This circular saw comes with a jig incorporated and the blade and motor setup on the spring-loaded head. The user just has to load the material on the job and squeeze the head to the material to cut it. The biggest benefit of this circular saw is that the user could change switch the blade based on the requirement. On the other hand, this circular saw also has a disadvantage; the size of this saw is big.
Conclusion
The market is flooded with different types of circular saws and each type offers the same primary functionality, but the efficiency differs. If you read everything carefully, then it would be easy to select a suitable circular saw.