Circular Blade Saws

Circular saws, or machine-driven saws used for industrial sawing of log and beams, is also the name given to smaller hand-held saws.

Table saws feature a circular blade that rises through a slot on a flat table surface. The smaller direct-drive versions that can be set on a workbench are called workbench saws. Smaller belt-driven ones generally set on steel legs are often called Contractor's Saws.  There is usually some cross-over between workbench and contractor’s table saws. Cabinet saws, like the Jet to the right are the heaviest, most precise and powerful table saws, are often driven by multiple belts with an enclosed basebinet saw. stand. A relatively new version, called a hybrid saw, has the lighter-weight mechanism of a Contractor saw but with an enclosed base like the Cabinet saw.

Circular Saws are the most common type of circular blade saw. Light and portable, circular saws make quick clean and straight cuts through a variety of materials. Blades come in many different sizes, but the most common size by far is 7 1/4".

Radial arm saws are versatile machines used mainly for crosscutting.  The blade is pulled on a guide arm through a piece of wood held stationary on the saw's table.  They don’t have the range of cutting of a table saw, but are usually much more accurate than circular saws because the material is held against the Fence.

Rotary saws, very similar to routers, are great for making accurate cuts without the need for a pilot hole in wallboard, plywood, and other thin materials. Rotary saws are also called a spiral-cut saw or a "RotoZip". The latter is a trademark owned by Bosch Tool Corp. who pioneered this type of saw.  The bits are similar to a twist drill, some cut on the upward twist, some cut downwards.

Electric miter saws, also called chop-saw, Cut-Off Saw or power miter box, are for making accurate cross cuts and miter cuts. The basic model has its circular blade fixed at a 90° angle to the vertical, a compound miter saw's blade can be adjusted to other angles. A sliding Compound miter saw has a blade which can be pulled through the work similar to the action of a Radial Arm Saw, which gives a greater capacity for cutting wider material.
 

  
Concrete and masonry saws are usually powered by an internal combustion engine and used with an industrial diamond blade to cut concrete or asphalt pavement.

Let's move on now to reciprocating saws.