1020 – 02 – About Saws

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Oftentimes when a material is brought into a shop, the materials are cut down into a smaller size before it can be worked on any further. They typically use saws in this process. Usually this begins by having long bar stock rough cut to a length or cutting piece from flat plate stock.

There are three common types of saws:
• Band saws revolve a thin blade over and over again. They can also cut shapes out of metal because of their ability to cut lines that curve gradually.
• Circular saws have a variety of ways to cut material, like a friction saw or a large-toothed wheel, or an abrasive wheel.
• Hacksaws have a very specific cutting method: they use a reciprocating motion, so only one of their back-and-forth motions makes a cut.

Saws represent the important first step in order to make sure the stock is ready for more machining.