8 Kinds of Hand Saws for Woodworking

Hand saws have been around for hundreds of years. They not only survived the invention of the router but the improved quality and variety of saws have meant today’s woodworker can’t stop at just one.

There is an array of hand saws to choose from and if you delve into a range of different woodworking projects, you will need a few. Here we look at how they differ from each other and what they’re all designed to do.

Tenon Saw

Also known as a back saw, the tenon saw makes fine cuts needed for joinery work. At the top of the blade is a stiff spine which adds weight and keeps it straight. The added weight means you only need to guide the saw through the wood.

Mitre Saw

If you need to cut an angle or fine mouldings, the mitre saw is your go-to saw. The blade is wide and tensioned with hardened teeth to slide within a carriage. Set any angle to cut between 45 and 90 degrees.

Dovetail Saw

A small back saw which is suited to cutting joints including dovetails. With rip tooth sets, the saw is designed for cutting along the grain for delicate, precise cuts such as dovetail pins. Similar to a tenon saw with its stiff spine, the dovetail has a thinner blade and more teeth per inch than the tenon. Most dovetail saws cut on the push stroke but some will cut on both the push and pull stroke.

Gent’s Saw

Another backsaw the gent’s is shorter and smaller than others. With cross-cut or rip set teeth, the gent’s saw is suitable for the small-scale model and fine joinery work. Also known as ‘right-angled tenon saw’ they are similar to dovetail and tenon saws but have a longer blade and straight handle.

Japanese Saw

Precision cuts in both hard and soft wood, Japanese saws are pull stroke saws made of thin steel. The blade cuts faster with less sawdust. There is less effort needed than a Western-style saw, and therefore smoother, more accurate cuts are achieved. Three main types of Japanese saws are Dozuki, Fugaku and Kataba.

Veneer Saw

With teeth pointing towards the handle and a curved, narrow blade, the veneer saw is designed for cutting thin hardwood veneer. The blade has teeth on both sides and cuts on the pull stroke.

Flush Cut Saw

Similar to a veneer saw the flush cut saw is designed to cut the ends of dowel or tenon flush to the surrounding surface. The teeth have no side set so they won’t mar the surrounding surface and the blade can flex and bend to get in for the closest cut possible.

Carcass Saw

Designed to cut across the grain to cut tenon shoulders and to define the edges of a dado, the carcass saw is complementary to the dovetail saw. The handle is designed for the middle, ring and little fingers to wrap around the handle while the forefinger points along the spine for the best control. Rip and crosscut versions are available.

If you are unsure which is the best saw for your woodworking project, check out this range of high-quality hand saws.

Guide to Buying a Woodworking Table Saw

Despite the number of different table saws on the market, all have the same parts – a blade attached to a shaft of a motor. The blade is raised and lowered as needed and protrudes through a slot in the table. The option for tilting the blade side to side is available for bevel cuts. The main differences in table saws are their size and quality. Make the right decision on a table saw, and it will be a valued piece in your workshop for many years.

Types of Table Saws

There are four main types of table saws available – bench-top, contractor’s, worksite, and cabinet saws.

Bench-Top Saws

If space is a premium in the workshop, woodworkers will often choose a bench-top saw. They usually have a smaller motor than the saws below but still manage to do the job for hobbyist woodworkers wanting to complete light to medium jobs rather than heavy jobs like ripping through thick stock. A collapsible stand on some bench-top saws mean they are lighter and able to be carried around to worksites.

Contractors Saws

The next step up from a bench-top saw is a contractor’s saw ideal for hobbyist or career carpenters. These saws are hardworking and easily portable so that they can be moved around the workshop or go from site to site. The contactors saw has its motor mounted at the rear so the carpenter can remove the legs and place the top on a pair of sawhorses.

Most saw cases on a contractor’s saw are made of sheet metal, not plastic and the table is heavy cast iron with extensions wings on the sides. The guide rails for accepting the rip fence are usually steel tubes.

A contractors saw with an accurate fence can have the same superior performance of a cabinet saw with a less expensive price tag.

Worksite Saws

The job or worksite saw is designed for practical day to day portability. Large wheels on a collapsible cart make the unit easy to move in and out. Storage in the unit allows for all accessories to be stored onboard so nothing is lost or forgotten. The unit is light enough that it can be lifted into a vehicle but robust enough to cope with professional sawing jobs.

Cabinet Saws

Also known as a stationary saw or a tilting-arbor saw, cabinet saws have a closed-in base, heavy duty casting and a large motor. If you do a lot of woodworking the extra expense of a cabinet saw can be justified because it can slice through the thickest wood stock with vibration-free cuts. These saws are often slightly more accurate than a contractors saw or bench-top saw and with proper maintenance, they will last a lifetime.

The main difference with a cabinet saw is the closed-in base which isn’t available with other saw types. This space makes dust collection a cinch. You can choose to hook up a vacuum, a portable dust collector or a whole-shop dust collector. Considering the harmful effect impact dust can have on a woodworker, this feature alone is vital to serious woodworkers.

Blade Size

In the past bench-top saws had an 8-inch blade while all other types of saws took a 10-inch blade but today most table saws use a 10-inch blade. While the blade size is more uniform now, the motor size is the differentiating factor between saw types. The bench-top saw has a much smaller motor than other saw types which limits the size of the wood stock it can handle.

Motor Size

Now that the blade size is fairly universal, the motor’s size impacts on the size of the cut a table saw can make. A small motor can struggle to cut through hardwoods, wet or thick wood stock by stalling or getting bogged down. A bench-top or contractor’s saw may have a 1.3 kW (1.75HP) motor while an industrial cabinet motor can be 3.7 kW (5.0HP) requiring three phase power.