Different Types of Saws 

Japanese saws are sometimes called pull saws, and they have blades on both sides. One side is a ripping blade, and the other side is a cross cutting blade. The blades are very thin and so cuts are much neater and precise.

These work on a pull stroke, and that does take some practise to get used to.

The ripping blade is designed to cut along the grain of the wood, and can even be used to cut through hard woods. The crosscutting blade is more precise the the ripping blade when cutting perpendicular to the grain of the wood.

These are very good for making accurate and fine cuts. Typically they can be used to do picture rails and skirting boards.

This is simply a smaller and a cheaper version of the hacksaw shown above. Many plumbers and electricians want to try and keep their tool bag light.

Rather than carry the heavier full size hacksaw around, they opt for this lighter junior style.

The blade on this type is really small, and it makes it ideal for cutting plastic pipes. The cut is also really neat and tidy. The blades are also cheaper to buy. It is worth noting that the teeth face away from the handle. Because of that, the junior hack saw cuts on the push stroke.

Mitre saws are used to allow you to make cuts with angles. That is very useful for tasks such as skirting boards, coving and framing. The power mitre saw is the ideal saw for this task, but they are expensive.

This manual mitre saw does exactly the same job, though clearly it will be a slower process and you will have to do the physical cutting.

They come in different styles, but essentially there is a base that holds the board to be cut. In addition, there is a fine tooth blade attached to a saw, and this saw can swivel to different angles, that you can quickly and easily set.

Once set, you then allow the saw to drop down a set of guides, and begin to saw the wood at the required angle.

There are hand saws that are suitable for cutting through brick and block. These saws are a lot more popular than you may first imagine. They are mainly bought by people who don't want the expense of buying a power masonry saw, or an angle grinder.

They work effectively if you only have to cut a few bricks or blocks, but wouldn't be suitable for bigger projects.

As the name would suggest a pruning saw is a handy saw for pruning trees, shrubs and bushes. They do come in a few different styles such as straight, folding and also telescopic.

The type that you pick will depend on your individual gardening requirements.

They are essentially a lighter version of a hand saw. The teeth points will be slightly harder than a hand saw, and slightly more spaced. That prevents the teeth from sticking as there is a lot of moist sap in trees.

Bow saws are used for cutting trees, but the pruning saw is a lot more easy to move about and allows you into tighter areas.

Pull saws are a popular choice for many trades people, but they can also be useful around the home. They are similar in many ways to the Japanese saw. With some pull saws however, they can also be angled to cut door jambs, as shown in the image above.

They work on a pull action which takes a little getting used to. One edge is a ripping blade for quick cuts, and the other edge has a cross cut blade, which is best for finer cutting.

This is a more specialist saw, and will mainly be used by joiners and carpenters. Its main use is to help make fine cuts, used for woodworking joints. It makes straight cuts and is often used in larger pieces of sheet wood.

The edge of the saw is usually made from brass, and has around 13 teeth per inch. Some people refer to this as a back saw.

This is a more specialist saw, designed to cut veneer and as such is very thin with very fine teeth. You can get these in the style shown in the image above, but also as a straight saw that looks similar to a standard saw.

If you have a surface, such as a veneer surface, and need a really fine precise cut, then a veneer saw is going to be your best option.

A Band saw is an electric powered saw with a band of teeth that rotates on two wheels through a table. A set of guides above and below the table hold the blade in position. You can then place a board on the table and push it through the rotating blade.

They are available in benchtop or floor standing models and are an expensive purchase. They are used mainly in woodworking but can also be used to cut metal and plastic with the right blade inserted.

The average home owner will never need to own one of these. You will find them in woodworking shops, kitchen manufacturers and some factories. Some very keen home DIY people may have a benchtop version of these in their garage of work shed.

The best of the saw world. These saws can just about take on any cutting task. They are especially great for cutting trees, or larger branches.

Many people use these for cutting down trees or larger shrubs and then using those for firewood.

These are available as electric corded options, though the majority of people like the idea of a gas powered chainsaw. That is simply because they allow you to take your chainsaw, to wherever you need to use it, without having to worry about an electric supply.

These are ideal for felling trees and for cutting up branches into logs very quickly. They are used predominantly in the forestry industry, but also by farmers and landscape gardeners.

Home owners with wood burning stoves, or those with large gardens to look after will find a chainsaw very useful. The average home owner will simply never need one.

There are a lot of different electric power saws on the UK market. The circular saw is probably the most popular of all of them. Essentially all there is to it, is a small circular blade, which is powered by a motor.

These are all about quickly cutting through wood, and they make straight cuts. A guard protects the blade. These can be used as a portable saw, but quite often they are attached to a stand, and the wood is brought to the saw.

Many people also use these as a table saw by inverting them.

They are a fairly crude type of saw, but they are really fast, and that makes them popular in the construction industry in particular. They are however very versatile and that makes them a popular choice for anyone who likes DIY.

For home use they can be used for building decks, fences and for general woodwork. There are also mini circular saws, which are popular and we have covered those later in this article.

These remain very popular with many UK buyers. These can be used to make straight cuts and curved cuts. In many ways they are the electric version of the coping saw.

They are ideal for cutting patterns on sheets of wood, and a typical task is cutting a sink shape out of a worktop.

They are available as both corded and cordless. The cordless variety is becoming a lot more popular, but you will find that they are also more expensive.

These are the beasts of the saw world. They can be used to cut stone, brick, paving stones and even reinforced concrete. These will either be powered by electric or by a petrol engine.

They use a high torque motor along with a diamond blade to do their work. They will have a safety guard for very good reasons which should never be removed.

If you plan on doing any work with paving stones, window installation or general landscaping then one of these will be an invaluable asset.

Most home owners will use either a hacksaw or a junior hacksaw to cut metal when required. However, if you need to cut metal on a regular basis, then you should consider a power tool for doing that.

These are powerful power tools that get the job done without any great effort and very quickly. These come as electric corded and cordless options from the leading tool brands.

We explained the uses of circular saws above, but there are slightly smaller versions of these available. They are known as mini circular saws, or one handed saws.

They are particularly useful for cutting through floorboards, cutting laminate flooring and other odd jobs of this nature. The beauty of these is that you can use them one-handed, and that allows you to use the other hand for holding things.

The electric mitre saw, as the name would suggest, is designed to cut mitre joints. It is however worth pointing out, that it also can easily act as a circular saw as it does straight cuts as well as mitre cuts.

On many of the models, they can also do single bevel and double bevel cuts, ideal for those of you who like to do woodworking.

They can then combine both a bevel and a mitre to make a more complex "compound joint." So as you can see these are a very useful electric saw to own.

We would recommend buying a sliding mitre saw, as that means you can cut wider timber, making your purchase much more useful.

The power saw has a number of uses in the home and garden. It is also very useful for many DIY projects. They can be used for cutting wood and other materials.

They are similar to a reciprocating saw, which we explain just below, but there are differences. 

The main difference is the power saw has a slightly wider blade than the reciprocating saw, and the power saw's blade is tapered.

The reciprocating saw has many uses and is a highly versatile saw to have. It is used widely in the construction industry to help tear down plasterboard walls and stud walls.

Many gardeners also use these for cutting branches.

You can buy them as corded or cordless options. The blades are replaceable and you can get different types of blades for different types of material.

The scroll saw is a specialised saw that is used to cut intricate curves and shapes in wood. The blade is very find and as such it allows for very find, accurate and neatly finished work.

A great choice for certain hobbies such as toy making and anything wood related where a lot of cutting is required.

These are used mainly by woodworkers, craftsmen, and artisans.

Carpenters will use the scroll saw to make dovetail joints when manufacturing furniture or something like kitchen cabinets.