History and Invention of Circular Saws
– Circular saws were used by the people of the Indus Valley Civilization during the Bronze Age.
– The modern-day circular saw was invented in the late 18th century for sawmills.
– Logs were previously sawn by hand using pit saws or powered saws with a reciprocating motion.
– The circular saw requires more power but cuts faster due to its constant motion.
– The circular saw earned the nickname ‘buzz-saw’ due to its distinct sound.
– Claims to the invention of the circular saw include Samuel Miller, Gervinus of Germany, and Walter Taylor.
– The Netherlands is also suggested as the origin of the circular saw.
– Tabitha Babbitt, a Shaker inventor, is credited with inventing the large circular saw in 1813.
– The claim by the Barringer, Manners, and Wallis factory in Rock Valley, Mansfield is disputed.
– The true inventor of the circular saw remains uncertain.
Circular Saw Process
– The material to be cut is securely clamped or held in a vise.
– The saw is advanced slowly across the material, making small chips as each tooth strikes it.
– The teeth guide the chips out of the workpiece, preventing blade binding.
– In table saw variants, the saw is fixed and the material is moved into the blade.
– Circular saws in mills were initially used for resawing lumber and later for cutting clapboards.
Cordwood Saws
– Cordwood saws, also known as buzz saws, crosscut logs and slabs into firewood.
– Blade sizes range from 20 to over 36 inches in diameter.
– Cordwood saws were commonly used in the past to supply wood for heating.
– They consist of a frame, blade, mandrel, cradle, and power source.
– Chainsaws have largely replaced cordwood saws for firewood preparation.
Circular Saw Blades
– Circular saw blades are designed for specific materials and cutting purposes.
– They are used for making rip-cuts, cross-cuts, or a combination of both in wood.
– Circular saws are commonly powered by electricity, but can also be powered by gasoline engines or hydraulic motors.
– Skilsaw and Skil saw have become generic trademarks for hand-held circular saws in the United States.
– Circular saw blades used in sawmills can also be used as an alternative to a radial arm saw.
Different Types of Circular Saws
– Hand-held circular saws for wood: Circular saws are commonly used in woodworking for cutting wood. They can be left or right-handed, depending on the side of the blade where the motor sits. Blades for cutting wood are usually tungsten carbide tipped (TCT) or high-speed steel (HSS). The saw base can be adjusted for depth of cut and can tilt up to 45° or 50° in relation to the blade. Different diameter blades are available, ranging from 14 centimeters (5.5 inches) to 61 centimeters (24 inches).
– Cold saw for metal: Cold saw machines are circular saws used in metal cutting operations. The saw blades used are large in diameter and operate at low rotational speeds. There are three common types of blades used: solid-tooth, segmental tooth, and carbide inserted-tooth. The circular saw is fed into the workpiece horizontally, producing narrow slots. The material is held in place during cutting by a vise, and chips are carried away by the blade and cutting fluid.
– Abrasive saws: Circular saws with diamond blades or cut off wheels are used for cutting hard materials like concrete, asphalt, metal, tile, brick, and stone. Diamond blades and cut off wheels are commonly used in these applications. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circular_saw
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A circular saw or a buzz saw, is a power-saw using a toothed or abrasive disc or blade to cut different materials using a rotary motion spinning around an arbor. A hole saw and ring saw also use a rotary motion but are different from a circular saw. Circular saws may also be loosely used for the blade itself. Circular saws were invented in the late 18th century and were in common use in sawmills in the United States by the middle of the 19th century.
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A circular saw is a tool for cutting many materials such as wood, masonry, plastic, or metal and may be hand-held or mounted to a machine. In woodworking the term "circular saw" refers specifically to the hand-held type and the table saw and chop saw are other common forms of circular saws. "Skilsaw" and "Skil saw" have become generic trademarks for conventional hand-held circular saws in the United States of America. Circular saw blades are specially designed for each particular material they are intended to cut and in cutting wood are specifically designed for making rip-cuts, cross-cuts, or a combination of both. Circular saws are commonly powered by electricity, but may be powered by a gasoline engine or a hydraulic motor which allows it to be fastened to heavy equipment, eliminating the need for a separate energy source.
