The Circular Saw: Everything You Need To Know
An automatic circular saw is a sawing machine that has a circular blade with a jagged, ridged edge and can either be mounted on a table or be hand-held. It can run on either electricity, a battery operated motor or depending on its function a small fuel engine.
Many people prefer the circular saw over any other sawing machine because they are able to produce a wide variety of cuts such as a cross, circular, angular or straight cut. They are also very easy to handle, which is another reason for the popularity. The basic design allows for the motor and for most of the blade to be hidden, there is a handle for easy maneuvering and there is a trigger switch which allows you to operate the saw.
The main difference in circular saws can be brought down to the types of blades they use and the torque. It should be noted though that blade type and torque are co-dependent, with the determining factor being the desired function of the sawing machine.
Blades used in circular saws can either be mounted directly onto the motor’s drive shaft or, with the use of worm gears, can be driven by a perpendicularly mounted motor. These sawing machine blades can also vary in terms of their intended use.
Small blades are typically used to re-saw wood where they tear through the grain while, Tungsten Carbide Tipped saws and High Speed Steel saws are used to cut through timber. To cut through metal though, large diameter blades with slow rotational speeds are used (it increases torque).
When looking at torque, you need to know that this is the rotational force that is exerted by the blade of the circular saw. There are double gear drive sawing machines out there that will have high speeds but will have the low torque which will cut great through thin material. Worm gear saws are saws that can quickly change their motion in right angles. The cold saws will have a slow rotations speed but a high torque which is great for cutting thick material.
In most cases, while using a circular saw, the material that is to be cut is clamped down on the work table using a vice or clamps. Materials to be cut should be measured and marked along the cutting path using a pencil (the marking process may be repeated to ensure accuracy). The saw usually has a line on the foot plate that can be lined up with the markings on the material to be cut and be used to show the path the saw is to follow.
However, before you get started, you want to make sure that the circular saw blade is about one inch above the material you will be cutting. Press the trigger switch and then slowly move down to cut the material. When you are finished with the cut, make sure that the blade has completely stopped moving before you sit it down.
Of course, when it comes to the circular saw, the work table saw is an exception. The saw is always fixed in place and then material move into the blade.
Luis Torres is Owner of CML Machine Tools, a Circular Saw Supplier based in Johannesburg, South Africa. To find out more information on circular saw equipment, go to Intelligent Circular Saws
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