Circular saw is a widely used common tool between car painters, builders or wood cutters. It is basically an electrical saw that normally turns a round flat blade to cut various materials. Users normally use this kind of saw for their various works. From beginners to professionals, they use circular saw at a wide angle. Different sizes of circular saw are available in the market. You can pick any size to do the job perfectly.

Normally a small size of saw is good for cutting thin sheets and light materials. But 12’’ to 18’’ blades are so powerful that they can easily cut heavy material like hard steel to deep cement items. It is very rare to find any constructor or builder without having a circular saw. It is true that a circular saw is not needed for all work, but the saw can make your job faster, easier and smoother in many ways.

Circular saw mainly consists of some specific parts. By reading this content, you will get a sound knowledge on the topic of how does a circular saw work.

Sharp Round Blade:

Most times, a circular saw is an electric saw that has a round blade lined with sharp metal teeth. The blade rotates and cuts many materials like plastic, wood very smoothly and quickly. A circular saw usually has a handle with an on/off trigger switch and an arbor nut to hold the blade in perfect place. And they also have a gourd that protects the user’s hand from the spinning blade and fulfills the safety purposes.

Power Feature:

Most of the circular saws are electrical. For proper outcome, the motor is the key element in a circular saw. Some corded circular saws work simply by connecting cord into the socket where the electricity is available. Cordless circular saws entirely depend on the battery power supply. Normally 900 watts is enough for any type of household work, 1200 watts or beyond that is needed for heavy cut like firewood, cement or metals.

Base Plate:

Base plate is the square shape base of your circular saw and this often comes with printed metric ruler. The ruler helps the user to measure every time when he/she cuts any material. As it is a circular saw, most of the measurements are taken in circular motion.

Base plate is also called a shoe. Most of the base plates can be modified in different thickness of materials and tilted up to 45-degree angle for best bevel cut. Some new circular saws come with laser guides that help users to cut an absolute straight line.

Dust collector or dust catcher:

Dust catcher is usually used to collect the dust and save your eyes/face from dust while you are cutting any material with the circular saw. Many modern models in the market come with this dust ejector feature. The ejector usually blows the dust particles from the area where you cut things. This feature is highly important to protect because dust particles are very harmful for the face and especially for the eyes.

Blade Feature:

Blade is the core element when it comes to any circular saw. Almost all the circular saws offer a sharp bar or blade. Different sizes are available for a variety of work patterns. One of the most outstanding features of a circular saw is you can set the depth of each individual cut. For this amazing feature, it is possible to cut something as delicate as 0.3 inch easily. This blade is adjustable as required and the user can adjust this blade as per need.

Handles Function:

There are mainly two types of handles in a circular saw. First one is attached on the back of the blade guard that includes the trigger switch. This trigger switch enables the starting of the blade. Another one is on the top of the blade guard to hold the circular saw easily and steady.

Cutting patterns:

A circular saw can cut four types of cutting. They are described here under-

Rip Cut: Normally, rip cut is too easy to create. This method is for cutting the grain of wood. This way of cutting is very simple because this method can cut the woods straight. None needs to be an expert to cut this. Blades with fewer teeth like 28 teeth can do such types of cuts easily.

Miter Cut: To clarify, miter cuts are those cuts which are done in any angle other than 90-degree angle. Miter cuts can be created with or against the grain of the woods. This cut approach is also easy.

Cross Cut: Cross cuts are always made across on the grain of the wood. As the woods hold out against the pace, cutting becomes more difficult. For the perfect cut such as rip cut, the user here needs to avail 40 teeth blades or more.

Bevel Cut: Bevel cut is the most advanced cut among all the above said cuts. For bevel cutting, your circular saw will need an adjustable base plate. Most circular saws can cut a bevel somewhere between 45 degrees.

Turn-on:

Before turning on the circular saw, you need to take a set of preparations for using the circular saw properly. These following tips will make the job easy and can enhance your knowledge on the usage of a circular saw.

Prepare yourself and grip:

It is a crucial thing to prepare yourself for the circular saw you are using in work. For the beginner, it is the most important step to become familiar with the tool. After this preparatory period, Grip becomes another vital factor here. Because holding the circular saw properly is actually important for proper cutting.

Choose Right blade

Choosing the right sized blade is very essential for cutting. Wrong size circular saw can waste all of your time and effort. It is better to use small sized blades for cutting lighter material and large sized blades for cutting heavy metals or woods.

Mark the material before cutting:

As the saw user, you can always mark your material with the help of any ruler, car painter’s pen or pencil. This line mark will guide your saw to cut the material straight and precise. So, this is truly helpful to draw some lines on the material before the actual cut. Then the circular saw can cut accordingly.

Place material on sawhorse or saw table:

Placing the material on a supported surface is very essential. The material surface must be equalized and free from any obstruction. To ensure this, using a sawhorse or saw table is necessary. By placing the cut material in any ordinary table, bench or floor, the saw user may face harm to the material surface and the bar of the circular saw. Surface quality can enhance the saw cut into double.

Check saw guard:

Saw guard is a very crucial feature placed in your circular saw. It can protect your hand from the sharper blades. The saw must work smoothly. Saw guard is therefore good for your safety. Always make sure that it is situated in the right place and you are safe while working. The working journey of a circular saw would be great.

Unplugging the saw after use:

After the use, you must unplug the saw connection from electricity. You just need to check the blade guard locked in the down position. After that you need to plug off the cord from the wall socket and wrap the cords. Also, put it in a safe place until the next use.

Every aspect has some positive and negative sides. You can use circular saws for faster and smooth work, but it is good to remember that circular saws are only able to cut into straight lines. So, to cut something round or curved, you can check other saws that are specialized in this type of cuts. After all, by maintaining the above parameters, a circular saw can successfully work.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: Can a Circular saw do a curve or round cut?
A: No, a circular saw cuts straight lines. For curved cuts, you can use reciprocating saws or jigsaws.

Q: Does a circular saw offer any type of warranty?
A: Most of the branded circular saws come with 1-3 years warranty. In this warranty period, they repair the product free of cost. Warranty time differs from brand and size.

Q: Do circular saws make noises?
A: Yes, the saws make more noises than other saws because of the motor.

Final Word

A Circular saw is a popular tool among all builders and relevant users. Almost every professional belongs to a circular saw in their collection. Circular saws save your valuable time and can make the work faster and easy. But, do not forget to take the necessary safety measures. Because working with any saw may bring some accidental parts.

After the discussions above we made in this content, you are on the confirmed ground that how a circular saw works and which steps are required to use a circular saw properly.