Carpentry & Building Construction

Chapter 5: Power Saws

Chapter Summaries

Section 5.1 Circular Saws
Circular saws are used for crosscutting. The two basic types of circular saws are the contractor's saw and the worm-drive saw. Kickback can occur when a spinning blade hits something that stops it while under full power.

Section 5.2 Table Saws
Table saws are used primarily for rip cuts. Tilting-arbor saws are commonly used on construction sites. The feed rate is the speed at which the stock is pushed through the saw blade.

Section 5.3 Miter & Radial-Arm Saws
Radial-arm saws can be used for cross-cutting, ripping, dadoing, and combination cuts. Miter saws are used for quick crosscuts and accurate cuts on molding and trim. The three basic types include conventional miter saws, compound-miter saws, and sliding compound miter saws.

Section 5.4 Jigsaws & Reciprocating Saws
Jigsaws are used for making curved, irregular, and internal cuts. Reciprocating saws are similar to jigsaws.