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Saw facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
US Navy 040320-N-1261P-034 Builder 1st Class Joseph Migues works to reconstruct a new base-camp for Naval Mobile Construction Battalion Seventy Four (NMCB-74)
A handsaw in use

A saw is a tool used to cut things.

There are many kinds of saw. Some of them are hand tools that work with muscle power, like the saw in the picture. Some saws have other sources of power and can be very powerful, such as a chainsaw that is used to cut down trees.

The work carried out with a saw is usually noisy. Using a saw to cut materials is dangerous because of sharp teeth. Care must be taken not to let sharp edges touch the skin. Parts of the material being cut can fly off the work and become a hazard to breathing, to eyes and to the skin.

Hand saws

Or hand powered saws. These use the motion of a person's arm to make a cut.

Push saws

Many saws are designed to cut on the push stroke (when the saw is pushed forward).

Pull saws

Jap saw Zahnung P2100042b
Teeth of a Japanese saw

The Japanese saw (鋸, nokogiri) is a type of saw used in woodworking. These saws typically cut on the pull stroke (when the saw is pulled backwards).

Power saws

There are several kinds of powered saws. Some are powered by electricity from a . Others are powered by batteries. Still others can be powered by Internal combustion engines, steam, or water power.

Chain saw

A saw designed to cut down trees or cut branches from trees is a chainsaw. A chainsaw is named for the row of teeth attached to a flexible chain. The cut is often very rough and often has splinters.

Circular saws

Circular saws use a round blade, usually between 7 and 10 inches. They are often very powerful and can cut through hard or soft wood. They use interchangeable round blades. The blade can be designed to cut any of a number of kinds of materials from steel, to wood, to masonry.

Jig saws

Jig saws move the blade up and down to cut through materials. The stroke (or up and down movement) is usually less than one inch (25.4 mm). These saws are very good for making curved cuts. Jig saws use a variety of interchangeable blades for cutting different materials. Some blades make very smooth cuts.

Images for kids

  • Roman Sawblades

    Roman sawblades from Vindonissa approx. 3rd to 5th century AD

  • Saw grinding in Sheffield; interior view. Wood engraving. Wellcome V0023646

    Saw grinding in Sheffield, 1860

  • Mendel I 039 r

    Rip sawing circa 1425 with a frame or sash saw on trestles rather than over a saw pit

  • Wood-cutting saw at Maine State Museum in Augusta IMG 1985

    Circular wood-cutting saw at Maine State Museum in the capital city of Augusta, Maine

  • Kitchen-wood saw, Bangor, ME IMG 2582

    This particular circular saw, which cut wood into segments to fit a wood-burning kitchen stove, is displayed at the Cole Land Transportation Museum in Bangor, Maine.

  • Sega idraulica Leonardo - Museo scienza e tecnologia Milano

    Reconstruction of the hydraulic saw by Leonardo da Vinci (Codice Atlantico foglio 1078) exposed at the Museo nazionale della scienza e della tecnologia Leonardo da Vinci, Milan.

  • A man is recording sound effects, 1930s

    A man recording the sound of a saw for sound effect purposes in the 1930s.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Sierra (herramienta) para niños

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