3 Main Types of Wood Cutting Tools
3 Main Types of Wood Cutting Tools
As you might expect, there are many tools on the market designed specifically for cutting wood. So long as you select the right type of wood cutting tool for your project, the process should be relatively straightforward.
The most common category of wood cutting tools are saws, which have been used to cut wood for thousands of years. Today’s comprehensive wood cutting tool collection consists of a variety of saws, from hacksaws to coping saws, to a wide array of specialized table saws, and even a number of specialized cutting tools, like tree loppers and lathes.
With that said, we’ve gathered a full list of various types of wood cutting tools to expand your understanding of the subject. Continue reading for our guide on 3 different types of wood cutting tools.
- Hand saw
Over the years, hand saws have evolved to satisfy many cutting styles and niches. While some saws are general-purpose tools, like the traditional hand saw, others were designed for very particular applications, such as the keyhole saw. Let’s take a look at the various wood cutting tools that fall under the category of “hand saws.”
- Backsaw
- Bow Saw
- Coping Saw
- Hacksaw
Ideal for cutting tubing and piping, the hacksaw is one of the most common types of saws. It can also be quite handy when you need to cut wood, especially logs. Hacksaw are very affordable and widely available tool, found at virtually any hardware store. They are simple to operate, lightweight, and incredibly reliable, which makes them an essential woodcutting tool to own.
Hacksaws are versatile and multipurpose tools, in that you can remove the blade and insert a different one that is specifically designed for cutting the material you’re working with. Depending on the blade you have, the tooth count will vary – from 18 to 32 per inch. If you’re looking to use a hacksaw for cutting wood, make sure that you have the correct blade for this material.
- Crosscut Saw
- Two-Man Crosscut Saw
The other type of crosscut saw on the market is known as a two-man crosscut saw. As the name suggests, this type of woodcutting tool is operated by two people. The traditional two-man crosscut saw, or felling saw, consists of a handle on either side for cutting across (perpendicular) the grain of wood.
Although less common than the conventional one-man crosscut saw, the two-man variety allows for a quick and easy way to cut down trees. In fact, many prefer cutting down trees using this, more archaic, method than using power tools. By distributing the task between two individuals, cutting is much less taxing than if you were to use a different tool.
If you intend to fell some trees, you may want to add a two-man crosscut saw to your collection. Though they aren’t nearly as common as other woodcutting tools on this list, you’ll still be able to find them at most hardware stores.
- Japanese Saw
- Keyhole Saw
- Rip Cut Saw
- Pruning Saw
- Manual Pole Saw
- Power saw
Instead of switching between various handheld woodcutting tools, power saws have evolved to fulfill niches of their own. Power saws tend to fall into three main categories: Circular Blade, Reciprocating Blade, and Continuous Band. Let’s take a look at some of the many power saws that can be used for cutting wood:
- 1. Hole Saw
- 2. Band Saw
f you do a lot of woodworking projects, a band saw is one tool that you’ll definitely want to have in your toolkit. This type of saw comes in both a portable and stationary version. The stationary variety is tall and floor-standing. It uses large pulleys above and below the cutting surface to operate a continuous band with fine teeth to cut through a variety of materials.
Band saws are ideal for making precise cuts and smooth curves in wood materials. However, they can also be great tools to cut a number of other materials. One of the downsides to this woodcutting tool is that it can have a heft price tag. Therefore, you’ll definitely want to think carefully about how badly you need a band saw before you fork over a large sum of money.
- 3. Chainsaw.
- 4. Chop Saw
- 5. Miter Saw
- 6. Jigsaw
- 7. Table Saw
- 8. Routers
- Other cutting tools
- 1. Tree Loppers
- Ax
An ax is a very traditional tool that is often associated with old-fashioned lumberjacks for cutting down trees. They have been used for millennia for shaping, splitting, and cutting wood, to create weapons, harvest timber, or as some sort of ceremonial symbol. Nowadays, many still use small axes for cutting down trees or slitting logs to create firewood. While useful, axes aren’t as easy to operate as something like a chainsaw.
Though the ax comes in many forms with varying specialized uses, they most often consist of an ax head with a handle, or “helve.” It serves as an example of a simple machine, as it is a type of wedge, or dual inclined plane. This helps to reduce the effort required by the user to split wood into two pieces by concentrating the pressure on the blade.
If you own a fireplace or live in an area where you’ll frequently need firewood on hand, you’ll absolutely want to have an ax among your collection of woodcutting tools.
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