Saw (Tool)

A saw is a tool with a sharp, toothed edge used to cut through wood, metal, plastic, or stone. Each tooth on the blade is a tiny wedge. As the saw moves back and forth, the teeth chip away small pieces of the material. Those pieces are called sawdust.

People have been using saws for a very long time. Some of the oldest saws were made from flint or shell more than 6,000 years ago, before the pyramids of Egypt were built. Later, people made saws from copper, then bronze, then iron, and finally steel.

There are many kinds of saws today. A hand saw is pushed and pulled by a person. A hacksaw has small teeth made for cutting metal. A coping saw has a thin blade that bends around curves. Power saws use electric motors to spin or vibrate the blade much faster than a human can move it.

The teeth on a saw are not all the same. Saws made for cutting across the grain of wood have sharp, knife-like teeth. Saws made for cutting along the grain have flatter teeth that work like tiny chisels. Match the saw to the job and the cut comes out clean. Use the wrong one and the wood splinters and tears.