In this article we will review three different types of crosscut saws. There are three varieties of crosscut saws that are configured to perform slightly different functions or variations of chop, miter, and radial arm saws. If you’re a woodworking hobbyist, you may be familiar with one or more of these. However, let’s look at them from an industrial usage perspective.
1) Chop saws are typically used to cut solid wood to length, although they are also used to cut narrow panels to length. They can cause the blade to rise from under the material or lower into the material. Typically used for cutting material less than 12″ (300mm) wide as the blade does not travel back and forth, only up and down. These saws can be activated manually with mechanical stops, semi-automatic with stops pneumatic or fully automatic with CNC control.More automated machines also detect and remove defects.
2) MITER saws can be equipped with 1 blade that can be adjusted to single or compound angles for cutting molding, baseboards, etc. grade cut. They may also have two blades, one fixed and the other adjustable to cut pieces of various lengths with angles at each end, such as for a picture frame application. Some also have compound angle cutting capabilities for crown molding, etc. These machines can range from simple small units for hobby workers to fully automated CNC controlled saws for large production environments.
3) RADIAL ARM Saws are used to cut wider boards or panels to size. They typically have a single blade that tilts from above and the saw head travels (pulls and pushes) horizontally toward and away from the operator while cutting. Most radial saws are manually operated and the operator controls the stroke required to complete the cuts. Radial saws are popular with hobby workers who want to do all of their cutting on one machine, as the blade head can be rotated up to 90 degrees to allow ripping and crosscutting on the same machine. Radial saws typically have a crosscutting capacity of 20″ (500mm) to 36″ (900mm).
Many manufacturers make crosscut saws. In fact, there are too many to list here and most are probably not familiar names to you.
