Saws

Students love to cut with saws. I'm not sure if it is the rhythmic back and forth motion that they find soothing or the animalistic satisfaction they get from cutting through a solid object. Either way, one thing is clear. The more saws you provide, the more things they'll want to cut. And, depending on the materials that the students want to work with, it's good to provide a few options so they can learn to choose the right tool for the right job. Here are three basic must-have saws to place in your Makerspace

Coping saw

Coping saw

Projects made using Coping saw

Usage Instructions

Coping saw is used to cut intricate shapes and interior cut outs. It is designed to cut thin wood pieces not more than 1 inch in thickness

The teeth of the blade should be pointing towards the handle so that it cuts when you pull and not when you push.

The blade should not be long enough. The frame needs to be squeezed to attach the blade. The stress in the frame will keep the blade in tension.

You pencil to lay out the marks that you want to cut. On your guide lines make 3 or 4 forward strokes to allow the teeth to dig in a little.

You can cut with one hand or both hands, just make sure that the blade is not twisted or slanted, it should be parallel to the ground

Hacksaw

A hacksaw is a fine-toothed saw, originally and mainly made for cutting metal. In normal use, cutting vertically downwards with work held in a bench vice, hacksaw blades are set to be facing forwards.

Use much of the blade as possible by making big long strokes. While storing away after use, release the tension on the blade, it will make it last longer.

You can fit the blade in different angles (45 deg) so that you can make long cuts. You can also fit the blade inverted to be able to cut in difficult locations where there is little scope for movement at the top.

Cheap hacksaw blades are made from high carbon steel. The costly ones are made up of bimetal (High speed steel and spring steel)

For cutting thin materials have more teeth per inch in the blade and vice versa.

You can apply little bit of oil to the side of the blade to reduce the friction.

Jigsaw

The purpose of the jigsaw is to cut out curved shapes. The blade moves up and down, cutting on the up motion. he jigsaw is a versatile tool. You can make straight, curved, and angle cuts and you can use it on lots of materials. Before you get started, make sure you always wear glasses, a dust mask and hearing protection. Never have loose clothing, or dangling jewelry. And always make sure to clamp what you're cutting

Circular saw

It has two handles to help you control the saw through the cut. It can only be used for straight cuts (rib and cross)