Hacksaw
A hacksaw is a saw for cutting metal or bones. Some of them have pistol grips which keep the hacksaw firm and easy to grip. It is a fine-tooth saw with a blade under tension in a frame.
Small hand-held hacksaws consist of a metal arch with a handle, that fits around a narrow, rigid blade. The blade has many small saw teeth along one side. The blade can either be attached such that the teeth face away from the handle, resulting in sawing action by pushing, or be attached such that the teeth face toward the handle, resulting in sawing action by pulling. On the push stroke, the arch will bend a little, releasing the tension on the blade. The blade is normally quite brittle, so care needs to be taken to prevent brittle fracture of the blade.
A panel hacksaw eliminates the frame, so that the saw can cut into panels of sheet metal without the length of cut being restricted by the frame. Junior hacksaws are the small variant, while larger mechanical hacksaws are used to cut working pieces from bulk metal.
Large, power hacksaws are sometimes used to replace a band saw in machine shops.
See also
- Band saw, also used for cutting metal
- Coping saw, similar finer version used to cut wood intricately.
- Fretsaw, similar finer version with larger 'A frame' used to cut wood intricately further from the edge of a workpiece.