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The Best Saw for Home Projects

What's a good all-purpose saw for most uses?

Circular saw

 

apomares / Getty Images

For home projects, electric and manual saws are a necessity. Various saws address different needs: jab saws for cutting drywall, spiral saws for plunge cuts, miter saws for angles, and so on. If you're not interested in building a vast stable of saws—or if you're just starting out—are there one or two saws that are best for home projects? Is there any saw that can be considered an all-purpose saw?

2 Best Saw for Home Projects

One saw can be considered the single best saw for home projects: a cordless circular saw. Expanding the list to two saws would also bring an electric miter saw into your workshop or garage.

  • Cordless circular saw: With more power than ever, cordless 24V circular saws closely rival the power capacity of the corded models. With a cordless circular saw, you can cut long lines, chop off short pieces of wood, and make plunge cuts, plus by changing out the blade you can cut metal, plastic, or masonry. Switch out the battery pack to use with other compatible cordless tools.
  • Electric miter saw: This stationary saw, often called a chop saw or compound saw, lets you cut precise angles in trim and other millwork or simply chop off two-by-fours for a large building project.

Cordless Circular Saw

Cutting the Wood Countertop

Creative Commons CC0 1.0

Cordless circular saws use lithium-ion batteries to provide power to turn the saw blade. Other than the cordless aspect, these saws work the same as their corded companions. Use cordless circular saws for exterior work where it can be difficult or bothersome to run extension cords.

With no cord to get in the way, there are no distractions. A cordless circular saw will expand the radius of your work far beyond electrical outlets

Cordless circular saws can be heavy due to the attached battery. Plus, with some brands, the power capacity is limited due to the battery.

Electric Miter Saw or Compound Saw

Miter Saw

An electric miter saw, also called a compound saw, uses an electrically powered single circular blade to make angled cuts. You can use your electric compound/miter saw as much for rough chop-off work as for fine 45-degree angle cuts on crown molding.

Make room for it on your workbench and keep it plugged in at all times. Your electric miter saw will find its way into so many of your home projects.

An electric miter saw helps you make fast, precise cuts. One downside is that miter saws use up a lot of space on your workbench.

Reciprocating Saw

Ryobi 18V Cordless Reciprocating Saw
Ryobi 18V Cordless Reciprocating Saw Amazon.com

The reciprocating saw has become an indispensable tool in the home remodeler's workshop. Once known only by the trademark of Milwaukee Tools' Sawzall, the reciprocating saw is now produced by virtually all toolmakers, in both corded and cordless models.

Reciprocating saws are excellent for making rough cuts. You cannot use a reciprocating saw for cutting precise lines in a piece of trim, but it is a trusted ally in demolition and even some moderately precise work.

On the downside, a reciprocating saw will not make plunge cuts and it can be difficult to control.

Manual Miter Box and Saw

Stanley Clamp Miter Box and Saw
Amazon.com 

A miter box and saw is a mated combination (often sold together) for making angled cuts in smaller pieces of work material such as trim. Miter boxes and their accompanying miter saws are often ignored in this world of fast, powerful, and cheap electric miter saws.

But miter box/saw combinations are even cheaper. Sometimes you need that precise touch when cutting a piece of delicate trim. This tool set is a great way to hold your work and ensure a nice 90-degree angle cut.

Manual miter saws are easily transportable and often better than lugging the electric miter saw around. But the saw does have a tendency to bite into the slots in the box, so you need a steady hand to control the blade.

Corded Circular Saw

Circular saw
 

A corded circular saw is a saw with a single rotating circular blade. It is powered by a regular household 120V current. A corded circular saw is exactly what you need to rip through two-by-fours and greater sizes with ease when cordless won't do it.

Great for heavy cutting over long periods, corded circular saws will never give out as long as you have a power source. The extra power capacity means that they can potentially cut tougher materials that the cordless saw won't manage.

Oscillating Multi-Tool (Saw Attachment)

Bosch Multi-X Oscillating Tool Kit
Amazon.com

Oscillating multi-tools have a vibrating (oscillating) head that can accept any number of attachments for different uses. Oscillating multi-tools usually come with a few saw blades, good for undercutting door jambs when installing flooring, nipping off nails close to the surface, and even stripping paint.

Often the best way to make fine plunge cuts for trim, multi-tools have multiple uses beyond saw cuts. One downside is that the blades wear down quickly and can be expensive to replace.

Jab Saw

Jab saw
jab saw / Getty Images

A jab saw is a hand saw with coarse teeth on one side of the blade. Jab saws are used almost exclusively for drywall work: to create holes for boxes. It can also be used to cut rigid foam insulation.

Though inexpensive and always good to have around, jab saws are anything but all-purpose. They are the best hand tool for cutting drywall and that's about the only thing they do. Jab saws' coarse blades can rip drywall paper and create a lot of drywall dust, so always make sure that you're working with a sharp blade.

Twin Blade Saw

Rigid TwinBlade Saw
 Amazon.com

A twin-blade saw is a circular saw with two blades next to each other that turn in opposite directions, facilitating plunge cuts. You can use a twin-blade saw to create grooves in wood, make plunge cuts for windows or doors, or cut difficult materials like metal.

Twin-blade saws are powerful and the opposing blades keep the saw steady. But it's a limited-used tool that can be hard to find. Plus, with the blades stacked side-by-side, they won't make thin cuts.

Spiral Saw

RotoZip Saw
Amazon.com

A spiral saw is like a router and jigsaw, combined. Unlike a router, it will cut slim lines. Unlike a jigsaw, it will plunge into the material and it does not require you to turn the tool as you go around the lines. Use the spiral saw for cutting holes into tile for faucets or for plunge-cuts into drywall for electrical boxes, among many other uses.

Small and speedy, a spiral makes quick plunge cuts, just like a drill. But it kicks up a lot of debris and can be difficult to control

Wet Tile Saw

Ryobi 7" Wet Tile Saw
Amazon.com

If you want to cut tile or artificial stone, a wet tile saw is a great help. The continuous flow of water holds down dust and keeps the blade cool. For small amounts of tile installation, you can even get by with the much cheaper snap tile cutter. Use a wet tile saw for cutting ceramic and porcelain tile, as well as manufactured veneer stone.