What is a floor saw?

Features

Blade

Most modern floor saws have a short blade with a curved nose. Usually the blade is not designed to be removed from the handle.

curved nose

On most models, the curved nose also has a row of teeth running along it. This is done so that by turning the saw upside down, you can use it for plunge cutting. A plunge cut is a cut made by entering the material from above rather than from the side.

The curved nose allows you to cut already laid floorboards when there is no edge to start from.

Teeth

Floor saw blades tend to have small teeth with a relatively shallow recess, so they cut and remove less material with each stroke.

This means that the cutting process usually takes longer, but the result is a neat surface, and the user has more control over the depth and direction of the cut.

cutting stroke

Most parquet saws cut only with a push stroke. Some of them can cut in both the push and pull stroke, which means you can apply pressure to either stroke or both for a faster and more aggressive cutting action. For more information see our section: Push saws and pull saws

Teeth per inch (TPI)

Floor saws typically have 11 to 13 teeth per inch.

Their relatively high TPI allows them to cut through the tough surface of floorboards, which typically have a layer of adhesive holding the laminate or veneer sheet together with the board underneath.

Using a general purpose saw (which usually has fewer steps per inch) to cut laminate or veneer can cause the teeth to tear through the fibers of the material or become dull quickly due to the tough adhesive layer.The high TPI of this floor saw means it can produce a neat finish.

Compared to other applications where the material may not be visible, floorboards are usually on display, so a neat finish is generally considered important.

Processing

Floor saws usually have what is known as a closed pistol grip.

The large handle supports the blade, and because it is closed, the user's hand is less likely to slip out when sawing fast.