Saw

A saw is a tool for cutting material into smaller pieces, usually by means of some abrasive mechanism, either angled teeth or an abrasive harder than the material to cut. As opposed to a drill, it generally cuts on a plane rather than making a hole, although there are some hybrid devices called hole saws.

Basic hand saws

While the earliest saws were no more than edged stones, wood-cutting, muscle-powered saws were among the earliest tools. They are of two basic blade and tooth designs, crosscut optimized to cut across the woodgrain, and rip to cut in parallel with the grain.

Depending on the fineness of the work to be done, the teeth can be large and coarse, or small and fine. Saws intended for hard materials such as metal often have very small teeth, to minimize the energy needed to drive each tooth through the work, and also to reduce frictional heating.