Reciprocating saw
any type of saw that works through a "push and pull" motion
A reciprocating saw is a type of handheld, small, machine-powered saw, in which the cutting action is achieved through a push-and-pull ("reciprocating") or back-and-forth motion of the blade. The original trade name, Sawzall, is often used in the United States, where Milwaukee Electric Tool first produced a tool of this type in 1951.
The noun "Sawzall" is commonly applied to a smaller type of battery-powered or line powered handheld saw used in construction and demolition work, as well as in gardening and the pruning of larger trees or plants. This type of saw, also known as a hognose, recip saw, or sawsaw, has a large blade, resembling that of a jigsaw, and a handle oriented to allow the saw to be used comfortably on vertical surfaces. The typical design of this tool has a foot at the base of the blade, also similar to that of a jigsaw. The user holds or rests the foot on the surface being cut, thus countering the tendency of the blade to push away from or pull towards the cut as it travels through its movement.
Design
Designs range widely in power, speed, and features, from less powerful portable, handheld models that are usually shaped like a cordless drill, to high-powered, high-speed, corded models designed for heavy construction and demolition work. Modern reciprocating saws almost all have adjustable speed setting, either via trigger sensitivity or with a dial. Another feature that has become important to the way these saws are used is the inclusion of an orbital action, consisting of oscillating the traversed reciprocation in an up-and-down fashion (perpendicular to the motion of cut), causing the tip of the blade to move in an oval pattern, up-and-down as well as back-and-forth. This feature is primarily for wood or the pruning of tree branches, allowing quick cuts.
The public source identifies “Reciprocating saw” as any type of saw that works through a "push and pull" motion. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Reciprocating, type and works.
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This entry incorporates text from “Reciprocating saw” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.