Drywall or wallboard is a popular construction item in the North American region. While working with this construction material, one may need to puncture or initial hole for further cutting or modifications. For serving those purposes, a wallboard saw is used for making perfect and intended stab on the drywall to stimulate further work with the panels.
What is a wallboard saw?
A wallboard saw is a handy tool for working indoor. Many know this saw as a keyhole saw, jab saw, or drywall saw but it is slightly different than a keyhole saw. It has a long and narrow blade with sharp teeth, usually 6 to 8 in number per inch. On the tip of this blade, there is a chisel point to make the initial puncture, and the teeth execute the cutting job with a push/pull function.
Handles of the saw are usually made of processes wood, cast iron, or plastic material. The handles are designed in a way to get a comfortable grip and work on tough surfaces efficiently. Sometimes, rubber materials are used as grip over the handles to avoid any incident of slipping.
How Many Types of Wallboard Saw Are There?
There is not much variety considering the function and utility of the wallboard saws. Most of the saws are similar in function but may vary in terms of design or size. According to design and mechanism, wallboard or keyhole saw can be divided into the following types:
Single edge blade: This type of wallboard saw has teeth to cut through the drywall or wood panel only on one side of the blade. The single edge blade wallboard saws are for primary jabs or small cuts on the tough surfaces made of wood or plastic.
Double edge blade: In this type of wallboard saw, the blades have sharp teeth on both edges to cover the cutting function. However, there is no difference in the functional efficiency between the single and double edge blade models. The only benefit of this type of saw is its prolonged utility period.
Fixed blade: This type of wallboard saw has a fixed type blade. The teeth and structure of the blade are usual. This saw is used in the cutting job where the least flex is required to make a clean and structured cut. The blade is neither movable on the handle, nor replaceable.
Retractable blade: Blades in this type of wallboard saw are movable up to a certain point to get the desired flex while working on drywall. The blades can be bent at a comfortable angle with the handle to ease up the job for the users.
Uses and benefits of a wallboard saw
The uses of wallboard saw are exclusive enough if one considers its scope of function and utility offered to the users. The best wallboard saw will cover most of these utilities with its all-in features. Though it does not have a wide range of uses like a pruning saw or veneer saw, the benefits of wallboard saw can draw good attraction from the users. Drywall saws can be used for the following purposes:
Plunging through drywall, plywood, or plastic: The primary function of a jab saw or keyhole saw is to make a smooth plunge or puncture through drywalls, wallboards, plywood, or any plastic surfaces that are thin but very tough. This initial hole helps in basing up further cutting job on the material which can be stimulated with a rip saw or a cross saw.
Small but quick cuts on rigid thin materials: One does not need to deploy a top performing scroll saw for executing a small cutting job on thin drywall or plywood. For this, a jab saw is well capable, thanks to the sharp teeth raised on its blade edge. With the push/pull function, one can make small cuts through the materials.
Helping craftsmen in DIY projects: For any crafting tasks or other do-it-yourself projects at home, people require many tools which include cutting and engraving tools. For indoor uses, a wallboard saw can be a very handy tool to meet the crafting requirement. Since it is tiny and small, one can carry it easily on the work belt, and get benefitted from its utility.
Smooth and robust cutting: Drywall saws are designed for continuing robust work for a long time without tiring the hands and elbows of the user. The handles are created and placed at the bottom of the blade in such a way that the gripping gets firm and comfortable while working on a piece of drywall or plywood. As such, the user can finish a huge volume of work smoothly enough with a consistent level of precision.
Price-worthy utility: One can get the best wallboard saw at a very reasonable price in the market. There are many alternatives with differences in design, shape, and size. But the uses of wallboard saw of all sorts are quite alike. And these high-worth utilities can be obtained at cheap prices since these saws can alternate the pricey power tools in conducting the puncturing and cutting task.
Reasons why someone should buy a wallboard saw
There are three types of cutting tools for wallboards found in the market among various brands. These are utility knives, wallboard cutters, and circle cutters. All these are basic woodworking tools. The utility knives and wallboard saws are quite alike in outlook and function. But to get a better result in plunging and severing drywalls, the saws are the better option for the layman as well as an expert.
Though drywall saw cannot work on power like a motorized chop saw or scroll saw, its operation is not much troublesome and hardworking. One can get a huge load of needful cutting work done at minimum effort without costing much from the wallet. Moreover, getting an initial wound on a surface is highly necessary to proceed with further cutting. In this respect, one should understand the mechanism of wallboard saws and get one for himself.
Bottom line
A wallboard saw is a very basic tool in nature and design. This is not a power tool, yet has a prolonged impact resulting from the wide utilities it has to offer. The can make a user’s life very simple by easing up the process of woodworking.