A rotary saw, spiral cut saw, RotoZip or cut out tool is a type of mechanically powered
saw used for making accurate cuts without the need for a pilot hole in wallboard, plywood, or another thin, solid material.
The Rotozip Tool Corp was a company started by Bob Kopras, an American drywall installer who pioneered this type of saw. Rotozip was later acquired by
Bosch Tool Corp. in 2003.
This type of tool was originally developed for making cut-outs in drywall but it was later discovered that a myriad other materials could easily be cut using the tool.
The design is similar to a small
wood router
The router is a power tool with a flat base and a rotating blade extending past the base. The spindle may be driven by an electric motor or by a pneumatic motor. It routs (hollows out) an area in hard material, such as wood or plastic. Rout ...
but usually features only one handle for single handed operation. Bits look similar to a
twist drill or end mill; some cut on the upward twist, and some cut downwards. The cutting edge on the flutes actually slices (either upwards or downwards) through the material which means that they can cut in any direction.
Medical and emergency use
A rotary reciprocating saw is a type of
saw that spins a cutting implement around a rotary axis, instead of thrusting it along a linear axis. The first use of such devices was in medicine, where cutting through bone warranted the need for a saw with minimal stroke length, and a cutting action that could be implemented through depth cut rather than a follow through cut. The timber industry now also uses this type of action to cut in the same manner. A particular manufacturer has a hand-held version for making difficult cuts, which would not be possible with other implements.
Firefighters also use rotary saws to cut holes through walls to access certain areas quickly to fight fires and rescue civilians.
See also
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Reciprocating saw
A reciprocating saw is a type of machine-powered saw in which the cutting action is achieved through a push-and-pull ("reciprocating") motion of the blade. The original trade name Sawzall is often used in the United States, where Milwaukee Elec ...
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Radial arm saw
A radial arm saw is a cutting machine consisting of a circular saw mounted on a sliding horizontal arm. Invented by Raymond DeWalt in 1922, the radial arm saw was the primary tool used for cutting long pieces of stock to length until the introdu ...
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Bone cutter (medical)
References
Saws
{{Firefighting
ca:Serra radial
es:Sierra de brazo radial