It is frequently necessary to cut bars, rods, standard rolled shapes, etc., into definite lengths for various needs. This may be done by shearing or by sawing, and the oxy-acetylene flame is now used for metal cutting with remarkable practical success.

The sawing machines gives smooth ends at any desired angle to the axis of the bar sawed without wasting much metal.

The smaller metal-sawing machines consist essentially of a small, straight saw blade held in a tightening frame and dragged back and forth across the work to be sawed. Machines of larger size are equipped with a heavy circular saw between 1/8 and 1/4 inch thick and between 12 and 30 inches in diameter. The saw revolves slowly and is fed gradually into the work which is clamped firmly on the table of the machine.