Glossary
circular saw
A circular saw is a power saw with a toothed disc that spins up through the base plate. The blade is set to clear the material, and the saw is pushed forward through the cut.
A circular saw is a power saw with a toothed disc that spins up through a slot in its base plate. The blade projects just clear of the work, the base rides along the material, and the saw is pushed forward through the cut. The blade turns toward the operator, which is what makes it want to climb.
The depth adjustment is the safety setting most questions turn on: set the blade so the teeth barely clear the underside, because a blade buried deeper exposes more teeth to the material and raises the risk of kickback. The lower guard should retract only as the cut begins and close again as soon as the blade leaves the work.
Because the blade spins toward you, support and clamp the piece, keep both hands on the handles, and never reach under or across the blade. Cutting a sheet of plywood to size is the job this saw was made for.
Taught in
Related terms
- hacksaw — A hacksaw is a fine-toothed saw with a narrow blade held under tension in a frame. It is the tool for cutting metal — pipe, rod, angle iron and bolts.
- kickback — Kickback is a power saw throwing the work — or itself — back at the operator, and it happens when the blade grabs the material instead of cutting it cleanly.
- plywood — Plywood is a sheet material of thin wood plies glued together with the grain of each layer at right angles to the next, which makes it strong both ways and stable in service.
Source: Official ASVAB — subtest descriptions (what each subtest asks) and the CAT-ASVAB scored-question counts (accessed 2026-09)