Best Saw for Cutting Floorboards –
Thanks for taking your time to read our information on the best saw for cutting floorboards that are available on the UK market. There are a number of saw options for doing this ranging from hand saws to various power saws. The hand saw is by far the cheapest method with these saws costing around £6-£15 in the UK. You can buy them at the better DIY stores and there are lots of choices online.
These are small saws that have a curved and toothed end. That makes starting cuts in floorboards a great deal easier. If you only need to cut a couple of floorboards, these hand saws will get the job done.
They are also really handy if you don’t have the option of using a power tool. We would also recommend them to anyone who doesn’t want to risk using a power saw in case they damage water pipes or electric cables that are of course under the floorboards in your home.
Cutting, Lifting and Replacing Floorboards
There are a few power saw options that will make the job faster and these include a circular saw, mini circular saw or a multi-tool. We will explain all of the options just below.
Best Handsaw for Cutting Floorboards UK
Let’s begin with hand saws. We have listed just below the best 5 floorboard saws currently available on the UK market:
- Irwin 10503533 12T Jack Expert Floorboard Saw – Best Overall Floorboard Saw
- Stanley Fatmax 2-17-204 13Tpi 12-inch Floor Board Saw – Best 13TPI Floorboard Saw
- Draper 16829 Venom Double Ground 12PPI Floorboard Saw – Best British Brand
- Spear & Jackson Predator B98FLOOR Floorboard Saw
- Hilka 45700009 14 TPI 300 mm Floorboard Saw – Cheapest floorboard saw
Irwin 10503533 12T Jack Expert Floorboard Saw
This 13″ floorboard saw has 12 TPI so ideal for making fine starting cuts on floorboards and can also be used for mitre cutting work
The handle on this model is particularly good as it is well designed and feels really good in your hand and is classed as a soft grip
It has a tough steel blade that has also been lacquered and that will stop it from rusting
The 12 teeth per inch makes it easier to make starting cuts and also really fine neat cuts on floorboards and the teeth are hard point class, so will last for a decent length of time
This can also be used with a mitre box if needed
94% buyer satisfaction based on 250+ online buyer reviews
WE LIKE
- 81 out of 100 buyers give this a 5 star review
- This works well even on hard wood floors and is good at quickly starting a cut
- Gives a really high quality finish that you don’t need to waste time sanding down afterwards
- Great for using on PVC and laminate floors
WE DON’T LIKE
- 1 out of 100 buyers give this a poor review
Our Opinion: We like Irwin tools and usually they are expensive. Their hand tools do seem to be better priced though and this saw is one of the cheapest floorboard saws on the UK market. It gets excellent reviews and we think that it is really good value for money. Really useful if you want to do fine cuts that won’t create a lot of damage or rough edges. This is a useful and good little saw that will also sit nicely in your tool bag.
Stanley Fatmax 2-17-204 13Tpi 12-inch Floor Board Saw
This 13″ floorboard saw has 13 TPI and from the popular Stanley brand but as you can see more expensive than the Irwin model above. It does have more teeth per inch and that probably explains the price difference.
The handle on this model is a soft grip moulded bi-material that has been screwed on and also welded to make sure it stays in place, and has a finger grip
It has a tough steel blade
The 13 teeth per inch and the teeth are induction hardened point class, so will last twice as long as normal hard point teeth
There is also 45 and 90 degree quick reference points and has a hanging hole for storage
92% buyer satisfaction based on 100+ online buyer reviews
WE LIKE
- 72 out of 100 buyers give this a 5 star review
- A good choice for carefully cutting floorboards
- Really useful as a tenon saw and also for doing small mitre cuts
- Leaves a great finish that is very neat and tidy
WE DON’T LIKE
- No buyer has given this a poor review but the grumbles are about the price
Our Opinion: Lots of UK buyers like Stanley tools and in most cases they are good quality tools. This saw is a little bit more expensive than we would like but people seem happy enough to pay that for this brand. No-one that we could find has said anything negative about this one, and that is always a very good thing.
Draper 16829 Venom Double Ground 12PPI Floorboard Saw
This is a 12″ saw with 12 teeth per inch so similar to the two mentioned above. This one is from the British Draper brand
The blade is made from hard wearing carbon steel and has been lacquer coated to help stop it from rusting, and also has a hanging hole for storage
The teeth are ground hard point teeth and will work well for fine sawing and finishes on planed timber, skirtings etc
The handle is made from plastic and has a soft grip with 45 and 90 degree markings
92% buyer satisfaction based on 50+ online buyer reviews
WE LIKE
- 65 out of 100 buyers give this a 5 star review
- Works fast on floorboards and also really useful to double up as a tenon saw
- Buyers thought this saw was at a good price
- Carbon steel lacquered blades are better quality than standard mild steel blades
WE DON’T LIKE
- 1 out of 100 buyers give this a poor review
- A couple of people said the blade guard is annoying to get back on
Our Opinion: Draper make professional tools and this one is a good saw. UK buyers do tend to opt for Irwin and Stanley for most hand saws, though we think Draper options are every bit as good. This one has no complaints so really down to brand choice on this saw.
Spear & Jackson Predator B98FLOOR Floorboard Saw
This is a smaller 11″ saw that has 8 TPI so a lot less than the others on our list so far
That does mean you will not get quite as fine of a finish, but still good enough for using on floorboards
It does have a carbon steel blade with hand set sharpened teeth
The handle is standard made of plastic with a soft grip and a finger grip
It can also be used as a tenon saw but won’t give a really fine finish
88% buyer satisfaction based on 150+ online buyer reviews
WE LIKE
- 64 out of 100 buyers give this a 5 star review
- It does sell really well and buyers seem to like it
- Smaller than most and also slightly lighter than other models
- Compact and handy especially for a tool bag and for storage
WE DON’T LIKE
- 5 out of 100 buyers give this a poor review
- Gives a rougher cut than other floorboard saws
Our Opinion: Spear & Jackson are better known as a gardening brand. They do make some tools and this is one of them. It is good that it is small but still works well enough on floorboards. The cut is slightly finer than a standard hand saw but not as fine a cut as the others on the list.
Hilka 45700009 14 TPI 300 mm Floorboard Saw
This is a 12″ floorboard saw and the cheapest one on the UK market and is great value for money
It doesn’t get the highest of the review ratings but overall they are still good.
It does have the highest TPI with 14 teeth per inch so does deliver a really fine cut and leaves a very good finish
The blade is made of mild steel and has double ground hard point teeth
It is an ABS plastic handle with a soft grip
82% buyer satisfaction based on 100+ online buyer reviews
WE LIKE
- 56 out of 100 buyers give this a 5 star review
- It does cut floorboards well and it is easy to start the cut
- Small and compact and light
WE DON’T LIKE
- 5 out of 100 buyers give this a poor review
- A number of buyers say it goes blunt far too quickly
Our Opinion: We think there are better options on the list. If you only have a few floorboards to deal with then this will do the job and it is about as cheap as you are going to find. It seems to be weak in the teeth and a few buyers say it doesn’t wear well.
Floorboard Hand Saw Buying Guide
TPI on a Floorboard Saw
The blades can vary in length but are usually between 11 to 13″. (280-330mm) The number of teeth per inch in the blade is the most important thing to understand when buying one. The number of teeth is usually measured in teeth per inch (TPI)
- Less than 7 teeth – for coarse cutting of rough wood or tree branches
- 7-11 TPI is called a medium coarse cut – suitable for most woodworking jobs
- Greater than 12 teeth is for finer cuts – when you want a neat and tidy finish
Floorboard saws will usually have 12-14 TPI which is ideal and they can also then be used as a tenon saw for a neat finish. Some are slightly lower at 9TPI and work well for floorboards but can’t be used as tenon saws.
Handles and Grips
The good news is that these are not a complicated tool and are basically a blade with a handle. The handles are all made from a hard plastic and then a soft grip has been created to make using them a great deal easier.
Blades
All saw blades are made from mild steel. The better quality saws may use carbon steel which is more hard wearing. Popular lengths are 11″, 12″ and 13″. If the blade has been lacquered then it will stop the blade from rusting if it is left in cold or damp conditions.
Teeth Per Inch (TPI)
The more TPI the finer the cut. Hand saws usually have around 7-8 TPI but floorboard saws usually have 12-14TPI so they do deliver finer and neater cuts. That is useful as it means the saw can also do fine straight cuts, similar as those achieved by a tenon saw.
Curved Point
The point on floorboard saws is curved and also has teeth. This is a deliberate design that allows the points of the saw to make the first few cutting strokes easier. Without this it would be impossible to get a start on the actual cut.
Using a Circular Saw to Cut Floorboards
You can use a circular saw, or a mini circular saw to cut floorboards. However, you will need to be sure there are no electric cables or pipes underneath the boards. In almost every case, it is better to try and lift a floorboard up, and check under it before making any cuts. With a hand saw, the risk is much lower than using some type of circular saw.
The only advantage of a circular saw is that it will be a great deal faster.
Floorboard Saw Summary
Floorboard saws will mainly be used by electrician or plumbers to gain access to wires, connection points or water pipes. Some will use a plunge saw, or a multi-tool to do this, but there is always a risk of hitting w pipe or cable underneath the boards. The manual floorboard saw does take a bit of extra work but is usually a safer option.
Those of us who do some DIY will also find this a useful saw to own.
