Sawing is perhaps the oldest method of sectioning in the metallographic
laboratory. The method is still used today as manual hacksawing, power
hacksawing, or band haksawing. Surface damage with sawing is primarily
mechanical deformation; usually relatively little damage results from
frictional heat. Saw blades are generally made of hradened steel and are
used to cut only materials softer than saw blade. Oil or water-soluble
oil should be used as a cutting fluid to avoid premature wear of the saw
teeth, as well as to minimize frictional heat, which may soften the saw teeth or alter the microstructure of the specimen below the cut
surface.
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