A circular saw can both rip wood (cut with the grain to create a board's width), and crosscut wood (cut across the grain to establish length). Plus, with a small adjustment you can make plunge cuts that don't sever the wood into two pieces. The "circ saw" can cut wood of all sorts: dimensional construction lumber, solid hardwood stock, plywood, dense pressure-treated lumber for outdoor projects, engineered sheet goods like MDF and hardboard, and even small pieces of trim and millwork. With the right blade, it can also cut some metals, stone, brick, cement and masonry, and glass tile.This saw can cut thick wood, like a beefy 2 x 12 board, or thin panels, only 1/8" thick. The circular saw is a solid all-around power tool for making straight cuts in almost anything you can buy at the home center. etc...