Reciprocating saw
![Example of a variable-speed, reciprocating saw](/Images/godic/202502/06/Reciprocating_Saw5952.JPG")
![Reciprocating saw at the Roscheider Hof Open Air Museum](/Images/godic/202502/06/RoscheiderHof-waldmuseum-saegegatter-20095952.jpg")
![Reciprocating saws have many uses; here it is cutting through hard-to-remove nails in a staircase](/Images/godic/202502/06/Cutting_nails_with_sawsall5952.jpg")
![Mechanism of Milwaukee Sawzall reciprocating saw showing helical drive gear, fit of mechanism in tool, and a sequence of the operation of the swash plate to drive the reciprocating action.](/Images/godic/202502/06/Sawzall_recip_saw_mechanism_removal_and_operation_sequence5953.png")
A reciprocating saw is a type of saw in which the cutting action is achieved through a push and pull reciprocating motion of the blade.
The term reciprocating saw is commonly assigned to a type of saw used in construction and demolition work. This type of saw, also known as a recip saw, Sawzall (a trademark of the Milwaukee Electric Tool Company) has a large blade resembling that of a jigsaw and a handle oriented to allow the saw to be used comfortably on vertical surfaces. The typical style of this saw has a foot at the base of the blade, also similar to a jigsaw. The user rests this foot against the surface being cut so that the tendency of the blade to push away from or pull towards the cut as the blade travels through its cycle can be countered.