Cold saws utilize a circular, toothed saw blade to transfer heat to the chips created when cutting. This keeps the blade as well as the material cool. This is compared to an abrasive saw which creates much more friction, and therefore heat to both the blade and material. Since metals expand when heated, cold saaws reduce burring and blade wear.
Cold saws are generally composed of a blade and motor connected to an arm. The arm is set to a pivot point to allow the turning blade to move vertically down through the material. Larger saws work on the same vertical axis, however use different methods, sometimes autonomous, to lower the blade.