The saw was in use in Egypt from at least the beginning of the First Dynasty. Wooden coffins, furniture, and parts of buildings all required laborious work with copper saws whose edges would have required constant attention. 

This model saw could have been part of a foundation deposit placed beneath the walls of  an chapel near the site of a temple. Foundation deposits seem to have been intended to  symbolically strengthen and protect a building. They often contain the heads of sacrificed animals, pottery, and miniatures of the bricks and tools used in construction. Foundation deposits can identify the builder, and can enable archaeologists to trace the lines and corners of forgotten walls.