A robotic surgery system for use with a free-hand surgical saw (40, 42) having a saw blade, the robotic surgery system comprising: a robotic manipulator; an end effector including a cutting guide to be coupled to the robotic manipulator, the cutting guide configured to guide the saw blade so that the saw blade cuts a bone along a desired cutting plane; and a control system (34, 48, 62) coupled to the robotic manipulator to control a location of the cutting guide relative to the bone, wherein the control system (34, 483 62) is configured to: autonomously position the cutting guide at a target orientation relative to the bone so that the saw blade aligns with the desired cutting plane when the saw blade cooperates with the cutting guide; constrain movement of the cutting guide as a user manually manipulates the end effector to cause the cutting guide to move toward the bone to an initial guide location adjacent to the bone such that the cutting guide remains in the target orientation at the initial guide location; and control the robotic manipulator to facilitate withdrawal of the cutting guide away from the initial guide location to a spaced guide location after the user makes an initial cut in the bone with the saw blade along the desired cutting plane, whereby the cutting guide remains in the target orientation at the spaced guide location and the spaced guide location is suitable for the saw blade to continue cutting the bone along the desired cutting plane; characterized in that the control system (34, 48, 62) is further configured to: determine the spaced guide location for the cutting guide based on one or more parameters associated with the saw blade. a robotic manipulator; an end effector including a cutting guide to be coupled to the robotic manipulator, the cutting guide configured to guide the saw blade so that the saw blade cuts a bone along a desired cutting plane; and a control system (34, 48, 62) coupled to the robotic manipulator to control a location of the cutting guide relative to the bone, wherein the control system (34, 483 62) is configured to: autonomously position the cutting guide at a target orientation relative to the bone so that the saw blade aligns with the desired cutting plane when the saw blade cooperates with the cutting guide; constrain movement of the cutting guide as a user manually manipulates the end effector to cause the cutting guide to move toward the bone to an initial guide location adjacent to the bone such that the cutting guide remains in the target orientation at the initial guide location; and control the robotic manipulator to facilitate withdrawal of the cutting guide away from the initial guide location to a spaced guide location after the user makes an initial cut in the bone with the saw blade along the desired cutting plane, whereby the cutting guide remains in the target orientation at the spaced guide location and the spaced guide location is suitable for the saw blade to continue cutting the bone along the desired cutting plane; autonomously position the cutting guide at a target orientation relative to the bone so that the saw blade aligns with the desired cutting plane when the saw blade cooperates with the cutting guide; constrain movement of the cutting guide as a user manually manipulates the end effector to cause the cutting guide to move toward the bone to an initial guide location adjacent to the bone such that the cutting guide remains in the target orientation at the initial guide location; and control the robotic manipulator to facilitate withdrawal of the cutting guide away from the initial guide location to a spaced guide location after the user makes an initial cut in the bone with the saw blade along the desired cutting plane, whereby the cutting guide remains in the target orientation at the spaced guide location and the spaced guide location is suitable for the saw blade to continue cutting the bone along the desired cutting plane;