For my first post for Get Woodworking Week 2012, I want to talk about saws. If you are going to do a lot of your work by hand, then you are going to need a couple of good saws to get started. The most important thing about the saws is that they must be sharp (and sharpened properly). Dull saws probably account for 95% of the frustration that many new hand tool enthusiasts experience with hand sawing. After sharpness, having a saw, and saw bench, properly sized for your frame is the next biggest thing when it comes to full sized hand saws. Someone 6’2″ tall should not be using the same sized saws as someone who is 5’6″ like myself. So here are my recommendations for a trio of basic saws to get you started, and how to make sure your saws fit you.
Thanks Bob, even with a few saws already this is great information (and definitely would have changed how I chose those first few saws).
Thanks Bob for giving me a better idea of which saw to use for certain tasks.
What a coincidence…I was just searching for what saws I should get first, came here to look at some older episodes, and here I get a brand new one!
I’m a new woodworking (currently read “tool collector”), so thanks Bob!
Great video and advice Bob. I am glad that you mentioned how to measure the saw plate rather than just going by height as it is far more a function of arm length not overall body height. Shannon Rogers and Chris Schwarz both have very long arms to go with their 6’4″ frames but seem to lean towards 28″ saws despite being 8″ taller than you.
Thanks for the video.
Cheers
John
I love that I am not the only 5’6″ person out there working with hand tools. Usually its ok, but I my full-size Disston can hit the floor when working on the sawbench, and I am tempted to try a dovetail saw with a smaller tote. Great video as always.
Bob,
A wonderful summary of beginning saws-thanks! I have a 10 tpi tenon saw filed for ripping. I wondering if a 12 tpi would leave smoother tenon faces and be easier to saw to the line. Your thoughts would be appreciated. Mark
Smoother cheeks? Probably, depending on the filing of the two. Easier to saw to a line? Not likely. I was able to saw a 1/16″ thick piece of veneer to the line with my 2-1/3 TPI frame saw at my club meeting last week. Sawing to the line is just something that takes practice and good form. Check out the Mechanics of Sawing podcast if you haven’t already. Then use your saws as much as possible and think about the mechanics when you saw. If you really want to improve your ability to saw to the line with your joinery saws, pick up a long crosscut saw or rip saw and do more of your rough sawing by hand (if you aren’t already). I’m really convinced that doing more sawing with the big saws helps tremendously with the joinery cuts. Try to be as accurate as you can with the rough cuts and your finish cuts will improve as a result.
I sometimes make a game out of it. If I need to rip a board, I’ll try to rip it as perfectly as possible, then see how many strokes it takes with the try plane to clean up and true the saw cut. Try for as few plane swipes as possible. Same for “rough” crosscuts.