Just a quick question to those more experienced than I…
I’ve never had a new crosscut saw before or even a well sharpened one, so I splashed out on a PAX 8tpi crosscut saw and I’ve had real trouble using it.
Compared to the old rusty ones passed down from my grandfather that probably haven’t been sharpened in 60 years, I find it really difficult to not only get started cutting but also cut using the full length of the saw blade. It seems like it binds on every other stroke and I stop stop abruptly within 6 inches of the handle.
Obviously, it must be my technique, but are new saws more difficult to use initially? It sounds wrong just to type this… but will it become easier to use the duller it gets?
Thanks
Replies
No, waiting for dullness is not the answer.
Perhaps you should tell us more about what you are cutting (e.g., crosscutting to length 8/4 jatoba 10" wide, <giggle>) and how you are going about it (e.g., placing it on 20" high sawbench, bracing with one knee, etc.).
I started with a thin scrap piece of popular but had problems starting it, so I tried to cross cut a pine 2x4 initially on a low sawhorse with my knee on it and then clamped in my vise. I thought the pine would be easier, but no luck.Any ideas?
Most any cross cut saw should be able to handle a pine 2x4 without much effort. Thin boards (1/2 inch thick or less) are not good candidates for an 8 pt cross cut for various reasons.
The saw may have too much or too little set (the teeth alternately swing out in each direction so that the saw makes a kerf slightly wider than the thickness of the blade). If there is too much, it might make a kerf that is not guiding the saw well, which means that slight failure in your motion could lead to a kerf that binds up your effort. If the set is too slight, the reason for binding is obvious.
My suspicion is that it is your form. You want a smooth stroke on a line from your shoulder straight down the blade. You want to concentrate on pushing and pulling the saw on an imaginary single plane - straight line; don't envision yourself cutting at the small point where the teeth are in the board, but rather envision yourself as a piston that is moving the saw back and forth across a line that is as long as the full stroke in both directions.
One other thing that can't hurt - run the teeth through a piece of candle, bees or canning wax now and then. It will lubricate the cutting and reduce friction.
Edited 11/21/2008 10:56 am ET by Samson
I know whenever I have a problem with saw binding, it's because I am trying to force the saw. Try easing the pressure a bit to find the sweet spot. If its really sharp, it should do most of the work, and you are there just to guide it.
Oh yeah, that's a great point that I forgot. Let the saw do the work.
It's a really common mistake. Same as swinging a golf club - you don't need to kill it, just make a smooth swing and the physics do the rest.
I found this helpful when I found it last week. Scroll down on the page & open the pdf for the 1945 Diston catalog. On pages 6 & 7 it explains, in detail, how to use a rip and crosscut saw, respectively. A rip saw should be held at a 60 degree angle to the wood and a crosscut at 45. It also explains how the body should be aligned.
http://www.roseantiquetools.com/id57.html
Original poster here...Very good! Thank you for all your suggestions. After trying some of them over the weekend I think I'm making a bit of progress. I think that because the saw is so much sharper than the ones I've been using I really need to put about half the amount of downward pressure on the saw. So, make very, very light cuts compared to my old saws otherwise it binds horribly. Interestingly enough, though I use much lighter cuts, I think I actually cut faster than with my old saw. Not a bad trade off, less work for faster cuts! Thanks for your advice guys, I'm off to read some of the links you sent.
Rob Cosman advises lifting about 80% of the weight of the saw as you start your cut, and beginning on the push. In fact he makes an excellent video on mastering the dovetail saw, which helped me with my bow saw and carcass saw as well. He talks a lot about stance and all the other points mentioned here. If you can't get someone to watch you, try the video.
Best of luck,
---Pedro
"Obviously, it must be my technique, but are new saws more difficult to use initially? "
No.
"It sounds wrong just to type this... but will it become easier to use the duller it gets?"
It might. What disturbs me is that you find yourself hgetting stuck at the same place on the blade. That usually means a tooth is out of joint, has too little rake etc. These attribute sure will change as the saw wears.
You need to have someone who knows how to saw watch you and preferably examine/test your saw. I've not been impressed with the Pax saws I've seen. Could well be the saw.
I'll echo what everyone else said: saws aren't knives. Pushing them down doesn't help them cut. The effort is behind the teeth. You should be able to use your saw effectively holding the handle only between your thumb and fore finger.
Good luck,
Adam
Adam,
Or as Moe once said to Curly,"Stand back, and see a man saw, see? Saw!" Just before he drew the blade across the top of Larry's head, bending all the teeth over.
The poster's problem with his saw stalling at the same spot might also be a matter of stance, or technique; that is, he might be putting the blade in a bind at the same place in his stroke, due to shoulder placement in relation to the line of cut, or some quirk of arm motion.
Ray
The other saws you're used to using most likely have more set. You're going to need to hold on lightly and find the sweetspot. A saw with less set will penalize out-of-square sawing. If your finished edges have even a slight bevel to them you are going to experience frustration.
Make sure you are sawing square, let the saw run in the cut, don't overpower it with a tight grip and a lot of muscle.
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