Cross Cut Saw - suggestions?

Make a bowsaw

Dennis

>If you make your own,then you can change blades as needed.

As far as buying one used, down here i find usable handsaws for $2, of course you will have to sharpen or have it done.

Dennis,who is not going to the flea this morning in the rain.

Dennis

remove nospam for email

Re: Cross Cut Saw - suggestions?

mike recchione

>If you can wait a little while, there's a pretty big flea market in the Brooklyn section of Cleveland where there used to be lots of tools a few years ago. (I can find out the name of the drive-in where they have it if you're interested). I think you stand a better chance if you go earlier in the season. Garage sales are also good places to get decent saws.

One thing that's different about a saw then some other cabinetmaker's tools is that there was a time when just about every homeowner had a reasonably decent saw. (Unlike infill planes, for example). You may have to do some rehab, and certainly some sharpening. The older ones with more rounded edges on the handles are more comfortable to use than the newer ones with sharper edges.

There are folks that have arsenals of saws in every permutation of TPI, rake and set, but you probably don't need all that to get started. I like an 8 or 9 point saw, filed pretty aggressively, for cutting softwood to rough size. But what I use the most (and I know Adam will disagree with doing this :-) ), are 11 point panel saws that my grandfather and uncle used to carry around to jobs. (They were trained as cabinetmakers, but worked as finish carpenters a lot of the time because it paid more.) I guess it's all a matter of what you get used to.

One thing I learned is that, unlike planes, saws should be shiny and reflective. The best way to make sure that you'e cutting plumb and square it to look at the reflection of the board in the saw. If it looks like the board just goes on straight into the saw, then you're cutting properly. If it looks crooked or bent, then you're off. Saves a lot of layout work - you only need to mark the top face of the board this way.

If you don't want to do the flea/garage thing, you can get excellently rehabbed and sharpened saws from Pete Taran at www.vintagesaws.com. There's a lot of excellent information on his site, as well.

HTH,

Mike

Re: Cross Cut Saw - suggestions?

Chad Boehlke

>I use new band saw blades for mu bow saws. I also use a dowel rod for the cross bar and a threaded rod with wing nut for the stretcher. You can see my saw at www,woodworkingplanes.com

Chad Boehlke

Re: Make a bowsaw *LINK*

Rob in Peoria

>A bowsaw would be a fine choice for regular freehand crosscutting, but if you are looking for something that you can make cleaner cuts on a bench hook, a backsaw or small carcass saw is what you're looking for.

There are any number of reputable dealers out there - many of them post For Sale lists on the Old Tools Listserve every month, including saws you know you can trust.

As far as the Bay is concerned, just look for something that is not too far gone from multiple sharpenings (backsaw don't seem to suffer this malady too often) or kinked.

Finally, I strongly suggest you look into learning how to sharpen saws yourself. I just learned earlier this year and it is much easier than I thought it would be. Granted, I'm still refining my technique, but the results are acceptable. It's also cheaper than I thought, only takes 15 or 20 minutes if you don't need to reshape the teeth much, and you have the satisfaction of doing it yourself.

So, pick up a saw and saw vice from the Bay, a couple of Nicholson saw files (cheap), download Pete Taran's saw filing article, and have at it.

Rob in Peoria


Pete's Article

Re: Cross Cut Saw - suggestions?

William Claspy in Cleveland

>If you can wait a little while, there's a pretty big flea market in the Brooklyn section of Cleveland where there used to be lots of tools a few years ago.

Joe, if you end up making a trip to the Memphis Drive In flea, post a warning shot here on the group. There are a handful of us in the neighborhood, and it might make a fun group outing. Maybe we can even see if Pete Taran would join us.

As to saws, realize you'll end up with more than one! It sounds like you want to do two different jobs that are better done with two different saws. For cross cutting boards to length, you'll want a standard panel saw. My go-to for this kind of job is a small Bishop panel saw that was my grandfather's. It's probably 19 inches long or so. Razor sharp, it makes cross cutting a breeze.

For joinery work, you'll want a saw like the Adria you mentioned. I use a small Bishop "handy" saw (picture below), which also came to me via Granddad. I actually have two of these- one is filed rip on both sides (fine and finer) and one is file x-cut on both sides (fine and finer.) Though I also have a standard longer back saw (tenon saw) filed for cross cut.

Cheers!

Bill

Re: Cross Cut Saw - suggestions?

Mark Kuzee

>Joe,

I may have a saw for you. I'm having trouble Emailing you offline for some reason. I'm about to leave on vacation for a week. Try to Email me and we'll see if that works.

Mark kuzee

Kuzeem@gvsu.edu

Re: Cross Cut Saw - suggestions?

Joe in a Cleveland suburb

>Mark.

I just emailed you and your auto response is already turned on.

You can email me at:

joe_ott@yahoo.com

or

js_ott@hotmail.com

Is Pete still sharpening and selling saws?

Ernie Miller Topeka

>for some rason I thought not. but I'm wrong all the time. if you want a good vintage saw ready to go he is you man. on ebay most every saw you buy will need sharpened. including the ones I sell.

Re: Is Pete still sharpening and selling saws?

mike recchione

>His web site is still up, so I assume he's still selling. I don't think he's sharpening anymore. I know Tom Law retired from the sharpening business, but I think he is also still selling saws.

- Mike