Crosscuts and crosscut saws
Derek Cohen (in Perth Australia)
>This is a double post in that I have a few pictures of a saw tote replacement with which I am rather pleased. I had posted this on another forum where, for the first time someone actually asked how the saw cut. This gave me the idea to take a few comparitive pictures.
The saw in question was a 10" 15 tpi crosscut Spear & Jackson that I rehabbed - cleaned up the blade (the teeth are original - reasonably sharp still but I will touch them up this weekend), and replaced the really awful tote. The original was one of those stunning flat totes. I like them rounded. The wood is Jarrah.
Firstly, here is the old and new totes:
And a few more images from a different perspective:
Now I do have a few other crosscut saws. These include a 14" Nurse and a 12" Disston #5. The S&J is for finer detail work. I do have a LN Independence Dovetail saw, 15 tpi rip. However, in my opinion this is not suited for cutting shoulders. Now I have a few pictures to back this up.
I completed a few crosscuts with (from left to right) the Nurse, Disston, S&J, and LN.
The dark wood on the top is Karri, which is shortgrained and very hard. The light wood at the bottom is Pawton, a soft wood similar to Balsa.
The Karri was easiest to cut. All crosscut saws cut smoothly. The LN rip caught the wood fibres and was harder to start. It left a furry kerf, whereas the others were fairly smooth.
On the soft wood the rip caught the fibres even more, and the furriness was even more apparent.
For reference, here are the other saws:
Regards from Perth
Derek
Re: Crosscuts and crosscut saws
#2Re: Crosscuts and crosscut saws
mikew
>Good one, Derek!
Love the new tote.
9 ppi cross cut. Top is a Red Oak 2 x 3, bottom is a 1" Cherry board...
Take care, Mike
Re: Crosscuts and crosscut saws
#3Re: Crosscuts and crosscut saws
Derek Cohen (in Perth Australia)
>Those are excellent ... no, superb cuts Mike. So let's see the saws!
Regards from Perth
Derek
Re: Crosscuts and crosscut saws
#4Re: Crosscuts and crosscut saws
mikew
>It's the saw belonging to Phil.
Take care, Mike
I shan't post pictures...I shant...
Re: Crosscuts and crosscut saws
#5Re: Crosscuts and crosscut saws
Stephen in Ottawa
>Nice work Derek! I recently tuned an old 10" 15 ppi Preston saw. The handle was very good but I had to reshape, sharpen and set the teeth. I filed it crosscut. Now it cuts beautifully. I also have a 12" Disston #5 crosscut saw as well, but this 10" one will be reserved for fine cuts like tenon shoulders.
- Stephen
Re: Crosscuts and crosscut saws
#6Man!
Doug Trembath
>Both are beyond this ol' country boy! Thanks for sharing, both of you!
Doug Trembath
Studio in the Woods
Re: Crosscuts and crosscut saws
#7Re: Man!
mikew
>Hi Doug,
I'm just a good ol' country boy as well. Trust me, sharpen a few and you'll get lucky too Derek's message is a good one. That is a cross cut saw does cut differently than using a rip. Sounds logical, but there is a tradition of using rips for everthing. A better option, though, is to add a little fleam angle to a rip. This does slow down its rip speed, but does make for a clean cut. Likewise, it will be acceptable at crosscutting, again, albeit slower and less clean than a true cross cut saw. But if one only has a single saw, it is a good option. I usually add between 2.5 and 5 degrees, depending on how few/many teeth per inch. As always, if one can it is best to have saws for various tasks. Saws are still a good value in the world of vintage tools. There's lots of good information as regards sharpening saws available on the web, as well as just asking on the various forums. The hardest part of sharpening one's own saws? Simple. Just do it. Take care, Mike
Re: Crosscuts and crosscut saws
#8Re: Crosscuts and crosscut saws
Philly
>Crikey-I'm a bit late here!
Derek, it's not a back saw. But it is a beauty ;)
Philly
Re: Crosscuts and crosscut saws
#9Re: Crosscuts and crosscut saws
Derek Cohen (in Perth Australia)
>it's not a back saw. But it is a beauty ;)
Hi Philly
It certainly is (a beauty, that is).
Regards from Perth
Derek
Re: Crosscuts and crosscut saws
#10Re: Crosscuts and crosscut saws
paul womack
>Sorry to be late...
Superb new handle Derek; elegant and stylish curves without excessive fuss and superfluous detail.
Excellence in design and construction.
BugBear