Handsaws are frequently disregarded as outmoded and incorrect in today's world of precise woodworking equipment Many people who work with wood consider the more traditional handsaw to be of secondary importance in comparison to the more precise table saw. Dado blades, crosscut blades, rip blades, and various jigs and fittings are purchased by woodworkers for their table saws They are constantly switching blades to achieve the cleanest possible cut, but they are unaware of the fact that once you have mastered the art of tracing a line with a standard backsaw, your options in the realm of woodworking are no longer limited to power tool attachments.
Parts of the Saw
What exactly is a Backsaw?
Backsaws are some of the most precise saws you may have in your business. The name "backsaw" comes from the fact that a rigid spine is attached to the back of the cutting blade. This enables the maker to create a very thin blade that is nonetheless incredibly stiff and has just a minimum amount of flexibility.
When cutting a dovetail or another piece of joinery, this indicates that the saw will trace a straight path without the operator having to steer the saw or expend excessive effort. Dovetail saws, carcass saws, and tenon saws are the three fundamental types of backsaws that are offered by the majority of manufacturers. These saws vary from one another in terms of the depth of cut, the aggressiveness of the cut, and the tooth geometry. The dovetail saw is the one I'll be discussing, but everything I say applies to other saw sizes as well.
Backsaw tooth patterns are often quite fine. The teeth on my Lie-Nielsen Dovetail Saw are 15 per inch. The fine-tooth pattern is used because the fewer teeth per inch, the smoother the finished surface. The cut surfaces of joinery, such as dovetails and tenons, are often exposed and have a very little blowout and saw markings on the surface, allowing the connection to come together directly off the saw. However, the more teeth there are, the slower the saw will cut. Machinists understood that to balance the many teeth, the saw blade needed to be narrower. Thinner saw plates remove less material, allowing the saw to cut finer lines. They attached a brass or steel back to the saw to prevent the blade from bending. This stiffens and rigidifies the blade, allowing for steady, accurate cuts.
Reading the Plate
The angle of your dovetail saw can be determined by reading the plate. Simply observe the mirror image on the plate to produce a square cut. Cuts are perfectly square and plumb when the grain passes through the blade as if it were made of glass, as demonstrated below. Take note of the mirror image on the plate:
The blade is essentially mirroring the grain opposite it and indicating to the user whether it is properly positioned. That being said, if I tilt the blade laterally, I get the following effect:
The board does not continue straight through the plate, but instead veers off violently. This indicates that I am cutting at an angle. (This is exaggerated for the benefit of the camera, but it works down to highlight little variances in cuts).
The same holds if I angle the blade vertically as shown here:
The grain slopes straight down, showing a tilt in the blade. Only a highly polished steel plate can generate this appearance. After being pampered by the Lie-Nielsen Dovetail Saw's polished Swedish steel, I now consider this an important component of any backsaw. It improves the accuracy of your cuts and cuts down on the time spent marking straight lines. This feature is very useful for beginners because you can rapidly develop a feel for how to hold the saw to get the right reflection. Check that the square and plumb orientations are correct before you begin cutting. Check the squareness of your kerf once you've completed cutting; if you followed these steps and used a saw of a decent quality that was properly adjusted, it should be spot on.
If you see the saw naturally wandering, it is usually a sign that your tooth set is off. The set is essentially the distance between the saw teeth and the plate. Because of this, you may rest assured that the teeth that cut and make a kerf will produce one that is noticeably larger than the remainder of the saw plate. The user can now make fine adjustments to the cut angle. If your saw is always drifting in one direction off your line, the set on that side of the saw plate is probably too great. Using a saw set, press the teeth on the opposite side of the plate to the same position. This will prevent the saw from pulling to one side, which can be annoying and result in erroneous cuts.
How to Take a Cut
Cutting with a backsaw is straightforward, but requires practice. The first thing to learn is how to use the saw properly. See the image below: The index finger should be held forward and not wrapped around the handle with the other fingers. Please be aware that I am a left-handed person. However, everything is convertible for a righty.
Before moving the saw at all, place it on the end grain and align your hand with the required angle. Because of the spine of the saw, you cannot make significant modifications to the angle of the cut once you begin cutting. Slight adjustments are possible, but the saw will track a perfectly straight line, so set the saw to the proper angle before you begin cutting. Some people recommend starting your cut by pulling the saw backwards, however, this is a typical error. If you look closely at your saw teeth, you will see that they slant forward somewhat. The term "rake" refers to this. This is the direction the saw must be pushed for the teeth to bite into the wood.
Pulling back on the saw will cause the teeth to bounce, resulting in an uneven kerf. The proper technique to cut is to tilt the saw up and raise the weight of the teeth, as shown below so that the teeth just kiss the end-grain fibres. Lift your wrist slightly to remove the weight off the saw. When you are sawing correctly, you will feel the saw pressure at the bottom of your hand by the crest.
The saw is making contact with the wood on the opposite side but not on the side facing the user. To guide the saw blade, place your thumb next to it as shown:
Then, using the entire blade, make little nibbling strokes at the tip of the blade before lengthening the saw cut. Make long, even strokes with the saw without applying too much pressure. Always let the saw do the work. This will produce an outstanding outcome, producing an accurate cut for joineries such as dovetails and tenons without the cost and hassle of setting up a machine. There is no need for a dust mask, hearing protection, or dust collection.
