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Recomendations for a good hand saw #24558 10/06/10 07:04 PM
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Preserved in NH Offline OP
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I'm just looking for recommendations for a good rugged cross-cut hand saw. I'm soon starring my first timber framing project and while I'll have access to a 16 inch circular saw, I'd like to use a hand saw as much as I can. I don't have anything near beefy enough, and there's so many bad cheap saws now. At this time, I'm leaning towards a Stanly Sharp tooth. I've got some smaller Japanese pull saws that I like using but even with a larger blade I don't think a pull saw will work for cutting tenons in large stock. Am I wrong?

Re: Recomendations for a good hand saw #24559 10/06/10 08:20 PM
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Gabel Offline
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The 26" long stanley sharp tooth with the wooden handle is a very efficient saw. I don't like using japanese style saws for timber framing.

Re: Recomendations for a good hand saw #24560 10/06/10 10:25 PM
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TIMBEAL Offline
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I used to carry that same opinion, Gabel. On a whim I picked up a Silky Big Boy with the biggest teeth, it can be fitted with 3 different sized tooth styles. It will absolutely handle large timber. Clean, fast, accurate, no dishing and almost effortless. I am not sure why it took me so long to make the switch. I have seen them used and in green timber they tended to fill the teeth with sawdust and not work well. I have not seen this with the big boy. Other than that I still like my docking saw. Perhaps they were dull or out of set, I don't look forward to attempting to sharpen this type of saw, the one fault I can find. I think a replacement blade is around $20.

A recent knotty section on a shoulder of a tenon across a 12" timber cut super nice and flat with no problems, I even have a video of it but have not taken the time to load it. 3 knots if I recall.

What I don't like about the Stanley sharp tooth is the length, they are too short, and the longer ones don't handle the push, as the tooth style is designed to be pulled. That being said the pull saws are short but I don't see an issue. I often find the short saw buckling it you pull it too far out of the saw kerf, just as you start to push it for the next swipe. If Stanley made a heaver body to handle the push of the aggressive tooth style that may work, but then you are taking more wood out in the kerf, meaning more work. While using handtools efficiency is major contributing factor. Great gains are made in a smaller kerf.

So what is it you don't like the pull saws used for in timber framing? Tradition?

Re: Recomendations for a good hand saw #24561 10/06/10 11:30 PM
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Will Truax Offline
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Jeff- I'll second Tim's motion, it's a good saw and a good start that will allow you the time to find good antique western saws. There's a few places to look on antique alley, one just off the ally in a fine old barn, that selfishness has me reluctant to name online. Though the best dealer in those miles of shops sold out and retired not so long ago.

Glad you tried the Bigboy Tim, I'm still liking mine and still planning on making the investment in a Katanaboy.

Gabel, I bought my Bigboy at Highland Hardware when I was down helping you Whit and the boys replicate the Indentured Servants Quarters.


"We build too many walls and not enough bridges" - Isaac Newton

http://bridgewright.wordpress.com/

Re: Recomendations for a good hand saw #24564 10/07/10 01:19 AM
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Ron Mansour Offline
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I would imagine you could find a nice Disston for $20 or so that's worth the time to recondition and sharpen. I have six of them, 3 rip, 3 crosscut. If you do choose to go that route, there's plenty of info out there on how to properly sharpen them.
If you really, and I mean REALLY love handsaws, check out these works of art @ www.eccentrictoolworks.com. I covet one of these badly, but can't pull the trigger just yet.....Yeah, like a few others, I have a saw problem and it's not under control.

Re: Recomendations for a good hand saw #24566 10/07/10 02:32 AM
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TIMBEAL Offline
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I think I am missing something, I'll have to look into the Katanaboy.

Re: Recomendations for a good hand saw #24568 10/07/10 10:46 AM
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Will Truax Offline
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"We build too many walls and not enough bridges" - Isaac Newton

http://bridgewright.wordpress.com/

Re: Recomendations for a good hand saw #24569 10/07/10 12:13 PM
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Thanks for the information guys. With that BigBoy saw, is it difficult to cut a straight line with the short blade height? Could you cut a tenon with this? I would expect this blade to wander all over the place?

Re: Recomendations for a good hand saw #24570 10/07/10 12:14 PM
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TIMBEAL Offline
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I thought we had hashed this over before. Forever evolving, on my next big paycheck I should spit out a little for this http://www.sherrilltree.com/Recreational-Gear/Saw-Blades_2/Blade-Only-for-Silkys-Katana-Boy

At about twice the dollars as the bigboy, is it worth the extra length?

Re: Recomendations for a good hand saw #24571 10/07/10 12:19 PM
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Gabel Offline
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Tim -- I've seen those bigger japanese saws, but not used them. I was thinking of the typical ones you see with an 10 or 12" long blade -- too short to cut across an 8x8 in my opinion.

I guess at this point what's keeping me from switching is a combination of not wanting to spend money chasing a bit more efficiency on something I'm already fairly satisfied with and mostly just plain cussedness.

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