I'm acquiring the tools of the trade and it's high time for a quality cross-cut saw - preferably something which can be sharpened rather than replaced. What should I be looking into?

Any recommendations are welcome -

Thanks - Jacob

My favorite, sharpenable, saw. Simons, Docking Saw....

http://www.galootapalooza.org/docker/docking.html

What I use most, now.

http://www.silkysaws.com/Silky_Saws/Folding-Straight_2/Silkys-BIGBOY-360mm-Med-Teeth-Hand-Saw

For speed, the Japanese style hand saws work nicely.

Our ancestors would often times not have used the one handed panel saws for this purpose, instead they would have used either the large 2 man crosscut (or a one man version) or a frame saw. Both of these have benefits which allow you to cut through a timber in a hurry, especially the fact that both of these types of saws in the past tended to cut on both the push and the pull stroke.

A good frame saw, or buck saw, really can't be beat. It would certainly be worth looking into. And if you have a helper, using a good old 2 man crosscut in good condition is going to be the fastest way.

What's most important on these saws is: how sharp the teeth are (dull teeth obviously cut poorly) the set on the teeth (too narrow, you bind up a lot, too wide and you're not gonna cut cleanly) And the tooth pattern (different patters for different wood)

The frame saws for this purpose have teeth in a crosscut-style pattern, rather than the triangular teeth of the panel saw.

I know this is not what you asked for, but a lot of TF'ers like the Stanley Sharptooth 26 inch saw. It's in the $25-$30 range, So I'd consider it disposable, but boy it cuts well and is nice to use. It starts a kerf easily. It's a quality saw, but I don't know that it's worth trying to sharpen at that price, plus the teeth are set together such that I'm not sure it would be very straight forward to sharpen.

That's the saw I use, I really like them. It's unfortunate that they can't be sharpened, but that is the trade off for the performance of that tooth style. I'd like to try a docking saw like Tim has someday. I could always tell when he was using it at the Geo workshop, it has it's own unique sound.

I still keep a sharp Stanley in my saw box for odd work where the pull saw is not ideal. But when the SHTF and disposable blades are not found I will still have my docking saw, provided I have files to sharpen it with. Could always use an axe, one can do a lot with a simple axe.

It was at the Geo workshop where I was persuaded to search out the pull saw. Someone had a a big black one.

I just find I don't get the use out of the Stanley as I do with the pull saw. After some use it starts to wonder and bind in the cut. I also have found with the pull saw if someone else used it, I can tell it is not cutting as well, I try to keep my red saw as a "I am the only one to use it saw". I found the tip snapped off once, and another time found someone pushing it instead of pulling it, which I am sure is not good for it either. Any saw should not be forced, let it do the work.

The big black saw was the Silky Katana Boy. It cuts like a chain saw, but it's little bit pricey. I don't use it for everything, and I have no regrets.

And there are lots of Japanese saws that are re-sharpenable, but you'd have to order one from a reputable place. There's also a lot less information available on sharpening Japanese saw teeth. For 8x8 probably around 360 or 390 mm long. If you want one, I'd call Hida tool in Berkeley. I'd guess that they would start around $100-150.

Hello,

The metaphor of the chain saw is a good one. This is a pruning saw.

Greetings,

Don Wagstaff

Let's see....

prune
verb
1 I pruned the roses cut back, trim, thin, pinch back, clip, shear, top, dock.
2 prune lateral shoots of wisteria cut off, lop (off), chop off, clip, snip (off), nip off, dock.
3 staff numbers have been pruned reduce, cut (back/down), pare (down), slim down, make reductions in, make cutbacks in, trim, decrease, diminish, downsize, ax, shrink; informal slash. antonym increase.

Fits the description rather well......

With this talk of chainsaws, it should be noted:
With a (very) steady hand, and a good deal of confidence, a chainsaw is an excellent choice for cutting timbers to length. However, you have to have a TON of confidence in your ability to handle one (and actually have said ability) Too often I find it is a lack of confidence, i.e. fear, that causes us to fail in such tasks. We are just convinced that if we use a chainsaw we will mess things up. and so we do. Our actions follow our expectations.

And as I said earlier, the two man saw would have been our ancestors choice for cutting to length, and the large frame saw the choice for cutting mortise shoulders.

Now, allow me to go way out on a limb here and reveal a simple yet oft overlooked fact. For timber framing, a saw is 100% unnecessary.
There are many traditions where they were never used for these tasks at all, or if they were used it was viewed as a sign of poor craftsmanship or inadequate ability. The "real" carpenter in these cultures would do all of his shaping with his trusty axe.
But for us, it may be better to stick to the saw for some purposes. If you aren't really really skilled with an axe, and don't have great coordination, the saw is a more reliable way to do it. With skill however, the axe can be faster and just as precise (if not more so). Once again, I think fear limits our ability with this tool, which requires you to be brave and confident in your work.

Just a ramble, a bit off topic but perhaps useful.

DLB