HandSaw Tips


Although you will probably do most of your cutting with power tools, there are times when a handsaw is more convenient. Learn the proper technique, and hand-cutting may turn out to be easier than you expected.

With a sharp handsaw and the right cutting technique, you can saw just as straight and true as your grandfather did, back in the days when handsaws ruled. Try these four steps the next time you need to call on your handsaw.

1. Set up on a solid platform. Sawhorses, a workbench or concrete blocks can all provide good support for sawing. If you're cutting thick stock like 2-by lumber, it's helpful to have your boards low enough to kneel on as you cut. Your body weight provides the clamping action. Just make sure there's enough clearance beneath the workpiece to make a full cutting stroke with your saw. Measure and mark your stock and align the saw blade slightly to the waste side of your mark to allow for the width of the saw kerf.

2. Make three pull strokes to establish your kerf. Use the tip of your thumb to keep the blade right where you want it. The teeth on most handsaws are angled forward to cut on the push stroke, so a couple of pull strokes will produce less resistance, making it easier to get the kerf started.

3. Make some sawdust! Saw back and forth using the full length of the blade. Keep your eye on the line and the saw will follow. Let the teeth and the tool's weight do the work.

4. Finish with lighter strokes. As you near the end of the cut, support the waste side of the wood with your free hand and lighten your strokes. This helps to prevent splintering as the waste piece falls away.

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Making a crosscut with a handsaw

Crosscut
To make a crosscut with a handsaw in narrow goods, set the blade's heel end (nearest the handle) at a 45-degree angle to the work. Set the teeth on the scrap side of the cut line. To make sure the blade doesn't wander, use your thumbnail as a guide. Pull the saw back toward you several times to start the cut. Don't force the blade; use the weight of the saw to start the cut while you guide it. Saw with a rocking motion, using a steeper angle at the beginning of the downstroke and a flatter angle at its completion. Again, don't force it; let the saw do the work.

Clean finish
When you near the end of the cut, support the scrap end of the piece of wood. Grasp it firmly with your free hand, exerting a slight upward pressure to keep it from binding. This also will keep the piece from snapping and splintering on the last stroke.

Making a cutout
To notch the corner of a board, position the blade of the saw so it is perpendicular to the work as you near the end of each cut. In that way, the bottom of the board is cut the same distance as the top. Often it is helpful to reverse the position of the saw.

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