The Handyman's Book of Tools, Materials, and Processes Employed in Woodworking. Paul N. Hasluck
Fig. 305.—Hammer-setting Saw Teeth.
GRIMSHAW ON SELECTING HAND SAWS.
Hand saws are made of various lengths and thicknesses, and with different degrees of fineness of teeth, to suit the several kinds of work to be done by them. It is important to bear this fact in mind when purchasing, and not to expect that a saw selected indiscriminately can be used for anything and everything. Grimshaw says that a good hand saw should be springy and elastic. It should spring regularly in proportion to its width and gauge; that is, the point should spring more than the heel, and hence the curve should not be a perfect arc of a circle. If the blade is too thick for the size of the teeth, the saw will work stiffly. If the blade is not evenly and smoothly ground, it will work hard and tend to spring. The thinner the gauge and the narrower the blade, the more need for perfectly uniform and smooth grinding. The cutting edge should have a convex curve, to adapt it to the natural rocking motion of the hand and arm. A soft saw is not economical; it costs more in a year for files and filing than a hard one, dulls sooner, works harder, and does not last so long. A saw that will take a few more minutes and a little harder work to sharpen will keep its edge and its set longer than one which can be put in order quickly, and it will work better in knots and hard wood.
Fig. 306.—Setting-block in Vice Jaws.
Figs. 307 and 308.—Hammer-setting Teeth on Plate.
HODGSON ON SELECTING HAND SAWS.
Hodgson made a number of experiments on saws to test their qualities, and arrived at the following conclusions: (1) A saw with a thick blade is, in nine cases out of ten, of inferior quality, and is more apt to break than a thin-bladed saw; it requires more set, will not stand an edge nearly so long as a thin one, is more difficult to file, and, cutting a wide kerf, is more tiring to use. (2) Saws hung in plain beech handles, with the rivets flush, are lighter, easier to handle, less liable to receive injury, occupy less space in the tool-chest, and can be placed with other saws without dulling the teeth of the latter by abrasion on the rivets. (3) Blades that are dark in colour, and have a clear, bell-like ring when struck with the ball of the finger, appear to be of better stuff than those of a light iron-grey colour; and he noticed, in proof of this, that the thinner the blade the darker was the colour, and that saws of this description were less liable to buckle or twist. (4) American-made saws, as a rule, are better hung than English ones. (5) Polished blades cut more freely and much more easily than blades left in the rough, and are less liable to rust. (6) Saws that when held by the handle and struck on the point with the hand ring clear and without tremor, will be found to be securely handled; saws that when struck on the point of the blade tremble and jar in the handle never give satisfaction.
Fig. 309.—Hammer for Setting Hand Saws.
DISSTON ON SELECTING HAND SAWS.
The following are some of Disston’s notes on purchasing saws: In selecting a hand saw, see that it hangs right; grasp it by the handle and hold it in position for working, and then try if the handle fits the hand properly. These are points of great importance. Many saw handles are made of green wood; they soon shrink and become loose, the screws standing above the wood. An unseasoned handle is liable to warp and make the saw untrue. Next try the blade by springing it; then see that it bends evenly from point to butt in proportion as the width of the saw varies. If the blade be too heavy in comparison with the teeth, the saw will never give satisfaction, because it will require much more power to use it. A narrow true saw is better than a wide true saw—there is less danger of dragging or creating friction. The thinner the saw blade is, the better. Always try a saw before buying it. See that it is well set and sharpened, and has its toothed edge rounding; hold it so that the light strikes it fairly, and any imperfections in grinding or hammering are at once detected.
OTHER POINTS IN SAW SELECTION.
Another very important point to be noticed when purchasing a hand saw is to see that after its blade has been fully bent it springs back perfectly straight. A soft saw will not, as a rule, spring back like this, nor will a saw of uneven temper. A serious defect in some saws should here be mentioned. Very often one or more silvery-grey spots may be seen in the saw plate, generally at the tooth edge. Such a spot indicates a hard or, as it is often termed, a rash place. In setting the teeth they will often break at these places, and sometimes a piece of the plate breaks out. Should a piece break out halfway between the heel and point, the saw becomes useless until the teeth are recut; and to recut with a file requires some practice. It will be wise, therefore, when choosing a hand saw to select one free from such blemishes. In selecting a saw, for whatever purpose, do not be tempted by a low first cost, as this is no criterion as to its ultimate cheapness. What is required is a blade made of the very best quality of steel, combining, as far as may be, flexibility and toughness with a sufficient degree of hardness to allow of the steel carrying a good cutting edge. A saw bearing the name of a maker of repute should, and usually does, give satisfaction. The handle should be comfortable to the grasp and made out of thoroughly seasoned wood. Beech handles, with countersunk rivets, are preferred by many. A thin and narrow saw is preferable to a thick and wide one, but care must be taken, however, not to select too thin a blade, and that the saw is stiff in work, as, should it buckle, it may give a great deal of trouble. If the saw has been hammer-set—in contradistinction to spring-set—without fracture to the teeth, it is a very fair test as to the quality of the steel. The blade should ring clearly when struck with the finger, and when sprung over by hand it should not jar in the handle. Finally, if possible, try the saw on a piece of difficult cutting wood, and see how it behaves: if it cuts fast and clean with a moderate expenditure of power, it is what is required. Increment teeth have of late come more into use—that is, the point of the saw is arranged with finer teeth than the heel—and are liked by many workers, as the fine teeth begin the cut smoothly, and the coarse teeth prevent the saw clogging.
Fig. 310.—Hammer for Setting Large Saws.
Fig. 311.—Large Setting Iron.
DIMENSIONS OF SAWS.
The table below gives length in inches, breadth in inches at heel and at point, thickness according to the Birmingham wire gauge, and teeth to the inch, of a typical rip saw, fine rip saw, hand saw, cut-off saw, panel saw, and fine panel saw.
In the table, T denotes tight to the gauge, and E easy to the gauge. These gauges are the thickness that the saws should be on the tooth edge, as all saws should be thinner on the back edge.
HOW TO USE A SAW.
The correct method of sawing will now be described, and some common faults in sawing pointed out, with notes on how to avoid them. The beginner has to find out or be shown the best methods, and to practise them; then proficiency and confidence will be gradually gained, and good workmanship will follow. Bad habits, once acquired, are, of course, to be overcome only by perseverance; but the pains taken will enable