FWW (August): "Backsaws that Can Do It All"
#21
My take from this article is that Mr. Gochnour believes that one saw can do an adequate job on the majority of furniture joinery that a woodworker will encounter, particularly a new (or new to handtools) woodworker. I do not get the impression that he is stating that one carcase saw will be ideal for all cuts.

That's what I get from the article. I may be wrong, but it's only June, so I doubt I would be in error so early in the year.

Dave
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#22
I agree with your interpretation of the article. Magazines like to publish this kind of content because it is eye-catching to the reader. I tried some hybrid-filed saws in Amana. They are as advertised, but also are slower in the cut. I tried a number of end-grain cuts in hardwood, such as would be used in dovetailing. The cutting was marginally slower, but the kerf was not nearly as smooth as with my rip-filed dovetail saw. Based on this brief trial, I would not use a hybrid saw to cut small dovetails. Tenons might be another matter, since some trimming is almost always needed anyway. I would conclude that I could live with a hybrid saw, a dovetail saw, and a good full-plate cross-cut saw. Another one I would include is a small Japanese flush-cut saw such as the Kugihichi (Lee Valley) for small work that requires precise cuts that are finish-ready.
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#23
DaveinOhio said:


My take from this article is that Mr. Gochnour believes that one saw can do an adequate job on the majority of furniture joinery that a woodworker will encounter, particularly a new (or new to handtools) woodworker. I do not get the impression that he is stating that one carcase saw will be ideal for all cuts.
Dave




+1
Credo Elvem ipsum etiam vivere
Non impediti ratione cogitationis
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#24
Steve N said:


If everyone here was to turn a critical eye to what they have, and what they use on a regular basis, hand tool users are nothing but a bunch of fussy girls. I said it, come chop off my legs if you think it will change the truth, but this is a fact.





That might happen, but it would take years of debate to determine what would be the best tool and method to chop off your legs.
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#25
I think it is alright to recommend a first saw. So if that is what the author is doing, encouraging someone to make a first purchase it is not a bad idea. My first saw was an 8 point hand saw; I filed it rip and did everything from resawing to fine dovetails with that saw. It probably was not bad for skill development to be light on saws and have to get the most out of each tool.

I gradually added saws and had two hand saws and three back saws for most of my professional career. I now have rip, crosscut, and four rip filed back saws. I spent about $37 on those saws; two were purchased new. Just coincidentally this is the same number found in the 1796 Seaton chest, so I think it is a good number to think about for a hand tool woodworker.

Warren
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#26
Hi Warren,

Why do you prefer rip filed backsaws? Is it due to the smaller teeth being more difficult to file? Or are there other reasons?
Catchalater,
Marv


I did then what I knew how to do. Now that I know better, I do better.”
― Maya Angelou

I'm working toward my PHD.  (Projects Half Done)
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#27
MarvW said:


Hi Warren,

Why do you prefer rip filed backsaws? Is it due to the smaller teeth being more difficult to file? Or are there other reasons?




I prefer a rip file for saws that are used for both ripping and cross cutting and all my back saws are used for both. Steve N mentioned guys with 37 saws yesterday; routing out the saw with the ideal set up for every cut you make is just not efficient use of time. And the more tools, the less intimacy you have with those tools. There are three costs to a new tool: the purchase price, the cost of getting the tool working the way you want, and the largest cost, gaining the intimacy that allows efficient work.

I have back saws of 8, 10, 12, 16 inches. If I go for a fifth saw I would probably go for 14 inches. Or maybe a saw with the same size plate but larger teeth than what I have. Having duplicates just to have a cross cut and rip of a certain size is not a priority. If I were making chisel handles for a living, constantly cross cutting similar stock, it would be worthwhile to have a crosscut back saw just for that operation.

In the Seaton chest, two hand saws and four back saws, all are rip but one. The tenon saw has a small amount of fleam. Nicholson (1812) describes seven saws: the ripper and the half ripper, used only for ripping, the hand saw and the panel saw, each used for both ripping and crosscutting, the tenon saw used for crosscutting, and the sash saw and dovetail saws neither specified.

Warren
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#28
I subscribe to the FWW website, so I can read issues when I am away from home.

For some reason, this article, when I click on it, will not open.

Can anyone else open this article from the FWW website?
...Naval Aviators, that had balz made of brass and the size of bowling balls, getting shot off the deck at night, in heavy seas, hoping that when they leave the deck that the ship is pointed towards the sky and not the water.

AD1 T. O. Cronkhite
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#29
Warren,

What species of wood do you work with mostly and does drying method affect the cut?

In my earlier response to the OP in this thread, I posted my positive results with using 14 pt (or TPI?) sash saw (14" Pax). Ease of sawing and quality of cut was fine for rip or CC in the cherry, walnut, occasional white oak and poplar (mostly kiln dried) that I work. I have many other saws, but I see very, very little difference between rip and CC with that tooth count and size/feel of the saw, except for dovetails (mostly 1/2" stock) for which I like my Gramercy saw.
Waiting to grow up beyond being just a member
www.metaltech-pm.com
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#30
FWW stated that there is a problem with the link: they are on it.
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