Hand saws are a core part of the homestead tool set. While they can be replaced by power tools in most cases, hand saws are going to be much cheaper and will get you through a great deal of homesteading projects. If you plan on doing a lot of woodworking, we recommend stepping up to power tools, but hand saws are a basic piece of equipment and everyone should a bit more about them in general.
What Are Saws?
While it may seem incredibly basic, it’s important to define what saws are and how they work. There is a surprising amount of variability from saw to saw and the way they are used and what they are used for can change a lot!
In their simplest form, saws are metal sheets with many serrated blades along an edge. These blades are often refereed to as “teeth” given how they resemble just that. While you might not be able to tell just by looking at a saw, the teeth are offset away from the body of the saw in an alternating pattern. Because of this when the saw is dragged across something you are cutting it creates a groove that is wider than the saw itself. This is important as it helps the saw move through the material it is cutting without creating more and more friction as you dig into the material.
If hand saws didn’t have offset teeth, which some incredibly cheap saws don’t, the body of the saw would rub against the material as you cut. Each deeper stroke would add more and more friction as you cut eventually leading to a binding of the blade in the material.
In addition to the alignment of the teeth, saws also have a cutting side and a non-cutting side on the teeth. Western saws (those of Europe and the US) have their blades on the front of the teeth which causes the saw to cut on the “push” stroke of the sawing motion. Japanese saws on the other hand have their blades on the backside of the teeth which allows for cutting on the “pull” stroke of the sawing motion. These lead to different use cases and wood workers tend to have saws of both western and Japanese styles in their tool kit.
Push type western saws are supposedly better for larger longer cuts, while Japanese saws are better for shorter cuts with finer detail. This is hotly debated though as you can do both things with either type of saw.
Types of Hand Saws
While we’ve already covered a difference in saw types between western and Japanese style teeth, there are also many types of saw that vary in overall form and function. Specifically you can have panel saws, coping saws, back saws, or again, Japanese saws which have different handles in addition to reversing the blade direction.
Panel Saws
Panel saws are what you might think of as your stereotypical saw. They are the most common form of hand saw used in the US, and debatablely the world. Panel saws have long flexible blades which make them ideal for cutting larger boards and solid woods. A panel saw is ideal for ripping (cutting down the grain) and crosscutting (cutting across the grain) of wood boards.
Because panel saws, like all hand saws create a groove wider than the saw, always cut to the waste side of the material you are cutting, this ensures your cuts are more accurate and your measurements come out correctly when joining any two cuts.
Back Saws
Back saws differ from panel saws in that they are not nearly as flexible due to their namesake, a metal backing that holds the saw blade steady and straight. The metal backing limits the depth to which you can cut with the saw, but it also allows you to create much straighter and precise cuts. Back saws are typically used to cut tenons (prostitution of wood that join into holes known as mortises).
Back saws are further divided into two categories based on their primary use. The tenon saw, which is what most back saws are, and the dovetail saw, which looks the same, but is smaller and has a greater number of teeth allowing for even more precise cuts. The dovetail saw gets its name from another type of wood cut for joinery, the dovetail.
Coping Saws
Coping saws look very different from panel and back saws. Instead of having a solid body they have a thin metal frame and the actual blade and teeth is attached as a thin strip that is held in place with tension. Because of the saws unique design the blade can be used to cut things like curves or remove interior sections from materials that have pilot holes in them. There are a lot of advanced uses for a coping saw, but overall you should think of them as a specialized saw for holes and curves.
Japanese Saws
Japanese saws a variety of types just like western saws do. The two main saws are Japanese back saws and Japanese flush cut saws (similar to a dovetail saw in function, but without a back). These work just like their western counterparts except that they cut on the opposite stroke of the cut. They also have straight handles that come off like a handle for a knife. This makes the cutting motion smoother and easier to control for the direction of the cut (the pull stroke). It is often argued that because you are pulling towards you Japanese saws allow you to use more strength while being more precise as the cut continues. This is hotly debated, but there is some merit to the claims as you never overextend with a Japanese saw since you draw the blade towards you on the cut.
While Japanese saws are designed to cut on the pull, in many cases the teeth are sharp on all sides and the blades are much thinner. This adds to the skill required to use them, but in the hands of a professional allows for extremely clean cuts.
Sharpness and Keeping Your Saws Maintained
Saws, like all blades, tend to dull over time with use. Because of this you should know how to maintain any saw that you use. For most people, sharpening a saw is not something they’re going to do on their own and you can easily pay most hardware stores to handle this for you. However, even if you can get your saws sharpened by someone else, it’s not very difficult to do on your own if you know how, so you can save money by doing it yourself.
To sharpen a saw you need the right tools, specifically you need a flat file and a triangular file, cramps, rulers, and a special tool known as a saw set.
For a panel saw first use the cramp to position the saw and hold it in place for filing. From there you need to use your flat file to bring all your teeth to an even height. Then use a ruler to get the number of teeth per inch (or cm) which you will need to set the anvil of the saw set. From there use the saw set on ever other tooth down the length of the saw to set the correct offset width which realigns the saw. Once the teeth are set properly use the triangular file to sharpen each of the teeth at a right angle, remembering to alternate ever other tooth for the length of the saw.
For a crosscut saw you will need a triangular file with a jig to get the alignment right rather than a normal triangular file. These take a bit longer to sharpen, but the majority of the process is the same. Japanese crosscut saws also have a third edge (as the teeth are not triangular) which needs to be sharpened as well.
Knowing Your Saws Helps You Use Them Better
Having the right tool for the job is an essential part of the self sufficient homestead and knowing which tools are right for the job is the first step. Understanding how your hand saws work will help you pick out the right saws, use them appropriately, and keep them in better shape for a longer period of time. Remember, using the right tools saves you time, money, and most of all cuts down the hassle of any job.