Straight or skew back saw?

[Barney Markunas]

I suspect there may be a thread addressing this already but I didn't have much luck searching... probably operator error.

Any way, is this a Ford vs. Chevy thing, or is there a legitimate case to be made for one or the other? If somebody is using it all day, I can see how the weight savings of a skew back might add up by quitting time, but that being said, doesn't the extra steel in a straight back help stiffen things up and add a little weight where it actually might do some good? Was this a production cost thing or was there a legitimate performance difference?

I'm planning to start looking for some older saws to clean up for my own use and to stock my son's tool kits so they are good to go when they leave the house. My original plan was to look for straight tooth lines and plates that aren't pitted but now that I've been prowling for a while, I am wondering whether I should also be favoring one style over the other? I think pretty much I've ever used has been skewed so I don't really have a personal point of comparison.

Thanks

[Jim Koepke]

Just like there are different styles of woodworking there are different styles of saws.

Pick ones that are straight and work well. If you are making more than one tool kit, have one with skews and one with straight. That way the kids will known whose saw is who's.

jtk

[Bill Houghton]

http://www.disstonianinstitute.com/1922intro.html and scroll down a bit to the discussion of this subject.

In my experience, skew back saws feel just a tad more graceful in the cut, but not enough to choose a bad or even mediocre skew saw over a good straight-backed saw. And you can't get a nib on a skew-backed saw, so you lose the chance to get into the fascinating discussion of "what's the nib for?" I'd focus on other matters: straight saw plate, teeth that aren't so bad they require filing off and retoothing, minimal or no pitting - stuff like that.

[Tom M King]

I'll use either, favoring the sharp one.

[Mike Brady]

I would start with the quality and condition of the saw; both plate and handle, as the overriding concerns when you are looking at saws. Make and features are next. Things like etches, nibs, and length and shape are not important to performance so they just aesthetics. Learning to sharpen is essential to saw ownership because its expensive and a pain to pack saws for shipping to a sharpener. Find a saw in marginal condition / quality to learn on. If I was starting out with saws, I would invest in one that someone had brought back to life already. Learn what makes that one tick and then try refurbishing one yourself.

[Mike Henderson]

I wonder why they call it a "skew back". Seems that "sway back" would be a better description.

Skew to me connotes something operating at an angle.

Mike

[Barney Markunas]

Thanks for your thoughts everybody and to Mike Henderson, you are not alone. I've seen some old Simonds advertising where they used the term "sway back". I'm not going to worry about semantics - I'll just be looking for saws with comfy handles and good plates.