Cheap, decent hand saws

[Jon Toebbe]

I've got a bit of a dilemma: I'm a high school science teacher and we're gearing up for a big project involving designing/building and testing windmills. The students will be using hand saws in a miter box for all of their cutting needs, but the saws we have are total rubbish.

Our budget is extremely limited, but we'd like a saw that actually has the ability to cleanly cut a piece of 3/4" poplar. Any suggestions for *cheap* hand saws that get the job done?

Thanks,
Jon

[Mike Wenzloff]

Check your email...

[Zahid Naqvi]

Mike why not post in the forum, some others might find the information useful as well.

[Alan DuBoff]

The students will be using hand saws in a miter box for all of their cutting needs, but the saws we have are total rubbish.I don't quite understand this, there really is no such thing as a total rubbish saw. As long as you have a blade, you can always make a new handle and/or just sharpen the saw.

Why not find someone in your area to sharpen your saws and make them usable? Better yet, why not teach the kids how to do that themself? It is really not that difficult to learn how to do, I'm in the process of doing that myself. But you can have someone in your area do that on your saws very reasonably given the fact you wouldn't want to have them learn such a useful skill, and it won't cost much to do.

You might also check with other schools in your area that have wood shops, as I guess your school doesn't, and get them to help as well.

Sharpening your saws will simply be the easiest way to get usable tools. Even if somone was to give you a saw, chances are it will still need to be sharpened. This will also be a never ending delima, because saws need to be sharpened when you use them.;-)

I think the old saying applies here, give a man a fish....blah-blah...teach a man to fish...blah-blah...

Regards,
Alan

[Jamie Buxton]

Zona saws have a remarkable value-per-dollar ratio. I learned of them from a teacher at the College of the Redwoods; he uses one to cut dovetails. They cost from $5 to $8. They have a very thin kerf -- less than .02" -- so they seem to just melt through the wood. They're back saws, and the largest will only cut through 1 3/4" thick material. But if you're cutting 4/4 poplar in a miter box, they'll work very well for you.

http://www.blackstoneind.com/foundations/zonastore/storepage.asp

[Jon Toebbe]

I don't quite understand this, there really is no such thing as a total rubbish saw. As long as you have a blade, you can always make a new handle and/or just sharpen the saw.

Obviously you've never seen the $4 back saws sold at Home Depot. :p I assure you, some saws really aren't worth the time it would take to sharpen them.

The teeth are stamped, the steel is soft and the plastic handles crack easily when in the tender care of 9th graders.

I appreciate your comments regarding "if you teach a man to fish..." -- heck, that's what we're trying to do in our science program. In the long run, the number of facts they memorize is irrelevant. It's whether or not they can think on their feet, solve diverse problems and critically evaluate ideas that matters to me.

Maybe one day I'll pitch a saw sharpening kit to the head of our department -- but that's down the road a bit. ;)