What's a really good, really accurate flush cut saw?

[Mike Dowell]

I've got a Mahogany desk I'm doing for a customer, and I've got to replace all of the knobs. Problem is, these are glued on, so I need to flush saw them off. I've got a cheap $10 flush cut saw but this requires extreme accuracy, because I can't afford to damage the face veneer.

Anything you all recommend?

[Will Boulware]

Cut them high and use a sharp chisel or plane to knock down the stub.

[Lonnie Gallaher]

CS recommends using a business card thickness material between the saw and the workpiece to protect it from an errant saw stroke. Then plane or pair flush.

[Malcolm Schweizer]

Stone the back of the saw to ensure it's actually flush, and then use blue tape to protect the piece. Finish with a chisel or plane. I have a cheap one made by Crown, and it works just fine.

[James Waldron]

"Extreme accuracy" and "flush cut saw" do not fit together. Ever! As almost every one has said, use protection or regret it! Stoning the side of the teeth helps some saws, as Malcolm said.

And watch out: if you start to cut into the tape/card stock/etc., stop immediately and double the protective layer before trying to go farther. And in that case, it's best to restart the cut from a new point so the old kerf doesn't drag your saw down into the protection again.

[Prashun Patel]

+1 on Will's advice.

You can also use a router plane.


Cut them high and use a sharp chisel or plane to knock down the stub.

[Mike Dowell]

Alrighty then! Sounds like the consensus has been arrived upon!

Thank you all for the input.

[Jim Koepke]

Alrighty then! Sounds like the consensus has been arrived upon!

Thank you all for the input.

As with other aspects of life, always use protection.

I have thin pieces of wood around the shop with holes in them for this kind of work whether with a saw or a chisel. Often they get tossed in the scrap pile and burned. It is easy to make a new one.

jtk

[Sean Tracey]

Alrighty then! Sounds like the consensus has been arrived upon!

Thank you all for the input.

I do the cut slightly proud and then block plane or pare with chisel route also. Specifically, the way to cut with the saw is to use a Japanese flush cut saw with teeth on only one side of the blade. Even an inexpensive one like a Shark saw will do. Start with the back side (untoothed) of the blade lightly touching the work and the teeth up a bit on the part being cut. Get started. Once started, lift the handle and also use a slight twist of the wrist to ensure that the back (untoothed side of the blade) is the only contact with the work while the teeth will tend to cut away from the work and have no chance of scraping it. As you get better, you can reduce the amount of remainder left above the surface you don't want to mar.

A low angle, bevel up, Block plane used to trim the remainder makes it almost impossible to screw up. This is the technique I use on birch dowels and surfaces that are veneered.

[Brian Holcombe]

Mitsukawa makes a really nice flush cut saw for hardwoods.

You can slip a piece of paper between the blade and wood, then trim flush with a large slick.

[John C Cox]

Any idea what sort of glue was used? Most normal wood glues will let loose with a little heat. A clothes iron on the back of the drawer front could probably get the glue on the pin loose.

[Tony Wilkins]

Any idea what sort of glue was used? Most normal wood glues will let loose with a little heat. A clothes iron on the back of the drawer front could probably get the glue on the pin loose.

But I would be worried about the glue holding on the veneer in that case as well.

[Bill McNiel]

Sean's technique is pretty much dead on. Lee Valley has a nice, inexpensive ($24.95), double sided, flush cut saw that works really well (http://www.leevalley.com/US/Wood/page.aspx?p=32928&cat=1,42884).

[John C Cox]

Another thing you could do... Put down your blue tape to protect the wood, then lay a card scraper on top of that. Use the card scraper as a saw guide. It will leave right at a 0.020" stub - but shouldn't hit the drawer front if you are careful... clean off the stub with a good sharp chisel.

[lowell holmes]

Plus one for the Lee Valley flush cut saw.
I have one and use it. It does require developing a technique to use, but after you figure it out, it works.

Some times I have to hold the saw flat and flush with the cut using my finger tips.

[Joe A Faulkner]

Rather than blue tape which has ridges, I like to use clear packing tape - a little tougher than masking tape and less resistance to the saw - Usually two layers thick though some times 3. I have a Two Cherries flush cut saw that I've been pleased with.

[Mike Brady]

LV's Kugihiki saw is a bit more money and has replaceable blades. It's a flexible, no-set saw that is great for flush cuts or crosscutting, but I use a guide block for the cross cutting to give the saw something to register against. I learned of this saw from Jeff Miller, the master chair maker and author / teacher. It can be tricky to find on the LV website. You might have to call and ask.

[Ron Kellison]

OK, this isn't Neanderthal but I'm a combo guy and it works well. I have a great LV flush cut saw which I use frequently to cut dowels, pins, etc. I then cut a hole (square or round, doesn't really matter)that is ~ larger than the dowel-thickness plus the base of my little trim router. I put a playing card on a flat surface and use that to set the depth of cut for the little dish-cutter bit I use. Make the 1st cut, then lower the blade against a true flat surface (I use a piece of plate glass) and lower the bit until it just barely touches the surface. It sounds more complicated than it really is and, once the first setup is working on a test piece of dowel in a piece of scrap I move on to the real thing. Your mileage may vary!

[Mike Dowell]

OK, this isn't Neanderthal but I'm a combo guy and it works well. I have a great LV flush cut saw which I use frequently to cut dowels, pins, etc. I then cut a hole (square or round, doesn't really matter)that is ~ larger than the dowel-thickness plus the base of my little trim router. I put a playing card on a flat surface and use that to set the depth of cut for the little dish-cutter bit I use. Make the 1st cut, then lower the blade against a true flat surface (I use a piece of plate glass) and lower the bit until it just barely touches the surface. It sounds more complicated than it really is and, once the first setup is working on a test piece of dowel in a piece of scrap I move on to the real thing. Your mileage may vary!

At first that sounded risky, but as I envisioned myself doing it, it seemed like a pretty good idea.

[Mike Dowell]

Plus one for the Lee Valley flush cut saw.
I have one and use it. It does require developing a technique to use, but after you figure it out, it works.

Some times I have to hold the saw flat and flush with the cut using my finger tips.

Which model? The double edged, or single edged?

[Mike Dowell]

LV's Kugihiki saw is a bit more money and has replaceable blades. It's a flexible, no-set saw that is great for flush cuts or crosscutting, but I use a guide block for the cross cutting to give the saw something to register against. I learned of this saw from Jeff Miller, the master chair maker and author / teacher. It can be tricky to find on the LV website. You might have to call and ask.

Didn't see replacement blades listed. Which saw are you talking about?

[lowell holmes]

Which model? The double edged, or single edged?

I have the double edge saw.