Hand Miter saw with more teeth per inch, suitable for hardwoods?

[Linnea Lahlum]

Hand Miter saw with more teeth per inch, suitable for hardwoods?

I occasionally make wood projects for fun. All by hand except I do have a drill press and a small belt sander. I have the usual wood miter box and miter saw. I also have a framing miter box for small profiles and a really tiny Xacto all metal one. I am a picky craftsperson but still a hobbyist.

Recently I built an oak bookcase with mitered trim. The hand miter saw had a lot of trouble with the oak trim. Even if I started the cut with a file, the too-large teeth kept catching on the wood. It was taking forever to cut the trim, and except for the wider base molding, they were not thick pieces.

I decided the saw was old and dull and went out to buy a new one, only to find out I was still having the same problem. I had looked for something with more teeth per inch than my old one, which I think would take care of it. But all the miter aka backsaws in the store had the same number of teeth, 12 per inch. I ended up using a hacksaw (18 tpi but not very deep teeth, if that’s the right term) to finish the job: still very slow, plus presented its own problems, as it is very hard to maintain the right vertical angle and not tilt.

I have some major framing projects coming up, framing antique tiles. Being deep I have to stack the moldings, so that’s a lot of cuts. I need something better. I bought walnut molding: that might be even harder to saw than the oak was.

I bought a beautiful vintage all-metal miter box at an antique store last fall. This has slots to cut some unusual angles, which is just what I need for the antique afghan hexagonal tile I want to frame. This has a guide device to slip your saw into and set the angle; meant to accommodate a regular miter saw: it has a channel to hold the thicker metal top piece of the saw. I took photos of this, but every time I try to upload them, my thread disappears and I have to start over.

So: what kind of hand miter saw is suitable for hardwoods, and where do I find one that is in a hobbyist price range but still cuts well?

I am looking at Lee Valley and a site with Shark Saws, that has things in my price range but I really don’t know what will work before buying it.

I also have these stores in my area: Woodcraft, Berland’s House of Tools (which caters to contractors mostly), and a Rockler store about half an hour away. Thanks very much for any guidance you can offer.

[Jim Koepke]

Typically the finer the teeth the finer the cut.

Japanese style saws without set are also good at making smooth cuts.

If you want western style back saws, the best way to end up with one or more of these cheap is to learn how to sharpen and set a saw.

jtk

[Mark Rainey]

I like Lee Valley Nobex miter box & blade. Free shipping today

[Nicholas Lawrence]

I have a LV 20 TPI dovetail saw. To be honest, I think it is too fine for most tasks. I would not think the LV saws would work with a vintage miter box.

Highland Woodworking carries the Nobex line as well. I have not used them, but it looks like they come with pretty fine toothed blades.

I don’t know what other tools you have. If you have a low angle block plane you might consider making a miter shooting board, and making the final adjustments that way.

A professionally sharpened vintage saw that would fit your Stanley miter box could be an option, but will probably cost as much as one of the Nobex boxes and saws by the time you pay for the saw and pay to have it sharpened.