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Thread: Hand saw drift. Please tell me what I'm doing wrong

  1. #1

    Hand saw drift. Please tell me what I'm doing wrong

    Hey all. I'm working on ripping with a handsaw. I picked up a Disston D-7, sharpened it up and got to work. EVERY cut I make stays straight for about 3-4 inches and then begins drifting to my left. Every one drifts exactly the same. I couldn't cut parallel curves like this with a jigsaw. Any suggestions on how to fix this will be greatly appreciated. Thank you20191118_190732.jpg

  2. #2
    Found this https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread....cut-what-to-do.
    Working through the suggestions in that thread. I’m still open to any advice you may have

  3. #3
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    Could be technique, or could be that the set is uneven. There may be a few teeth (or more), with more set on the left than on the right. If you believe your technique is good, then I would try running a file down the left side of the teeth. When you do this, don’t apply pressure to the file, just run it along the tooth line under the file’s own weight. Do it once, and try a cut. Do it again, if necessary. You might find a shiny tooth or a few, indicating a high set. If technique is correct and the set is right, you should be able to cut a straight line with your eyes closed.

  4. #4
    Quote Originally Posted by Chris Heiniger View Post
    Hey all. I'm working on ripping with a handsaw. I picked up a Disston D-7, sharpened it up and got to work. EVERY cut I make stays straight for about 3-4 inches and then begins drifting to my left. Every one drifts exactly the same. I couldn't cut parallel curves like this with a jigsaw. Any suggestions on how to fix this will be greatly appreciated. Thank you20191118_190732.jpg
    If you sight down the length of the blade, is it perfectly straight? No kinks or veer? If so, it's probably a "set" issue. Otherwise, you've got some quality time ahead of you spent with a hammer. This could even be an issue with saws from current manufacturers. DAMHIKT.

    Does this happen with your other saws?
    Last edited by Doug Dawson; 11-18-2019 at 9:23 PM.

  5. #5
    Gentlemen, thank you for your responses. It appears to me that the plate is straight, so I suspect that the problem exists with the set.
    Doug, I don’t have this problem with my other saws, but to be fair I’ve never attempted to cut anything longer than a dovetail.
    I started to mess with setting the saw with a nail set as demonstrated by Paul Sellers, but I felt that I was too inaccurate and I stopped for fear of making it worse.

  6. #6
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    I'm no expert, but am instructor showed me that my posture (foot position and body angle relative to the cut) caused my hand to trace an slight arc instead of a straight, piston-like, path. That fixed it for me.

  7. #7
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    I do not have anything to add to the advice in that thread. Stoning worked for me on a rip saw. I used a stone though. Nothing as aggressive as a file. Remember you can take it off, but you can’t put it back on.

    Quote Originally Posted by Chris Heiniger View Post
    Found this https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread....cut-what-to-do.
    Working through the suggestions in that thread. I’m still open to any advice you may have

  8. #8
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    After filing, did you apply set to both sides of the saw, or just go with what was there? Do you have a micrometer to measure the width of the blade at the cutting teeth, where they are set? It looks to me like the left side of the blade has more set then the right which will cause a blade to veer off course. You also might have the teeth on the other side of the saw smaller than the others, which by default causes more set on the other side, Either condition could be in play here. A dial indicator with the plunger set flush with the base will tell you if one side is set more than the other. You should be able to take a steel ruler and put it on top of the teeth and see if one side is higher than the other. It they are the same height, then the set on the left is likely higher than the right. Add more set to the right and try again. Alternatively, if you think the saw already has too much set, you can very carefully place the saw on an anvil and take a 6 oz ball peen hammer and lightly tap the high side all the way down the blade. Sounds hard but it really isn't. Make a pass, do a cut, make a pass, do a cut until you get the results you are after.

    You will be a saw doctor in no time if you keep this up.

    Pete

  9. #9
    I have two questions:

    Did you file all the teeth from one side?

    Did you fool with the set at all?

  10. #10
    I had this problem with a 4-1/2 rip hand saw. It kept curving to the right. If I grip any saw too hard it will tend to go right, but this was more than that. I had sharpened the saw when I got it, so I then stoned one side to try and fix the problem. It helped a little, but not nearly enough. So I then stoned the other side a bit and reset all the teeth. That fixed the problem. Now, so long as I use proper technique, it cuts dead straight.

  11. #11
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    I'm a total noob with hand saws, but may I suggest this video: https://youtu.be/S_2vh8WPgeM
    Rafael

  12. #12
    I would remove the set from the teeth and start over.

  13. #13
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    I would gently hone the side of the drift, one or two strokes at a time until the set is fixed. If it is not corrected, gently flatten the set with wood strip and hammer on the side if the set. You might try taking the set out with a bench vice as well.

  14. #14
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    I'd figure out the reason for the drift as previously articulated, and then decide on a course of action. Perhaps I'm old fashioned.

  15. #15
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    I have reset the handsaws in the past. You lay it on a 1x4 and using a block of wood and hammer , gently flatten the set.
    If you do not have a saw set, google screwdriver saw set.

    https://www.amazon.com/s?k=saw+set+t...l_7efjdy2vta_e
    Last edited by lowell holmes; 11-20-2019 at 12:21 PM.

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