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Haven’t answered because I wasn’t totally sure what you needed it for. Sounds like you’re a power guy that wants a hand saw? It also seems like you want something for general joinery and maybe bench hook work? If that’s the case I’d look for a sash saw (ie back saw) in the 12” to 16” range in cross cut.Originally Posted by James Jayko
Member
26" Disston #16, 7ppi filed cross cut. Use it for woodworking, trimming trees around the yard, and just used it to cut a "path" thru a neighbors deck railing to get to an elevator she had installed. The other guys were trying to figure out how to cut it with a circular saw, and the Disston solved the problem in about 20 seconds. A sharp hand saw is a useful tool.
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If any fine woodworking is going to be done with this one saw 10 tpi is a minimum. I do not know the many Diston models. My backsaw is a 12 tpi. I am going to be on the lookout for a 20 inch 12 tpi.
Last edited by Maurice Mcmurry; 06-25-2023 at 9:33 PM.
Contributor
For folks who use hand saws, picking one saw can be tricky if not impossible. A rip sharpened saw can crosscut but tends to be rough with less than 8 or 9 points per inch* (ppi). Up to a point, a saw with less teeth per inch will cut faster.
I have one saw that has a hybrid sharpening that is filed slightly crosscut that will also rip well.
If you are going to do your ripping on a table saw, then a saw filed for crosscut may be your best choice.
Many new saws are very nice. A century old Disston, Atkins or others if well sharpened will work every bit as good.
A lot of good information here > http://www.vintagesaws.com
jtk
* ppi is measured from point of tooth to point of tooth. Teeth per inch (tpi) is measured from the center of one of the gullets.
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
- Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)
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I keep three of these made in England Japanese pull saws in the truck. They can do almost any job but slow at a lot of them. I have one in bad shape for cutting questionable wood, one in terrible shape for cutting even worse stuff, and one new one for when I need a precise cut.
https://www.amazon.com/IRWIN-Tools-D...71985013&psc=1
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On the road, again...
Ash Re-Supply, Almost done .JPG
There was a reason a lot of sawmakers back then SOLD a lot of 7ppi and 8 ppi handsaws..
Ash Re-Supply, Disston No. 7 .JPG
While an 11ppi is nice...
Ash Re-Supply, D8 not working .JPG
It just takes too bloody long to cut stuff...like when one has a stack of lumber to go through...
Ash Re-Supply, Couple more to go .JPG
To get them all to fit where they need to go...
Ash Re-Supply, Loaded up .JPG
These USED to be rough sawn 1 x 6 x 10' Ash planks....
A Planer? I'm the Planer, and this is what I use
[OP]
Contributor
That's generally right. I was working on a project and had to cut out some waste around a tenon that I couldn't really do with the table saw, so it got me thinking if there was one good "all-arounder" to keep in the toolbox for those of us who aren't hand tool purists, and who don't need the big panel saws and that sort of thing. Like a Leatherman of saws...not the best of anything, but a good solution when you don't want to carry everything and don't really know what you'll need...
I ordered the Suizan folding ryoba and I'm going to give that a shot. But I'm not against a western saw at all, just against carting around a set of joinery saws when I only need it occasionally and I need it to be useful for more than just one thing.
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Ryoba are very versatile. They can go from joinery to breaking down.
Contributor
I have 2 Suizan saws, not (the folding one) and for me, the handles are very slim, small in diameter with no taper. Easy to get a cramp or hand fatigue after a short time.
The folding style mentioned above, looks to have a much more comfortable ergonomic handle, hope it works out for you.
I had to make my own handle but it cuts very well.
Member
A 500mm frame saw with 1" wide blade at 13TPI rip, just like it is today: it's for everything besides dovetailing (although it does that too occasionally).
But if I would be limited to only one saw - it would be a 270mm ryoba. Because there's a few tasks which frame saw can't do and I have to grab a gents saw.
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"I ordered the Suizan folding ryoba and I'm going to give that a shot. But I'm not against a western saw at all, just against carting around a set of joinery saws when I only need it occasionally and I need it to be useful for more than just one thing."
That Suizan looks promising. I have a Silky Woodboy Kataba folding saw that I toss in the tool box, it works for me. The blade's is a bit stiffer than the other pull saws that i have, it's also tapered a bit.
It's been awhile since I got a deal on mine, it's like this one but has a 27tpi? blade.
Silky Woodboy Folding Kataba Saw - Lee Valley Tools
Hobbyist woodworker
Maryland
Member
Since in real life I'm not limited in my saw choices, I have a folding kataba. It's an impressive tool, liked it so much that got me a folding dozuki. A tapered blade cuts and tracks very well, Silky boy is a great brand, like their tapered blades a lot, very good joinery saws.
It's just my current set up isn't particularly well suited for the methods of work Japanese tools are imposing. I'm in a really tight space and often rely on parts being clamped upright in the vises, or something like that. Japanese tools assume horizontal positioning, so wide work open surface works best. One day I'll move to a larger shop and then I'll switch.
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Frame saw, handle wrapped.JPG
Shop made....Maple frame, allthread tensioner, Hardware and the blade from several old Butcher's Meat saws...9ppi
The Frame Saw, 18 inch blade.JPG
18" blade...
The Frame Saw, backside of cut.JPG
This is the backside of the cut...
A Planer? I'm the Planer, and this is what I use
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Not any more so than English style. And, because you pull them, they are even easier to use on vertical workpieces. You simply have to adapt your own techniques to make it easy for you. For example, on vertical work, you want to elevate the work, or kneel, so that you are pulling down.
I work on yachts and consequently must often work in odd positions, like kneeling while using a toolbox as a workbench. The Japanese saws really seem ideal for such work.
"Anything seems possible when you don't know what you're doing."
Contributor
I hate to say it but I think the handle on the Gramercy is too small for my hand. I talked to them about it before deciding to try it to see if they had any handle size info but they didn’t. They did grab one and based on my hand measurement said that they thought it might be close. The Bad Axe Stiletto should come tomorrow. It is a different style handle, but I’m hoping it gives me some sort of idea as to their handle sizing.
Anyway, the Gramercy is a real beauty but I’m not sure I can comfortably use it. It’s just like the Veritas PM-V11 chisels. I wanted to love them but just couldn’t get comfortable with them in use. Will make a decision once I get a sense on how the Bad Axe feels with regards to whether I think I should order one of theirs with a larger handle instead.
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