Early Access Video: Learning to Crosscut
Added 2021-05-15 11:01:01 +0000 UTCFriends:
True Beginner Returns!!!!!
The lockdown is over and Nate and I are back in the shop for our much-requested series. If you're new to these videos, I teach Nate to do basic shop stuff with hand tools. He has a lot of enthusiasm, but not a lot of experience, so he's the perfect student.
Watch as Nate learns all about the core skill of crosscutting wood to length. Everyone needs to know it, but it's not as easy as it looks.
Happy Saturday!
--Rex
Comments
Having started my beginner journey over COVID (been wanting to start for years, but didn't have a space) this would have been super helpful. One thing I would add that's probably second nature to experienced folks that has helped in recent months is, pick a face side and make as many of your measurements as possible from that side. Then your lines match up better for your square cuts.
Robert Schalk
2021-06-25 03:17:40 +0000 UTCI completely agree that there are many ways to skin this cat. The techniques i showed here are easy to learn and set a good foundation for later developing your own methods.
Rex Krueger
2021-05-23 14:50:31 +0000 UTCJob well done! Perhaps I'm strange, and for many things I do exactly the opposite of what right handed folks might. I clamp my board on the left side of the bench so no awkward reach over to support the offcut. Not related, but I was taught to start the cut with a push stroke using a Western saw - idea being (if sharp) better control over the initial cut.
Mark Diaz
2021-05-23 13:39:00 +0000 UTC,th. P O8 7m d . Br, y Un 8u7v
Jason Blank
2021-05-20 20:45:27 +0000 UTCNeed more videos for true begginers!
Sudden Rain
2021-05-20 10:13:54 +0000 UTCNate mentions that your kerf is deeper. I think what is actually happening is the "triangle" that you make has a more acute angle.
KingQueso
2021-05-19 21:56:41 +0000 UTCI like to place the pencil (or other marking tool) on the mark first, and then put the square next to it, so that I know I’m drawing the line right on the mark.
Ragnhild
2021-05-19 10:26:23 +0000 UTCWhen cutting on the low bench, I recommend making the plumb line on the far side, because that’s where you can see it. It also helps you establish the cut angle right from the beginning.
Ragnhild
2021-05-19 10:23:13 +0000 UTCI love the True Beginner series! So sorry to hear Nate was ill, and glad to know he's doing better. :)
Bayard
2021-05-17 18:16:39 +0000 UTCConcurred on that request! It's a seemingly simple thing that is...not very easy!
Michael Carman
2021-05-17 15:36:29 +0000 UTCI had no idea about the plumb mark. Thanks for doing a video with a newbie so we all caught that. Where do you go on the internet for tips about Japanese saws? I only have a J-saw and I'm planning to build a low Roman bench.
Paul Howard
2021-05-16 22:07:29 +0000 UTCWhen marking you might demonstrate various levels of precision i.e. using a pencil like you did vs using a knife. I have seen some where they put the knife in the divot and use that to locate the square instead of just lining it up visually.
Stuart
2021-05-16 20:44:02 +0000 UTCReally like this type of video. I am a beginner and this stuff helps, not so much for sawing in my case, that my dad taught me. But, the terminology in English, that alone is worth watching for. Rex, I guess you have a fair number of non native English speakers, I always appreciate you pointing and naming stuff. It helps when looking for further information or asking questions on the forum. Do a true beginner on joining perhaps? I have been having issues trying to get a 5x5x70 cm pair of beams planed and joined, so it's an entirely self-serving request to be honest.
Eloque
2021-05-16 19:17:41 +0000 UTCIt is entirely possible that I overthink the geometry of what I'm doing when in the shop.
Tsani Rósenov Sábev
2021-05-16 16:57:56 +0000 UTCGreat video as always! You’re probably ahead of my thoughts on this, but the next beginner technique should be ripping. Thank you again!
Aaron Wasielewski
2021-05-16 15:16:07 +0000 UTCAlthough Rex does a TERRIFIC job at explaining in simple steps, having an inexperienced person do work helps. Nate finds those Rex-acquired-yesrs-ago-thus-invisible skills, which helps bring them out for newbies to aqcuire. Keep doing this type of video.
mike willoughby
2021-05-16 14:14:47 +0000 UTCGlad we could help! Wish we had done it earlier!
Rex Krueger
2021-05-16 12:36:22 +0000 UTCYes; quite a bit. More TPI = slower cut but better finish. Fewer TPI = faster, but rougher.
Rex Krueger
2021-05-16 12:35:56 +0000 UTCThat's not nitpicky. Try telling India that covid is over. I really did over-state that one. It's over for ME, but not for many other people. As to the japanese saws....I'm just not so good with those. I can use them, but I don't feel nearly as in-control. Hopefully, I can study these tools more in the future.
Rex Krueger
2021-05-16 12:34:32 +0000 UTCMan, that's a REALLY good point. I do that without even thinking.
Rex Krueger
2021-05-16 12:32:59 +0000 UTCWelcome! We're glad to have you.
Rex Krueger
2021-05-16 12:32:13 +0000 UTCAh! I see.
Rex Krueger
2021-05-16 12:31:51 +0000 UTCI think Tsani just has an advanced vocabulary for describing a simple process. I had to read it twice, but it made sense.
Rex Krueger
2021-05-16 12:28:04 +0000 UTCThank you for the help Martin Hartley. Gonna take a closer look at that one!
Mark Lies
2021-05-16 06:12:45 +0000 UTCThank you Rex, I went to their website after I watched your video and tried to figure out which one you were using in the video, but wasn't 100 percent which one you chose. Of the two I thought it might be I didn't find the language that identified it as resharpenable.. Anyway, long story short, @Martin Hartley identified the model number from your video, so I think I might pick one up. Thanks for all of your help again!
Mark Lies
2021-05-16 06:10:16 +0000 UTCWow! How I wish past me had watched this video...just two weeks ago. I made some cuts this week that should have left me with five square and even plywood boards. Instead, three different heights even though the measurements were the same.. also, not squared. I know what I did now was I didn’t strike the line on the side. I also should have cut in a different order so that I did shorter cross cuts. Thanks for this Rex and Nate!
Jeanine Hoffman
2021-05-16 05:04:23 +0000 UTCI am rather new to hand tool woodworking and wonder whether “teeth per inch” matter for hand saws.
Bill Finizia
2021-05-16 04:16:14 +0000 UTCExcellent video! I think you already have one with you, but can you do one of these with a Japanese saw? One other nitpicky thing... would that it were true that covid is over...
Kenneth Carlile
2021-05-16 02:16:00 +0000 UTCHey Rex - Just a quick thing I saw during this video that would also be really good for another beginner video - how to make lines using a square. One thing that you did without even realising, when marking the second (vertical) line was to move the square up to the top line and then slightly back (to compensate for the width of the pencil). This would be a good thing to call out explicitly (as many 'tubers do this without realising/mentioning it. In fact a video about the different types of square would be useful - Speed, Combination, T, Try, other... and which one should be your first/second purchase... Love your work...
CrispnCrunch
2021-05-16 01:59:17 +0000 UTCWelcome back Nate. Good video and a good reminder of technique for those of us that have spent years using power saws and are getting back into hand sawing. Thank you Rex for the instruction and Nate for demonstrating and editing. Take care both of you.
Matt Evans-Koch
2021-05-16 01:03:07 +0000 UTCYup that would be me grey hair (what’s left) and beard to match plus a selection of handsaws
Wayne
2021-05-15 22:47:19 +0000 UTCSorry, what I meant to note was which face was the one you wanted to show. Some new workers may not necessarily know which face to have up.
John Laudun
2021-05-15 22:25:23 +0000 UTCI keep a hardened saw in the back of my car for when I I shop for lumber, but don't have a truck. I can get a 9 foot board in my Scion xB without sticking out a window. I also pull it out at the nursery where I work in lieu of getting am extension cord, saw horses and a circular saw. For making bridle joints and tenons in 4x4 treated wood - it is far better to use the hand saw than a circular saw. Now I do get funny looks from people with framing experience who haven't a clue about hand tools, but a hard point saw is really fast and accurate in the right situation. I bet most of the people who keep one around are gray haired.
Michael Ross
2021-05-15 21:17:37 +0000 UTCGood refresher, Thanks!
Kevin S Thomas
2021-05-15 21:17:28 +0000 UTCI'm new to your patreon.... very nice tutorial. Great production value too
Dan Weiss
2021-05-15 21:16:59 +0000 UTCAnother excellent production!!!
Michael Ross
2021-05-15 21:07:11 +0000 UTCLot's of people use pens. Rob Cosman likes a red ball point. or rollerball. The Japanese have their way as Rex said. I find that I depend on really good lighting. I recently got an LED ring lamp with a magnifier, articulated. It helps me when nothing else will do. This winter I have been doing a number of small dovetails in thin wood ( t<3/8" ). I really need no shadows to do it well.
Michael Ross
2021-05-15 21:06:10 +0000 UTCGood smart comment. But, it depends a little on the handle of the saw. I think Paul Sellers taught me to feel the weight on the outer/underside of my hand - this is just enough to lighten the contact and keep the start from grabbing.
Michael Ross
2021-05-15 21:01:14 +0000 UTCI understand and am okay with either approach. You could also punt and say waste side or keep side or just add "my" in front of the left/rights. Also, a quick shot showing the "cut triangle" part of the cut with the same camera angle of where you showed the second pencil line would make that part a bit more clear. But both of these are nits and being pedantic is what I do for a living so I defer to the teacher to do what they think is best. I should also mention that I enjoyed the video and probably more importantly learned something.
Stuart
2021-05-15 20:31:51 +0000 UTCGood point, Thomas. For a rip cut, you want about a 60 degree angle, so the chisel action of the teeth can cut down through the grain. Heck, even the vertical straight up cut for a rip is a well known technique. But for a crosscut, a 45 degree angle is better for the knife action of cutting those fibers across the grain. Not that we want to get out our bevel gauges and check out saws against them, but the geometry of the teeth is at its optimum with this in mind, especially since crosscut teeth are sharpened with that more relaxed rake versus the rip saws with no rake.
Sean O'Neill
2021-05-15 20:00:17 +0000 UTCBahco PC22FILEU7 - this one is a resharpenable saw and definitely not a hard point. Spear & Jackson also do traditional skew-back saws. Those are cross-cut only (can be resharpened to rip cut quite easily) but also suffer from the same problems as their Tenon saws. Too much set, and handle feels like crap, despite being solid beech.
Martin Hartley
2021-05-15 18:29:28 +0000 UTCThese are pretty shiny, so I think that trick will work.
Rex Krueger
2021-05-15 18:29:24 +0000 UTCA fair point; the face is always the wide one. The edge is narrow.
Rex Krueger
2021-05-15 18:28:43 +0000 UTCThomas: with respect, do you think you could be just a little more diplomatic in your comments towards other Patrons? You can say anything you want to me, but we're trying for a calm environment around here. For the record, Mark was pretty correct; those saws are correctly called "Job Site" (and someone must use them since they sure sell a lot of them). The teeth are hardened (although not exactly case-hardened) and that is generally the reason they are disposable, not their poor quality. Some of them cut very well.
Rex Krueger
2021-05-15 18:27:24 +0000 UTCMark, I know that this saw can be resharpened because (as you point out) it lacks the black coloring around the teeth. Also, Bahco specifically markets and sells this saw as sharpenable.
Rex Krueger
2021-05-15 18:24:34 +0000 UTCWell, yeah, since those are the directions you're going to need when you're behind the saw yourself. It seems to me like I should give directions from the user's point of view, but I'm flexible on that.
Rex Krueger
2021-05-15 18:22:47 +0000 UTCI have no idea, but I'll ask Nate!
Rex Krueger
2021-05-15 18:21:17 +0000 UTCWhen cutting on the low bench you can keep the saw plumb by watching the reflection of the wood in the saw blade. When you are cross cutting a square line the edge of the board will appear straight when the blade is plumb. If it's out of plumb the edge of the board will appear to have a kink. (Of course this requires a saw blade with a polished finish!)
Fred Gosbee
2021-05-15 18:18:15 +0000 UTCGreat video as always. Keep it up!
Vasileios
2021-05-15 17:37:14 +0000 UTCNicely done. Think "sawing without sawing" when you start a cut. Gentle gliding helps establish the cut line. The counterintuitive thing that beginners need to understand bis that sawing is not about applying downward pressure. It's about gliding a sharp saw across wood. Focus is on watching what you are doing, not applying force. Try this with a decent quality Ryoba saw. It will sing to you when you're doing it right. You'll hear Rex's tool angels
John Morrison
2021-05-15 17:25:06 +0000 UTCSeparate note: I like the chemistry between you two.
John Laudun
2021-05-15 17:24:13 +0000 UTCI'll add one thing that maybe you should have mentioned (or emphasized a bit more): which side up? You say "face" in your first example cut, but you don't mention it again.
John Laudun
2021-05-15 17:22:17 +0000 UTCDido, and this is coming from a retired Broadcast Engineer who has worked in post production and news editing.
Thomas Strike
2021-05-15 16:36:44 +0000 UTCAre we being facetious? These saws you are speaking of are throw - away because they are cheap and not worth re-sharpening. Besides, I can't believe that you'd find a job site that the carpenters aren't using a circular saw and a portable table saw.
Thomas Strike
2021-05-15 16:11:27 +0000 UTCVery, very well done! I always say it, but it’s so true: you’re an excellent teacher, Rex. And kudos to Nate for being a great student AND editor. This video was particularly well-edited.
Russell Gough
2021-05-15 15:58:47 +0000 UTCOne thing that you didn't comment on is when Nate was cutting on the saw bench, he completed his cut with an excessive downward angle. At this angle, most of your force is downward and subjects the fibers to tear out. Perhaps, a much more shallow angle putting force across the cut laterally for the final strokes to minimize tear-out. When I was a kid back in the 50's, my dad didn't have a circular saw so all the cutting he did was with really good hand saws. This is something I picked up on while playing around in his shop.
Thomas Strike
2021-05-15 15:58:46 +0000 UTCI thought all of the cheap jobsite saws have case hardened tips that prevent resharpening, which basically means they are disposable. How do you determine that the Bahco hand saw in this video can be resharpened? Or, do you just cut the hardened teeth off completely when they become too dull and create your own teeth from the newly created straight edge?
Mark Lies
2021-05-15 15:41:12 +0000 UTCHmm, might point out that when you use left/right it is from Rex's point of view not the viewer.
Stuart
2021-05-15 14:55:13 +0000 UTCGreat video but... when, Rex, you do the kerf at the end of the bench, the sound is out of synchro: I laughed thinking that your editor, focused on the cross cut, missed the audio cut. No big deal, edition is ruled by Murphy's law. ;-)
Pierre-Olivier Fineltin
2021-05-15 14:50:15 +0000 UTCI think you're needlessly over complicating a relatively simple process.
Midwestern Scout
2021-05-15 14:45:12 +0000 UTCIt’s nice to see you and Nate back in the shop cutting up. Your videos generally are a cut above the rest but after I saw the final cut I thought it would be nice, in the style of a music video, to have Nate in the back ground cutting a rug.
Hansenomics
2021-05-15 14:32:42 +0000 UTCThe hardest thing for me to learn was that more downward pressure and pushing harder is not better.
Rick Prosser
2021-05-15 14:07:20 +0000 UTCVery informative. I like when you do these videos with Nate. I think the center of gravity over the work on a saw bench is a big help to getting those cuts square and plumb. Looking forward to your next video, Rex. Thank you again!
Sean O'Neill
2021-05-15 13:55:51 +0000 UTCGreat Video. One thing I noticed in the last few videos there is no captions option. That is very helpful for me as a hard-of-hearing person. Any ideas why captions are not available in the videos anymore?
Bradley Barth
2021-05-15 13:16:38 +0000 UTCI think we have these in a playlist, but I'll double-check. If you find pencil hard to see, I highly recommend Japanese marking techniques. They use ink and a special bamboo brush. I think you'll find it very easy to see.
Rex Krueger
2021-05-15 12:17:39 +0000 UTCRelaxing the hand holding the saw you that I wasn't gripping so hard helped me a lot.
Geoffrey Wilson
2021-05-15 12:16:55 +0000 UTCExcellent video! Looking forward to the ripper!
Thomas Hverring
2021-05-15 12:14:56 +0000 UTCVery useful video! Good advice to avoid pushing downward on the work — that extra force is what will tend to make the saw jump out of the kerf. As the saying goes, let the tool do the work.
Philip Lodine
2021-05-15 12:14:27 +0000 UTCLove it! You guys do great work together onscreen.
Sean McGown
2021-05-15 12:12:38 +0000 UTCVery helpful. Thanks! Looking forward to the building of the low saw bench.
Jim Porter
2021-05-15 11:55:15 +0000 UTCI have not watched the video yet. I would like to make a request please. Can the basics videos or beginner videos be placed in their own folder or playlist please? One stop shop that may help us newbies to focus on beginner concepts only. On to the video. .....ok, while I am watching the video a question is forming in my head. Being visually impaired I need a very dark line, can I use a fine tip sharpee? Next, often times I can not see the pencil line, is there a guide or a jig that can be used to keep the saw blade on its correct path. I know they have a device for circular saws but what about a hand saw? Just added info here, I have a 12x12 room and my workbench is a Black & Decker WorkMate 425.
Paul Ladd
2021-05-15 11:47:06 +0000 UTCThat was a very good video (and funny too, it seemed very natural)! I love the use of a beginner, like last time 😁 Just a quick tip I think you could also have mentioned: the saw cut is easier to start (and probably also to finish) when you lift the saw a bit instead of letting its full weight engage with the fibers – apparently lifting the saw seems so unintuitive that we don't do it automatically, and I always have to remind myself about it, and others I've taught so far. Now I'm very looking forward to that saw bench video, I still need my own!
Daniel Bohrer
2021-05-15 11:40:56 +0000 UTCI usually end up in another dimension altogether! :^)
Thomas Hverring
2021-05-15 11:37:14 +0000 UTCCrosscutting is about dimensional travel through a board: You start your cut at a point (0th dimension), progress to a line, and then another line (1st dimension), you join the ends of those lines creating your first triangle (the simplest form of a plane in the 2nd dimension), and then you finish your cut. Jumping ahead is pointless. Cutting a line without first making a point is possible, but slower.
Tsani Rósenov Sábev
2021-05-15 11:29:22 +0000 UTC
