Early Access Video: Fine Woodworking with a Disposable Saw
Added 2019-03-23 13:35:33 +0000 UTCFriends:
You might have noticed that I didn't get a video out. I'll spare you the details. Life got crazy, blah, blah, blah.
The point is that I'm back in the saddle with not one but TWO videos this week. The $30 bench build is DONE and just needs some editing. That will be up by Monday.
But I also needed to add one more tool to the the minimal kit. We need a decent handsaw for rough work. So, I went to the Big Box store and just grabbed whatever they had. Woodworkers usually scoff at these saws and think they're disposable junk. But are they really? I've been woodworking for over a decade and I'd never even touched one of these "hard-point" saws before this week.
I had to put it through it's paces and see if we could use it.
Enjoy.
My daughter is 6 years old today.
--Rex
Comments
No rush. Keep going with the workbench, please. I have a feeling that you'll have no shortage of things to show us. Thank you for doing this. :)
monkeyboychuck
2019-03-29 22:50:49 +0000 UTCI'm getting a lot of requests on this saw handle. I guess I better get on it!
Rex Krueger
2019-03-29 22:48:27 +0000 UTCOne thing I’d like to see at some point is a video on sharpening a hand saw, along with tips for caring for and storing them when not in use. Oh yeah, and making a custom handle for that Dewalt.
monkeyboychuck
2019-03-28 07:26:48 +0000 UTCI got the ubiquitous Irwin from Ace Hardware for like $25. It's a Ryoba style, rip on one side crosscut on the other. Certainly more on the side of the Bear Saw in terms of being lighter duty but, I cut respectable dovetails and the tooth set is fine enough to flush cut with a piece of paper under the rip teeth if you have a plane to clean up with. I agreed with all of your points on not wanting to bother with all of the saw tools at the front. I mostly do hybrid work. I break stuff down and do important cross cuts with the table saw and do joinery and final cuts by hand and with a shooting board. Everything you said about the DeWalt hand saw is true for a cheap used contractor saw less the knowledge and experience to use one safely. This series has motivated me to look into finally investing in some decent hand saws or, restoring one or two!
Nic Beurskens
2019-03-26 07:13:13 +0000 UTCWhat video editing software do you use? Sometimes they have a stabilisation tool that can make a big difference. For example, with Premiere Pro: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7q4Ka71JM0" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7q4Ka71JM0</a>
Matthew Leigh
2019-03-25 10:50:29 +0000 UTCThat seems like a good tip! I'll try that.
Rex Krueger
2019-03-25 10:38:16 +0000 UTCMatthew. I'm not sure if I can. There was construction going on outside and the shaking is in the ground itself. I'll look into it, though.
Rex Krueger
2019-03-25 10:37:48 +0000 UTCI like the video, but can you fix the camera wobble before it goes public? It's quite distracting It's only in the parts where you're talking to the camera, not the action shots.
Matthew Leigh
2019-03-24 04:03:11 +0000 UTCRex, I'm far from an expert on them, I honestly bought the cheapest one I could find on Amazon with a replaceable blade. I did that because the Samurai Carpenter mentioned that they were impossible to sharpen. (Or at least took more skill than he had, while he had no issues with a more traditional western style saw. I do remember your mention of the Vaughn Bear Saw, but I did not realize it was a pull saw. Maybe you mentioned that, and I missed it. FWIW, I've also got the Stanley Fat Maxx version of those disposable western that I bought about 10 years ago. Despite doing a large variety of DIY (mostly rough carpentry) I've seldom used it, since the chop saw, or circular saw was quicker. However, I agree with your assessment that they're decent saws, and should see a bit more respect.
Andrew More
2019-03-24 00:37:41 +0000 UTCWhen starting with a nice long crosscut saw like that, stay in the back third of the blade for the fitst two or three strokes. The front part BENDS...
James Boatright
2019-03-24 00:14:00 +0000 UTCDo you want to suggest another Japanese saw to look at?
Rex Krueger
2019-03-23 23:11:35 +0000 UTCYou make a lot of good points! You might notice that I do talk about the Vaughn Bear Saw, which is a fine cut pull saw and I like it a great deal. This saw is meant to be fast and rough for quick breakdown of stock that will be finished more finely later.
Rex Krueger
2019-03-23 23:08:34 +0000 UTCI've got one, but I must admit I like the Japanese style back-pull saws a little bit better. Push to cut, or pull to cut is a bit of a personal question, but I think pull makes a little more sense, as I can see you struggling a bit with bending the saw while cutting. The costs are about the same for each at the disposable tool level. I think that the reason the $20 single use saws not usually used in wood working is that they leave a rough cut on wood, and almost everybody has at least access to a circular saw. 3 secs vs 35 seconds is a bit of a no-brainer. The guys who like hand tool work tend to buy the high end stuff. It might make for a more interesting discussion to talk about cheap fine cut saws, like the disposable Japanese dovetail saws. Fine cut saws, as used to dovetails, are one of the most used hand tools from what I've seen. Further, I'm not aware of a comparable push style saw in that same price point. Almost everybody I've seen either has the cheap Japanese disposables, or the expensive push dovetail saws.
Andrew More
2019-03-23 16:48:35 +0000 UTC
