How to Chose The Best Saw For you

[@oliverdelica2289]

Rex Kreuger has a video on how he hot-rod a cheap Spear and Jackson tenon saw

[@neilstutely3147]

Pax now do the 1776 saws, and they are top notch. The handles are shaped like the saws of old , hence the 1776!

[@timothymallon]

I prefer the feeling of the old Disston backsaw apple wood handles!

[@charlesrussell9312]

A good cheap option is the Disston K-1 produced in the 1960s and 70s. At first glance, they are "meh", because of their chunky blonde handles. These handles are quartersawn. Picked up one last week for $5 at a thrift store. Because the handle was chunky, it gave me lots of options for customizing the fit. Plus having stripped off the old finish, I was able to bring out the beautiful quartersawn effects in the handle. Restored, it looks like a new, expensive saw.

[@richardpaul5152]

instablaster.

[@johnbesharian9965]

Thanks for some good, basic knowledge of what to look for and, more importantly, lookout for in back saws in particular and all saws in general.

[@sdpkom]

Great video. My favorite dovetail saw is a $4 flea market find.....Had to make a new handle and sharpen it though. But. $4+one afternoon gives you a really sharp and custom fitted grip.

[@WoodByWrightHowTo]

nice find!

[@matthewbrady5214]

I have had good luck finding back saws on Facebook marketplace. Usually I look for “old saws” or “old tools” and some one will be trying to get rid of a bunch of “junk”. My 12 inch 14tpi Atkins was $3 and my 10 inch 12 tpi Disston was $10. Granted I had to search around for a few months but I can’t afford wood anyway so who cares.

[@PeteLewisWoodwork]

The angle of the handle should be such that it drives the power towards the middle of the cutting edge. Too straight and the saw will probably start well at the tip but not respond well after, while too steep and it will drive the power only at the heel. Same goes for hand planes - the angle of the tote should aim the force directly towards the iron edge.

[@mapblahblah3061]

my back saws are from Facebook marketplace. I think I payed like 5 dollars each, they both had the crappy router handles but I just think of those as blanks that need to be shaped by the crafts person.

[@ryanallthewiser]

Back scratcher? Leave the jokes to Sarah... 🤪. Great video as usual. Very informative and helpful.

[@wyssmaster]

When I got my Florip dovetail saw and sash saw my wait was somewhere between three and six months

[@WoodByWrightHowTo]

Yeah. He does amazing work and still keeps the price incredibly low for what he does.

[@charlesrussell9312]

They are worth every penny.

[@MCsCreations]

Great tips, James! Thanks a lot!!! Stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊

[@irwinmanchester6742]

Hi there nece saw

[@jamesreddish2206]

I'm glad you said about the lynx and pax saws - I'm thinking of getting one of those if I don't find a good deal on a vintage saw first. I've just got my first 2 rip saws and am looking forward to cleaning/sharpening them up. A crosscut and tenon saw will follow.....

[@johnhiemstra1464]

Ohh I see what you saw. Glad to see your back....saw! Thanks for the good info

[@WoodByWrightHowTo]

LOL thanks John!

[@thomasarussellsr]

Thanks, James. I saw what you did there. Back scratcher, hahaha! I want a Bearcat backsaw so bad, but it is WAY outside of my budget.

[@bricky12]

Thanks again James for a great show! JOIN WOOD BY WRIGHT 2!

[@captonager]

Great video. very informative and good overview of these saws. I now want to go back to by old back saw and work on sharpening it and reworking the handle.Thanks.

[@bevanstuart9013]

Thank you. This was very informative and helpful.

[@TheHomeMaker1]

Thank you sir been wanting to get more into hand sawing all my awesome big expensive power saws are kinda getting boring lol like honestly though your awesome keep the great content coming

[@1947wdx]

As far as I know, Bearcat, and Blackburn are no longer making saws. You can still get parts to make your own saw from Blackburn. Not sure about Bearcat.

[@WoodByWrightHowTo]

Yup it is sad.

[@2wheels4life76]

Are the BearKat saws not being sold anymore? I did a search and nothing came up so I pulled up the KZbin page and went to the store ling and page wasn't available. Any ideas? I would love to own one. Keep up the awesome work!

[@WoodByWrightHowTo]

you have to contact him directly. he only does special orders and only a couple times a year so his waiting list is long but worth it.

[@justplanebob105]

Great video, James.

[@philrosenberg8805]

Just to say, certainly in the UK, antique back saws are totally a sensible price. I bought a job lot of 3 on eBay for £22 and a job lot of 1 backsaw and 3 panel saws for a similar price.

[@WoodByWrightHowTo]

Yep. It used to be that almost all back saws were made in England. it's one of the few places in the world where you can find them at decent prices.

[@TheResistance2011]

Any experience with Lie Nielsen saws? Thoughts on those?

[@WoodByWrightHowTo]

They are great saws. Unfortunately with most saws how well they work comes down to how well the last person was to sharpen them.

[@TheResistance2011]

@@WoodByWrightHowTo I have their dovetail saw (my first non big box store saw ever) and I really like it, but I only have the cheap saws to compare it to. A sharp stick could be arguable better than those saws. I would like to get their carcass saw so I have a cross cut tooth pattern as well. I figure that should cover me for just about anything I run into. Wanted to get an opinion on them before dropping more money though, so thank you for the reply!

[@WoodByWrightHowTo]

With saws it all comes down to the handle in the long run. How it feels in your hand is mostly what you are buying. And LN does a fairly good job of hitting that on the head.

[@bluekestral8316]

Kinky plates aren't good lol

[@WoodByWrightHowTo]

LOL so true and congrats on first!

[@Vincent-S]

That part about the handles is a good comparison between small shop and mass produced. Small shops can more or less spend more time lovingly shaping the handles that feel wonderful compared to the very slab sided mass produced ones. I found that out when I bought an old spineless Bishop & Co backsaw for a dollar(maybe carcass since the plate depth looks to be between dovetail and the tenon saws on your bench?) and then found a more modern, but still fairly old backsaw of some sort to steal the folded steel spine from for the Bishop. Man, the difference in feel between them is like night and day. I'm definitely gonna take my time when making a new handle for the Bishop saw, the new spine is a little bit thinner than the absolute unit it originally had, though it does work just fine with the original handle. I just want the experience in handle making ;)

[@WoodByWrightHowTo]

Sounds like fun. I love shaping a handle to fit my hand exactly.

[@belajartukang86]

boleh dong itu buat saya 😂

[@TankGunner84]

1; no cosman saws? I’ve played with a couple and they r the sweetest cutting and most comfortable I’ve ever had. 2. 2; I can’t find a saw tooth setter! Does anyone Know where I might score one?

[@WoodByWrightHowTo]

Yeah. There were a lot of other names out there I could have used cosmin saws are really good. If you're looking for an antique tool setter check out handtoolfinder.com I have a list on there of all the known sources I have heard of or used that sell antique tools. As well as a list of trusted online tool sellers.

[@watermain48]

I know what you mean. I have a Cosman dovetail saw that is the best saw I have ever used. Lee Valley Tools carries two sizes of Somax saw sets and they are reasonably priced.

[@brianross6818]

Nice video. I am looking at getting a back saw, definitely helped me out. Have you ever thought about making a new handle for one of your less comfortable saws? I think that would be a great video.

[@lynxg4641]

Bit late here, but here's my experience, as I decided to do this, well actually make a complete new handle. Making a custom, hand carved/shaped handle for my 12" back saw has turned it from a tool into something I absolutely love to use, it fits my hand so, so perfectly and helps keep my hand/arm properly aligned, so cuts are straight, easier.

[@pettere8429]

What about using a diamond file to sharpen the hardened teeth saw?

[@WoodByWrightHowTo]

it is possible, though it usually ruins the diamond file as there is so little sharp contact surface. also files of the appropriate size and shape cost more then the hardened tip saw.

[@alangreen3425]

I have one for you... lol I recently purchased a veritas rip cut gents saw (which I love), but it has a feature I think needs correcting for how I use a dovetail saw. It is 20 tpi, but those little teeth are triangular, no fleam. This saw handles very well, but if you are going to cut 4 or 5 dovetails, you better bring your lunch. Is there a decent way to convert these V shaped teeth to more aggressive traditional rip shape? It definitely would be my go to if it was just more aggressive!

[@WoodByWrightHowTo]

Sure. You can re file them and just roll the file forward a bit. 20tpi is really small.

[@alangreen3425]

Yes..20 this is very small. But I found a small enough file and some magnifers...lol

[@alangreen3425]

@@WoodByWrightHowTo this is why I subscribe to your channel. You actually answer comments! I haven't tried this saw yet. It is actually intended for thinner stock. I plan on trying it on some 1/2" stock first. If it is slow as molasses in winter time, I will try refiling the rake.

[@Fabianorocknwood]

The cheaper example is the veritas? Oh man hahah

[@WoodByWrightHowTo]

that is about as affordable as good hand saws get.

[@makermark67]

Great video, great timing, I've been looking for a couple of different saws and this helps tremendously... also, great shout out to Chris with the shirt... keep doing what you do ! Thanks

[@kennethnielsen3864]

22nd.

[@ToraKwai]

love the video, found an old tenon saw at my grandads farm but the steel back has a bend in it so the plate forms an S shape when I knock it into the back. Got any advise for working this out?

[@WoodByWrightHowTo]

Oh no fun. What I would probably do is take the back off of the saw and straighten it separately. Then feed the plate back in to straighten it out.

[@ToraKwai]

@@WoodByWrightHowTo thanks, it'll be my first tenon saw too which is cool with a bit of history with it. Should I put some leather or something in my vice to soften the jaws or not worry too much? All I got is a machinists vice at the moment

[@ricos1497]

@@ToraKwai a metal vice? Put some wood in it, then maybe some leather too. Are you sure your saw isn't one of those crinkle cut ones for enhancing the flavour of your wood when you cut it?

[@johnbesharian9965]

@@ricos1497 (He says, with the question, "Do yo want fries with that?" and his tongue planted firmly in his cheek.)

[@rhys5567]

Beginners, electrohardened or contractors saw cant be sharpened. Save your file.

[@johnbesharian9965]

They can, but only if you grind the hardened teeth off to the point (no pun intended) where you're into the unelectrohardening is on the plate, jointing the edge straight and then re-cutting new teeth. Paul Sellers has a tooth re-cutting video as I'm sure do many other good, worth-paying-attention-to wood thrashers. Unless you really love the saw's handle & its otherwise well made, maybe it should wind up in the "Loaner Box". ([On the bright side, if its really bad enough maybe they'll wind up not wanting to borrow any more of your tools. :).]

[@criswilson1140]

Cost aside, a comfortable handle is what sells me on a saw. Pay attention to craigslist, yard sales, flea markets, and estate sales. A lot of good quality older saws and tools can be had cheap if you are willing to clean them up.

[@WoodByWrightHowTo]

Right on. A good handle is the big key.

[@Gotmovezlikejagga]

Hi James great video, just curious if you could give your thoughts on the importance of the horns on the saw handle. I would seem to me the older style handle that have a longer horn would fit over the natural web between thumb and index finger and aid in a more solid stroke?

[@WoodByWrightHowTo]

I talked a lot about them on the videos about how to saw straight. The bottom horn is most important as most all of the weight of the saw should rest on it and henge on the middle finger.

[@drawlele]

Haha that's awesome I'm in 2 categories.

[@WoodByWrightHowTo]

Lol. I usually update it at the end of each month. but if someone jumps up to a higher category I automatically just go and update their name rather than the whole list. I think you're special enough to warrant to listings.

[@drawlele]

@@WoodByWrightHowTo 🤣🤣🤣

[@wolverinebear5357]

Ghislane Maxwell just got arrested. Here comes the pain. An now back to the woodworking show, thankyou WBW your vids rock. Q WWG1WGA

[@ElderlyFatGuy]

Ghislaine Maxwell did not commit suicide. You heard it here first!

[@k4kfh]

Hey James, what do you think of the cheap "miter box" back saws available at the big box store? They are under $15 and seem like they would just require sharpening/setting and reshaping the handle to be more ergonomic.

[@criswilson1140]

With a real handle on them and properly sharpened and set, they are pretty good. Most of them, in big box stores, are just not really set up properly right out of the box.

[@charlesrussell9312]

I have a Husky I bought as a temporary saw for my Stanley 150 Miter Box until my Bad Axe one comes in. It's worked well, and I was surprised to see the handle is wood and not plastic. The steel is a smaller gauge for both the plate and the back. Otherwise, It works fine.

[@wilcooley]

I got the Stanley plastic miter box and saw a few years ago and it's one of my most used saws; I don't really do "fine" work but I haven't found the need to buy another back saw, aside from the horrible Two Cherries gent's saw that Paul Sellers has written negatively about (finally motivated me to learn to sharpen saws, at least). I have a design for a new handle sketched on a piece of maple but I haven't gotten around to cutting it out.

[@LegoMan-cz4mn]

Hi there! I'm unsure if these are available in the us, but for a hardened toothed saw I can reccommend a BAHCO Superior ergo, they are pretty rough saws, but they do the job and the handles aren't half bad Great video as always

[@charlesrussell9312]

I had a Stanley "Shark/p Tooth" toolbox saw I used daily for years before the teeth started giving out and it stopped cutting straight.