Which hand saw for rough ripping?


rodger.

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I need a new saw for my new bench!

In fact, I bought a 22" 4.5 TPI Pax handsaw, but I may return it. My research shows thwt 4.5 May be too few teeth for my application. I asked Tom, and he told me that I should aim for a 5 to 5.5 TPI. I am having a hard time finding a manufacturer of such a saw.

Wentzell and Son has a loooong waiting time, and lie neilson has 7 TPI, but it's only 20". I also looked at badaxetools,but they don't make a panel saw in this niche.

I would like a Disston, but it's like trying to find a leprechaun.

My purpose is to rip cut rough stock, from 4/4, 6/4, 8/4 hardwood.

Suggestions?

Not afraid to spend a bit here, but don't want it to be too far over the top.

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About 5 to 5.5 POINTS per inch is typical for s common rip saw. This is the same thing as 4 to 4.5 TEETH per inch. Just depends on how you measure. Old American saws are stamped on the heel in POINTS per inch. Old English saws are typically measured in TEETH per inch, but they weren't usually stamped.

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Yes I agree with Bob it does depend on how you measure it. All the Sheffield saws that are still made over here in England ( sadly not that many nowadays) are specced in teeth per inch. 4 and a half teeth per inch is one that seems to be common for all panel rip saws that Flinn Garlick have under their umbrella now (including the fantastic Pax and Lynx ranges).

I'm still waiting for proper hardpoint panel rip saws to appear. I haven't seen one yet they're all crosscut.

Pug is it cutting ok? If so why send it back?

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Yes I agree with Bob it does depend on how you measure it. All the Sheffield saws that are still made over here in England ( sadly not that many nowadays) are specced in teeth per inch. 4 and a half teeth per inch is one that seems to be common for all panel rip saws that Flinn Garlick have under their umbrella now (including the fantastic Pax and Lynx ranges).

I'm still waiting for proper hardpoint panel rip saws to appear. I haven't seen one yet they're all crosscut.

Pug is it cutting ok? If so why send it back?

I haven't opened it yet. If I use it, I prob cannot return it. Just want to be sure I get what I need.

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About 5 to 5.5 POINTS per inch is typical for s common rip saw. This is the same thing as 4 to 4.5 TEETH per inch. Just depends on how you measure. Old American saws are stamped on the heel in POINTS per inch. Old English saws are typically measured in TEETH per inch, but they weren't usually stamped.

Interesting. This saw is certainly 4.5 TPI, so this is equivalent to a 5.5 PPI antique disston.

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The first rip saw I ever bought was one of those PAX 4.5.  I still have it and use it occasionally.  There's nothing in the world wrong with one of those-fine metal that you can put a sharp edge on.  I do remember it wasn't very sharp to start with, but that was probably 35 years ago.  It was the first saw that I learned to sharpen on after I hit something in a beam I shouldn't have been cutting with it anyway.    Mine is a 26" though.  A 22" would aggravate me to no end.  Panel crosscuts are bad enough, but I don't even want to use a rip panel saw.

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I remember doing the heavy part of the work on these mortises and tenons with that saw.  We couldn't find Heart Pine 5x7s that didn't have a lot of splits, so we used Redwood.  They're exact reproduction basement windows for an early 19th Century house.  We had one side jamb, and one header of the originals left as a guide to make the replacements.  Bars are White Oak.

 

http://historic-house-restoration.com/images/DSCN8447.JPG

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Yup, that's it. Is 22" too short?

No. It's just what you prefer. My "full sized" saws are 24" because I'm short and have a short saw stroke. On my 18-19" high saw bench, if I try to use saws longer than about 25", I risk jamming the toe into the floor. With a 28" saw it occurs with every saw stroke if I don't consciously lower the angle of attack. But for my height and stroke length 24" saws are perfect.

I also use 20" saws outside of my shop mostly because the shorter saws are easier to pack and travel with than full length saws when you're trying to pack light. They work fine too. You just have to adjust your saw stroke so you don't pull the saw out of the cut on the back stroke.

Japanese "full sized" saws for similar work are only about 12" long and plenty of people use them effectively. It's all what you get used to. So your 22" saw will work fine once you are used to it. The wood won't know the difference.

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Pug- I had that same exact PAX saw from LV, it was not very sharp at all. Like I said in another thread, I was not very happy with those PAX saws. I would look for NOS Sandvik like Tom and Carus recommended.

Took the plastic guard off today and it seemed pretty sharp to the touch, but i appreciate your comments. I'm gonna give er a run laterthis week, and I'll post feedback. The good news is that it looks like a very easy saw to sharpen.

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I too have one of these Pax saws - and I'll echo the comment that it was NOT sharp when it first came out of the box - since I didn't know any better at the time, I just used it and got frustrated for half of a project. Learning to sharpen it transformed it into a workhorse, and I now use it for all my ripping and resawing.

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