Sawing Straight and Square


kbrunco

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Does anyone have any advice on learning how to saw straight and square, and how to do it quickly? I am using a Japanese style cross cut saw to cut 2 X 6's to length as legs on a work bench. I seem to get "mostly" square (wobble to the waste side this time, the other side that time...), and am afraid it will be difficult to get all the parts the same length. Any suggestions would be much appreciated.

Thanks,

Quin

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I'm not a Japanese saw user myself but in the few times I have worked with them getting the height of the work right helped a lot. This is the same with western saws in that the body must be positioned well in order to allow the saw to do it's work. If the saw is in good shape with no bend in the tooth line it wants to cut straight. More often than not we get in the way. So if the leg piece is up to high you have to contort your body to get the tooth line aligned properly for optimal cutting action. Get your work down lower to knee height or lower for backless saws. For back saws you can cut well up at bench height but you must align your body properly. Set up for your cut then take a look at your arm and see if it is in a straight line all the way up to your elbow then up to your shoulder. It can help to film yourself or set up a mirror in front of you to see your alignment. Once you get it right it will be easier to recall the body position. I always do a body check before every cut to make sure my arm motion isn't interfering with the natural motion of the saw.

Finally, strike your marking line across the width and down the thickness. Trying tracking each line a little at a time. Focus on dropping the cut down the edge along your line then tip back and move the kerf across the width on the line, then back to the edge, etc, until you have the saw embedded at an angle that runs from the edge bottom corner to several inches back along your face. With this kerf set, get out of the way and let the saw follow that line.

Japanese saw guys, chime in and let me know if this is different with the eastern saws.

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Here are some pictures from when I was cutting the legs for my workbench. Hopefully, this will help.

These legs are about 5-1/4" square, and are glued up from Douglas fir 2x material, and I'm using a 270 mm single edged Japanese saw with a disposable blade. This saw is probably a bit too small for this type of cut, but it was the biggest one I had. ^_^

First, mark the lines for the cut.

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There are two ways that I've made this cut. The first way is to make a cut, going around the leg as you go. I start the cut on the near corner of the leg, and saw, trying to hit both lines at once.

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When I get about halfway down, I rotate the leg so that the part I was cutting is away from me. Then I saw along the top line, using the kerf as a guide.

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Sawing straight across is very easy, as the pull cut action automatically tenses the blade. Some people complain that the pull cut also throws sawdust on the line, obscuring it. This is true, but once the cut is started, I am no longer looking at where the saw is cutting. Instead, I'm looking at where I want to end up. Remember, the pull action will keep the saw straight.

Then, I angle down the front of the leg. Again, I am looking at where I want the cut to end.

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I continue this around the leg, and eventually you finish cutting through the middle.

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The advantage of this method is that you can completely support the piece on your bench, since you aren't cutting straight through the piece. Instead, you're going around the perimeter, eventually cutting through the middle. The downside is that if you look closely at the cut surface, you can see that you came at different angles, and it's hard to leave a perfectly smooth cut surface. Since this will eventually be tenons, I don't really care.

The second way is the one that I use more often. Here I start at the far side of the line, and saw across the top.

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Then, I continue down the side, eventually cutting all the way through.

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Again, I'm just looking at where the cut will end, not where the saw is actually cutting. Since the saw is under tension while cutting, it's easy to follow a straight line. Here's the back side of this cut. I didn't look at this side at all until I took this picture.

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Not bad, if I do say so myself. Eventually you'll cut all the way through.

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The advantage with this technique is that the sawn surface is smoother, since you're coming at it from one direction. The downside is that it takes a little practice to get the technique down. Also, since you're going straight through, the cutoff needs to be supported as you get to the end of the cut, which was a little difficult due to the size of the cutoff. But once you have the technique down, it's like riding a bike. And just to be clear, I don't think I have any particular talent at sawing. I do think using a Japanese saw is this easy.

Besides, my understanding that the real way to do this is to start at the top near corner and cut straight through. I'm not that good. ^_^

The key is, I think, to take your time and relax as you saw through your board. It may take a while, and certainly a chop saw could be faster. But it's still faster to take the time to saw to your line compared to sawing quickly and then having to plane/chisel the end to make it square.

One other tip: I know that a lot of people will choke up on the handle of a Japanese saw. I tend to hold the saw as far back on the handle as I can. By holding the handle back, any error caused by the little side to side movements of your hand as you saw will be minimized. If you choke up, the same side to side movement will result in a greater amount of error.

Hope this helps!

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All very good advice for either push or pull saws. One thing that really helped me was how I would line up the saw to my eye. Bob Rozaieski explains the technique in his podcast. I now line my dominant eye over the blade, and let my weaker eye follow the line. The results have been quite dramatic, and that has helped give me more confidence - a virtuous circle.

Square and slow comes with improving technique. Square and fast comes with a lot of practice - I can't see any short cuts there (pun intended).

John

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I have usually tried to start from the near side. I will have to try to starting on the far side and trying to site down the saw better. I probably need to factor in more waste that will need to be trimmed square once the parts and pieces are laminated.

Sometimes it can be frustrating learning a fun new hobby.

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Let me throw my two Yen into this discussion. :)

I'm a full-time woodcrafter with more than 45 years experience in Japanese arts, crafts and culture (I have Black Belts in Goju-ryu Karate and Okinawan Kobudo weapons). I've had many teachers and mentors over the years in Asian woodworking techniques, including those from Japan, China, Switzerland, Germany and the USA. Here are a few tips on using a Japanese-style saw:

1. Layout your cut lines carefully, on three sides if possible. I make my lines with a knife and score the lines deeply to incise the top fibers to prevent tear-out and chipping. I usually cut a small starting notch on the edge where I will begin sawing.

2. Always cut to the line, never on the line. Make your cuts on the sacrificial side of the line.

3. Try using a mirror on the backside of the wood when cutting. It will help you stay on track.

4. Precisely starting your cut is the most critical part of the task. Don't be afraid to use any kind of device that will keep your blade square and steady. I like to use a little piece of 1" x 1" hardwood stock as a guide when I need to. This is a long standing Japanese tradition. There's a current misconception that hand-tool users shouldn't use saw-guides, miter-boxes, fences and sleds like our power tool brethren. Phooey. :)

5. Since you are cutting multiple boards to the same length, consider making stop cuts just like you would with a miter-box, chop-saw, table saw or band-saw. Use a sacrificial board that is equal to or wider than the boards you wish to cut. Clamp a stop-block in a position that is equal to the length of the board you wish to cut, when measured from the stop-block to the end. Lay the board you wish to cut on top of the cutting board and butt it against the stop-block. Use the end of the cutting board to precisely guide your saw. You can even place the cutting guide board on top of your work piece if it will help.

Blessings,

Bro. Tenzin

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