so the story so far: i bought a fein multimaster…love the tool…hate the cost of cutting blades. tipped off that one can make their own blades by cutting up old handsaws.
i asked “does anybody use handsaws anymore?”
oops, i did it again.
several posters responded that they still use handsaws on a weekly basis.
some were upset that i would consider cutting up a hand tool to augment a power tool… piffen threatened to shoot me.
the question: Are handsaws/hacksaws becoming obsolete? when was the last time you used one?
toolman65
Replies
I have a lot of old ones I never use, garage sales are a good place to find. The only handsaw I keep is a stanley toolbox saw. It has a short blade.
two days ago.
I've got 5 corded skill saws
one 10" skill saw
one cordless skill saw
two jig saws
Bosch fine cut
two sawzalls
as well as my big saws.
one of my favourite uses for my handsaw is zipping through sona tubes when cutting to lengh. And although other power tools do the job, I like using it for finishing the cuts when cutting my stair stringers.
Edited 7/30/2008 12:46 pm by alrightythen
Are handsaws/hacksaws becoming obsolete? when was the last time you used one?
I have a shorty finish saw in my pail which I use fairly often but I haven't used a real handsaw for any serious work in years.
I became quite proficient with a cross cut saw, using the Disston D-8 26" eight point, during my early years in carpentry on jobs where electricity wasn't available.
Imagine cutting doug fir 2X12s to length with a handsaw, one after the other. Or 2X8 rafters. That'll teach you how to get a cut started straight and going straight. It'll also earn you some shoulder muscle.
I still have two D-8s, one skewback from way back, which is never far from my saw horses, even if it doesn't get picked up very often.
Yes, there are faster and more efficient ways to cut wood but there isn't any better way to learn about and appreciate it's real nature.
Edited 7/30/2008 2:49 pm by Hudson Valley Carpenter
Used my one of my japanese handsaws yesterday and will probably use it again later today. It is quieter, cleaner and less hassle to use it for 4 or 5 cuts than to get the skillsaw, the cord, the headphones... . I often make awkward cuts with it that would otherwise have to be done with the multimaster (or chisel....ugh).
I still like using a handsaw, partly for the expression I get from people at how easily a sharp saw will go thru lumber.
I carry a 5-1/2 pt. rip saw, and 8 pt. and 12 pt. crosscut saws in my van. I have to admit, the rip hasn't been used in several years. But the crosscuts have.
Tomorrow I'm building some deck stairs. I'll use the 8 pt. to finish the notches on the strings.
I still like using a handsaw, partly for the expression I get from people at how easily a sharp saw will go thru lumber
Exactly my feelings. Also, I have a small pull saw for sawing of tail end of shims...too thick to zip with razor blade.You get out of life what you put into it......minus taxes.
Marv
So-
you just want to come and see a hand saw in action tomorrow? LOL
When was the last time I used one? Yesterday, today.....I have lots of gear available, from $20,000 sliding table saws down.....sometimes, the tool for the job is a simple handtool, if you know how to use it. That's one of the simple joys of doing this....I'm not giving it up. In fact, I'm teaching it to my eight year old daughter.
Cabinetmaker/college woodworking instructor. Cape Breton, Nova Scotia.
Being able to cut straight and square, while holding the board in place teaches an awful lot to a young one about how to use their body
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
Thanks for the tutorial on stringers.
I actually do use a handsaw fairly often, but not for repetitive or accurate cuts. Here's the saw I use. It works surprisingly well for an inexpensive saw.
View Image
I have one of those.
But the purist in me has a problem using a saw that looks like a toy. LOL. Its at least got to have a wood handle that I can shape a little.
BTW, I didn't quite get done today. I felt like I was working in slow motion. I think the heat got to me yesterday, 'cause I went to bed about 8:30 last night, and slept until 7AM.
Either that, or there was something in those milk shakes <G>
pif never threatens...
it was more akin to "this is what will happen"....
still useing hand saws and hacksaws...
Monday and Tuesday for the handsaw...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming
WOW!!! What a Ride!
Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
I allways have a small handsaw in my toy box and an eight tpi in my truck. It is quite amazing how often they get used........
Hacksaws I don't like so much but I will allways have a minigrinder around.
On a hill by the harbour
Perhaps I'm just a moron, but I find doing complicated cuts (like notching a 2x) far easier, quicker, and better with a hand saw. Of course, I'm not building a house so the quicker part is suspect, but for me at least, if I'm not using my SCMS, I'm using my hand saw. I picked up a nice Japanese made pull saw from Irwin that works surprising well, it replaced a 10 year old Stanley toolbox saw that someone tried to saw through a nail with...
I think they're a cheap and really handy edition to a toolbox.
Z
I think maybe we should distinguish shorty saws of either the Jap or Stanley variety and full-sized handsaws. I have a couple of shorty saws I use with some regularity (considering how irregular my wood butchery is), but I haven't touched the full-sized handsaw hanging in the garage in probably 6-8 years.
It is an ironic habit of human beings to run faster when we have lost our way. --Rollo May
I do a lot of resoration of windows and other detail oriented wood working, and a few saws like the Silky Woodboy and other Japanese style pull saws are a staple for me, I can pare and surface with a Silky Gomboy in a pinch. I have jig saw blades that I have handled and use for tight work in cleaning paint from carvings.
In muntins and mullions I employ a coping saw often.
In Lutherie I clean old fret slots with an X-acto brand "Razor saw" or other dovetail type saws that I have set to the fret slot width.. succh as .020, .022. and .024.
In my van I carry a 5.5 tpi diston rip saw, and a short box kobalt western style saws.
So yup..I use more than most folks from what I gather.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations
You gonna play that thing?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32Ln-SpJsy0
yesterday - just a few cuts it's easier than plugging something in.
Neighbor was in the basement this weekend, saw a pile of handsaws (40 or so) stuck up between joists and wondered what so many were needed for - each it's own purpose.
View Image
Edited 7/30/2008 2:49 pm ET by junkhound
Just for reference, a few saws, these are spares that were between the basement joists, about 30 more 'working saws' are in the trucks and hanging on pegs in different barns/sheds for as-needed use.
Did throw my favorite, a 196 Disston decking saw (flat in back by the one hand loggers saw) onto the pile.
I have about a dozen old handsaws, mostly Disstons but also a couple Simmons Keen Kutters and one Simonds. Most of them are probably 50-75 years old. A couple of them were handed down from my dad, but I go to a lot of old car swap meets and for some reason there's usually someone there with a nice saw or two mixed in with the piles of beat up car parts. I usually get them for less than $5.00.
I have several in the trailer. All hand-made Japanese pull saws. I use them mostly for stair work. I can tell you that the difference between a good saw poor one is night & day. For cutting balusters, cove molding, etc. much faster than running to the chop saw.
Do you make your own handles, or are they hand made by someone else? What blades do you prefer?
Edited 7/30/2008 10:33 pm ET by sisyphus
All the saws I have came with handles. They are from Hida tools. Most are Mitsukawa, beware as they make various quality levels. I do not like Chuyemon, in my view they are over hardened. I have only broken one saw in my life & it was a Chuyemon. I kept buying more thinking it was me, but I have broked 3 of those & no others. A hand-made saw will cut so fast & straight it is hard to belive & with only the weight of the saw.
Did throw my favorite, a 196 Disston decking saw (flat in back by the one hand loggers saw) onto the pile.
If your walls are full of shelving, cabinets, or bigger tools, use the ceiling as a place to hang your old saws.
View Image
View Image
Bill
Nice display.
Of course I still use handsaws! Stair stringers, obviously. Also, how am I going to finish cuts on the bigger glulams, posts, and beams? And don't say sawzall, because a full-size handsaw is faster and more accurate. JMHO.
Hey, lookadat !!Junkhound has a bowling alley in his basement, just like Bill Gates !;o)
Click here for access to the Woodshed Tavern
No one here has a better forum moniker then you do, it identifies you alone without identifying you personally and it's accurate. The best of both worlds I think.
i carry a silky handsaw around in my tool bag. super handy...
http://www.silkysaws.com/
I have a few hand saws, and use them when the mood strikes me. But I have a hell of a time finding handle screws. Anyone have a source for them?
I love cats...They taste like chicken.
Ron: I get mine off garage sale saws that are worthless otherwise - How many you need - e-mail me your new address.
junkhound,
I see at least one 5 pt Disston rip saw in your pile identical to mine.
It used to live in the toolbox, but never got used, so I replaced it with a 12 pt.
Now, I carry and frequently use the 12, an 8, a coping saw, a drywall saw, a curved blade saw I made for clapboard work and a recip saw blade holder or two.
Ron
They are called Sex nuts, no kiddin'...try McMaster-Carr.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations
You gonna play that thing?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32Ln-SpJsy0
Sex nuts ???Well, you oughta know.(-:
If you break anything down into its subatomic particles, what *isn't* natural? Cheese Whiz?
Ives Nuts, Bolts & Washers
Sex Nuts & Bolts Diameter: 1/2 Long: 1-9/16 5/16-18 Thread... More Package Type: 4 SKU: SP4 ... Ives Sex Nuts & Bolts - US32D - Satin Stainless by Ives ...shopping.msn.com/results/nuts-bolts/bcatid6381/<!---->ives/2-4512378/forsale?text=category:nuts-bolts+Brand:Ives - 77k - <!---->Cached - Similar pages<!---->Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations
You gonna play that thing?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32Ln-SpJsy0
Now I dare you to walk into the local hardware store, saunter up to the counter and tell the gang there in your John Wayne drawl, "Howdy, Ahm Lookin' for some sex, nuts"
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
I thought it was sex bolts. Nuts to you(;-)
What good's a sex bolt without a sex nut? I wunder if they sell sex screws? Or sex nails? Or sex rivits? Or sex glue?Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations
You gonna play that thing?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32Ln-SpJsy0
I'm probably the oddball here as I do on-site furniture repair. I have a couple of Japanese-style pull-saws in my travel kit and use a flush cutting saw in the shop. Like others say, by the time I run back to the van, pull it out, grab the extension cord and workbench (milk crate) and clean up the dust, I'm done with a handsaw.
But they can have my Unisaw when they pull it from my cold, dead fingers. Sometimes I use a miter saw or miter box.
I carry a Stanley short toolbox 15tpi in my day to day bucket. I have 3 Japanese cc-rip saw in various states of repair in my van, and my hacksaw hangs on the same hook with my two coping saws. I use these almost daily, especially when I trim.
In my garage-workshop I have probably 15 old saws of various sorts, including rip, cross cuts, a gent saw & a duzoki for dovetails, a couple back saws, and two giant 32" back saws one which came when I bought my first miter box, a Millers Falls cast iron base, cost over $200 in the 70's. I still have it. The rip saws are beautiful Dissiton sway backs complete with the thumb holes. I had them recut and set. I don't really use them anymore, but I do pull them down from time to time to rip & remember.
I can't imagine being a carpenter and not using handsaws.
I use a jap saw and a coping saw regularly, I also keep a and saw in the truck for making a few cuts that don't warrant getting out the cords and stuff. They are not quite obsolete IMHO
"it aint the work I mind,
It's the feeling of falling further behind."
Bozini Latini
http://www.ingrainedwoodworking.com
Maybe it's because they are used to being able to change blades on power tools, but for whatever the reason, every time I turn around someone has taken my handsaw and torn a couple of teeth out of it. Nails, bushes, rocks - I don't think most younger people have had much experience with them. They remember them as junk saws that their Dad didn't mind them playing with. I've pretty much given in and started using them that way myself.
I used a hacksaw today when the battery in my sawsall died.
I have small folding Japanese pull saws that work great. Fit right in your pocket.
I don't think I've seen my handsaw in more than ten years. Haven't really needed one in more than 25 years. Bob's next test date: 12/10/07
Are you happy to see me, or is that a Japanese Pull-saw in your pocket?
LOL, I'm gonna spank you!
;)
I only promised to shoot you if you looked at cutting up MY hand saws! You are welcome to part out your own anytime.
Welcome to the
Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime.
where ...
Excellence is its own reward!
All of my Dad's saws are hanging in the basement.
I stopped using them when I discovered how sharp the Sandvik hard points remained even with jobsite abuse. I think an 8pt was about $12 and would last a couple of years on wood. Then I'd shorten them with a grinder and use for sheetrock.
Now I use shorty saws or a folding dozuki nearly everyday. As someone else mentioned, why walk for power when you can run through with a handsaw?
"Perfect is the enemy of Good." Morrison
i carry a rip and a trim at all times. these are a little big but i have big GUNS
Building my last house ... I used them on several occasions. There is ALWAYS a time and place for everything ... period. I'm using my grandfathers saws he acquired back in the 40's.
"There is ALWAYS a time and place for everything"
Exactly. None of our helpers and most of our lead men understand that it's way more efficiant to pull out a handsaw to hack a piece off a 2x4 then it is to drag cords out find an outlet plug it up and hack it off. Outside outlets on commercial buildings are rare in some places.
Same thing with cordless drills. I can't stand it when a guy stops what he's doing goes all the way to the truck digs out the drill comes back in and uses it to trake off a a cover. Take the screw driver out of your pocket and use it.
I'm moving to the country, I'm gonna eat a lot of Peaches. Aug. 8,9,10th Follow me.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19McuaPKjI8
"Outside outlets on commercial buildings are rare in some places."Wouldn't you have a generator readily available if you were working in an area without outlets? Bob's next test date: 12/10/07
No Never pack one. There's outlets available most of the time. You might have to stretch a hundred foot cord out to get to it though.
I'm moving to the country, I'm gonna eat a lot of Peaches. Aug. 8,9,10th Follow me.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19McuaPKjI8
33 years as a carp, and I've never owned a generator. But I rarely work new construction, either.
I do sometimes work where power isn't readily available, like homes with no outside outlets and the HO isn't around. Then I use cordless tools, or hand tools. It's really not that big a deal on small jobs.
"It's really not that big a deal on small jobs."Any job that is going to take more than 15 minutes would qualify as a "big job" to me. The first thing out of the truck is the cord, then the power tools, then the generator if needed. That same thought process applies to nailguns and staplers. I understand that some things are easily cut without power tools and air but it makes no sense at all to start a workday with a handsaw only to pull out the power tools later when "the bigger work" starts. I've seen many guys try to start a day like that. Bob's next test date: 12/10/07
You've made a good point. Having to pull out more tools later was a trap that I often used to succumb to. New construction or all day jobs etc. were not a problem but the little "do just one thing" inside someones place was. " No need to haul three tool boxes out of the truck all I need is ... ." Then back to the truck to get... and then back to get... and then back to haul everything out . Older and possibly wiser now I usually just haul it all out at the beginning but the sirens call to "do it the easy way" still is seductive.
It keeps coming back to the same essential point. The most usefull tool set depends on the type of job and the skills of the user. For 20 years I did everything but sleep with my circular saw and now it is a tool which I almost never touch. Naturally if I start framing again it will become, perhaps modified ; ), an essential tool.
Wednesday I cut six pieces of 1X4 and used the handsaw. Thursday, same basement, I cut one 2X4 with the power miter saw and set off the interconnected smokes throughout the building. OOPS!
Now I'm covering one of the alarms before using the power tools but, of course, that means I have to remember to uncover it before I leave. As you say, there is always a time and place for everything.
If you only have to make six 1x4 cuts in a day, that equates to thirty seconds of work. That doesn't even qualify for a small job. I wouldn't walk to the truck for power equipment either but I'd probably have to drive to a store to buy a handsaw. Bob's next test date: 12/10/07