thomashenry
Established Member
Chrispy":3uhu4o2t said:
Cheers mate - I'll see how the 3rd attempt from the wood yard goes - but for the future, thanks for the offer.
Newbie buying machined timber - unreasonable expectations?
- Thread starter thomashenry
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Cheers mate - I'll see how the 3rd attempt from the wood yard goes - but for the future, thanks for the offer.
undergroundhunter
Established Member
thomashenry":21zcoaub said:
Why do you "need" a mitre saw to cut to length? Just buy one of these http://www.diy.com/departments/spear-jackson-panel-saw-l22/152627_BQ.prd much cheaper, quieter and safer (better for your lungs). Also you would have to faf about setting up the saw to cut square in both planes (in my limited experience they are never right out of the box), by the time you have done that you could have it all done and fitted.
Matt
thomashenry
Established Member
undergroundhunter":2ks3ihyf said:
What jig do you use to cut square with a handsaw?
Im an amateur like yourself. This has helped me in the past. Clamp a bit of timber taller than it is wide flush to your cutting line. 4x2 for example. Make sure it's square!
Take a sharp chisel and bevel out. ie. flat side toward your non cut side, give it a little bit of a tap.Turn your chisel over and gently pare away the waste side. easy now. Just a touch. Now you have your notch. Draw your saw a few times keeping the body against the clamped timber. Pay attention to keeping your body and feet in alignment with the most easy stroke. Relax, measure your breaths and take your time. Let the weight of the saw do the work, never force it. Extend your fore or index finger along the axis of the saw, draw the saw. relax! keep going. nearly there! support the work when you're nearly through.
Now practice 600 times.
You're the target of my first ever woodworking advice lol.
Sometimes there's no shortcuts. You gotta learn how to do it by doing it.
(still learning here if thats any comfort)
cheers
Chris
Take a sharp chisel and bevel out. ie. flat side toward your non cut side, give it a little bit of a tap.Turn your chisel over and gently pare away the waste side. easy now. Just a touch. Now you have your notch. Draw your saw a few times keeping the body against the clamped timber. Pay attention to keeping your body and feet in alignment with the most easy stroke. Relax, measure your breaths and take your time. Let the weight of the saw do the work, never force it. Extend your fore or index finger along the axis of the saw, draw the saw. relax! keep going. nearly there! support the work when you're nearly through.
Now practice 600 times.
You're the target of my first ever woodworking advice lol.
Sometimes there's no shortcuts. You gotta learn how to do it by doing it.
(still learning here if thats any comfort)
cheers
Chris
thomashenry
Established Member
JSW":792h6e3b said:
hahah! No chance of me ever making freehand crosscuts to anything like the accuracy I need!
Really? A little practice and you would be surprised I think.thomashenry":1twmqvov said:
Knock up a shooting board and cut a little wide of your line then plane it square and to length. A lot cheaper than a mitre saw and just as quick.
Many people don't realise the importance of making sure their bench is dead level in all planes. If your bench is dead level, your vice should be perpendicular - which means that when your eyes and brain tell you that you're cutting or planing something square - you probably are. 
undergroundhunter
Established Member
thomashenry":2jwypwgz said:
It really isn't that hard, just takes a small investment of time to learn but once you've learnt its there forever. Don't get me wrong mite saws are great if your studding walls or making hundreds of cuts a day, for me a handsaw would win every time (its good exercise as well).
Matt
thomashenry":1z48r2u1 said:
Just get a scrap of 3x2, cramp it in your vice/workmate/whatever, pencil line on the face and edge that you can see with a combination square, adopt a good, sure footed stance, then draw BACK the saw along the furthest corner to get the blade started in the wood, and off you go. 5mm or so in you'll be able to see where you're deviating from the line, and still have chance to correct. Once done repeat a half dozen times till you get the feel for what is right for you, and what will cut the wood square. Done. Best 15 minutes spent in the workshop this year, now you can cut straight.
RobinBHM
Established Member
Whilst it is good to learn how cut straight, a handsawn cut is never going to be good enough for a butt joint on a front frame. It could be made clean enough with a shooting board. For non purists a chop saw is a clear winner and has the advantage of being able to do trimming cuts of 1/2mm or so, not something that is possible with a handsaw.
thomashenry
Established Member
Obviously with practice one can improve - but I don't think I will ever be able to freehand saw cross cuts as accurately as a well calibrated table saw sled or mitre saw (be it a hand jig or powered one)
