Crosscutting issue - stuck saw

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tibi

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Hello,

I am now crosscutting some construction fir for making concrete footing forms for my workshop. All those fir boards are cupped. When I crosscut them near the edges, everything works fine, but when I crosscut in the middle of the board the saw gets stuck and it is very difficult to move. It must be wedged. I have placed blocks of wood underneath the board at both ends and near the kerf line from both sides so that the board does not bend in the middle and wedge the saw, but it did not help. The set of the saw must be ok, as it cuts well near the edges of the board. I have tried both 6tpi crosscut saw and 11tpi carcass saw but the results are the same. Both saws are sharp.
I have also made an angle jig with magnets, so that I cut perpendicular and plumb. Magnets does not slow down the saw, as once I remove the jig, saw is still stuck.

I have some more boards to cut, so I would like to ask you for an advice or technique how to support the board so that it does not wedge. My current setup is in the pictures below.

Thank you very much for your advice.

Tibor
IMG_0624.JPG


IMG_0623.JPG
 
You would do better without all those clamps.
It's normal to cross cut on a bench with two bench hooks so the wood is held fairly loosely.
 
Put a shim under the board beneath where you are cutting so it bends slightly upwards, this should open up the kerf.
 
You would do better without all those clamps.
It's normal to cross cut on a bench with two bench hooks so the wood is held fairly loosely.
Thanks Jacob, I did not make the bench hooks yet, so I need to do this without them, as I am in a hurry. But bench hooks are definitely on the to-do list.
 
Put a shim under the board beneath where you are cutting so it bends slightly upwards, this should open up the kerf.
Thank you doug, I did it, it is slightly better, but not as smooth as cutting at the ends. So maybe I have to put up with it.
 
60 years ago I was told to 'let the tool do the work'. With a saw, don't press down, the weight of the saw does that.
Every time I'm in a hurry I press on, the saw jams and twists in the cut. That might match with your 'cuts near the end
but not in the middle' symptoms.
 
Have you thought of investing in a cheap mitre saw, would make life much easier and speed up the process.
I am using mostly handtools, due to space, noise, dust constraints. But I will borrow a power mitre saw for the workshop build from my father, as it will help me a lot.
 
60 years ago I was told to 'let the tool do the work'.
That is so true, and may be why I find Japanese pull saws nice to use. I bet we have all seen the person with the blunt drill bit using excessive force and determined the drill will make a hole even if it burns its way through, glowing red in a cloud of smoke.
 
It has been now resolved. I had very little set on both saws. They were working fine for hardwoods, but as I was cutting softwood, they have bound. I have just bought 28 inch 4TPI rip saw with very wide set, so I gave it a try, even though it is a rip saw and it cut through the boards like through butter. I was afraid to look at the other side of the line, but it was not that bad.
 
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