new handsaw from Glen Drake

[Phil Sewell]

Might be of interest to hand tool enthusiasts.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tq8IF5A7ruc

 

[Scouse]

It's a convincing presentation, and timely since I was considering buying a Japanese pull saw for dovetails; not that I am unhappy with my western saw, just for the fun of it.

In contrast to the persuasive argument put forward in the video, a quick google around the various fora has suggested that Japanese saws have no problem with hard woods (oak being a common wood used in Japan) and seldom lose teeth, other than by the application of bad technique.

I wonder if Glen Drake have created a solution and are busy trying to manufacture (and market) a problem; a criticism which could be leveled at a couple of their offerings...

 

[bugbear]

Japanese saws are made with various teeth configurations, just like western saws. It's not difficult to imagine
that a Japanese saw that is poorly matched to the task at hand would not work well.

BugBear

 

[Phil Pascoe]

One observation, at about 4m15 he says that the western grip makes your body rigid - I thought that was an advantage, because the locking of the wrist kept the saw on line.

 

[MIGNAL]

It only makes your body tense if you allow it. There simply isn't anything odd or ergonomically unsound about either the Japanese or the western grip. Fingers simply aren't stuck out at various odd angles that could induce any tension. Allowing your body to become tense or rigid is probably a result of people thinking that the saw needs a huge amount of downward force for it to cut effectively. It's more of a mental problem and/or a blunt saw. Good sharp saw, the right attitude and you should end up with a relaxed attitude to sawing, be it either a Western or a Japanese saw. Both saws simply need guiding, that takes very little effort.

 

[Cheshirechappie]

It only makes your body tense if you allow it. There simply isn't anything odd or ergonomically unsound about either the Japanese or the western grip. Fingers simply aren't stuck out at various odd angles that could induce any tension. Allowing your body to become tense or rigid is probably a result of people thinking that the saw needs a huge amount of downward force for it to cut effectively. It's more of a mental problem and/or a blunt saw. Good sharp saw, the right attitude and you should end up with a relaxed attitude to sawing, be it either a Western or a Japanese saw. Both saws simply need guiding, that takes very little effort.

+1 to this. If you're holding a western saw properly, your hand grip is very relaxed, and your shoulder and elbow are pivotting freely. Any rigidity is in stance, so that you are holding the work and body position still (feet braced apart, off-hand firm on the work) thus making yourself into a sort of 'tripod' allowing the free swing of the sawing arm to guide the saw true, and not flap about as it would if you were not braced. Being braced does not mean being tense, just firm but relaxed. The same would apply if using a Japanese saw, tough I suspect the body position may be different.

Problems start to arise if you start to force a blunt saw - the solution is obvious.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I was thinking more of the wrist and forearm than the rest of the body - I didn't word that very well.

 

[MIGNAL]

Nope. Pistol grip still doesn't 'lock' the wrist or the rest of the arm. The index finger pointing down the saw back helps to keep everything in line but that's not the same as being rigid, tense or 'locking'. I honestly think that this is a solution looking for a problem.

 

[sdjp]

I'm unconvinced by his argument for 'replaceable blades'. The power saw has a significant motor, which would be expensive and bulky to replicate. On the other hand, for a hand saw, we're just talking about a handle. They are not expensive nor large - just like file handles, where one _could_ use the same handle for many files, but why would you want to do that?

On the other hand, the tooth geometry idea, with the untoothed runners at the start and end is … interesting. I can see it working they way he suggests (I can also see it _not_ working that way), but I'd have to try it to get an idea if it's useful in practice or not. Given that saws only cut in one direction, I wonder now much effect the runner at the end of the stroke is having - it might well not be very distinct from a progressively toothed saw with a front runner only, in practice.