Saw Basics

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Saw Basics

Magnified backsaw teeth, filed straight across

Rake, fleam and slope: the three angles on a saw tooth

Every saw tooth carries three angles that decide how it starts, how fast it cuts and how clean it leaves the wood. What rake, fleam and slope are, and the numbers I use.

15 Sep 26

Saw Basics

Teeth of a backsaw held in an old Disston No. 2 saw vice on the workshop bench

TPI, PPI and pitch: counting saw teeth

Points per inch and teeth per inch aren't the same number, and pitch is a third way of saying it. How to count the teeth on your own saw and what the number tells you.

12 Sep 26

Saw Basics

Close-up of the teeth on a backsaw plate lying on an oak board

Rip cut vs cross cut: what the difference is

Rip cuts run along the grain, cross cuts run across it, and the teeth that do each job well are filed differently. Why that is, and how to tell which saw you have.

9 Sep 26

Saw Basics

Two Kaz Saw backsaws, a dovetail saw and a carcass saw, resting on a log round

Dovetail, carcass, tenon: which backsaw does what

Dovetail, carcass, tenon, sash, handsaw, panel saw. What separates them, which one you need first, and why I make the ones I do.

7 Sep 26

Saw Basics

Close-up of a Kaz Saw backsaw handle in dark timber with brass split nuts and a brass spine

The parts of a backsaw

Spine, plate, toe, heel, horns, split nuts. A tour of the parts of a backsaw, what each one does, and why it matters when you're choosing or using one.

4 Sep 26