Popular Woodworking 2003-10 № 136, страница 77
This $18 Disston #4 backsaw cuts incredibly well now that it has been properly sharpened.The handle on vintage Western saws will fit your hand like a glove. Later handles are uncomfortable to use and look crude by comparison. Western Saw Tips Once sharpened, a Western saw is easier to use than you might think. Here are a few tips: • Though it sounds obvious, use a rip saw for rip cuts, such as dovetailing. Some dovetail saws are filed for crosscut. They work Japanese Crosscut Teeth • Note the long slender teeth and three bevels filed on each tooth.The tips are discolored from impulse-hardening. Western Crosscut Teeth • You can see the simpler secondary bevels (called the "fleam") filed on every other tooth. OK, but not as well as a rip saw. • Let the saw do the work. Don't use a lot of downward pressure on the kerf - this is surely the No. 1 problem faced by beginners. The saw will wander and you'll never cut straight. • Don't clench the handle tightly. Hold the saw with just enough pressure to keep it under control. And use only three fingers - your index finger should point down the blade. Worst of Both Worlds? All this has to make you wonder why someone hasn't built a saw that merges the best qualities of both traditions. Well, a few companies have tried, though nothing has been able to challenge the dominance of the pure Japanese-style saw. And the reason might be illustrated by the experience of one veteran woodworker. A few years ago, Blackburn was poking around a flea market and discovered a beautiful old Spear & Jackson backsaw. The saw had a perfectly shaped handle, much like the one on the outstanding Lie-Nielsen dovetail saw. But the blade of this Spear & Jackson was horribly bent. So Blackburn hung it on his wall. "I take issue with Japanese saws being easier to use for beginners. I think it's just the opposite. A sharp and tuned Western saw is much easier to learn to use." — Thomas Lie-Nielsen, Lie-Nielsen Toolworks One day a friend noticed the saw and offered to send it to Japan to see if they could straighten it out. Blackburn agreed. The saw came back a few months later straight as an arrow but with one major and shocking change. They had filed Japanese-style teeth on the blade. Trying to keep an open mind, Blackburn gave it a try. "It cuts well," he says, "but it feels wrong to me. So it still hangs on the wall." Chalk it up to this: When it comes to traditional hand-tool skills, it's hard to defy tradition. Now you just have to decide which tradition is best for you. PW SAW SOURCES Adria Woodworking Tools 604-710-5748 or adriatools.com • Premium Western joinery saws BlackburnBooks.com • Books and videos on traditional Western woodworking DisstonianInstitute.com • Detailed information on Disstons EuropeanHandTools.com 888-222-8331 • E. Garlick and Lynx saws Geoffrey Killen's Egyptian Site geocities.com/gpkillen/ • Information on Egyptian woodworking tools and furniture Hida Tool 800-443-5512 or hidatool.com • Range of Japanese saws Japan Woodworker 800-537-7820 or japanwoodworker.com • Full range of Japanese saws and some Western saws JapaneseTools.com 877-692-3684 • Range of Japanese tools, including some hard-to-find types Lee Valley Tools 800-871-8158 or leevalley.com • Impulse-hardened Japanese saws • Wide range of Western saws Lie-Nielsen Toolworks 800-327-2520 or lie-nielsen.com • Premium Western joinery saws Tashiro Hardware 206-328-7641 or tashirohardware.com • Impulse-hardened Japanese saws Tom Law 301-824-5223 or 62 W. Water St., Smithsburg, Md.21783 • Western saw sharpening VintageSaws.com • Restored vintage Western handsaws and sharpening supplies Woodcraft Supply Corp. 800-225-1153 or woodcraft.com • Impulse-hardened Japanese saws and some Western saws popwood.com 77 |
