I was cutting up a log with a regular hand saw, and noticed how nicely the saw cut early in the cut. Later in the cut it was still cutting ok, but just not as nicely. The saw is a patinaed brown, and has been that way ever since I got it.
So my question is this: would it be worth polishing the saw? In a normal cut the blade contacts the side of the wood. Would this cause significant enough drag to make polishing worthwhile?
Puckdropper
Stick it in the kerf upside down and see if you can feel any drag when you move it back and forth. If you can't then polishing won't help, if you can then it's worth a try. Also wax the blade.
But the kerf should be wider than the blade if the teeth are set right.
I would say it could not hurt. The less friction the less effort you need.
Just to all a bit more, when the cut degrades try spraying a lube on the saw and see if that helps. If so, polishing should also help.
Puckdropper wrote in news:561f1fb9$0$7341$c3e8da3$ snipped-for-privacy@news.astraweb.com:
That does not sound "normal" to me. As J Clarke said, the kerf should be wide enough to provide clearance for the blade. I would suspect one of three things:
- The set on the saw is insufficient.
- The set is uneven, forcing you to slightly twist the saw to maintain a straight cut.
- Tension in the wood is closing the kerf as you cut.
Since this is a log, the latter seems likely. The usual fix for that is to stick a wedge in the kerf to hold it open while you cut.
John
- Gullet between the teeth may not be big enough (and/or need fewer teeth p er inch) to remove the sawdust effectively. Sawdust, inside the kerf cut, may be jamming the saw blade. Widening the tooth angle would help with sh allow gullet.
- Inside the log may be damp, hence the wood is not being "shaved" cleanly, allowing for extending wood fibers to "jam" the blade.
Log! How big is the log? I wouldn't consider anything less than 6" diam . a log. Anything of large diameters/dimensions would impede a typical han dsaw's normal (maybe) effectiveness of removing the loose sawdust effective ly.
Lengthen your saw stroke, so that your stroke length is at least twice the diameter of the log, see if that helps, making sure (most of) the sawdust f alls free from the saw's teeth, on each stroke. If sawdust collects, clogs the teeth, the wood may be damp or resinous, to some extent.
Don't apply too much pressure on the cutting stroke. You want the saw to cut, not shred the wood. Let the saw do the cutting, not the pressure to force any "tearing" of (some of) the fibers.
Sonny
I'd try paste wax on the saw for a starter... it will get polished smooth all by itself if you do enough of this cutting.
If the log is green you may need a saw with larger gullets (and fewer tpi) to carry/clear the swarf... Also make sure that you take long strokes to clear the swarf as if the gullets are filling up and not cleared due to short stroking they will hinder the saw's progress.
Wedging the kerf may help on a large log but you need to be cut deep enough to clear the back of the saw for that to work... I often wedge the kerfs when bucking trees with a chainsaw as the tension/compression can do unhelpful things to the kerf.
A couple of more things. Is the wood wet? if so, this maybe hydraulic drag. Are the teeth BIG, when you start a cut, there is not much chip to remove, as you go further in, the chip is not clearing as easily as the log gets wider. So you might not be clearing the chips and they may be building up and slowing your stroke since you are moving the chips back and forth. So is the gullet big and do you have fewer teeth. A regular hand saw is not meant to cut logs, look at the teeth on a saw that is meant, they were big teeth with big gullets and few of each.
Exactly.
A rip saw has little kerf. A cross cut saw has a extra wide kerf.
Mart> >>
smoother oiled saw is what i always thought was best
wax is bad with wet wood
and as usual it always depends on the wood species and the age of the lumber
and as mentioned internal stresses can wreak havoc
Oil is bad with any wood as it can interfere with subsequent finish. Ok for firewood, but don't oil your sawblade when cutting project lumber.
As several have pointed out, the set of the saw is the most important factor.
Why would it be any worse that no wax?
"Mike Marlow" wrote in news:mvr9ji$qr8$ snipped-for-privacy@dont-email.me:
OK, I think this is going a bit overboard. Many finishes _are_ oil - boiled linseed oil being the most notable. And of course many stains and varnishes are oil based.
Beyond that, many woodworkers routinely oil their tools with something like Boeshield, with no problems.
I think avoiding silicone based oils is a good idea, but beyond that I don't think there's huge cause for worry.
John
To bolster this up, I have used oil on the sole of my plane with no problems. I have used wax, mineral oil, and 3 in 1. Suprisingly, none have intefered. I don't use water based finishes much, so most all my finishes are shellac, or shellac + oil, or oil.
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