Hacksaw for wood dimensions. How to choose a hacksaw for wood in a manual and electric version and then not regret your choice. Option #1 - narrow
A hacksaw, or as it is also called, a saw on a tree, refers to a tool that should be in every home, and even more so in every dacha. But the choice of a hacksaw for wood is not as simple as it seems further, we will analyze in detail the types of tools, you will learn about the configuration and purpose of various kinds of teeth, we will “walk” through well-known brands, and finally I will tell you what a reciprocating electric wood hacksaw is and how to choose it.
Specifications of the hand tool
A hand saw for wood has several fundamental parameters - steel grade, blade length, blade shape and handle slope, but the most important parameter is the shape and type of tooth, and this characteristic is the same for both manual and electric models.
The quality of domestic hacksaws for wood is in no way inferior to foreign counterparts
Blade length
It all depends on the purpose for which the hacksaw is bought. So if you take a hacksaw to a city apartment and do not plan to work with it all the time, then a folding model with a blade length of 300 - 400 mm is quite enough. For a private house or cottage, you already need a full-size tool with a blade of 500 - 700 mm.
Important! When cutting the workpiece, the length of the blade should be at least twice the thickness of the workpiece, otherwise the sawdust will accumulate inside the cut and the hacksaw will quickly jam.
Folding or small-sized types of hacksaws for wood are suitable for one-time work.
Steel grade for hacksaw
In the recent past, hacksaws were made from HRc45 and HRc50 grades, the metal is of high quality, but the blade requires periodic sharpening. Now all leading manufacturers produce hacksaws with combined blades.
The blade itself is made of HRc45 steel, which provides it with good flexibility and high strength, and the cutting edge with teeth is made of HRc55 or HRc60 steel. You can recognize such hacksaws by the dark cutting edge.
Important! When buying a dark-edged, high-strength steel hacksaw, make sure it is already set and sharpened to a high standard. The fact is that sharpening and wiring by a lover of such metal at home is very problematic, so you will have to pay extra for sharpening the blade.
Hacksaws for wood with a dark cutting edge are of high quality
Choosing a tooth for a hacksaw
Before dealing with tooth configuration, let's talk about markings and tooth sizes. Any types of wood saws are classified according to the same parameters. The marking indicates the number of teeth per 1 inch (1 `` \u003d 25.4 mm) and this indicator is designated as TPI.
TPI indicates the number of teeth per 1 inch of blade
- A fine tooth hacksaw has a TPI of 7 or higher. Moreover, the larger the TPI number, the more accurate and cleaner the cut will be, but at the same time, the speed of work with such a tool drops in proportion to the increase in TPI, in other words, a small tooth cuts accurately, cleanly, but for a long time;
- A hacksaw with a large tooth has a TPI from 1 to 7. A similar tool is designed to work in garden and summer cottages, in other words, a large tooth is taken to cut firewood or cut branches.
The higher the TPI in the marking, the cleaner and smoother the wood cut will be.
There is a common expression “middle tooth”, and so in the documents the TPI value of the middle tooth is not recorded anywhere, but people refer to this direction as hacksaws with TPI from 5 to 8.
Tooth pitch is far from the only parameter when choosing a hacksaw
| Hacksaw tooth diagram | Explanation |
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Made in the form of an isosceles triangle, sharpening is made on both sides. |
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Here the triangle is beveled towards the cut and the cutting edge of the tooth becomes perpendicular to the wood. Sharpening is performed only from the working (perpendicular) side, as a result, the tooth bites into the array like a chisel. It is intended for dissolution of a tree along fibers. |
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An excellent solution if you buy a hacksaw "for all occasions in life." The triangular tooth is slightly beveled towards the cut, while sharpening is performed on both sides of the tooth. As a result, when cutting along the blade, the tooth works like a chisel, and the reverse sharpening also allows you to effectively cut wood across the grain. |
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Such sharpening is sometimes called triangular, but in reality it is not. More often, a dagger tooth is taken as the basis, but sometimes a universal one is also sharpened. The top of the triangle is slightly cut at an angle and additionally sharpened. This approach allows you to work with the tree in any direction and at any angle. |
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Complicated sharpening allows you to do without tooth wiring, but only a professional can do it. The triangular tooth is sharpened on both sides and beveled in the direction of the handle, plus the top is undercut and also sharpened from above. When working with a hacksaw, the cut occurs only while the tool is moving towards the worker. The Japanese were the first to use this technology, so the name was taken from there. |
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Here, several types of tooth are assembled on the canvas at once, but the essence of a wolf's tooth is the presence of gaps between sectors. Such a hacksaw is intended for cutting viscous and damp wood, so it is difficult to find models shorter than half a meter.
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How to choose a hacksaw for wood
Proven manufacturers of hand saws for wood
- "Bison" is a domestic manufacturer with a good reputation. Almost all hacksaws from Zubr come with a hardened set tooth and high-quality sharpening. The company specializes in products with medium and small teeth, but other models are also presented in the line, including those with interchangeable blades;
Models of hacksaws with interchangeable blades are semi-professional tools
- "Gross Piranha"- here we are dealing with combined hacksaws. The main blade in such a tool is made of flexible steel HRc52, and the cutting edge with teeth is made of high-strength hardened iron of the brand HRc66. A special pride of this brand is the line of Piranha models, which additionally has a Teflon coating and laser sharpening of the tooth;
Piranha hacksaws with Teflon coating and laser sharpening are especially durable and easy to move.
- "Stanley General Purpose"- Initially, this brand belongs to the representatives of the French industry, but now they have opened several subsidiaries in Russia, which made it possible to reduce the price without losing the quality of the product. There is also a basic set, that is, a hardened tooth and laser sharpening. The most popular model with a step TPI8;
French hacksaws have been famous for their high quality for more than half a century.
- "Irwin Xpert"- the models of this brand are of high quality, but compared to the saws mentioned above, they are almost 2 times more expensive. Although according to the owners, this tool is worth the money;
Irwin Xpert hacksaws have a special cutting edge configuration that allows you to work equally well with both wet and hard dry wood.
- "Sandvik"– The quality of the Swedish instrument has been famous for several hundred years. "Sandvik" is the old name of the well-known Bahco brand. In our market, the Swedes have created a joint venture and produce high-quality hacksaws under the name "Mother-in-law". There is no priority for certain models, all tools from this brand are of high quality.
Swedish hacksaws produced under the domestic brand "Tescha" are famous for their excellent quality
What is a reciprocating saw and how to choose one
Now let's figure out how to choose an electric saw for wood, in the language of professionals, such a tool is called a reciprocating saw. Compared to a hand tool, the selection criteria here are slightly different. So, in addition to the reciprocating motion, the reciprocating saw also has a pendulum motion.
For trimming trees with a reciprocating saw, the tool has a pendulum mode of operation
The oscillations of the web according to the principle of the pendulum allow you to work much more efficiently, for example, when pruning trees or other rough work. And the standard mode is good for dissolving sheets of different densities.
In this case, the question of which wood saw will be better is not entirely correct, because in reciprocating saws the effectiveness of the tool depends on the correct choice of blade. There are blades designed to work on wood, metal, stone, drywall, etc.
Each reciprocating saw blade is designed to work with a specific material.
But the choice of a reciprocating saw does not end only with the purchase of a high-quality blade for the appropriate material, there are still a number of subtleties:
- I, like most craftsmen in this field, believe that buying an electric saw with a power of up to 600 watts is simply money wasted. With it, you can cut branches up to 20 mm in diameter and no more. From 600 W to 1 kW is suitable for diverse country work, and a tool with a power of 1.2 kW or more is already semi-professional and can effectively cut any materials;
- It is advisable to choose a model where a special key is not needed to change the canvas;
- It is better to take a tool with a cut depth limiter, which, by the way, can also be adjusted with a key and without a key, respectively, the second type of hacksaw is more convenient;
- Pay attention to the head holding the blade. There are universal models into which any canvas is inserted, and there are heads “sharpened” only for branded canvases of this manufacturer. It’s not a fact that the store will have the right model of a branded canvas, so take a station wagon;
- Theoretically, all reciprocating saws have the ability to turn off the pendulum stroke, but when buying, it is advisable to check how adequately this option works;
- A reciprocating saw with a stroke speed regulator will greatly expand your possibilities in work, and it is desirable that this regulator has a fine-tuning function;
- Another useful feature is the ability to rotate the blade at different angles, this option is especially useful when working on the ceiling and in hard-to-reach, tight spaces;
A reciprocating saw with a battery, compared to network models, has less power, but it is more convenient to work with it.
Conclusion
Based on the above recommendations and the video in this article, a competent choice of a wood saw will become much easier for you and keep in mind that wasted money is not the worst thing, a low-quality tool will take a lot of time and effort, and most importantly, such hacksaws can be dangerous. If there is a desire to add something to what has been said or if you have any questions, welcome to the comments, we will talk.
Take away the saws from mankind and progress will stop. This statement is not a joke. Without a tool capable of cutting wood and metal, concrete and stone, the functioning of industrial enterprises and other areas of commodity production is impossible.
In the household, too, it is not possible to do without saws. Every man has at least one hacksaw, and a good craftsman can find a whole arsenal of “toothy helpers”.
We will look at the most common types of saws to get an idea of their working capabilities and application features.
It all started with a simple hacksaw
It is this saw that is the ancestor of the family of hand tools designed for woodworking. As soon as the first ingot of iron was smelted, a person had the idea to forge a tool for cultivating the earth from it.
It can be assumed that the ax became the second after the hoe. The third was probably a saw with a handle, known to us today as a hacksaw. Over the centuries that have passed since its invention, she has acquired numerous "brothers and sisters" who perform dozens of different jobs.
The accepted classification divides this type of hand saws into two groups:
- Hacksaws for wood;
- Hacksaws for metal.
Depending on the cutting direction, hand saws for wood are divided into three categories:
- For ripping cutting;
- For cross cutting;
- Universal (longitudinal-transverse).
The difference between them is in the shape of the cutting teeth: on a rip saw they are inclined forward, while on a crosscut saw they are straight.
The universal hacksaw tooth is also inclined forward, but has a special sharpening. It allows you to cut along and across the fibers.
By appointment, hand saws are divided into several types:
- Classic hacksaws (transverse or longitudinal cutting);
- Circular saws (for cutting holes);
- Spike saws (for cutting connecting spikes).
When choosing a hand saw, an important role is played not only by the shape, but also by the size of the teeth.
There are three types of incisors:
- Small tooth - 2.0-2.5 mm (for high-precision sawing and cutting of small products);
- Medium tooth - 3.0-3.5 mm (for medium-sized parts);
- Large tooth - 4.0-6.0 mm (for rough cutting of timber and logs).
The international classification divides hacksaws not by the height of the teeth, but by their number per 1 inch of the cutting blade. This standard has taken root with us, so do not be surprised if you see the letters PPI or TPI on the tool label. The number behind them is the number of teeth per inch of length. The larger it is, the smaller the tooth (eg PPI 8 or TPI 14).
Today on the market you can see a modernized look of hacksaws. They are easy to distinguish by the gaps cut in the canvas. As a result, the teeth are arranged in groups of 6-7 pieces.
This tool is designed for cutting raw wood. The gaps between the teeth are needed so that wet chips do not clog the cut and are easily removed during operation.
In addition to the usual hand saws, users today are offered an electrified version of the tool. A powerful electric saw can easily handle a large amount of lumber cutting work without tiring the owner too much.
The versatility of its application is achieved due to the configuration of saws with different lengths and widths of the blade and the size of the teeth. This allows you to successfully work not only on wood, but also on plastic and metal. Another name for this tool is a reciprocating saw.
The main parameter characterizing the capabilities of electric cutters is power. It is in the range from 400 to 1600 watts. The depth of cut directly depends on it, which ranges from 90 mm for household to 200 mm for professional models.
Hand tools for metal processing are not so diverse. There is only one type of hand saw that can cut this material. Its working body is a wide or narrow blade with fine hardened teeth. It is inserted into the bow holder and tightened with a screw.
Circular saws
The idea to replace the reciprocating movement of the cutting blade with a circular one can rightfully be called revolutionary. It arose after the advent of the electric motor and significantly increased the speed and productivity of work.
A typical representative of a tool that uses this principle is a circular saw. Its main advantages - mobility and high power overshadowed the modest capabilities of a hand hacksaw.
By design, circular electric saws are divided into gear and gearless. In the first case, the electric motor rotates the gear reducer, on the shaft of which there is a saw blade. The second option is to mount the disk directly on the motor rotor shaft. Both designs have a mechanism for adjusting the depth of cut and the angle of inclination.
The advantage of gear mechanisms is the ability to perform deeper cuts. Gearless saws have two advantages: lighter weight and affordable price.
In the passive, they are inclined against the course (negative sharpening angle).
Passive discs are indispensable when cutting metal. Active ones are used for wood processing. The disc teeth can be hard-faced. They make it possible to cut harder materials, but negatively affect the cleanliness of the cut.
The working capabilities of the tool depend on the power of the electric motor (from 0.65 to 2.5 kW). Manufacturers also indicate the maximum depth of cut that a circular saw can perform (from 25 to 85 mm).
A variation of this power tool is a circular saw, which is mounted on a fixed frame. This solution allows you to cut long and wide material with high accuracy.
Some manufacturers offer an interesting compromise - hand-held circular saws that can be turned over and fixed on the table, turning it into a stationary "circular saw".
When answering the question of what kind of saws are, it is impossible not to mention trimming devices. In this case, the circular saw is mounted on a pendulum arm. As a bed, a rotary plate with a conveyor (angular) marking is used.
The advantages of a miter saw over a circular saw are obvious: you can make perfectly precise cross cuts at any angle. This operation is especially important when joining various wooden parts (platband, plinth, lining, timber).
Chain saws
Often, when working with wood, it is not the cleanliness and accuracy of the cut that is important, but its depth. This is precisely the task that the chain saw solves - a powerful device with an electric or gasoline engine, designed for felling trees and cutting firewood.
It has two main interrelated technical parameters:
- Engine power;
- Tire length.
A tire is called two flat plates interconnected with a small gap for installing a saw chain. At one end it has a driven sprocket, and at the other there are cutouts for the tensioner.
Power chain saws with electric drive range from 1.5 to 4 kW. When choosing a device for household work on the site, it is better to stop at a power of 1.5 to 2 kW with a saw bar length of 30 to 40 cm. This is quite enough not only for sanitary pruning of the garden, but also for harvesting firewood.
If necessary, such a tool can dissolve a board, log or beam, although you will not get high quality and cutting accuracy.
There are two subspecies of chain saws:
- With lateral (transverse) placement of the engine;
- With longitudinal motor mounting.
The first type is simpler in design and cheaper in price. But the second one is more convenient to use, although more expensive due to the introduction of a gearbox into the design.
The main thing that gives the owner a chainsaw is autonomy. With such a tool, you can go to the forest and cut firewood there. You will have to pay a price for such a significant plus: chainsaws are more complex in design than electric ones. This difference is especially felt when buying a cheap "but-hire" device. Problems with starting, carburetor, rings and candles are frequent companions of such a purchase. Therefore, it is better to purchase a more expensive chainsaw than to lose money when operating an economy option.
Electric jigsaw
Circular saws and chain saws cannot replace a device that uses a narrow blade that moves up and down at high speed.
Thanks to this arrangement of the working body, the jigsaw allows you to quickly and accurately cut curved flat parts. Plywood, ceramics and plastic, OSB and soft metal - all this can be cut with a good jigsaw with a quality file.
Electric jigsaw
For each material, manufacturers make special saws that differ both in the inclination of the teeth and in their frequency.
For example, wood is better cut with a file with a large tooth. A sheet with a fine serrated notch will confidently handle sheet metal. We will not give special recommendations for choosing saws for electric jigsaws, since the manufacturer indicates the recommended type of material on each of them.
The main technical parameters of the jigsaw are engine power, saw blade stroke rate and maximum cutting depth (indicated for different materials).
For household models, these parameters are within the following limits:
- Power from 400 to 900 W.;
- Stroke frequency (with the possibility of smooth adjustment from 0 to 3000 rpm);
- Cutting depth (wood - 45-80 mm, steel from 4 to 20 mm).
A useful option for a jigsaw is a laser pointer. It helps to clearly see the direction of the cut when the marking line is hidden under a layer of sawdust. When choosing an electric jigsaw, pay special attention to the nozzle in which the file is attached. It should provide the most reliable clamp. Otherwise, the file will regularly jump out of its weak "embrace".
A logical development of the jigsaw design was a compact band saw. Its working body is a closed steel tape with teeth, which is rotated by an electric motor.
Sawing with it is easier than working with a jigsaw, which vibrates strongly and strives to escape from your hands. The cleanliness and precision of the cut of the band saw is perfect. This not only reduces waste, but also produces a cut surface that does not need to be sanded.
The workpiece here can be held with two hands, which increases the accuracy of operations when cutting curved elements.
The main indicator of band saws for wood is the depth of cut, which can be from 8 to 50 cm. An electric jigsaw and a circular saw are not able to cut such a thick material.
The remaining characteristics refer to cutting blades.
There are two categories here:
- Carbon saws (manufactured steel C75 and analogues);
- Alloyed saw blades made of D6A steel (have increased wear resistance and resistance to alternating loads).
Depending on the manufacturing technology and hardening of the cutting teeth, the blades are divided into two types:
- Saw bands with notched non-hardened teeth;
- Blades with cut hardened teeth.
The advantages of saws of the first type are low cost and the ability to cut wood with foreign inclusions: nails, stones, fragments. Such a blade works with small sawing volumes (2-4 m3 per day) and at a minimum feed rate (6-10 meters per minute).
The main advantage of a saw blade with a hardened tooth is its high wear resistance (2 times higher than that of saw blades with non-hardened cutters). Disadvantages - high cost and sensitivity to foreign inclusions.
The remaining parameters of band saws are reduced to a simple list:
- Web width;
- Number of teeth per length inch (TPI).
For standard wood sawing jobs, a 1/2″ wide band is optimal. Narrower blades (3/8") are used for curly cutting.
The number of teeth of the cutting belt directly affects the evenness of the cut (the more teeth, the smoother the cut). Coarse saw blades (2.3 TPI) are used for cutting wood and logs up to 200 mm thick. For cleaner work use saws with 6 TPI, and for precise cutting use size 10-14 TPI. The optimum size for achieving high productivity and good cut quality is 8 TPI.
A table band saw for metal is similar in design to a wood cutting device. However, its capabilities are more modest. This tool can only perform cross cutting of rolled steel (pipes, angle bars, fittings, channel bars) at different angles.
In the arsenal of a home master there is always a functional and easy-to-use circular saw. But there are situations when you need to saw off a part and do a small amount of woodwork, and there is no time or desire to deploy and connect the unit. In these cases, a hand hacksaw perfectly saves. But how to choose a manual hacksaw for wood so that it is convenient to use and easily “gnaws through” any type of wood, we will consider in more detail.
- Blade tooth parameters
- Types of hand saws for wood
- Option #1 - narrow
- Option #2 - normal
- Option # 3 - with a butt
- Option # 4 - bow
- Recommendations for choosing a tool
Tool Specifications
The saw is rightfully considered the ancestor of a large family of hand tools. Since the creation of the first type of tool from iron, the saw has undergone many changes, having managed to acquire numerous “sisters” capable of performing dozens of jobs.
In the household, it is impossible to do without "toothy helpers": they are indispensable for pruning the garden, small carpentry and joinery work
Hand saws for wood differ from each other in many ways: blade size, steel grade, tooth shape, handle design. Let's dwell on each parameter in more detail.
How should a hacksaw blade be?
The main part of the tool is a hacksaw blade. The first thing you should pay attention to when choosing a product is the length of the canvas. The possibilities of its application largely depend on this parameter. At the same time, the longer the blade, the more springy it is, which also complicates the process, especially when working with hardwoods such as ash, maple or oak.
The long stroke makes it possible to apply less effort when sawing, since a large number of teeth are cut in one stroke.
For sawing small elements such as skirting boards, bars or narrow slats, you can get by with a hacksaw with a blade length of 25-30 cm. When planning to use the tool when performing more serious construction work, choose a product with a blade of 45-50 cm.
When determining the length of the hacksaw blade, follow the rule that the length of the saw exceeds the diameter of the processed elements by 2 times. If you do not follow this recommendation, you will only complicate your work. The teeth of a short hacksaw will stick inside the wood, and everyone will have to make a lot of effort in order to advance the tool to free it from sawdust. Uncomfortable work will cause premature fatigue.
Traditionally, the width of the fabric of the product varies in the range of 10-20 cm. Models with a narrower fabric are not allowed for technical reasons, since they fail at the slightest bend. But it should be borne in mind that too wide canvases are inconvenient for manual work.
Of no small importance is the material of manufacture of the blade, which is most often alloyed steel, as well as its degree of hardening.
For hacksaws, tool alloy steel with a high content of silicon and carbon grades is used:
- 65G, 60 S2A;
- 8 HF, 9 HF, 9 HS;
- U7, U7A, U8, U8A, U8G, U8GA, U9A, U10
Hardening of the metal is carried out by exposing it to an alternating magnetic field, in which a high-frequency electric current appears. Spreading over the surface, it heats the surface layer of the metal, which hardens after cooling.
The standard parameter is the metal hardness of 45 HRC, but it is still preferable to choose products whose web hardness is 55-60 HRC. A hacksaw with a high hardness blade will have sufficient flexibility, but at the same time high tooth stability. With an external examination, such a tool can be identified by the darkish shade of sharpened teeth.
Blade tooth parameters
The determining indicator of the performance of the tool and the accuracy of cutting wood is the size of the teeth.
The teeth of a hacksaw for woodworking perform a dual function: they cut wood and simultaneously remove sawdust
Sawing accuracy is determined by the "TPI" indicator - the number of teeth per inch.
There is an inverse relationship between these technical parameters:
- canvases with large teeth set a high speed of work, but the saw cut turns out to be rough and sloppy;
- hacksaws with fine teeth guarantee a clean and precise cut, but at a relatively slow working speed.
When determining the required tooth size, one should be guided by the type of material being processed. For example, for work with chipboard, where high precision of the cut is required, choose a tool with a high TPI of 7-9, and for sawing logs and gardening, where the cleanliness of the cut is not so essential, choose a TPI of 3-6.
When choosing the best hacksaw option, follow the rule that the minimum log thickness should in any case be more than a three-tooth pitch
If we compare a hardened and ordinary tooth, then the difference lies in the fact that in the first variant, subject to domestic use, the product does not dull for a long time. But a hacksaw with a hardened tooth can no longer be sharpened again. When she starts to cut badly, she will just have to be thrown away.
A normal tooth can be sharpened. Periodically, it can be performed using a special file marked with an accident (for sharpening saws). To sharpen the blade, it is enough to perform several movements on each tooth.
Depending on the type of teeth used, there are three types of hand saws:
Some types of modern tools are equipped with teeth that are made in the shape of a trapezoid. This solution allows you to make the canvas more durable and wear-resistant.
But it should be borne in mind that sharpening such a blade is very problematic, since it is difficult for trapezoidal teeth to give the desired shape. This significantly reduces the service life of the product, after which it is necessary to change the blade or purchase a new tool.
For sawing fresh branches, it is more convenient to use blades equipped with triangular teeth processed by parallel sharpening, in which each element is sharpened only on one side and in a checkerboard pattern
Often on the market you can also find a modernized type of hacksaws.
Upgraded hacksaws are easy to distinguish by the groups of teeth located on the canvas, between which the gaps are clearly visible.
Modernized type hand saws are effective for cutting raw wood. Wet chips through the gaps between the teeth in the process of sawing easily come out of the cut, without hindering the movement of the tool.
Types of hand saws for wood
Option #1 - narrow
A small narrow saw is a design that consists of a straight flat blade and a handle. She performs delicate work: through cuts, cut out curved parts.
This type of tool is designed for sawing wooden blanks, the thickness of which does not exceed 8-10 cm, sawing small branches and small garden work.
In the manufacture of narrow models, manufacturers install blades with triangular double-sided teeth, or with parallel sharpening. The disadvantage of the tool is that when pressed during operation, the canvas can deviate from a given direction.
Option #2 - normal
A standard hand saw can be equipped with any type of teeth and is often equipped with interchangeable blades of various types and designs.
To be able to saw off workpieces at a certain angle using a standard hand saw, you have to purchase special miter boxes
But despite the declared versatility of their application, it is not advisable to use saws of this type in the manufacture of furniture.
Option # 3 - with a butt
Both narrow and conventional saws are prone to bending when the material being processed increases in rigidity. In these cases, it is effective to use canvases equipped with a backing, which acts as a kind of stiffener.
Hand saws equipped with a back are designed to create shallow cuts in a wooden surface of any thickness.
The presence of the butt prevents the saw from making a cut deeper than the width of the blade, as it prevents the cutting blade from passing further into the tree.
Option # 4 - bow
Bow-type saws are more bulky devices that act as an analogue of a jigsaw.
The main purpose of this type of saws is to create an accurate cut when working with surfaces located at any angle.
Due to the solidity of the design and the threaded connections of the handles, bow-type saws are able to easily overcome knots, cutting along radii and curvilinear patterns.
Depending on the purpose and design solution, saws can be:
- swing - for longitudinal cutting;
- transverse - for sawing blanks across the wood fiber;
- rounded - for cutting holes, making roundings and figured sawing;
- spiked - for cutting connecting spikes, as well as sawing simple geometric shapes on a workpiece.
Only with a bow-type hacksaw can you cut the material up and down, sawing blanks with complex lines and doing the work alone without involving an assistant.
The procedure for choosing a hand saw for wood is quite simple:
Conventional handles are made of plastic. Prefabricated plastic handles made of two halves do not have sufficient rigidity. It is much more convenient to work with a tool that has a one-piece handle, which is equipped with a rubberized finger pad. The presence of a rubber insert allows you to make a tighter grip, preventing the formation of calluses on the palm.
Pay attention to the design of the tool handle: it is desirable that it has an ergonomic shape that allows you to correctly transfer force to the blade
On sale there are products with standard and flip-over handles. The second option is convenient in that it allows, if necessary, to replace the worn canvas with a new one.
Keep in mind that not all hand saws go on sale already sharpened. And this seemingly trifle largely determines how soon you can get to work.
There are many companies that manufacture hacksaws on the market. Judging by the reviews, they have proven themselves well: the Zubr hacksaw of domestic production, Gross Piranha joint German-Chinese cooperation, Irwin Xpert made in the USA. They are famous for their decent quality at a low price, which varies between 10-20 USD.
Finally, we suggest you watch a video with tips on choosing:
related posts
Wood has many advantages as a building material. Ease and speed of processing are considered one of the most important. There are many tools for this, but the most popular and simple device is still an ordinary hacksaw. However, the hand saw still needs to be properly selected, otherwise it will be inconvenient or inefficient to work with it.
Criterias of choice
To get a really good tool, you need to know about its characteristics. When choosing, you need to consider the following points:
- the material from which the canvas is made;
- cutting tool length;
- convenience and reliability of the handle;
- size, pitch and shape of teeth.
Even if at least one of the characteristics under consideration is changed, the properties of the hand saw immediately change.
The ease of use of the tool depends on the shape of the handle. Therefore, if the device is to be used by one person, then its handle must be selected so that it is as close as possible to its palm shape.
If the tool is not used very often, then the comfort of holding automatically becomes not the most important criterion.
The length of the hacksaw blade varies between 350-600 mm. This parameter is selected depending on the thickness of the workpieces to be processed.
In this case, you should not resort to extremes, because it will take much longer to work with a very short saw blade, and a long saw blade can be very springy, creating additional inconvenience.
Teeth and blade
Mostly hacksaws are made of alloyed or tool steel alloys. In order for the device to serve as long as possible, its canvas must be made from high grade steel. The best option is stainless steel. Of course, such a tool is more expensive, but it will fully pay for itself. In addition, the teeth of a hand saw may or may not have been hardened. These options have their own advantages.
Teeth that have not been hardened can be sharpened at any time. Hardened elements are more durable and reliable. They last much longer, but they are almost impossible to sharpen.
Thinking about which wood saw is better, you need to pay attention to the pitch, configuration and dimensions of its teeth. A quality cut depends on the accuracy and speed of the cut. These characteristics are directly related - small teeth allow good cutting accuracy.
Hacksaws for wood with a large tooth noticeably speed up the work, but the accuracy and quality of the cut surface suffer noticeably.
For this, there is a special characteristic - TPI. It shows the number of teeth per inch of cutting blade. To achieve accurate cuts where quality and precision are important, hacksaws with a TPI of 7 to 11 should be taken. If maximum speed is required, then fixtures with a tooth configuration of 3 to 5 should be preferred.
According to the configuration of the teeth, there are several types of hacksaws for wood:
In addition to the configuration of the teeth, hacksaws can have different lengths and shapes of the working blade. On sale you can find folding types of hand saws or in the form of comfortable handles. Cost often determines the quality and durability of the product. That is, a good hand saw in rare cases is very cheap..
Most Popular Models
To understand the whole variety of hacksaws, you can pay attention to the most popular products. The most requested products include the following:
There are other models that also deserve attention.. One way or another, it is recommended to take such products from trusted suppliers.
After buying a dacha, I had the need for a good saw. At first I thought about choosing a Japanese model, because such products pass various tests and are considered to be of very high quality. However, my budget was very limited, so I opted for the Zubr saw. I don’t regret my decision at all, because the device is very high quality and reliable.
Semyon Grishin
On the eve of my husband's birthday, I began to run around the shops and look for a good gift for him. Then I accidentally went into a store of various tools and decided to give him a good hacksaw, since the old one was already all rusted and had been collecting dust on the balcony for several years. The husband was very happy with the gift, because he just wanted to make an extension from a bar.
Galina Petrova
I used to have a hacksaw made in the USSR. Of course, there was a good thing, but it is outdated, and the canvas is already all rusty. Went to the store and bought a Stanley Grand. A wonderful thing. Very comfortable and, most importantly, inexpensive.
Wood has been used as a building material since time immemorial. And now it has not lost its popularity. It is loved for its environmental friendliness and ease of processing, which is best done with wood saws. These tools are available with different parameters, which are selected depending on the specific application.
Specifications
The saw is one of the first hand tools invented by man. Since the appearance of the first rough version, centuries have passed, and many varieties have appeared for various types of work.
As for hand saws for wood, they differ from each other in many parameters, among which are the following:
Let's consider each in detail.
hacksaw blade
In principle, this is the tool itself. The most important parameter of the canvas is its length. It is this that determines the range of application possibilities. However, the longer the canvas, the stronger the springiness, which makes it especially difficult to work with hardwoods such as oak, ash or maple. For sawing small items like a plinth, a bar or a narrow slat, a manual hacksaw for wood with a blade length is enough 25-30 cm. For more serious work, you need a tool with a blade length 45-50 cm.
A simple rule for determining the length is that the blade should be twice the diameter of the logs that will be sawn with it. The teeth of a short hacksaw will stick in the wood, much more effort will have to be applied to work, which will quickly cause fatigue. The width of the canvas usually varies in the range of 10–20 cm. A narrower canvas is not allowed, as it breaks at the slightest bend, but it is inconvenient to work with an overly wide canvas by hand.
Production material
Blades for hacksaws are made of tool alloy steel with a high content of carbon and silicon, grades:
- 8 HF, 9 HF, 9 HS;
- 65 G, 60 C2A;
- U7, U7A, U 8, U8A, U8G, U8GA, U9A, U 10.
The metal is hardened by exposing it to an alternating magnetic field when a high-frequency electric current appears. When propagating over the surface, it heats a layer of metal, which hardens after cooling. The standard hardness is 45 HR C, although it is recommended to take products with a hardness of 55-60 HR C when the flexibility is sufficient and the teeth have high stability. With an external examination of such a tool, one can see a darkish shade of honed teeth.
Tooth parameters
Precision and performance mainly depends on tooth size.
The defining indicator - "TPI" - the number of teeth per inch.
There is an inverse relationship between these technical parameters:
- Cloths with large teeth allow you to work at high speed, but the cut turns out to be sloppy, rough.
- The fine-toothed blade guarantees a clean and precise cut, but the cutting speed is relatively slow.
When determining the size of the teeth, be guided by the material being processed. To work with chipboard, for example, a high cutting accuracy is required, so a tool with a high TPI of 7-9 is selected. For sawing logs and garden work, where the cleanliness of the cut is not so significant, TPI 3-6 is enough.
The difference between a hardened and an ordinary tooth is that the first one in domestic use does not dull for a long time. But a saw with hardened teeth cannot be resharpened, it can only be thrown away after use. Ordinary teeth can be sharpened, which is done with a special file marked with an accident (for sharpening saws). It is enough to spend several times on each tooth.
Depending on the type of teeth, there are three types of hacksaws for different types of sawing:
Some modern tools have teeth in the shape of a trapezoid. This increases strength and durability, but it is not easy to sharpen such a blade, since the trapezoidal teeth are difficult to shape. Because of this, the service life is greatly reduced, and after it has expired, the canvas has to be changed.
The market also offers modernized hacksaws. They are effective for sawing raw wood. Wet chips in the process of work easily exit through the gaps between the teeth, and the movement of the tool is not hindered.
Types of hand saws for wood
It is impossible to say unequivocally which is the best hacksaw for wood. There are different options for different types of work. Let's describe them.
Depending on the design and purpose of the saw, there are:
- Swing - for longitudinal cutting.
- Transverse - for sawing across the fiber.
- Vyruzhny - for making holes, figured sawing, making roundings.
- Spike - for cutting connecting spikes and cutting out simple geometric shapes.
It is possible to cut the material along and across only with a bow saw, sawing blanks with complex lines. The work can be done without an assistant.
Handle type
In many ways, the ease of use of the tool is determined by the shape and material of its handle. Handles can be wooden or plastic. The surface at the grip point should not allow the hand to slip. This effect is eliminated by making scars on the handle, or by covering it with a rubber layer. The saw can be cast or with a reversible blade. In the latter case, it is easy to replace the canvas.
Conventional handles are made of plastic. Prefabricated plastic handles from two halves do not have sufficient rigidity; it is much more convenient to handle a tool with a solid handle with a rubberized finger pad. The rubber insert allows you to make the grip tighter, which prevents the formation of calluses.
To choose the right hand saw for wood, you need to follow a number of recommendations. Pay attention to the following:
- Target. For carpentry, you need a saw with fine teeth, which will provide high precision sawing. Carpenters need a blade with large teeth.
- web uniformity. Gently bend the canvas at an angle of 30-45 ° and release it. The slightest deviations on the fold line (even within 2 mm) indicate the low quality of the metal.
- Frequency of use. If you need a saw for one-time work, it is better to take a tool with hardened teeth. The service life is quite long, and you don’t have to worry about sharpening and wiring.
- Price. High-quality models of leading manufacturers are much more expensive than consumer goods. But the high price is a kind of guarantee of wear resistance and durability. However, for one-time work, buying an expensive tool is not practical.
Decide on the purpose of the tool, see how it lies in your hand. Read the enclosed instructions, if any. These minimal "wisdom" repeatedly reduce the risk of choosing a bad tool.
