Using a handsaw/hand tools, how do i crosscut to finished length a WIDE board without splintering the underside?
Hi.
I’m delving into using more hand tools rather than power tools. So, I decided to try and build a screech owl nesting box out of cedar scraps I had in my scrap bin using only hand tools.
When it came time to crosscut some of the pieces to FINISHED length I used a sharp cross cut saw #8. BUT the wood splintered terribly on the underside of the piece. I really didn’t mind it since this was ONLY a nesting box but I wondered how you would prevent this from happening if it was a piece of furniture and couldn’t tolerate that splintering.
I searched the net fro the proper technique but to no avail. No one seesm to address this issue. All I saw were statements like”cross cut to finished length” and no mention of the possible splintering and how to deal with it.
Do u cross cut to rough length THEN shoot it with a hand plane on a shooting board? Do you score the cut on the upper side and lower side with a knife before hand sawing to that line? Do you tape the underside first then cross cut?
I used a #8 cross cut (some call them panel saws). The saw is sharp. The splintering /tear out on the underside of the 9″ wide piece resulted in tear outs that varied but were at most approximately 1/2″ long .So even if I rough cut it to length and then used a handplane that would’ve meant trying to handplane away 1/2″ worth of material to get rid of those splinter divots which would be ALOT of work.
So what is the correct way to cross cut a wide board to finished length only using hand tools without tear out/splintering?
Yes I know cedar is splintery but that’s what was available. Regardless of wood choice, how could this be done without splintering?
Thanks.
Replies
An 8pt. is for rough cutting, 2x4s for framing, not finished cuts. From the sound of it, it's not actually sharp or correctly sharp, either. To get a cleaner cut with reduced tearout, you need a finer saw, but a 10pt. would be fine. You will have better control with a standard western handsaw if you use saw horses about 24" high. Secure the work. This puts your shoulder in the best position, lay the saw back about 45 degrees. This will make the saw follow the line, try to make full strokes to use most of the length of the saw. Pull the handle back in line with your arm pit. very light downward pressure on the forward stroke, no pressure on the back stroke. Laying back also changes the exit angle for less tearout. Slow, easy and straight, don't force or rush it. Try to finish on a down stroke and hold the waste from falling, but don't let it pinch the kerf.
A low angle block plane will clean up the cut easily. In many cases, the block plane can be used to cut a chamfer on the edges, cleaning up any fuzz and giving a nice appearance. A crisp, even chamfer is considered a sign of craftsmanship. If you have a board that wants to tearout , you can cut a line all around as long as you can cut accurately and behind the cut, then clean up with the block plane.
What I do to keep nice edges when cross cutting, is I make a knife scribe on all sides and then make another knife scribe on all 4 sides about 1/16 to 1/8" away and cut in between. It prevents the tear out. I didn't come up with it. I learned it from Paul Sellers.
Joeleonetti has the right idea. But there are some additional methods for cutting the underside of the plank to eliminate tear-out.
When cross cutting items on a TS that are inclined to splinter and form breakout on the bottom, one solution is a small kerfing blade run in front of the main blade to cut a very shallow groove on the bottom of the plank in line with, and the same width as, the main blade cut. The main blade then cuts only fibres that are supported by the wood on each side of the main kerf through the plank.
Joeleonetti's knife line on the underside of the plank has the same function; but you could emulate the tablesaw kerfing blade cut by sawing a very shallow saw kerf on the underside of the plank first, the same width as the main saw you use to cut the plank. The main saw cut is then the same width as this this under-plank anti-breakout kerf.
You could use your main saw to make the shallow kerfing cut on the underside ... or you could use a dedicated kerfing saw to make a shallow kerf all around the plank, like Joeleonetti does with his knife lines.
Here's an interesting vid about a "stair saw" or "dado saw" that might perform that function quite well.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJavA41bmro
With a table saw or a band saw, a zero-clearance insert always helps, as it supports the wood fibres being cross cut on the underside of the plank, where the blade emerges before going down into the table. You could try handsawing the cedar plank with a thin bit of MDF or similar stuff strapped to the underside where the handsaw blade will emerge.
A cross cut saw has teeth sharpened like knives, to slice across the wood fibres as cleanly as possible. If your saw is not well-sharpened, with very pointy tips and a good fleam to the sides of the teeth, it may act more like a rip saw and try to chisel across the wood fibres. This tears many fibres rather than knifing through them, so ..... make sure your saw is sharpened well in a proper cross-cut teeth way. Any bluntness on the tips makes them chisels rather than knives (and blunt chisels to boot) so sensitive timbers will tear out.
Finally, consider a Japanese saw. It cuts finely and on the pull stroke, so breakout on the bottom where the blade emerges is less likely. On the other hand, breakout on the top may be worse! :-)
Lataxe
Agree with joeleonetti that a great option is to scribe with a knife and square and then cut just off the line. Google 'knife wall, Paul Sellers'
Though what I do now is crosscut with a fine saw and use a shooting board to final length.
Hi,
If you want to create a straight edge on a crooked board, mark the board with a straight edge or chalk line instead position your hand on the wide section of the saw shoe, not on the narrow side near the blade, and grip the shoe with your forefinger and thumb. Your forefinger acts as a guide. As you cut, direct pressure straight ahead through the handle of the saw, and concentrate on the line. If the saw starts to wander from the line, back up to about 6 inches behind where you first strayed from the line and start again.
Try this it will be helpful!
Or you could attach a sacrificial piece underneath the board you're cutting. It'll help prevent tearout.
Mikaol
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