Back Saws

A backsaw is any hand saw which has a stiffening rib on the edge opposite the cutting edge, allowing for better control and more precise cutting than with other types of saws. Backsaws are normally used in woodworking for precise work, such as cutting dovetails, mitres, or tenons in cabinetry and joinery. Because of the stiffening rib, the backsaws are limited in the depth to which they can cut. Backsaws usually have relatively closely spaced teeth, often with little or no set.

Tenon saw	Dovetail saw	Dōzuki

Types

Different types of backsaw include:

• Mitre saw — often referred to as a large backsaw (20-30 inches or 60–90 cm) used either in a wooden or metal mitre box or in a metal frame which allowed cutting mitres of any specified angle. Note that not all mitre saws are backsaws, and the electric mitre saw (or chop saw) has taken its place today.
• Tenon saw — a midsized backsaw. The saw derives its name from its use in the cutting of tenons for mortise and tenon joinery. Tenon saws are commonly available with rip-filed teeth for rip cutting and cross-cut for cutting across the grain. Teeth are relatively fine, with 13 teeth per inch being a common size for the saw.
• Sash saw — name that seems to have been used in the 18th and 19th century for a smaller tenon saw, used in fabricating window sashes. The term is also used currently to refer to a thin, flexible saw used to free sashes that have been painted shut.
• Dovetail saw — a small backsaw used to cut dovetails. Although most dovetail saw teeth are set for cross-cutting, a rip saw tooth pattern is more efficient. These saws will usually have a higher number of teeth per inch (around 15 - 20 T.P.I.) with teeth sharpened to favor ripping operations and set to leave a narrow kerf.
• Gent's saw — a small dovetail saw with a straight turned handle, rather than an open one typical of most saws. The name seems to have arisen from its use by the nineteenth century dilettante who would now be called a hobbyist. It is adapted for use in making joints in very small woodwork such as that in some musical instruments, dolls' furniture or other model-making. Its distinguishing features are its small size and turned handle.
• Razor saw — a very small backsaw having very finely pitched crosscut teeth, often with no set. The Razor saw is used by hobbyists, notably Model aircraft, Model boat, and Model railroad enthusiasts. Razor saws typically use disposable blades (or are occasionally designed to be completely disposable), since their teeth are so small as to be impractical to re-sharpen. A razor saw is capable of making clean cuts in very soft woods like Balsa, which most other saws would tend to tear out. Unlike most other types of backsaws, razor saws are also frequently used to cut plastics and soft metals.
• Dōzuki — a Japanese backsaw, used for centuries by carpenters and cabinetmakers in Japan. Although this saw does not share an ancestry with the other backsaws in this group, the concept is the same. Like most Japanese saws, the dōzuki cuts on the pull stroke, allowing for much straighter and narrower cuts than those achieved with push-stroke saws. This is due to tension on the blade during the cut (versus compression for a western saw), so less thickness is required to keep the saw blade straight.

Use

• The saw has to be held in the hand with the index finger pointing in the direction of sawing. It also helps to support the whole saw as it moves forward.
• When sawing a piece of wood, it is usually placed on a bench hook.
• The saw must not move from side to side or it will jam in the wood making sawing difficult.
• The first few cuts with the saw must be made slowly. Once an initial groove has been cut sawing should be easier.
• Slow down the cutting motion when the wood is almost sawn through. This will prevent the wood splitting as the saw finally cuts the wood into two pieces.

Hand miter saw

Safety

• Concentration is very important.
• The saw must always be held straight.