How to Saw Timber

The great mistake all amateurs make when trying to saw a piece of wood is that they are in too great a hurry, and press upon the saw, the result being that soon the saw sticks in the wood and will not move in either direction; for this the unfortunate saw is blamed, it being the invariable custom of all bad workmen to complain of their tools. When sawing a piece of wood it must be held firmly; the saw is held in the right hand, and alternately pushed and pulled backwards and forwards in a straight line, the elbow being kept close down to the side— this is the reverse of the position of the elbow adopted for sharpening tools upon an oil-stone—no pressure must be put upon the saw, its own weight is quite sufficient to make it cut its best.

The teeth of a saw are bent alternately to the right and left; this is called the “set” of the saw; and this enables the saw to cut away from the wood a space which is a trifle wider than the thickness of the blade, so that, as the saw advances through the wood, the teeth (10 the cutting, and the wood supports the saw blade in its position. If the saw is forced to cut faster than its natural pace, it will resent the additional pressure by cutting crooked (“running” is the technical term), and the wood will “bind” against the blade of the saw.

If it is intended to cut through a wet log of wood, even the weight of the saw may be too much, and some of it must be supported by the hand, so as to make the saw cut more slowly. If the saw has been badly sharpened and set, so that it cuts faster on one side of the blade than upon the other, it will bind, and it should be reset and sharpened; or, if the blade of the saw has been bent by forcing it, or by other cause, a new saw should be bought, and the bent saw reserved for lending to a friend; he will not borrow it again.

A few tools such as this are useful to keep for lending. The amateur will thus soon obtain the character of possessing useless tools, and his friends will not ask him to lend, and he will be able to keep his tools in good working order; friends always spoil or injure the tools they borrow.
There are other ways of using a saw; for instance, if it is desired to cut through a log 8 inches square with a blunt saw, it will be a great help if a friend takes hold of one end of the saw with a pair of pincers and pulls, while the amateur holding the handle pushes; the two soon learn to work together, and work as if they were using a two-handed saw (a saw to be used by two men).

There is another way of using a saw which is often very useful, and which should therefore be practiced when an occasion offers. Suppose that it is desired to cut a board i inch thick from a piece of deal 9 inches broad and 3 inches thick, the wood having been marked is placed upon two trestles, resting upon its edge; the amateur sits straddle-legged upon the wood, and, holding the handle, he works it up and down, keeping the saw vertical; it is immaterial whether he cuts towards himself or from himself. In this manner he can cut more quickly and more true than if he stood upon one side of the wood and used only one hand. When the amateur has learned to use a hand saw in various positions, he will be able to use any kind of saw which is worked by hand.