Practice handsaw cuts

[jarrett]

For those of you that didn't see my earlier thread:
http://www.ncwoodworker.net/forums/f...nd-saws-21815/

I'm new to handsawing, and after reading some advice and reviews, I ended up getting the Veritas Dovetail saw. I don't really have a reference point to compare it except for my cheapo hand mitre saw, which just gives me trouble and fuzzy wood. Hopefully, getting together with others here and learning to sharpen it will help that along.

Either way, with this new saw, I feel that I can truly only blame myself for anything that didn't go right, and not the equipment! It's a great saw, I'm happy I went with it, and now I can concentrate on technique instead of looking at the power tools section for a replacement

My plan is to go easy and just start with making straight cuts. I drew a bunch of lines down a cheap piece of wood, and starting cutting on them. Well, "around" them, but now the saying "cut on the waste side" is ingrained in me. After a while, I decided to try and turn these cuts into a finger joint, to see how I was doing.

I think the toughest part at first was figuring out the right angle to start the cuts on. Once I got that, my strokes were a lot smoother, and my lines became straighter too. Another learned lesson was about using my thumb as a guide when I was pulling back my starter line. I finally noticed this while watching an episode of The Woodwrights Shop, and it made the difference if my line was a 90 degree cut or if it turned out to be an unintentional dovetail! Starting the cuts out right seems to be the important part here. After that was taken care of, I was pretty relieved at how easy it was to maintain the line--the backsaw basically takes care of itself once the groove is set.

Here are some pics of my practice attempts and my first "finger joint". I also need to sharpen those chisels I'm using--that's for another post. Far from perfect, but I know what I can improve on, and that's the whole point. I was sloppy at laying out the lines, and I didn't watch out for knots, but having those problems will make me more aware for my next time...

Now where did I put that wood filler?

[froglips]

Great job! Sounds like you are having a lot of fun

Wood putty? Bah, who needs wood putty. Just give your gaps a classy name. Maybe airways or variable shadow lines.

Jim

[JimmyC]

Jarret,
That looks like pine that you've been using, if so the those aren't bad at all. Pretty good really. It's much easier to cut straight in a lot of the hardwoods like mahogany, soft maple, even poplar.

Keep up the good work.

[PeteQuad]

Very nice! I've been doing the same thing lately. I have a Woodcraft Japanese dovetail saw and the Veritas dovetail saw and have been alternating, trying to figure out which method I prefer. It's a tough choice. But I'm convinced that just cutting a bunch of lines is a great way to practice - fun too!

Those joints look pretty good. Like Jimmy said, you should pick up some poplar so you can see what its like to cut in hardwood.

[cpowell]

Those finger joints look pretty good for a first stab.

Getting together with others will help a lot. An experienced WWer can watch you cut a few lines and let you know if your mechanics are sound. Mechanics do a lot to improve the consistency of your cuts and you will not be aware if you're a little off since you can't watch yourself saw.


Chuck

[jarrett]

Thanks for all the kudos!

Yes, it's pine; I do need to get a piece of poplar to try sawing in hardwood, but I went for the cheapest wood I could find for these first practice lines. I'll keep practicing until I don't have any more "airways" left in my joint.

What I need to wrap my head around now is adjusting for the kerf. Accuracy and angle next time!