Hi A clean cut depends on a steady hand. Follow these steps for cutting wood safely with a handsaw.
Steps: 1. Measure the wood with a tape measure and mark it with a straight edge for cutting. Draw a line along the desired cut - this is your "cutline. Clamp a piece of 2x1 or what ever you use for a straight edge along this line, this is your guide for cutting . 2. Clamp the wood to a workbench or sawhorse with the area to be cut easily accessible. 3. Rest a handsaw on the far edge of the cutline, with most of the teeth past the wood. Angle the saw's tip down slightly. The handle should be slightly above the level of your elbow. 4. Grasp the saw's handle with one hand; maintain a firm but relaxed grip. ( 5. Hold the wood steady with your other hand, keeping your hand a safe distance from the saw - this will be your guide hand. 6. Loop the thumb of your guide hand over the top of the wood. 7. Pull the saw toward you once, pressing down firmly. Pick up the saw, replace it in your original position, and pull toward you a second time. 8. Repeat until you have cut a notch in the wood's edge. 9. Level the saw slightly and continue sawing back and forth. ( 10. Press down less heavily as you come to the end of the task to avoid splintering the wood. Tips: If you lose sight of the cutline in the sawdust, stop sawing, close your eyes, and blow the dust away before continuing. For milled lumber, use a small-toothed saw. For tree limbs or wood that can be cut roughly, use a saw with bigger teeth. Avoid cutting through knots in the wood whenever possible. Warnings: Watch your fingers. As you finish cutting, be careful not to drop the saw through onto your leg. Using a handsaw isn't as much work as people make it out to be. Follow these directions for relatively pain-free sawing. Steps: 1. Mark a line where you will be cutting. 2. Support both sides of the work on a bench or sawhorse. 3. Take time to get comfortable before you start sawing. 4. Make sure that the teeth of your saw are sharp. Dull teeth make more work and a less precise cut. 5. Line up your wrist, elbow and shoulder with the saw blade. 6. Remember that you will lose about 1/8-inch of wood with the cut due to the width of the blade, so cut on the outside of the line. 7. Apply slight pressure on the push strokes and relax on the pulls. 8. Saw with a steady, easy rhythm. 9. Keep in mind that the more acute the degree, the faster and rougher the cut. Hold the saw at a 90-degree angle for a quick, raw cut; 45 degrees for smooth cuts; and 15 to 20 degrees for very fine cuts. Tips: Consider wearing work gloves for added comfort and protection when you saw. Warnings: Wear goggles and a dust mask when sawing. To listen to the show archives go to link http://acbradio.org/handyman.html or ftp://ftp.acbradio.org/acbradio-archives/handyman/ The Pod Cast address for the Blind Handy Man Show is. http://www.acbradio.org/news/xml/podcast.php?pgm=saturday The Pod Cast address for the Cooking In The Dark Show is. http://www.gcast.com/u/cookingindark/main.xml Visit The New Blind Handy Man Files Page To Review Contributions From Various List Members At The Following Address: http://www.jaws-users.com/handyman/ Visit the new archives page at the following address http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ For a complete list of email commands pertaining to the Blind Handy Man list just send a blank message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/blindhandyman/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
