Actually, a back saw has the teeth oriented in the opposite direction so they point back toward the operator. They cut on the pull stroke rather than the push stroke. This has a couple of advantages, the blade can be a lot thinner because it doesn't buckle or bend as it does on a push stroke. Usually these saws have a very fine tooth for cutting very clean and splinter-free cuts and often people find it easier to make more accurate straight cuts. They are sometimes used with a stiffening back too for some applications like miter sawing.
A back saw though takes some getting used to when starting the cut. ----- Original Message ----- From: Jewel Blanch To: [email protected] Sent: Saturday, April 05, 2008 5:47 PM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] Backed saw That's a good idea Bob! I have a bow saw but I use it only for sawing firewood. It would make a rather rough cut I would imagine, because of the distance between the teeth but that could be tidied up with a bit of sandpaper. Jewel ----- Original Message ----- From: Bob Kennedy To: [email protected] Sent: Saturday, April 05, 2008 11:19 PM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] Backed saw Maybe you should think about a bow saw if you are cutting timber. They are fairly inexpensive as saws go, around 8 to 10 dollars. ----- Original Message ----- From: Jewel Blanch To: bhm Sent: Saturday, April 05, 2008 1:49 AM Subject: [BlindHandyMan] Backed saw I was just reading through one of Ray's recent contributions to the list on the ten most critical tools that should be inyour tool box. One of them was a saw, and the article went on to talk about backed saws that have steel reinforcing on the top edge of the blade to keep it stiff. Now, a saw that insists on bending and flexing is a right royal pain in the neck, so that one that stayed stiff as you pushed would be a boon, but the reinforcing prevents you from sawing to a depth greater than the width of the saw.: not convenient at all, so is it possible to get a slotted length of steel that you can slip onto the saw blade, holding it in place with a couple of wing bolts so that the stiffening frame can be removed if the timber to be sawn is thicker than the stiffening frame will allow? Jewel [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ---------------------------------------------------------- No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG. Version: 7.5.519 / Virus Database: 269.22.4/1355 - Release Date: 1/04/08 5:37 p.m. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG. Version: 7.5.519 / Virus Database: 269.22.7/1361 - Release Date: 4/5/2008 7:53 AM [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
