Reply To: Old Disston backsaw mystery

That was my first thought, too. My second thought was, “Hey, wait a minute.” If I’m starting a cut and I’m holding my saw parallel with the surface being cut, the angled teeth mean the saw is going to contact the corner nearest me first. If I push forward now, the saw is going to dig into the wood. That angled end is going to create a slight pressure akin to pushing the saw down into the wood. That doesn’t seem like it will particularly help get the cut started, and it seems more likely to cause a ragged beginning of cut.

I could lift the heel of the saw to bring the teeth parallel to the surface, or to contact the far corner first, but at that point, what’s to be gained by the angled tooth line? You could do exactly the same thing with a straight saw edge, and it would be more predictable in use and easier to sharpen. I don’t get it. I haven’t actually tested any of this on real wood, yet; I’m just musing.