Help with Veritas saw
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29 April 2017 at 1:57 pm #311537
Hello. Ive bought couple of Veritas saws (tenon 9 tpi, carcass 12 tpi and dovetail 14 tpi) – all with the rip settings. And I have a problem with them – it seems that it “biting” a lot and stagger in the cut. Is this because of saws are brand new and tooth size is big (being the rip saws)? The rake angles are in range 10-15 degrees. Is there a way to fix this issue or is it my sawing technique needs work?
Hi Michael,
I have the same rip carcass saw and had the same issues. Specifically, I had trouble starting rip cuts without it biting. I did two things which helped immensely.
1) I put in progressive rake over the 1st 2″ as Paul recommends here. https://paulsellers.com/2012/01/minimalist-tools-dovetail-saws/
(except that at the end of the 2″ I left the 10deg rake that the saw comes with instead of 0deg as Paul puts.) I believe he also talked about it specifically for the Veritas saws in another blog post, but can’t recall which, and he may demonstrate in the YouTube sharpening video, I can’t recall.
2) After talking to some people, I started taking more weight off the saw as I start the cut; by taking more weight on the handle’s lower horn. This also helped it from biting.Are you finding it bites or rip or x-cuts or both? These really helped with biting on rip cuts, but I still find it bites on x-cuts. If anyone has suggestions for this I’d love to hear them, or maybe I’ll just bite the bullet and buy the x-cut carcass saw.
Best,
Tom29 April 2017 at 3:16 pm #311539Granted i dont have any Veritas saws however this sounds alot like its your technique. A properly sharp saw can tend to bite itself into the wood and snag when applying too much pressure, try to go easy and apply no to very little pressure and let the saw do the work. You can always increase the pressure to find the sweetspot that works for you if that doesnt work then it might be more to do with either the teeth or the sawplate itself.
29 April 2017 at 6:58 pm #311540Thanks everyone.
My main issues with crosscuting. I do believe that I have issue with the technique because sometimes I catch the moment and I can glide the saw very easily without any pressure. I wish Paul could provide a video explaining the proper sawing technique.
I’m already planning to make first couple of inches like Paul does. And maybe the saw not so well sharpen – after all its factory sharpening.
Also looking at Paul videos I feel like he has smaller teeth (lower). Like they are just worn out. I thought that this could help too.
I recognize exactly what you are describing and the saw is almost certainly fine if it is a new Veritas. Many people experience this at first. You should be able to work through this without changing how the saw is sharpened, albeit with practice. Even if you change the sharpening (other than making it dull) you’ll likely still experience this until you get the knack of it. The key thing is, when you start, don’t think about cutting. Instead, remember Paul’s words, “just rub the teeth gently on the wood.” You’ll be taking the weight of the saw almost completely off of the teeth. Second, start with a push, not a pull. Starting with a pull can make little divots in which the teeth get stuck. Have confidence that everything is fine and practice.
29 April 2017 at 10:56 pm #311545i also took the rake off the front , about 1/2 the set out, laid it on the vice jaw and lightly taped it on both sides.. and let the saw slide freely when cutting , let the saw do the cutting and don’t pressure it ,,the oily rag in the can was the best trick to make things run nicely..practice practice practice and all gets better ,
It seems the more sawdust I make the better I saw.22 May 2017 at 9:48 pm #312185I volunteer at a furniture school on odd occasional days off helping with basic joinery.
I tell people to think they are holding a butterfly or baby bird in there hand when when explaining the grip they need when using a saw. Also get a good stance so your arm will pass your body in a straight line get your sight right with line you are cutting. Veritas saw very good saw yes it will be grabby if you go at it start of cut. but right technic it works perfectly well without any alterations and straight on the push stroke.
I have many saws old spear Jackson’s, Distons etc. Newer Pax and Badaxe a few japs chucked in as well. technic is key plus sharpAttachments:
You must be logged in to view attached files.23 May 2017 at 6:37 am #312192Thank you. I’ve made a progress with my technique and my saws binding a lot less. From Homestead Heritage school of woodworking saw technique video I pick up one very useful advice to stand futher from the bench – this will prevent pressing on the saw too much and helps with natural alignment with the hand motion.
The last thing left is sharpening and I’m currently awaiting my saw files from the store. Veritas are good saws but based on other Veritas tools the factory sharpness is no where near to the optimal (which is understandable).
23 May 2017 at 3:09 pm #312200I have those veritas carcase saws both rip and crosscut. I don’t use them too much, since I have a bunch of vintage back saws. I did happen to hold (not actually saw) some high dollar hand made saws from a maker. It made me really appreciate those saws. For me the totes are way more comfortable then these saws that were 4x the price. I need to use mine more.
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