Struggling to saw a 18mm thick board to 40cm x 40cm
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- This topic has 9 replies, 6 voices, and was last updated 9 years, 2 months ago by Dominik G-S.
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23 February 2015 at 10:12 am #124979
Hi,
I’m struggling to saw my board to my line. I have first ripped it down with the grain
and planed it with my No 4 plane. So far it works well.
But then I have to crosscut. I used the same 10tpi ripcut pattern panel saw which is 56cm long.
I stay on my line but I had to plane it to get rid of all the chips along the cut. After that I crossed my line and it isn’t square anymore.
Any recommendations to get better results?Perhaps sawing away from the line on the waste side and planing to line? But endgrain isn’t easy to plane…
How do you saw such panels? Are you using any tricks?
I hope you can help me to get my cut more accurately…
Best regards
Dominik
23 February 2015 at 12:52 pm #124984Dominik, First you should be using a crosscut saw for cutting crosscuts. Then as you suggest, stay away from the line and use a plane to get flat and square. Paul uses this technique. You need a very sharp plane. A low angle block plane works great but a sharp standard angle plane works fine. Just come in from both ends to prevent tear off at the opposite end.
Sawing is perceived as a simple operation that every woodworker is born with. But as you are finding out, proper sawing technique is actually one of the harder techniques to master because there are so many motions to control: hand position, head position, shoulder position and foot work. But with some practice it is a technique where you can get good quickly.
Get a decent and sharp crosscut saw and you get good in no time.
23 February 2015 at 1:45 pm #124986Thank you for your recommendations Brett! I just ordered a crosscut panel saw.
I think a special saw for crosscutting long boards makes it easier even when a 10tpi ripcut saw will do the same job.
I still improved my sawing technique in smaller cuts like dovetails tenons and so on and I am quiet happy with that. But a 40cm long cut is something different. I have to practice such long cuts. Especially to saw square along the thickness. Here I am often extremely out of square.Any further tips are very welcome
Dominik
23 February 2015 at 2:23 pm #124990Hi Dominik are you using the knife wall method for marking your board across the grain if you are you really shouldn’t be getting a lot of breakout if any, the knife wall is one of those techniques that once you get into the habit of using it you will wonder how you ever did without it (imho), you could also use a 14″ tenon saw if you use the progressive rip cut that Paul teach’s it seems mad to use this type of saw on a “wide” board but i found it helped me and i can only comment on what i’ve done in the past and thats the beauty of the knife wall you can use it as a guide and then plane down to it from both side as Bret has already explained dont be put off, thousands before us have done it and they couldn’t use a computer haha
23 February 2015 at 2:56 pm #124992Hi Dominik,
Have you watched the stock prep videos that are in the tool and technique video section? You should be able to pick up some of the techniques that Eddy mentions there.
All the best.23 February 2015 at 3:04 pm #124993@Eddy No in this case I didn’t use the knifewall because I thought I could rough cut it and then plane it. Perhaps that was my mistake.
I think I will give it a try. If I cut smaller things like tenons I always use the knifewall method. I have a long ruler to make that longline cut.Thank you for your thoughts…
Dominik
23 February 2015 at 3:16 pm #124996Yes I watched that videos. But if I remember correct the longside of the board (in that video) was the long-grain direction. In my case the longside is long-grain (no problem planing it to perfection) and also end-grain (and here are my problems). Perhaps my plane wasn’t sharp enough to get that endgrain edge straight and square so I aim to get better saw results. Perhaps this view is wrong and I only have to improve my skills in endgrain planing.
I think I will watch those videos again.
Thank you for your help.
28 February 2015 at 5:46 pm #125155I never crosscut anythin without using the “knifewall” technique, it is a great tip Paul gave use and like Phil mentioned those video’s on wood prep have sure helped me.
Steve
1 March 2015 at 3:58 pm #125170I recently heard about spraying a little alcohol on end grain before you plane it. Use enough alcohol to wet the end grain (but not too much), let it dry for a bit, then use a block plane at an angle coming in from both sides. I’ve tried it on poplar and cedar and it seemed to work great.
2 March 2015 at 2:19 pm #125182Thank you for all your recommendations!
I just get it right with a crosscut panel saw some practice and staying away from my line.
After that I planed to my line.
I also noticed that my third hand (jaw horse) isn’t that practical when it comes to sawing
large panels of about 60cm x 140cm x 1,8cm. I have to get some saw horses to get a better position of my upper body during the sawing action.
Thank you George for your trick with the alcohol I will try it. Never heard of it so far.I also tried a sawing technique I saw on a youtube video months ago.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzunGEGcbCY at time 2:01.
It works very well. The cut was dead square. In my case I altered the cutting direction away from my body. I think it is the gravity which makes it work so well. The saw is saw and perpendicular in one and so you only have to follow the line.Thank you to all
Dominik
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